sorry to be the grinch, but let me explain. and no, i've no intent to drown in a bottle of whiskey, or hop off a building.
I was raised in a religious cult. this cult does not allow for the celebrating of any holidays or birthdays or anything "worldly" as they call it. as a child there are no memories of opening presents on christmas morning, carolling around the neighborhood, big family gatherings, etcetera, etcetera.
as an adult i've made an effort to make christmas matter. there were a few years when I bought a christmas tree, a real one! it smelled good and was fun to decorate but after doing it a few times (and throwing my ornaments away after one of my moves) I had no desire to do it again.
i'm not religious at all. I believe spirituality is something very personal and is not to be homogenized. furthermore I despise authority of all kinds and prefer to take the road less traveled in life. so what i'm saying is, I don't do things simply coz the rest of the world does them. so now i'm at the point where I just don't have any will to "celebrate" a holiday that has no meaning to me, just because mostly everyone else is doing it.
I also find it so funny how so much money and time and energy is spent year after year after year on this holiday. to me, these yearly traditions emphasize the loop of life society seems to be stuck in. literally following the same script every 365 days.
I just can't, Leilah Byrd is no script reader. she is the Creator and she does blaze her own path. I dare you to not only flip the script - rip it up, throw it in the fire and invite yourself to do something oh so different in 2023 and every year to come.
]]>I started watching youtube way back in 2007. the platform was amazing at that time. no commercials every 10 seconds. easy to discover intriguing new content and creators. no shadow banning censorship or non-sensical propaganda being forced down your throat.
now that I think about it youtube was awesome back then coz it wasn't owned by google.
big corporations playing proxy for the oversized government sure do know how to fuck something up and they have sure fucked up the internet.
years ago I killed my TV for this very reason. it got repetitive, boring, bogged down with dumb ass ads. no creativity.
yes, i am complaining. venting. tired of the same ole same ole.
now that I've got that off my chest I shift to solutions.
spend more time in the real world. it really is a gazillion times better. as entrancing as the scrye mirror black screens are designed to be, they can never replace the authentic, multi-sensory reality we wear our meat suits in.
thats my first and foremost suggestion. to myself and to you.
secondly, and this is mainly an invitation to myself, fix it. fix the boring, broken internet by creating that which I wish to consume.
of course you're welcome to fix it too. the more the merrier.
]]>on saturday night my friend took me to a concert. my first since the pandemic. we went to go see San Diego's very own Thee Sacred Souls.
as their name insinuates they are a soulful band with a retro 50s/60s sound. they so remind me of growing up and listening to Sam Cooke, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye with my beloved grama. she loved music. especially the vibrant sounds of that era, which she claimed was the best time of her life.
honestly, I wasn't super familiar with the band before my friend invited me, but I downloaded and listened the their debut self titled album a week before the show. I immediately loved it!
but at the show...let me tell you, I was truly BLOWN AWAY! lead singer, Josh, has a range and voice that can easily take on any R&B veteran. and the band backed up his vocals beautifully. the entire Observatory theatre was electrified for the duration of show.
it was one of those rare performances that exceeded my expectations and I cannot wait to experience them again. if Thee Sacred Souls happen to show up in your town, I highly recommend them.
music is a huge part of my life and has always served as an outlet to keep me sane! as much as I want to honor my commitments and achieve my goals, I realize its important to stay balanced by spending time doing things you enjoy with people you love. life sure ain't about working all the time.
what do you love? please, go out and do it. shamelessly!
on this chilly, late fall evening I stepped out in an all black ensemble but livened it up with a bright pink top by Elizabeth & James and white pointy toe booties by & Other Stories. of course everything I wore (excluding my earrings) was thrifted. even the shoes. scored those during my last Thrift LA trip.
i've had the top for a while and initially listed it for sale, but I loved the color and fit so much I decided to keep it for the time being. so glad I did as this bold cropped top really made the outfit. i'm currently obsessed with long sleeve, high neck tops. they serve as great layering pieces. I have the skinniest, boneist neck ever and I like to cover it up. I wish I could convert some of my ass fat to my neck/chest area but nope...all my fat travels south. I suppose there are worse problems in the world and i've found wearing these tops is a good solution for my lean body type.
i'm heading to another live show later in the week. this is actually a secret show produced by Sofar. it will be my first time attending one of their events. not sure what i'll be wearing yet, but best believe i'lll be sharing my outfit of the night with ya!
ahhh music. it really does get me high! and music + fashion together, well thats just pure bliss.
]]>honestly, didn't feel like being here today.
no particular reason. maybe coz i'm so used to taking space when I need it. scratch that, more like when I want it. I really don't need as much space as I think I do. but I want it and its a fairly easy thing for me to attain. low hanging fruit.
regardless of not wanting to be here today, I am here! woohoo. lemme pat myself on the back.
now i'm reminded why I started this blog in the first place. well, firstly, its simply to get into the practice of showing up - content wise. secondly, and this is even more important, is following through on my word. I made a promise to myself to blog everyday...regardless of whats happening around me.
when someone else doesn't keep their promises it really rubs me the wrong way. maybe I get so pissed because there have been many a promise I've made to myself that I didn't end up keeping.
ouch, the reality of that let down sets in.
i know its impossible to change another person. at this point in life I've no desire to change anyone but myself. the idea of trying to fix someone else exhausts me. i'm glad to be over that phase.
while it may be impossible to change another I know its very possible to change myself. contrary to popular belief I know changing the self is quite easy. we are mostly programmed to believe this task to be difficult but really its all about keeping your promise, to yourself! commit to the change and follow through one day at a time.
just like that!
so glad I showed up today. will you show up for yourself?
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its a gorgeous red, slip dress. midi length, trimmed with delicate black lace and features an asymmetric hem.
guess what else? its brand new. tags aren't attached but its a new, never worn piece!
the idea that someone would donate this baffles me, but i'm sure glad they did and i'm sure glad i found it.
would certainly make a stunning new years eve dress or oooohhh yes, a sexy valentines day dress
]]>those old glossies are no longer trendy. completely out of style. matter of fact, i'm sure most of those gorgeously produced zines have folded. brings tears to my eyes.
of all the fashion trends that have come and gone, the one I miss the most is fashion magazines. for years I held on tight to my collection. but after moving from place to place I only have a few left. le sigh.
feeling nostalgic for the era before social media ghettos took over the internet. no, an IG post is just not the same as holding one of these superbly produced relics in the hand. the weight and smell of the paper, endlessly staring at the latest Gemma Ward editorial. even the ads were something special and I despise being advertised to. but in those days i'd literally tear D&G, Roberto Cavalli and of course Balenciaga (when Nicholas Ghesquiere was creative director) ads from the magazines and tape them to my wall.
if I had it may way i'd bring the printed fashion magazine back. what say you?
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had insomnia last night. eventually I feel asleep, maybe around 330ish. when I woke up I felt like crap.
I had to go out into the world, couldn't hide out in bed like I did yesterday.
thats all I got for ya today. just feeling blah and crossing my fingers I wake up feeling like my regular self tomorrow.
wish me luck.
]]>I heard this quote today. feel like i've scarified so much already, but somehow its not been enough. something to consider going into a new week. I shall re-evaluate the things I am sacrificing.
a new year is upon us, oh and mercury is going retro at the end of the month. the time for re-evaluating is upon us.
it rained all day. I barely did anything. it was truly a super lazy day. I almost forgot to blog, but glad that I remembered. more than anything this is an exercise in commitment and the thought of letting myself down disappoints.
until tomorrow, maybe i'll have some more interesting thoughts?!
]]>my favorite neighborhood spot is a vinyl listening club that serves the most amazing beverages.
blue has always been my favorite color and my preference is tea over coffee.
this late morning I tried blue chamomile tea. my goodness, it was delicious! I do love tea but chamomile is far from of my favorite.
this blend though! it is extraordinary - like everything at this establishment. maybe its the color? maybe its the full bodied sound of the vinyl infusing my cup with extra special flavor? whatever it is I am sold.
lifes simple pleasures. they do bring much needed joy.
]]>celebrating a week old blog may seem over the top. really, I won't be popping any champagne tonight. but in my head the bubbly is a flowing!
I have commitment issues. not just in my creative life but in various aspects of life. sure, i've run Prelovely for eight years and thats most definitely an accomplishment.
over the past eight years my life has been a rollercoaster. maybe one day i'll share some of my experiences in more detail. just know that running a business while living on a metaphorical rollercoaster makes being a solopreneur even more challenging.
the main challenge has been bringing my creative visions to life. i've had so many ideas that never saw the light of day. now i'm off the rollercoaster and my virgo feet are firmly planted on the ground. thats where they like to be. and being grounded means fertile soil to plant my creative seeds in.
this blog is the first seed I am planting and I must stop and acknowledge that I, the commitment-phobe, has stuck with writing everyday for an entire week!
I do feel proud and may I suggest that you celebrate your milestones too. no matter how seemingly petite they may be. in a world where we face endless roadblocks, all steps toward success should be acknowledged.
]]>I didn't leave the house today. but thats not a negative thing. i require at least one-day-a-week away from the world. it keeps me sane.
also, during the weeks of my thrifting LA trips, I come back pretty fuckin' drained. this isolation day is most definitely a recharge.
nope, I did not lay in bed all day watching netflix. I don't do netflix.
it was a full work day. photographing clothes, modeling clothes, folding clothes and putting them away. clothes, clothes, clothes!
yesterday I did 5 loads of laundry. picture that. only if you want to torture yourself. but not really. yes, 5 loads was a lot. CONFESSION: I LOVE the laundromat. the smell of clean clothes is my favorite smell ever! I am a triple Virgo! anything to do with cleanliness excites me way more than it should.
since it is the end of another year I decided to have a look into my personal closet and purge. makes today the beginning of my closet revival. that gets me way excited too!
plus, on the thrift LA trip I found a bunch of new stuff to keep for me. i've gotta sell some of my personal pieces to justify keeping the new stuff. thats called dealing with the devil. aka reasoning with myself.
funny, coz when I sat down to write this, I worried what I would write about. pretty sure this is my longest post yet.
after all the above tasks were completed I treated myself to a homemade dinner of cayenne roasted cornish hen and steamed asparagus.
now capping it off with a smoke & soak.
]]>after the first opening of my eyes i close them, continue to lay in bed and imagine my future self. a visual meditation of who I want to be.
the time allotted to this task is a meager five minutes. i'm extra embarrassed to tell ya, i'm having a hard time visualizing the future me.
sound the alarm!
who am I?
i've always seen and described myself as creative. as the thought comes into my mind, I think: "visionary and creativity are not exactly synonymous."
or perhaps only to a degree.
recognizing what you're not is just as important as recognizing what you are.
ok, so i'm not a visionary. I accept that. it only means the future version of me is,
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today I woke up at 6:45am to go thrifting.
ok, i'm fibbing a bit. my alarm went off at 6:45am, I didn't get out of the bed til 730ish. not a morning person.
I drive north approximately 120 miles to do my thrifting. thats one way. I do thrift locally, however, Los Angeles has some of the best thrifting in the world. the drive is brutal but worth it. I typically do this twice a month.
today I scored some sweet new preloved gear. to sell and to keep. though I rarely keep things forever. because of what I do, and limited space, my closet is an ever changing work of art. I really only keep things that I love, love, love. otherwise i'll wear something til i'm tired of it, grow out of it, or seasons/styles change.
i'm blessed to shop for a living. you'd think thats a gals dream job. and while I certainly can't complain, like anything one does over and over again, shopping becomes monotonous.
to be completely honest, after doing this business for 8 going on 9 years i've grown bored. its time to spice things up, fall back in love with my biz.
i've got plenty of ideas. now the task at hand is bringing those ideas to life.
stay tuned.
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is related to this track.
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yesterday I mentioned my monthly ritual. after listening to this Joe Dispenza interview it really had me considering a much needed evolution of my daily rituals.
starting with what I do when I first open my eyes.
Dispenza suggests that we immediately close our eyes upon waking and imagine our future selves, who do we want to be? take some time to really bask in this image.
its a simple task. much more healthy than immediately reaching for the black rectangle and endlessly scrolling.
starting tomorrow I will implement this practice.
will certainly keep you posted on how it goes.
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a few years back my eldest sibling gifted me with a gorgeous set of tarot cards.
thanks bro.
i've created a monthly ritual by pulling at least one card every month. as a theme, a reminder, a lesson...
in december two cards popped out the deck!
severn of swords and the hierophant.
i'm no tarot expert and what I love about tarot is I don't have to be! a picture really is worth 1000 words.
before looking up the meaning of the card, I study the image of each card. what is the message being conveyed?
I know the seven of swords is about trickery, deceit. on this card the fox trots forward while looking back. looking back at the hierophant, which is all about tradition, doing things the same old way.
my interpretation of this months cards is that its time for me to break out of my own personal traditions. stop perpetuating the same old patterns which lead me into a looping path.
this fox on the seven of swords is looking back with curiosity and a bit of disdain. there is much to be learnt from the past but also keeping my head turned back may lead me to stepping on a sword instead of picking it up and wielding its power.
looking for a tarot expert? I recommend Scorched Earth who is my all time fave!
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starting now.
it's past time for the new.
high, just a little bit.
day one of this series of life changing moments. if i'm going to commit to anything, why not start with the commitment of changing myself.
are you really up for the challenge, Lee?
yes. I am Elle.
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