Bring it, 2012.

I started writing out a little rough draft for my generic "New Years!!!" post, and even filled a whole page with inspirational musings and reflections on what I learned in 2011. I got super into my thoughts and introspective. In honor of my resolutions for 2012, however, I decided to tear up my analysis and throw it in the trash!

I want to be free in 2012! I simply want to live each day to the fullest and do the things that nurture who I am at my core.

This means MORE:
reading
loving
giving
receiving
learning
moving
dancing
singing
laughing
creating

This simply means more of what makes me smile and less of what crinkles my brow into a worried face. Life is so short and I am so incredibly lucky to be a healthy young woman with dreams in my heart, so I intend to forge ahead and live the life I have imagined in 2012. The no crinkle face part also implies that I won't care so much about what anyone else thinks or understands about me, and WILL care about what I think and understand.

I'll leave this last post of 2011 with an adorable duet from two of my most favorite people, Zooey and Joey. I'm in love with this video and these two. Simply in love!!

The Breeze

(This is an amazing song!)

"The Breeze" -by Dr. Dog

Are you moving much too fast?
And the good times, they just don't last.
If you're always on the go
Make an angel in the snow
And freeze.

Do you feel like you're stuck in time?
Forever waiting on that line?
If nothing ever moves
Put that needle to the groove
And sing.

Is it a dream
Keeping you awake?
Is it the stillness that makes you shake?
If you need to know for sure
What's on the ocean's floor
You'll sink.

Do you like things the way they seem?
Or are you looking behind the scenes?
Well if you gotta know
What it takes to make it so
Just believe.

Are there dark parts to your mind?
Hidden secrets left behind
Where no one ever goes?
Everybody knows
It's alright.

Do you get dizzy
On the ground?
There must be something
Going around.
What blows us here today
Will blow us all away.

The breeze
Will blow us all away.

An ode to Matt and Kim.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Matt and Kim live.  I've long admired their quirky personalities, upbeat tempos, and singably simple lyrics.  They totally met my expectations as live performers and were so much fun!  Matt reminds me of Ethan Embry circa Empire Records days, which means he's AWESOME. Kim's energy is so infectious! She is just all smiles and at one point walked out onto the crowd and did a wonderful booty dance.  I love her! Even the blurry shot I captured totally showcases her high energy:



They rocked. Here's one of their simply fun tunes:



Yeah! Yeah!

Leaked Coachella Lineup!!

So...a "leaked" Coachella lineup is making the rounds and it. is. amazing.  I hope, hope, hope it's true!! *crosses fingers**

Kicking off the "Year of the Festival" a lil' early. :)

I just bought ticket's to 94.9 (an awesome local San Diego radio station)'s annual Holiday Hootennany show in December.  At the show will be:

My Morning Jacket



Matt and Kim



Delta Spirit



...stoked!!

I'm workin' out a masta plan...

Sturdy up, sturdy up your heart.

Dear Heart,

I hear you. 

I hear your yearnings for a more creative life.  I notice your twists and turns at the idea of travel.  I feel you practically leaping at the chance to feel the warm embrace of someone who truly cares for you. 

I promise to listen to you.  I vow to move my body and mind in the direction of your wishes.  You are everything, really.  My life centers around your warmth, or lack thereof.  Like the childhood game of "hot" and "cold", where one is "hot" when they are close to the prize, and "cold" as they vear away, the way you feel in any given moment is a barometer of how authentically I am living my life.  You are warm when I'm listening to you, connected to you, and keeping you close to the things you desire.  You are cold when I ignore you, deny your wishes, and put you through uneccesary abuse.

I promise to let you guide me.  I promise to follow you into unknown territory.

In return,  I am going to have to ask you to grow stronger.  I am going to need you to be stable in the midst of chaos, to be secure in the face of rejection, and to be outspoken in the face of disbelief.  I believe in you, now you are going to have to believe in you, too. 

I know we can do this.

Xoxo,
Erin

p.s.
Listen to "The Beautiful Girls" by La Mar.  Soak up every last word.

And suddenly a light appears in my brain.

"Colours" - by Group Love

Lose yourself. Find yourself. Rinse. Repeat.

Sia- "Breathe Me"

True, true words. (And beautiful people.)

Looking very forward to festival season...

Wild Thing.

I'm officially obsessed with this song. It is one of those songs that found its way deep inside my mind and I couldn't stop humming it for a few days there! I love that it's about the classic frighty tale (like a fairy tail...but wild) and that Miller weaves in her own story and philosophies into the lyrics. I really love Misty Miller.  She's so young and so talented, it's very inspiring!  Seems like music is just something she was born to do.  Here is her song and the magical artwork from Where The Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak. 

Heart of the matter.

I've been posting up a storm today, after a period of not so much posting, because I feel so expressive right now.  I've had an amazing past few weeks and just topped it off with a really fulfilling weekend.  This is one of those personal, from the heart posts.  My dad was sick for seven years and recently died this past September.  My heart and soul has been very tied up in his whole situation.  He eventually really lost his mind in a lot of ways, and for a while there he wasn't himself anymore.  I went through several stages of losing him on an emotional and eventually physical level.  It was awful, like, really awful.  The kind of awful you just don't want to talk about or think about.  It felt very difficult to truly feel "peace" for these past years, even though that is one of the most important aspects of life in my eyes.  I value peace and love more than anything.  It was very hard to be connected to full peace, knowing that my dad was suffering.  His suffering was a quiet murmur, humming sadly throughout my days.  I would laugh really hard at something, or have an amazing time, but in some ways it felt like a lie.  Everything wasn't really ok.

I could write about this journey for hours, so I should probably cut it short.  The reason I feel so expressive lately is that for the first time in a very long time, I feel at peace.  I believe that my dad is in a better place now.  I believe that he is connected with his true spirit again, which is something he sadly lost several years before his death.  He became a prisoner in his own body, and I now like to imagine him as this expansive entity, choosing where he wants to be and go.  Flying free.  It is very freeing for me to feel this way and to imagine what sorts of possibilites he might have now.  He was so limited at the end of his life that I just know he is in a better space now.  That makes me feel a lot better, too.  It makes me feel like it is ok to really connect with my spirit and enjoy it.  I don't feel selfish in creating my own happiness now.  This was hard to do when he was sick, I always felt like I was living some sort of double life by being really happy when he was really miserable.

My dad was an architect.  He was passionate about creating things.  He was so simple in the best ways.  He loved the little things in life and derived a lot of joy from them.  He was a very hard worker who also made time to do the things he loved.  He had hobbies, he built tree houses, he did anything and everything for his wife and kids.  We loved him so much.  I'm learning more and more from him every day, just by looking back at his life.  I feel that he can still teach me so much.  I feel very thankful that he is looking over me and hopefully guiding me towards my dreams.  It gives me a lot of confidence and faith to imagine this.  I feel more expansive and connected to myself and the flow of life than I have in so long, and it feels great.

I hope that if you find yourself in a time of trouble, you will remember that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.  I feel myself basking in the warmth of that light, and I have confidence that it is getting brighter every day.  I stumbled upon this amazing young artist, Misty Miller, today and her voice seriously brought me to tears.  Her voice is magic, and life is magic, and I'm so thankful to be here.  My dad's journey taught me that life is truly a gift.  I won't be here forever.  One day we will all leave the world of stars and grass and trees and the ocean.  These things are ours now, and that is a miracle.  I love the world today, and I'll leave you with beautiful Misty's sweet song.  I think this week just might be spectacular.


xoxo,
erin

Banjos are awesome!

images via weheartit.

Feeling hopeful.

As Beyonce might croon, I am a "single lady."  I've been through a lot of ups and downs with relationships in the past and have been happily single for a while now.  I needed time to reflect and focus on myself this past year.  I feel that a lot of good has come out of my single lady time.  This song always comes around in my life when I am feeling hopeful about love again.  It is now that time for me.  I look forward to feeling the feelings he describes in this song soon, with someone new and fabulous.  I feel ready to put my heart out there again after a period of nurturing it from some devastating blows.  This song is for the hopeful single ladies.

A whimsical kind of day!

Today I blew bubbles and played this song on repeat.

Janglin' Soul...

Songs by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros make me want to become a traveling gypsy and skip through grassy meadows with flowers in my hair.  I love these guys!  Here are some cool pics from Flaunt Magazine of Edward and Jade, plus just the happiest song ever. Happy Friday, loves!

Word of the day: Empowered

Today I am just on this "empowered" kick!  All I really feel like doing is creating some amazingly fierce outfit and rocking it while strutting myself down the street!  Rihanna's "What's My Name?" has literally been in my head all day.  Beauty is empowering.  Everyone is gorgeous at their core and has a completely unique personal style to draw out and express to the world. Shout your truth!  Shout it with words, with fashion, with color, and with a bounce in your step.  These music videos help me connect with my inner diva and compel me to dance, sing, and put on one amazing performance in the mirror.  I suggest you do the same.








How do you channel your inner diva? In addition to performing to my mirror, I get a big rush of empowerment when I am wearing heels and an upbeat song pops up on my ipod shuffle. I kinda zone out into Erin fantasy land and pretend I am on a runway, complete with my best attempt at a runway walk. Hey, I think it's pretty hot! Now get out there and empower yourselves with your style, grace, spirit, and aura ablaze.

With Fierce Love,
Erin

P.S.
You get extra diva points if you attempt Beyonce's move at around 1:29 of her video. ; )

Creativity Inspiration: Brandon Boyd

Brandon Boyd is such a talented and creative artist.  He sings, illustrates, paints amazing works, and writes philosophical bliss.  I adore reading his interviews because he has such an interesting perspective.  He talks a lot about his creativity, inspirations, and the inner workings of his artistic process.  Brandon is also just completely and totally dead sexy.  He's quite honestly, da bomb. An excessive amount of pictures follow, because I have to include photos of his awesome artwork and his awesome self.

My creative process is both complex and simple. The complexities arise when I try and understand what I am doing when I am doing it. It's like trying to describe the sensation of love; one is better suited just experiencing it for oneself. But it becomes simple when I let go into the process and don't question it so much. Kind of a surrender into right brian, as it were. But for clarity's sake, I have waves of creativity, followed by times of drought. In these times, I have learned that just reading, listening to music, and surfing a whole lot help to pass the time before the next creative pulse arises. It's been this way in my life for as long as I can remember.  -Brandon Boyd

Doodling and listening to Pandora today.

I had a fabulous Thankgsiving with fun friends in our wonderful beach town.  The champagne was flowing and the food was really yummy!  I am so thankful to have a few days of time off work to live on my own rythym, sleep in as late as I want, stay up as late as I want, and be creative whenever the mood strikes.  Right now I'm illustrating some quotes from some of my favorite poetry books.  Listening to this...





...and doodling this...





I hope everyone had an amazing Turkey Day!

Peace and Love,
Erin :)