Monday Morning Inspiration/Studio Progress and The Luxury of Sight

Happy Monday from a very rainy Chicago! My garden is bursting with all the rain we've had. Always a silver lining :)

I apologize for not keeping up with the blog the last few days. Life! 

My studio cleanup project is coming along. Although, I felt as though I had made very little progress, until I watched the first video I shot. So, I have a bit of advice for those of you who are riding along in the same cleanup boat that I am in ;), do a before video! I realized that as I have gone along, I quickly forgot what it looked like before, and all I could see was what still needs to be done. So yes, do a before video. When I went back and watched the pre-cleanup video, I was able to celebrate my accomplishment, at least my accomplishment to date :)   

For those of you who may have missed the first video of my studio, here it is in all it's disastrous glory.



This video was shot after a week and a few days after my beginning. I am not overwhelming myself with the cleanup effort, if I have an hour, great, if I only have 30 minutes, that's great too. 



I shared with a friend of mine that I was a little apprehensive about doing a before video. There was a little (a lot!) of shame involved, I'll admit, but there was also the fear of judgement. What surprised me was how many of you wrote back and shared your own stories of clutter and disarray. Thank you. 

Now for something truly inspirational...

Kristina from Ann Arbor, MI sent me an email last week and told me about a young woman whom she heard speak at her local library. Her name is Camilla Chiriboga and she is truly a young woman on a mission. 

I will let her introduce herself and share her mission as she does it best :)

"My passion lies at the intersection of fashion, health and technology. I design to provide the tools for people to simply enjoy their bodies and lives. I believe clothing should be made for everyone to enjoy the luxury of looking good and feeling comfortable and confident. I seek to celebrate people who are usually underestimated, and in this way, help boost their self-confidence to enjoy a fuller part in society, while feeling more highly valued and respected. Design for me is the tool to provide functional features that will improve daily lives, creating garments that will serve to empower our bodies and minds. This way allowing us to confidently embrace who we are and shape who we want to be through fashion." 

I especially loved the video below. It gives you added insight into what Camilla is doing, as well as the beautiful stories of those who have to deal with the loss of sight. 



You can find Camilla's website HERE. Click on the tabs across the top of her site to see more of her work. 

So many of us take for granted the gift of our sight, and the "luxury" we have of being able to create, show the world our style, and feel good in our clothes. I hope meeting Camilla has meant as much to you as it has to me.

Have a wonderful week!

Rhonda