paint myself in blue and red, black and grey

over the last few years, i've gotten a really great response from friends and family about my paintings so i thought i would share them with you. i never really thought of myself as a painter- i'm far too precise and controlling to paint a still-life or portrait, or heaven forbid, a landscape. when my screen-printing professor saw what i created for my collage assignment freshman year of college, she immediately declared that i should be a graphic designer... and loosen up a little. i looked around and realized that my precisely measured, neatly trimmed and delicately pasted collage was surrounded by heaps of torn newspaper, messes of glue, and random splatters of paint. and that moment marked the very first time that i became aware of the difference between fine-artists and graphic-designers. i was so jealous of the fine-artists' ability to throw caution to the wind and dive right into their projects, without seemingly second-guessing themselves.

not being able to let go of my obsessive tendencies, i figured i would never be much of a painter... until a couple of years ago when joey bought me a book by one of my absolute favorite artists of all-time: mr. andy warhol. i had always thought of him as more of a fine-artist, but soon began to realize he definitely had a method to his madness. his famous uneven register lines? deliberate! strange color schemes? modern! choice of subjects? the beginning of the pop revolution!

so, i digress. with a little inspiration and lot of nervous energy, i started to develop my own painting style. i've combined my love of typography, lyrics, pop art and bold colors, and this is what was born...   i hope you like!

"clear eyes, full hearts, cant lose" - friday night lights

"i need a big love" -counting crows

"all is pretty" -andy warhol

"if you're a bird, then i'm a bird" -the notebook

"i may take a holiday in spain" -counting crows

wake up naked, drinking coffee, making plans to change the world.

yoga training session #1
about that blog post title- you might be thinking, 'those are pretty big plans for such a little girl', but... maybe some day?

i realized during my very first class that i have such a passion for yoga, i really just want to share it (despite my debilitating fear of public speaking-ugh). luckily for me, i have the most amazing mentor who makes me feel much more comfortable and puts me at ease with the whole process. need proof? this was my first homework assignment from her: "create a sun-salutation, memorize it, develop verbal cues, and teach it to me next week. or dont. if you arent comfortable with it, just text me and let me know... we can do something else instead." love her.

so during our first session, we talked about how to present poses to a class; the importance of self-confidence; developing your own style; speaking in sanskrit, or westernized terms (or just making up my own) and what my dream class would be like. it was lovely.

my dream class would be 90 minutes long in a warm yoga room (sound-proof please!). i would have the sweetest mix prepared with just the right amount of energy (a little fine frenzy, a few bon iver tunes, maybe even some she & him...) and we would start with breathing exercises on the floor, gradually moving into mountain pose through several vinyasas to get the heart rate up. it would be non-stop, fluid motions that occasionally peaked in tree, warrior three, or even crow (love me some crow), and left everyone sweaty, relaxed and energized when it came to an end.

so, with that in mind, i began to develop my very first sun-salutation and asked joey to be my very first student. he obliged (he probably didnt realize he signed up for yoga training when i did, huh? poor kid...). now im off to practice, practice, practice!

hey, i put some new shoes on and suddenly everything is right.

i know what you're thinking... i'm awful, just awful. it's been an entire month since i last wrote anything (besides my private little "notes to self", which are one-word reminders about things i need to write about the next time i get that bloggin' itch). so, of course, my apologies. let me first apologize for the writing hiatus that i never told you i would be taking, and secondly, for the literary diarrhea i'm about to spew. too graphic? third apology.

no excuses, but life has been bonkers, for realsies. i got engaged, we moved, and i got a sweet promotion at work! i am referring to this period in my life as katie's quarter-life trifecta. this really has no importance at the moment, but someday when i become super-cool and people are writing my life story, it will make their jobs easier if i've already coined this phrase. make sense? it's just me, being all considerate and stuff...

so yea, promotion, woot woot. i am now a fancy-schmancy marketing director! (side note: 'fancy-schmancy' was not allowed on my business cards, unfort.). it is certainly keeping me very very busy, but i'm loving the challenge. and we are both loving saratoga springs, as well! we are only 497 steps to broadway and the downtown vibe is full of energy, just like albany. we haven't stumbled home drunk just yet, but we have wandered over to plum dandy several times, and this past weekend we jogged to the Y, worked out, and stopped at the local farmer's market on our way home. love!

being so close to the Y has other perks as well- it's allowed me the opportunity to begin working on my yoga teaching with one of the best mentors ever! i cant tell you how incredibly excited i am, but i will make sure i blog updates of my progress...  stay tuned!

xo