take me back...
more copic markers more goodies
My friend Charlene VIllena, a talented artist whom I've befriended via Instagram AND collaborated with, recently donated her copic markers to me! I am so excited to have more to build onto the new collection my boyfriend's mother gave me not too long ago... it's made me so happy! Just so you know, this is my first time ever using copic markers only because I'm very aware of its ridiculous cost. It would've done damage to my wallet. I'm just beyond grateful that these people were so very generous about giving their markers to me and supporting me in what I love to do. It meant a lot. <3
Char also wrote me a very thoughtful and sweet letter that me and my boyfriend love!
xx ss
cancun
Just came back from my best friend's beautiful wedding in Cancun, Mexico! And I am happy to be home because it's time to decompress.
Being a short trip { 3 nights, 4 days } it felt like a week. I really maximized my time in Mexico as much as I could. As soon as I arrived at the Azul Fives resort in Cancun, I was greeted with a glass of white sparkling white wine. And that was the start of my adventure. An abundance of food and drinks - all inclusive! Being by myself without my boyfriend at the wedding was somewhat a challenge to my emotions. But we've been FaceTiming each other everyday and it has seriously helped me. :) { He's the best. }
I wish I took more pictures but it's hard to when you're just in the moment enjoying the company of friends and loved ones. Plus, I didn't want to risk losing my phone every time I pulled it out.
This was probably the most beautiful wedding I've been to. I came home with a number of bug bites, a large bruise on my knee, a burned back, bloody ankles, and a smile on my face. There was lots of laughter, tears, a little drama here and there { yikes! }, but most of all, love for the newlyweds.
xx ss
question of the day
To create the life that I love every day.
xx ss
twenty-seven
Had a blast celebrating my birthday. I had no major plans and didn't do anything wild like I did my 25th birthday which was an 80s themed dance party {pictured at the end!}. It was more of a family affair, but I also got spoiled by some of my girlfriends.. Above is a still shot from the little stop motion video I illustrated. It's posted on my Instagram to show my thanks to my friends and family for the awesome presents I got.
So I got a lot of art supplies! And more sketchbooks! I could definitely use more now that I'm close to finishing all the other ones I've hoarded in the past.
Thank god I wasn't blocked out from Disneyland on my birthday... Since getting my annual pass last year, I've only gone to Disneyland like 4 times. I figured I should spend the day there and get drunk.
I spent my birthday dinner at Bottega Louie in downtown LA. Wish I could show you what my tiramisu cake really looked like. It was so good I think I finished it in like 1 minute.
And here it is....! A major THROWBACK!!! My 25th 80s themed birthday party!
Thank to all my followers for the birthday praise and love! My phone was seriously blowing up all day and I'm surprised my phone didn't die on me. Your love and support is greatly appreciated! Thank you, thank you.
Here's to 27!
xx ss
one project at a time
I realized how much of an introvert I really am doing what I do. I'm not as sociable as I used to be a year or two ago because I've just been so driven by what I create. I love that I have amazing supporters and fans of my work and am so grateful for their praise. How can I stop doing this? It also gives me an incredible amount of satisfaction seeing what I've dreamt up in my mind, putting it on paper, and sharing it with the world.
I've been getting so many great ideas {non-stop} from my friends that it scares me because I know that I can do it all. But wow, you know how much more alone time that would involve?! Sacrificing my time away from friends and family... dates. Haha! Especially this month. It's so freakin` short. Not to mention - my birthday's comin up this week {26th, ahem!}.
I have this whole list in my iPhone titled "illustration ideas" that I plan to tackle. My only problem is the list keeps growing. I just started one project off my list that I've been thinking about for some time. I've spent a lot of time piecing it together in my mind until I felt convinced it would work. I'm really excited because it's one thing I plan to put up for sale for everyone's use. It's convenient and it's cute! ...And I think I spilled the details a bit on my IG.. so stay tuned!
So finding balance among the craziness has been a bit challenging. Finding time with myself and just doing nothing, allowing myself to go out on dates, or hanging out with friends or fam. It's something I'm working towards again. I find myself spending more and more time working on my illustrations, which I love, but I'm spending a little too much time on that. Doing too much of one thing doesn't really balance me out... so this week it's playtime! Gotta take care of me! :) I'm also readying myself up for my birthday especially. Suuuper excited!
xx ss
a productive week
Feeling accomplished that I worked on a lot of illustrations this week in the little time I have for myself! I've avoided New York Fashion Week sketches because so far nothing has stood out to me.. Or it's that I haven't been inspired to recreate from it.. just yet at least! I'm still brainstorming! >.<
In the meantime Jasmine and I have been so productive during our lunch breaks - networking, discovering new places, taking snaps, enjoying great food, having a drink {or two}, and overall getting inspired by people. The weather has never felt so amazing in the middle of February!
I love my small creative circle friends. And I love the ideas they give me. Last summer is when I first started painting with watercolor which I never used to before because I sucked at it. Until my friend Laura persistently suggested that I try. And now today, painting has become one of my favorite mediums to use! It's given my work a more spontaneous result and has definitely challenged and heightened my sense of creativity. This week over drinks one evening, Jasmine suggested I illustrate our waitress on my receipt, and then stamp my name like I do for all my sketches. I thought wow, what a clever and fun way to self promote myself! And so far, I've had some positive feedback from it!
One day this week I imagined doing a photoshoot and involving my girlfriend Jessica. I was thinking about every detail going into it in my mind. We've never spoken about it until hilariously later that day she texted me suggesting it. I'm glad we were able to telepathically agree that this was gonna be a dope project to work on together!
Oh yea, and Happy Valentine's Day! I basically celebrated it last night, Friday 13th with Jasmine. Weird how all the restaurants were celebrating Valentine's Day last night.... it's like FRIDAY the 13th! That's a whole different thing! We bar hopped a bit because we were around too many couples on dates. Ugh. Anyway, it was a good night overall.
xx ss
collaborations make me hungry
Last week a whole case of Health-ade kombucha bottles was delivered to my door. I was a pretty excited girl. I'm currently collaborating with this brand - which, let me say, I LOVE! It's pretty amazing. After a good hike I usually stop by Whole Foods just to grab some of this bubbly and I instantly feel rejuvenated and accomplished. Now having a whole week's worth of it is just insane! And guess what? I'll be receiving another case of these next week! :D
Follow their IG to see the work I'll be doing for them!
I'm also working on another collaboration and it's with the artist, Charlene Villena. She's got amazing talent and her style stands out from the rest. I'm excited and can't wait to share what we have planned! I've been pretty swamped trying to work on two of these collaborations at once while spending a lot of time with family at the hospital. I've had very little sleep and my mind has been cluttered which has given me a pretty big appetite...
So there's a sale this month at Marie Callender's.. just sayin. This is my all time favorite pie from that place. This is the Chocolate Satin Pie. That is all.
Perfect way to end the week. Vegan organic wine and food at The Springs for lunch in downtown LA with my girl Jasmine. Also, I'm glad Mercury Retrograde is officially ending this week. There definitely has been a shift in the energy around people and places and I've just been super sensitive during this crazy time! But I will say, last week I was able to get inspired better than I could the week before. I was tired and hungry, but inspiration was for sure downloading into my brain. Stay tuned for the revelation of my collaborations!
xx ss
work, lunch, play, repeat
Oh my goodness so far I am off to a super fun start this year! And I can't believe January is almost over!! The weather has never felt so amazing during this winter season in LA. The balance is perfect. I'm also pretty happy with my situation right now. Especially working freelance in the fashion industry because it gives me enough freedom to work on my illustrations and make time for myself. If you've been following me on IG you probably noticed some new illustration techniques I've been playing with ;). Reason why I haven't posted much trend reports lately is because I'm currently in an artist's block. {Dang Mercury Retrograde..} But that's okay because that gives me a break so that I can focus on the other things I love. I get to try new things and go out and play! Which is pretty much what I've been doing with my new favorite girl Jasmine~
We take advantage of our lunch breaks. The best part of where we both work is that our building lives in between two strip clubs. Okay... just kidding, no but it's true. But besides that we're close by everything. Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and our current favorite the LA Arts District. It's been so fun to run around like little girls discovering new things in the city. Not to mention the food... ohhh the food!
Too much fun right now! Can't get enough of it. Can't wait to work on future trend reports! I've got new tricks up my sleeve and can't wait to show you all~
xx ss
presently...
The past is gone, the future is not yet here. All you have is the present, this very moment.
{ Three years ago, drawing hands used to be my worst nightmare. Now I love it. }
Happy New Years everyone! I'm pretty excited to begin fresh new work to share with you and to continue trend researching. With that, I hope you're enjoying my new website layout as much as I am...! I've also started to add new { and old } prints to sell in my shop!
Reflecting...
I've seriously improved in my illustrating over the last three years since I began this blog.. So much that I never use a pencil anymore or do base sketches with one. Not to mention I don't erase any of my work either! That's how my intuitive illustrating was born.. It's like I learned how to do a handstand without a wall { which is actually still a work in progress for me! }. But anyway, I've come so far working day by day trying to reach my fullest potential. And I finally feel even more confident in my work today that it no longer feels like I'm struggling with any particular area. I'm just free flowing with it now.. I'm really grateful for the abundance of support that I get. And I'm really happy that my work is appreciated by people around the world that come across it on my Instagram. So thank you all...
I'm not quite sure what I'll do next, but nowadays when inspiration hits me over the head, I get a major download of it and act on it instantly. I'm going to continue illustrating fashion trends all throughout the year in the most creative way I can. Pretttty excited to see how that goes! I really don't have any goals for this new year, but just to make authentic choices and do what makes me happy. I want to keep surprising myself and others with my work. Oh- and I need to finish every sketchbook I have before buying a new one. I'm seriously wasting money every time. Happy New Year!
xx ss
a farewell
My little hero...
I've been taking a break from my usual work and social media altogether just trying to cope with little Kobe's passing.. it was the hardest decision to have to put him to sleep after he had collapsed at home after waking up from his nap at his favorite spot. He's had many years with the family and has endured so much happiness and also heartbreak. But he kept the family grounded. And I am so grateful to have spent his whole lifetime with him. And I'm happy to have his spirit more alive than ever with me today. But I still miss holding him.
venice beach
I love Venice Beach. That is all. The poke bowl was amazing. If any of you love sashimi alone, then you will love poke, because that's just what it is. I got raw slices of spicy tuna mixed with kale, ginger, seaweed, sesame, and other things drenched in delicious magical sauce. Not to mention the acai bowl was heaven.. I had two bowls of that. It was just too perfect on the beach! And of course I came home with my body torched from too much love under the sun. And that's okay! It was worth it because being in the water is so healing. I'm definitely rejuvenated.
xx ss
current mood
When you think, "at this point I should be so happy."
xx ss
happy friday
Voila! Here it is! Happy Friday! The holiday every miserable full-time worker looks forward to every week {lol}! And since I've been working again, I've forgotten how often this greeting is used. I actually get annoyed of it because it's resetting my mind to think you can only enjoy the rest of your week only when it's Friday. But anyway, reality demands it and I hear it so much now that I had to create something relative to this! Since I've developed a habit of drawing on my paper tea cups at work, it's opened my mind to be even more creative with my illustrations. It started with this original drawing here:
Remember this video? It took 3 mugs and a duration of a month to perfect the look of this illustration! And finally.. it's finished!
And it was actually my friend at work who suggested the idea to put this on a mug. And that was perfect because who isn't a coffee / tea drinker in the morning? And who doesn't say "Happy Friday" on Fridays? Right? So, I pushed forward with the idea and here it is! Just know, you guys, that it doesn't have to be Friday for you to start enjoying your life! Take a day off once in a while in the middle of the week! I promise, it's worth it! But if Fridays are forever your favorite weekly holiday, then so be it :)
{celebrate.}
I hope you like it and use it every Friday! You can purchase it here where I also have my old works being sold there as well; and will add on new illustrations in the future.
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
xx ss
a sabbatical
My day off part 2:
much needed.
I've been thrown into a funk a little bit because of my day job. It's gotten to the point where my head constantly worries if I'll be able to finish my work on time or who next in the room is going to lose it and go crazy for the day. Not to mention spread their nasty vibes. Eek, it's gross. Because of that I've been unable to fully check in with myself to see how I'm really doing. I've been tired, a little stressed, and functioning like a zombie. But since I've been doing some serious sketching every single day I've kept my sanity. This morning I woke up and my gut told me that I needed to just take today off while my head was screaming, "get up! You need a full week's paycheck!" Hearing that made everything my body constrict itself and even felt a little headache coming on. And when I checked in with my gut again, my body relaxed and I felt like I was expanding. I needed to walk away from work completely today. And then it was decided, I am taking the f*&%$#)^ day off!
I was excited. What to do? I even made a list this morning. Luckily my older sister was free today so I brought her along. I wanted to go to a restaurant I hadn't tried before, and discovered Gracias Madre in West Hollywood. They serve vegan and organic mexican food. The atmosphere is a bit hoity toity but the food is delicious. And my michelada drink was magical! It brought on good laughs and weird moments between me and my sister.. Most importantly I finally felt relaxed and I was able to feel grounded again. After the restaurant we rented a movie and just chilled for the rest of the day. I also made time to do mini sketches :). As much as I wanted take my weekly spiritual class at the end of the day, my body couldn't muster up the energy to do one more thing for the day. What it needed the most was rest. And rest it was! :D
It was so worth it.
xx ss
the daily grind
Everything has been so fast paced since I jumped back into the fashion industry. The workload is piling, the stress level is increasing, and it's starting to suck the good energy out of me. Thankfully I have those few people at work who are more grounded than the others who can't handle pressure very well. They help keep me sane. Come around lunchtime I mentally check out and spend 30 minutes doing quick intuitive illustrations of any fashion blogger that catches my eye. Then I take a photo of it and post it on my instagram. And I do that every single day. It's a must. It makes me happy to see the results of my work and progress every day. I love creating something new every day!
While I try to keep up with that daily, I also do my best to squeeze in time with friends after work, as well as keeping up with my weekly classes. Omg, it's tiring, but I love it, - don't get me wrong. Every moment is just so precious. And I love meeting new people! You just never know what you can get out of meeting a person.
As much as I want to stay at home all day and sketch and do projects, I always try to pull away from the temptation and instead engage myself in something new after every couple of hours. And whenever I do that, I actually find new inspiration! It's something I'm still trying to adjust to, because once I have the wheels going in my brain, - like any artist, I can't stop creating until it's finished. But sometimes I've learned it's good to just take a step back, re-evaluate your work, start over {if you have to, -I HATE that}, and then share it. Since I've been doing intuitive illustrating I've learned to slow down and enjoy the process of sketching blindly {meaning no erasing, 100% ink}. It's like doing handstands and having no wall to fall back on. That's the beauty of trust. Before you find your ground, you'll screw up a lot. And my sketches aren't always perfect; but at the same time I enjoy the flaws too. I just have so much I want to do and accomplish in the small amount of time I have in a day or in a week. But I realize that before I do accomplish my dreams I need to just take one step at a time, slow it down, learn, and enjoy the process. And within that, enjoy what life has to offer. So far I've been enjoying the new people I meet every week.
Everyday you find something new.. if you pay attention!
xx ss
the yoga situation
Om.. I've been obsessed with stretching ever since I was a kid. And I love seeing the different transformations I could play with in my body. In my early teens, I discovered yoga in my dance classes where it was incorporated into our routines. And for the first time I was introduced to the deeper part of yoga.. I'm talking about the odd zen behavior and state that you needed to get into in order to feel that "oneness" with yourself they say. Which I get, because I have a different way of tuning into that, but it just never really worked with me to use with yoga. And to be honest, I didn't like it all too much.. it reminded me of church, lol. But I did enjoy the challenging stretches and poses that definitely put my flexibility to test! And I still do...! And with all the dance classes I've taken over the years, yoga has stuck with me since.
Nowadays I still take dance classes, mainly ballet and bellydance, and Bollywood sometimes. But I don't take any yoga classes. I like do my yoga at home. The atmosphere in a yoga classroom just never really.. resonated with me. So I teach myself, which is doable by the way! :) I remember there was a girl who recommended I should do teacher training and register as a yoga teacher. I was like... ommm, no. Not for me! Lol. And, that's expensivo, so no thanks. Also another reason why I don't take yoga classes, they cost more than my dance classes!
But I still love yoga. And lately I've been focused on toning my stick arms. And I'm so enjoying the process!
I used to be able to do handstands all the time {and walk on my hands!!} when I was a kid.. I'm currently re-teaching myself again.
xx ss
melrose
My little sister had the day off today, so then I decided to take the day off from work to spend time with her! I needed a break from work anyway. She wanted to go shopping for her Coachella trip next weekend so I took her to Hollywood, and I forced her to try this organic hipster restaurant, Cafe Gratitude, and then took her shopping around Melrose. We had a great time especially starting out with Cafe Gratitude. The gratitude attitude at the restaurant can be a little much if ya know what I mean.. and we just had a good time sharing really good laughs about it. We were even given the "question of the day" by our waitress... It was, "what are you most successful at today?" She walked away and we couldn't hold in our giggles at the seriousness of the question. The situation reminded us a lot like the scene from the movie Grandma's Boy...
Anyway, our food was AMAZING! My little sister was barking about how she wanted meat instead and blablabla, and I was like, "okay look, I know what you mean, I eat like a man, so I wouldn't take you to some lame place to eat so that you can feel hungry afterwards!" And success! She couldn't even finish her food! I did of course. Today was a day filled with organic yumminess. We also got ourselves some organic smoothies while we were shopping which was delicious.
So what am I grateful for? That it was a good day off overall :).
I need to do more of this.
xx ss
in my bag
When I discovered the Japanese bookstore in Little Tokyo I couldn't help but buy myself the cute little Japanese art supplies they had there! And even though I really don't need them, I bought myself two cute mini notebooks with lined pages and a hard brush tip blue pen. I don't know what it is with me in buying notebooks.. especially when I haven't even finished one or two that I already have. But anyways to save myself the guilt of buying the larger notebooks, I resorted to the cute itty bitty ones! They were so much cuter anyway! {And cheaper!} My other little goodies displayed from my little magic bag are little pocket totems I recently bought from the place where I take my six-sensory classes at. As much as I want to splurge and talk about how much I love this place and what it's all about, I'm going to keep it a little secret for now.. to save the weirdness and scaring people away, lol. Anyways, so what I have here is a witch's broomstick pen - another thing I don't really need, but I thought it would be so cool to have! And then I have my crystal quartz wand, my seeing eyes {one blue and one brown}, my seeing eye spell bottle, and my spirit animal, the gato carved out of onyx.
So these are the little things I've been carrying around with me and bringing to work every day. And they've all been very useful.. except the broomstick. I might have to stash that away at home because it's so delicate..
xx ss
little tokyo, the connections, the talks
If you didn't know already, I value my time more than ever, and I always look for the little surprises every single day. Since I've conditioned my intellectual mind to get out of the way {to save the worrying and stress about stupid shit}, I've found my days to be more enriching.
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