life list

Self Survey

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If not in Carrboro, I would live in… Istanbul, Kathmandu, Ubud, Sydney, or . . . somewhere in Hawaii [?]. I desire warm sun, loud motorcycles and bright colors the most.

My dream holiday would be to…  drive from N. to S. Africa – all of it. . . in a car, with someone I like and who challenges me. . . with. . . some food, water, a hammock, a frisbee, my cameras and my journal.

My current obsessions are… this pose//hats like these//learning how to surf and longboard//building my website and getting more work as a photographer. . . and moving to Australia or Bhutan as soon i graduate.

I channel my childhood self when I… wear leggings and/or cowboy boots//collect [*hoard] scraps of paper//use my Lisa Frank stickers to decorate books and special things [thanks Abby!]//make messes.

The fictional character I most relate to is…   Amy March. I will always be that silly, squeaky, selfish, artist child.

If I had to be outdoors all day, I would… start the day off with Surya Namaskar B and a long meditation on a dock// then, go on a long walk//build a tree house// play with children, goats and puppehs//go for a swim// make flower chains

I’m terrified of… far too few people or things.

My celebrity crush is… Georgia O’keeffe. [*Does she count as a celebrity? In my world, she’s a rockstar]. Plus, these people.

My beauty product of choice is…  a hairbrush? I wish I was more like Abby and knew more about these things. . .

My favorite article[s] of clothing is [are]… my little brother’s boxy blazer // these boots//my thick woven scarf from India.

My friends and I like to… have staring contests// make videos//collect sounds and voices// read and write poetry//go on long walks// spend the night in hammocks//cook//snuggle//massage//laugh and make big plans.

If I could go back in time for one decade it would be… the early feminist movement.

As a teenager, I was totally into…life drawing studios//yoga//Matisse//India//architecture//going. . . I haven’t changed one bit. . .

I tend to splurge on… camera + audio equipment//flights to airports that are really hard to pronounce. . .

+ Abby’s fabulous self survey.

Now it’s your turn. . .

[Photo: Happy times with beautiful views and long hikes, Pokhara, Nepal//Grace Farson]

some days

some days i just get so terribly overwhelmed and i don’t know what i should do.

most days i want to drop everything and just make art, plant things and fold my body in half.

today is just one of those lovely, lazy saturdays where you think a lot about the direction your life is going and what you’re doing about it . . .

i have so much to look forward to in the next few weeks, but all i want in life right now is for time to slow down.

whenever i feel confused, overwhelmed or inspired, i resort to list making.

my list making obsession is something i inherited from my amazingly efficient mother. she always encouraged us to set goals, make lists and carry around scrap paper.

today has been some kind of list making day.

& & &

“lists help us manage the chaos of our lives—to impose order, if only for a moment. writing a list clears the mind. … once everything is written down, it’s easier to see which tasks are important and in what order to tackle them. tasks that seem overwhelming look easier when reduced to mere lines on paper.”

– to-do list: from buying milk to finding a soul mate, what our lists reveal about us, sasha cagen

& & &

also, 127 reasons why we’re fascinated by lists   . . . maybe one day i will share my own journal of lists . . . rarely do i let a day go by without making a long, colorful list.

& for mac users, growly notes is my new favorite way to make a list

i want to go run outside with my holga for a few hours. . . the sky has cleared and the sun is out again. chilly winter days can be beautiful when the clouds disappear and the sun comes out to play.

{fabulous resin painting by laura gurton}

the crazies

“make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. so many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. the very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. if you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. but once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.”

– john krakauer, into the wild

. . . i’m terribly fond of crazy people.

+ andrew just shared this link with me – alex hannold and free-soloing. this dude scales rock faces  taller than the empire state building without anything but his hands and feet.

+ sarah and i were talking about our values lists last night at open eye and we both agree – we need to find more adventures { *i will do this one day}

+ my life list is up {although still a work in progress!} got any suggestions or more things i should add to le list? or care to join me on some of these?

+ i really want to go on a road trip with a motorcycle to this part of the country

{photo from bapatla, india where i first learned to drive. . . need lots of practice, but one day. . . }

the grace alphabet

abby posted the abby alphabet a while back and now it’s my turn to share:

early morning meditation in southern india

ambition: graduate college! travel in college. travel out of college. find a man who loves adventure just as much, if not more than i do. one day own a studio apartment in a big city & be an urban farmer. open up my house to people from around the world & couch surfers. go to massage school. use yoga and art as therapy. work as a photographer & filmmaker. work in galleries & museums. work as a yoga teacher. . . worship God well through the way i live my life. be happy, healthy, & content. always

bad habit: procrastination

bhaktapur just outside of kathmandu

city: current city – chapel hill, n.c. but . . . i left part of my heart in kathmandu, nepal

tea in darjeeling

drink: a steamy cup of  tea. j’adore fresh ginger, lemon, & honey tea

education: homeschooled all the way through high school, explored the world, & now working through a {proposed} degree in photojournalism and art history {?}

prosciutto con melon

food: melons. kale. quiche. cheesecake. in that order

guilty pleasure: ready for this? . . . okay. . . this is the first time i have ever admitted to  this, but. . . the vampire diaries. yes. my sister kelsey and i get together and watch this every week. pitiful? maybe. and no. i will never be a twilight fan. nope. never

hometown: davidson, n.c. {even though i technically grew up in charlotte, n.c.}

ice cream: this one is easy – pistachio

jonesing for: a reasonably priced yoga studio that i can walk or bike to.  brown leather boots. art supplies

kryptonite: thrift & second-hand shops

look-a-like: i tend to get brooke shields the most often. . . it’s only because of my wild eyebrows

grace and james in "rear window"

movies: “rear window“. “darjeeling limited“. “amélie.“ everyone who knows me, knows i am wholly obsessed with old movies and especially with grace kelly, so this is no shocker here. plus, i think the world is a better place because of wes anderson. & who doesn’t LOVE audrey tautou’s character in “amélie”? seriously

nicknames: pig 1. love. poodle-butt. petunia. chicken. gracie. sweet lips. grace face. . . & many, many more

obsessions: georgia o’keeffe. travel. dancey music. my family. brushing my teeth. patterns

perfume: i don’t really wear any, but when i do it is cool water by davidoff or moss by k.hall. . . cannot stand really floral scents. it must be clean and simple

quirk: licking the corner of my lips when i pause in a conversation

regrets: wishing that time would go by faster when i was a little kid. i just wanted to skip to being a “grown up” or a “big kid” {whatever that means!}

starbucks: refresh tazo tea

flowers

talent: finding beauty in the pretty & not so pretty in life. arranging flowers. playing dress up

university: the uni of the world & uni of north carolina at chapel hill

vacation: anywhere & everywhere there is a glimmer of sunlight & an opportunity for adventure

wine: even though i am still underage . . . sauvignon blanc or shiraz from the vineyard i worked at in blenheim, new zealand

x: x my desire to always be on the go. i’m working on staying put for four years

years: nineteen. nineteen big years

the edge of the himalayas at sunset

zen: outdoor time {preferably in the mountains}. long walks. yoga & meditation. cooking. long dinners. painting in big, well-lit rooms with bon iver, sigur ros, or the national playing in the background. dancing with friends

. . .

get to it! i want to see your alphabet now. . .

{all images by me, except the movie still}