I have a tendency to come up with these wonderful ideas, start working towards a finished product, but then get distracted, take a break, and forget all about it. It's one of my biggest downfalls, and one of the things I most despise about myself. My ADD is killer, and prevents me from finishing most things that I start. Well, today, I want to change that. Today, I want to start something that I will stick with. And with that, a little more about me.
My name is Erika, and I hail from Maryland. I grew up just minutes outside of Washington, D.C., moved to the Baltimore area for college, and have since lived no more than 30 minutes from my hometown. I live in a relatively small apartment in a relatively crowded suburban area with my boyfriend - I'll call him H, for now at least.
I'm pretty close with my family - both emotionally (is that the right word for that?) and by proximity. My parents live about 40 minutes from me, and spend virtually all their time together, travelling, doing yoga, going to the movies, or redecorating a new room in the house they've lived in since before I was born. I'm certain that I inherited my love of all things design from my mom, who went to school to be an interior designer, though she ended up finding more success as a commercial real estate agent. My sister and husband, their son, daughter, and baby girl on the way live about 20 minutes away - basically smack in between my parents and me, making their house our typical family gathering spot once every week or two.
Let's get back to my reason for this blog.
In my head, I'm a super creative person. I love all things handmade, and if I could, I would hand make almost everything! Except maybe clothes. The thought of having to figure out every single measurement perfectly, and sitting at a sewing machine for hours on end just kind of makes me want to gag. Major props to people who make clothes, I just don't have the patience to do it. Anyway, when it comes to furniture, decor, organizing, etc. I would make pretty much everything myself... if only I had the proper 'resources.'
I'll explain. For now at least, I work a full time job as a school administrator; meaning, I sit behind a desk and type basically all day long, for 8 hours a day. I also am a jewelry distributor for a company called Paparazzi Accessories. Some day, I would love to work entirely for myself. I have a couple thoughts on that, but I'll save those for another time. In the meantime, I find myself constantly daydreaming about things I would rather be doing with my days. Don't get my wrong, I enjoy my job and I love my jewelry business, but I just find that much of my time is spent on things that no longer excite me or make me happy, or maybe they never did.
So, time is the first barrier I need to cross. The second is space. As I mentioned before, I live in a small, one bedroom apartment, that I share with my boyfriend. It doesn't leave me much space to work on any projects. In addition, I have to be really careful about not causing any damage. That security deposit will come in really handy when we eventually move out! And, that being said, I can't tell you how much I look forward to the day we move to a place where I can have my own studio!.....sigh...Some day...
Those are my two main hurdles right now. Both are things that I am working on fixing, but for now, I have to live with the cards I've been dealt. My projects will be on a smaller scale, with the exception of when I can get to my parents house and work on projects there.That being said, here are some things I hope to write and share about in the near future: living and dealing with long, frizzy, curly hair; trying different skin care products and tips and tricks; techniques for at-home nail care that actually work; organizing and decorating small spaces/homes; turning things into other things, just by adding other things (what?). And doing all of these things on a tight budget!
Are you tired of me yet? I'm tired of me! Putting this post to rest. Thanks for coming on this journey with me!
