The lovely Keira tagged me to this a while back and came up with these amazing questions so I thought I'd answer them since I've been immensely busy with all the craziness of life... #collegestudent

Also, I'd just like to mention that the other day was the anniversary of when I became a blogger... Eight years ago. I think I speak for everyone when I say that's insane. 

I've been blogging for almost a decade. 

And here I am now! A highly obsessive pizza lover with an undying love for the color yellow. Wow, have I grown! Many apologies to those who have stuck with me over the course of time (looking @ you, Rosie).

Now what you have been waiting for...

My favorite genre is YA and my favorite genre within that genre may have to be contemporary? I like fantasy as well. Sometimes I like realistic fantasy. Honestly, I'll read anything. Contemporaries are just short and quick which is why I lean towards them more. But I normally read books because of the characters

Hmm... It's been so long since I've actually sat down and read a blog post. I guess what has been inspiring me lately is my instagram explore page, looking at art on pinterest, and my fellow creatives. Thus, I sadly do not have anything specific to link here. 

#shamelessselfpromo

UGH THIS IS SO HARD. Because I'll be really proud of something at first and when I think about it more, I gradually slip into "eh, I could have done better". 

But one thing that came to mind was a piece I wrote last year and you can read it right here.

Also, I was looking at one of my sketchbooks and even though I wasn't satisfied with them at first, I really like these two sketches I did last month:

MY MAIN ACCOUNT

I was wrong.

It's all about e x p r e s s i n g yourself. 

My theme

Photo after adding A6

Photo with more exposure 

Photo after getting rid of those nasty shadows and adding some warmth

Once that is finished, I add some "fade" to the photo. I never, ever, everrrrrr leave a photo without adding fade. IT JUST MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER.

Using the same amount of fade for each photo really helps balance out the feed and it makes all the photos go together, even if you aren't using the same filter.

Ta-Da!

And on the rarest of occasions, I might add some grain. I don't like too much, just a little to make the photo look more realistic and less "flat", if that makes sense...

For my colored photos, I recently started using C1 as my filter of choice. 

It really enhances all the bright colors in the photos. And if you have a yellow theme, like me, it really enhances the color and makes it more focused. It does have a more pinky effect, especially on photos with white backgrounds, but I just add some warmth to even it out so it focuses more on the yeLLOW.

However, if the lighting is too dark, using this filter will make your skin look burnt orange. SEE??



I don't like that. So, it all depends on the photo. I'll usually brighten the exposure (maybe more on this than others) and add fade. I don't think I'd like using C1 as much without the fade??


There's a lot of saturation in this filter so I might go in and lower that a bit so there's not too much color pop.


I'll even go in and get rid of some shadows and add some warmth.



Once I'm done having my fun, I'll go into Afterlight and give the photo some character (aka dust).


Gahh, I love adding a little dust/crackle because 1. I'm obsessed with anything vintage, and 2. it just looks really cool, okay??

After I'm finished with that, I'll head on over to instagram and do some final touches (aka aDD MORE FADE). I'll only put the fade on 20 because I don't want to over to it, and sometimes I might just add a teeny tiny amount of warmth.

AND THEN I'M DONE. That wasn't too complicated, right? ;)

MY BLOG'S ACCOUNT

*shouts aggressively* FADDDDEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

The finished product:

If you made it to the end of this post, please give yourself a pat on the back and say 'POODLE DOODLE' in the comments because it's funny... so humor me.

TALK TO ME!

What do you do before posting on instagram? DO YOU PUT AS MUCH THOUGHT INTO IT AS I DO? Or are you a totally reasonable and chill person and don't stress over these things like I do? lol because if so luCKY YOU. I actually don't stress over it as much as I used to and it's such a peace of mind... but I love that this is one of my creative outlets. <3 WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FEEDS? Link them in the comments! I'd love to check 'em out! 

xx Kenzie

When I left, there was snow on the ground and grey, icky clouds above my head, and it was just bringing me down, yo. But now that the weather is better, it has given me a much brighter and happier perspective!

Before I jump right into the post, I wanted to talk a little about my break. To be honest, it seemed pretty short, even though I was gone a bit longer than intended (whoops). I actually was super busy throughout the rest of April and the beginning of May (still am). So, I mean, I was pretty occupied and distracted with the busy-ness of life (i.e. LOTS of cleaning, driving siblings to places, and finishing up the semester) to actually miss anything... 

- I won Camp NaNoWriMo! 

I ended up writing double my word goal. o-o

- I went on an Instagram Live with author, Jennifer Niven! 

Me and a few other friends have been hosting a campaign every year in honor of Finch from All The Bright Places, to bring awareness about mental health. This year we did videos (including pictures) to spread the word that you are not alone and we are here for those who need it. To top it off, my sister and I went live with Jennifer (eep!) and we talked about everything... books, Simon (from Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda), mental health, as well as dealing with the loss of a loved one. It was such a thrill to be able to talk about the subjects people are afraid to discuss and to answer questions from readers. (We also got the top live three times, or something? it's cool, it's not like i'm famous. no flash photography plz.)

- I finished the spring semester

I went to the library twice to do my schoolwork and let me tell you... It was so much more effective than doing it at home. Don't get me wrong, it's nice doing my work in my pjs (for the most part) but there are so many distractions at home for me. So, I decided to change up the scenery and it really helped.

- I received Julia Ryan's newest poetry book! 

Julia Ryan is a fellow (totally awesome, beyond words) blogger and I am so excited to read this, you guys. Have you seen the cover of it?? GORGEOUS. You should click here and check it out. ;) I'll be doing a special blog post about it shortly.

- I took a two week long hiatus from Instagram.

I logged out of Instagram for two weeks and it felt pretty good. I think it really helped me feel less overwhelmed, if that makes sense? I get overwhelmed really easily and to unplug from social media felt like I was able to breathe a little better. 

How to Take an Effective Hiatus (so you come back feeling refreshed as ever)

Set goals

Log out

The longer, the better

Don't cheat

Come back only if you feel like you're ready

TALK TO ME!

Have you ever taken a hiatus from anything? WHAT ARE SOME TIPS YOU HAVE THAT YOU CAN ADD TO THIS LIST? Does social media ever make you feel overwhelmed?? Are you glad I'm back? ;) WHAT DID I MISS WHILE I WAS AWAY? Lemme know. 

xx Kenzie

Yes, you tell the voice as you make it to page three. Yes, you tell the voice as sweat trickles down your forehead and you stop to give yourself water. Yes, you tell the voice when your mind starts to wander over to the tempting webtab that only results into meaningless scrolling. Yes, you tell the voice when your heart is beating faster than your legs could ever move as you reach closer and closer to the finish line. Yes, you tell the voice when the doubt and negativity tries to creep its way in as you read the scene you thought was groundbreaking.

Yes, you say over and over again because this is worth it. It has to be because it is your desire and it needs to be fulfilled. You no longer tell yourself otherwise because living in passion exceeds living in the void of regret."

~~~

This piece was written for a college application essay about what I am passionate in. I suppose this is directed towards the people who don't think writing takes the same amount of effort as it does for someone who plays sports or has other "realistic" hobbies. I've never been much of an athlete but over the course of time, I have come to realize that all who have a certain desire can relate to one another. Even though writing is one of my passions, for this piece, I wanted to show that all passions (whether it is a sport, writing, drawing, acting, etc.) take the same amount of time and energy to reach their goals.

TALK TO ME!

What is something you are passionate about? DO YOU DO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE FEATURED IN THIS PIECE? Because I have definitely gotten up early just to get that writing time in. (I've even forgotten to feed myself. o-o) 

xx Kenzie

p.s. If you liked this post then you have to check this one out. It's definitely worth reading if you are a writer.

A few weeks ago, the lovely Hailey sent me a message about her new website and was wondering if I could help spread the news about it. AND YOU GUYS! I am so glad I was contacted about this because it sounds amazing. 

I'm sure it's no surprise to hear that I am a creative person. I have been for as long as I could remember and, personally, my outlook on life is to do something that you love doing or else... what's the point?

But some people don't understand that with creativity comes A LOT OF WORK, YO. If you ever sacrificed your sleep to do something that you love (aka your creative desire) then clap your hands. Clap, clap!

As you probably know, I run an Etsy shop. I'm still #new to the whole entrepreneur thing, so my continuous journey has and does consist of trial and error (and a lot of it). Sometimes I wish that I had a little more guidance, you know? Because it can be scary (and I can be lazy and impatient but we won't talk about that right now). BUT THAT'S WHERE THE HARDWORKING CREATIVE COMES IN.

I'm not just saying this when I tell you that YOU REALLY NEED TO CHECK THIS OUT BECAUSE I AM SO EXCITED FOR IT. I feel like it's going to be very helpful for a lot of young creators (you) and even for myself. (*is (im)patiently waiting for this website to get started*)

Click here to check it out because you know you wanna

Coffee & Wisdom Book Club

Another opportunity was offered to me when the lovely Nicole messaged me about starting her own book club and was like: "lol i see you like books want to be in my book club" (not her words exactly but it basically sums everything up.) And after some thinking (because it was a busy week and I was #overwhelmed) I decided that I just couldn't pass this up so I was like: "HECK YEAH, SIGN ME UP."

And so I did.

I am now a fellow admin for Coffee & Wisdom Book Club! Wassssup!

You and I both know that sounds awesome so just click here.