"Promise"

        
     School has started and I couldn't be more pleased. Being back on campus, wearing boots, sipping hot beverages, and the anticipation of beginning projects has put me in a wonderful mood. After coming home from a pleasantly long day at school, I sat down to do my reading for a women's and gender studies course that I am taking this fall. As I have taken other classes in this subject before, I had a fairly good idea of what to expect in regards to the reading material. And since this current course is specifically geared toward understanding the Feminist Theory, I went in with the assumption that readings would be very dense and dry. That is not to say that the Feminist Theory is dry, but simply that my personal experience with discourse on this topic has been rather unexciting. I said all that to say that I was pleasantly surprised when I began to read, I Am Your Sister: Collected and Unpublished Writings of Audre Lorde. All of the segments are brilliant, but one specific section really spoke to me. During her commencement address at Oberlin College, given on May 29, 1989, she stated,

   "You are strong and intelligent. Your beauty and your promise lie like a haze over your faces. I beg you, do not waste     it. Translate that power and beauty into action wherever you find yourself to be, or you will participate in your own destruction." -Audre Lorde 

 I love this quote for many reasons, but the first is that Lorde is not only targeting women here. This is a concept and a truth that can be applied to any person; of any race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, background, etc. The second thing I love about this quote is that she uses the word, "promise." And she uses it in such a way that guarantees that every person will achieve something. Instead of using a word like, "potential," which is limiting, she uses a word that solidifies a person's accomplishment even before they have fulfilled it. Out of curiosity, I looked up the literal definitions of  "promise" and "potential."

Promise, n: a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing, or that guarantees that a particular thing will happen.

Potential, adj: having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future.

The use of the word, "promise" in this quote assures the listener/reader that what they need already lies within them. It does not limit them by saying that, "one day you may turn into something great." It secures them with the knowledge that they are already great; that they already have the tools to make a change, and do something worthwhile.

The last point I'd like to come to is that the ending is what stood out to me the most. She eloquently asserts that if one does not use the promise that they have, that it will not only go to waste, but also that it will consume them. This is how individuals become the designers of their own failures. Many of us humans do not realize the power and strength that we have within us, and therefore, we do not accomplish the things that we are meant to. We are equipped with the right tools, and the intelligence to make this world a better place, but we don't always know how to use these tools.

I wanted to share this today because after reading this, I felt inspired. I realized that I was born with promise. As are you. You have the tools to accomplish something extraordinary. And we are all in this together, learning how to use the unique and individual tools that we have.

If you'd like to read writings by Audre Lorde, I would encourage you to. There are so many other beautiful quotes waiting to be read by eager eyes.

Here is the information for the specific book I am reading:

I Am Your Sister: Collected and Unpublished Writings of Audre Lorde
Edited by: Rudolph P. Byrd, Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Beverly Guy-Sheftall
Oxford University Press.

DIY Hanging Vase

Hello, everyone! While reading one of my favorite blogs, Cupcakes & Cashmere, I came across this lovely idea! This adorable vase is perfect for those of you that have little ones running around, or pesky pets that seem to be experts in knocking things over. I don't have kids myself, but I do have a very mischievous orange kitty who is very clumsy. I have been on a rustic chic binge lately. I've also been feeling very crafty, and I can assure you there will be many more DIY posts to come. 


This vase is very simple, and quite easy to make! I've modified the design a bit to suit my own personal taste, so head on over to Emily's blog to check out the original version, here! 

What you'll need:


1. a thin board, or piece of wood of whatever size or shape you so desire.
2. a mason jar. I've also thought that using an old coke bottle might be worth a try.
3. steel wire
4. ribbon 
5. acrylic paint 
6. screwdriver
7. wire cutters 
8. maybe a pair of pliers 


Let's begin! 

First, I sloppily painted the board with cheap acrylic paint.

Next, after the paint was dry, I positioned my mason jar on the board and marked where I would drill. I made six marks in total, four for the top and base of the jar, and two for the ribbon. 

Drill! 

I estimated how much wire I would need to wrap around the jar and to go through to the back of the board, and then clipped! 

When pulling the wire through, it is important to pull it tightly so that the jar remains in place. 

Using pliers, pull the wire tightly, and then twist the two strands together a few times. 

Clip off extra wire, fold down, and then cover with a piece of gorilla tape to prevent it from scratching the wall. 

Next, pull both ends of the ribbon through each hole at the top.

Tie in a pretty bow, add flowers, and hang! 

"Nerd" is the Word

The Throne Room (Chinese Collection)

     It’s the weekend! Time to party! And when I say “party” what I really mean is cram for tests and eat an entire chocolate cake on my own. And truthfully, between blogging, school, and work, I don’t have much of a life beyond sitting on the floor with my cat. I’m kidding of course. I’m not that mundane. Sometimes I like to sit on the floor with my cat and read books about art while listening to Strauss on repeat. I like to live life on the wild side. I’m a bit of a rebel. My point? There really isn’t one. Other than I don’t get out enough, and that needs to be remedied. 

I said all that to say that I did, in fact, get a chance to visit the museum at my university the other day. My sister and I had a lovely time walking around and taking photos. I thought I would share some of the shots I got of the art of China, Korea, and Japan. I have a very keen interest in culture; particularly Asian culture since I have family members who are currently living in Tokyo, and I am obsessed with Korean boy bands (not kidding). I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this collection, because it is beautifully displayed and maintained. I am quite the nerd when it comes to art, as you may have noticed, so here are some details of this exquisite exhibition! *The last photo is of a drawing done by a 5th grader from a local elementary school. It is titled, "The World is One." Children are capable of such profound an inspiring thoughts. It's truly amazing. 

Pagoda model (Chinese Collection)

Dragon detail from Pagoda

Hanja Script (Korean Collection)

Screen from Throne room (Chinese Collection)

Kago detail (Japanese Collection)

Detail from Throne Room Vase

"The World is One"

 Have a lovely weekend, everyone!
-Kate

Zebtigog

     

      I have a problem. Somehow, all of the items in my closet always end up on the floor, and not on hangers. I’d blame my cat, but he stopped wearing my clothes months ago. I don’t know who it is, but the perpetrator who has done this to my closet will be found and brought to justice. I’ll find them, and make them restore my closet to order. Okay, fine. It was me. I did it. My closet is never in order.The rest of my room usually looks decent, but my closet is another story. I have so many empty hangers, just waiting to be put to use. It isn’t that I don’t know how to organize it, I just refuse to organize it. There’s a difference. Maybe someday I will develop a sense of discipline and responsibility, along with learning how to tie my shoes properly and not forgetting to take my Flinstones gummy vitamins every morning (true story). We all move at our own pace, eh? 

You're probably looking at the title of this post and wondering, "what in the world is a zebtigog?" Well my friends, let me enlighten you.

Zebtigog: (zɛb-ti-gɒg)  

1.) A cross between a zebra, tiger, and dog. 

2.) Striped, land mammal native to the Andes. 

3.) Something I just made up because I can’t decide what animal is printed on my dress.  So, I made it a mix between the three. Clever, I know. 

-Kate

Outfit Details:

Dress: thrifted

Belt: JCPenney

Necklace: Forever 21

Dante's Infer....no.

            Whenever I am having one of those senseless moments of “I don’t have anything to wear! (This happens frequently, despite my overwhelmingly full closet),” I tend to grab this little black dress. The silhouette is flattering and modest, and can change from dressy to casual in a matter of seconds. Today I paired it with a lightweight sage green cardigan and some plum colored tights. Can I just tell you how much I adore tights? Well, I really don’t know what I’d do without them. Living in Oregon has taught me many things. One of those things is: even when the sun shines its brightest, February days are still going to be chilly. It’s one of the perks of living in the pacific northwest; deceiving weather. Yes, it certainly makes things more exciting. When I say, “exciting” what I really mean is, “makes me want to pull my hair out every time go out bare legged and realize it’s actually too cold to go without tights but now it’s too late and I’m freezing.” Moral of that story? Keep a pair of tights in your purse. Always. Along with a four or five candy bars, and a wrench. Hey, it comes in handy. Another thing Oregon has taught me is that states with year-round blazing temperatures miss out on the delights of seasonal wardrobe. We get four seasons up here, which is something I am grateful for. I sometimes wonder what kind of style I would have if I had grown up in San Diego where I was born. I’d be sporting shorts and sandals with the occasional light jacket for those days when it gets down to a frigid 65 degrees. The perfect everyday ensemble for a California girl. Or some daisy dukes with a cupcake bikini and neon pink hair might be more fitting (that was a Katy Perry reference, in case you didn’t catch on). Odd as it may be, I rather prefer overcast skies and the precipitation I am accustomed to. Don’t get me wrong, sunny days are absolutely sublime, but I couldn’t stand it for 365 days at a time. I rhyme. I’m a tights enthusiast, and an avid wearer of boots and scarves. It just doesn’t mesh well with Dante’s Inferno-esque weather. 

Seeing as this is my first ever post on Sophisti[k]ate, I just wanted to thank you for dropping in to see what I have to say! It means a lot. I’m not going to label this blog with any particular theme in mind. But as stated in the brief ‘welcome/about me’ section over to the right, I love fashion and photography. Be prepared to see a lot of fashion/photography-related posts. But knowing myself, I am prone to bouts of inspiration at random times, so the occasional haphazard/rambling post will appear. That said, I hope you had a lovely weekend! 

-Kate 

Outfit Details:

Dress: Target

Cardigan: Forever 21

Scarf: Fred Meyer

Oxfords: Target 

Tights: JCPenney