Steve Jobs

I found myself watching Tedx videos on Youtube today.  I wanted to hear motivational stories and uplifting "I rose against all odds" type of stories.  I was in one of those moods.  Sometimes I allow myself to get so bogged down in the daunting feeling of trying to accomplish my dreams and all that I've set out to do that I lose sight of "enjoying the journey" and enjoying every day.  It's easy to get lost in the stress of life and work and the pressure you put on yourself to be and what you are trying to accomplish. That then led me to watching Steve Jobs' speeches and reading some quotes from him.  I've never been a die hard Steve fan (I have a PC, I don't have an iPhone...) but when I started reading some of his quotes it really connected with me.  He was such a creative man and he talked openly about how hard it is as a creative person to believe in yourself and believe in what you're doing at the worst of times.  A few quotes that I really liked...

Co-writing

Today I had a really great writing session with a really great writer.  He's absolutely hilarious and working with him never really feels like work.  He's a very creative guy and has great ideas that help bring out the best in me and my writing.  We came up with a very cool idea for a song today and I think (if I do say so myself) it sounds pretty damn good!  I really enjoy co-writing because it can get lonely and monotonous writing alone and it's always nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of....because sometimes my ideas suck!   I also love being able to get inspired by someone else's life and their stories and what emotions they feel the need to write about.  Sometimes it doesn't work and sometimes, it just does...

Pinterest and Old Pallets

Like many, I am addicted to Pinterest.  I have my sister to thank for introducing me to this site and ever since I discovered it I spend wayyy too much time on there.  (If you care to, you can follow me at http://pinterest.com/jessicafine/)  I love finding refurbished wood items on Pinterest and after seeing some that I LOVED I decided I wanted to make one of my own.
Since all of my pallets of wood are in GA and I'm moving to CA, I thought I'd make one that would be small enough to fit in my largest suitcase so that I can take it with me!  I cut the table to size this morning (with the help of my Dad.  Lord knows the damage I would do with a circular saw!) and stained it.  I'm going to seal it tomorrow after a run to Home Depot and once I get to CA I'll add the legs and voila! Well, hopefully it will be that easy.  I think I'm going to pain the legs white and find an old mirror to hang above the table and paint it a green/blue color...or maybe a peachy/tan color.  Ugh, too many choices!

Oh, DIY...how I love thee

I am obsessed with the DIY channel.  I cannot stop watching it nor can I stop wanting to refurbish EVERYTHING.  I haven't been shopping much lately (no steady income=tight hold of funds) but when I do shop it's mainly for home decorations/DIY projects.  I found some crazy cheap curtains today which I'm very excited about.  Finding steals like that motivates me to create the best/coolest/prettiest things I can for my soon-to-be-home in L.A. and do it all on a budget.  Last week I found these amazing and ridiculously inexpensive drawer knobs that I can't wait to put on a refurbished dresser that I'm determined to find at an antique market in California.  I also bought a Rosemary growing kit so I can start a little herb garden.  To back things up, my refurbishing obsession all began when I found a local lawnmower-repair store that had a HUGE pile of wooden pallets that were free for the taking!  Naturally, I took about 7 home and have been using the wood for all sorts of things! (picture frames, magazine holder, gifts for friends...) I've decided I'm going to make a table out of said pallets for the L.A. apartment and I'm trying to decide on paint colors...or should I just stain it?  ahh the choices!
I love being crafty and sometimes it's nice to take a mental break from being musically creative and spend my energy on home projects.  Plus, at the end of the day, it gives me an excuse to shop :)

Restoring my faith in Youtube

I was watching videos on Youtube and came across a really awesome cover/mash up by an artist I wasn't familiar with: Kimbra.  She's a New Zealand artist and I'm loving her voice.  She has a great jazz/pop/Amy Winehouse thing going on and I really love this cover she did of a Grizzly Bear song and a Tears For Fears tune.  I love taking songs and putting my own spin on them so I'm always listening to other artists' covers and trying to figure out what inspires them to cover certain tunes.  Kimbra proves that sometimes you just need a bit of technology, some creativity and a great voice...

Live Music Makes Me Happy

I just got back from a show in Atlanta.  I went to see Gabe Dixon who I've seen many times before and am always impressed by.  Lelia Broussard was his opener and I had never heard of her before tonight.  She was super entertaining and equally talented.  I always love being turned on to new artists and going to see shows by really entertaining and inspiring performers.  Lelia and Gabe did a few songs together and I captured one of those moments.  I've always been a fan of Gabe's and I always get inspired by great live shows.  Just what I needed...

And the journey begins...

Thank you for checking out my blog!  This is my first time blogging but I wanted to do something to capture this upcoming year and make it fun along the way.  Tomorrow I will start my year long project of posting a picture every day that captures some type of inspiration for that day. I hope you are entertained, inspired, motivated....or just come along for the journey!