Category: Life

Anything and everything that’s slightly related to my life including updates, photography, the occasional rant, positivity posts, and almost anything else that I decide to write about that doesn’t fit into another category can be found here.

Life

Things are different.

by KatieLeave a Comment on Things are different.
Things are different.

Hi, you may have noticed there’s a lot changing here.

Welcome to what used to be known as “Look She Can Blog.” I will forever stand by my reasoning as to why I made that my brand for almost 3 years, but I’m not the same person I was when I started this blog in 2016. The original mission of the site, positivity and acceptance, is still deeply rooted in who I am, but it just means something a little different to me now at 19 years old than it did at 16.

This site needs to be able to grow with me, and well, nothing sticks with you quite like your name. I wanted to keep it simple because I know my niche will always be evolving. There’s a million things I want to do and write about, and the only thing that seemed fitting was just going with my name because I’m literally just me, and I’m always going to be working on figuring out what that actually means.

What I do know is that I’m a writer, and there are at least a hundred million things I want to write about, and I want the freedom to do so without having to worry about “being on brand.” I know that I am a photographer, and I want to be able to focus on that separate from my writing, but I still want it to be a part of my blog. What I’m not is just another social media influencer who’s trying to get a hundred likes and brand deals. There was a time when I that’s what I thought I wanted, but what I really want is to reach people and make an impact.

I would get so caught up in the visuals of putting out content, since that’s a huge part of the influencer game, that I never felt accomplished enough to publish my words without them and so many posts went unpublished. But I always felt guilty about the content because I still felt my words needed to be said but I couldn’t pull together the visuals so I gave up on them completely, and as an artist that is the most frustrating kind of pressure you can place on yourself: Pushing a vision that you think will sell, get views, and be read opposed to what you really want it to be.

That’s why I’ve honestly been feeling like a creative failure most of this year. I’ve quite frankly been an emotional mess and I haven’t allowed myself to utilize the blog as the creative escape it started out as because I never felt like I could finish projects and put out enough content that I was proud of.

I’m not going to lie, I do have quite the track record of being a quitter, but I told myself a long time ago this wasn’t something I was ever going to give up on and I know I owe it to myself to not go back on that promise. So here I am, revamping and rebranding my site and quite literally, myself.

You’re going to be seeing some new content that I know may not have the same appeal to some of my readers as all of my previous content. I’m studying journalism, and as a writer, I’ve got a lot to say about what’s going on in the world.

I promise you everything I write about will be coming from a positive place. I want to write about tough subjects so people can understand them and learn how to be compassionate. I’m a firm believer perspective is everything. We all have to come from a place of love and respect or coexistence is literally impossible. Let’s just say it’ll be preachy but teachy. I’m pretty excited about it.

You’re still going to see content about music, fashion, and of course, lifestyle, but I’m also hoping to write more about important issues and advocate for things that matter to me, and really should matter to everyone. I also would like to pen more personal essays and photo essays. This blog really is a little piece of my heart and I want it to completely feel like one.

Over the next few weeks while I’m on break from school, I’m going to be reworking this site into what I want it to be. I will be going through and weeding through some of my past posts because well, I was 15 when I started writing here and some of it probably just doesn’t need to be on the internet anymore.

I will also be updating all my current pages to make sure the messaging is right for the next chapter of this site. I decided not to shut down the site completely while I’m working because I have noticed I’ve had some steady page views recently and I didn’t want everything to be unaccessible during this time. The major changes have already been made, the next steps are just tidying it up. Some pages will be locked as I update them, but I promise they’ll be up and running again soon.

As always, thank you for hanging in there with me. This year has been an actual rollercoaster for me, but I swear to you I really am doing my best. I am just quite literally a work in progress and disaster all at once, and I thank you for always bearing with me.

Things are different, but I promise you it’s a good different. I hope you’ll be sticking around because I’m really really really excited about it and I hope you are too.

told myself to look at the camera like I look at pizza in order to get this ~dramatic~ shot

Join 295 other subscribers

Life

Life as a College Student: My First Week

by Katie1 Comment on Life as a College Student: My First Week
Life as a College Student: My First Week

I’m officially a college student.

I started college a couple weeks ago!! I can’t even begin to tell you how nervous (and excited, but like REALLLY nervous) I was to start this next chapter of my life. So to any future college freshman out there, I wanted to walk you through my thoughts going into college, and also my first week.

My Thoughts Before School Started

Things I’m kinda nervous about…

  1. I’m nervous I’m not going to fit in and meeting new people will be hard.
  2. I’m scared that past demons will come back to haunt me as some people from my high school will be on the same campus as me.
  3. I’m worried I will struggle to keep up with course work because I’m taking 17 credit hours this semester.
  4. I’m nervous I’m going to be overwhelmed by the new experience of college as a whole, like being on campus and balancing everything.
  5. I’m worried about the drive to school everyday since I’m commuting and there is TONS of construction happening right now.

Things I’m kinda hype about…

  1. I’m so excited to join new clubs and organizations and meet new people who have the same interests and passions as I do and to get more involved.
  2. I’m so ready to take classes I actually care about, minus my ONE math class I have to take, but otherwise I’m excited to finally be more interest focused.
  3. I’m excited to be more independent, even though I’ll still be at home, I’m ready to have new experiences and try new things out in the real world for myself.

My Top 3 Back to School Goals

  1. BREATHE. It’s all going to be okay, just take it one day at a time.
  2. Write, write, WRITE, and don’t ever stop writing. It’s important to you, it’s your escape from stress, and using your creativity as a stress-reliever and healthy distraction is how you’re going to survive college.
  3. Get your shit together and keep it together, no matter how long it takes to get there.

My First Week

DAY ONE

My first day as a commuting college student started off with a smoking vehicle. I had never seen my car smoke before, but we were fairly certain there was a small oil leak somewhere. Luckily I only live about 30 minutes away from campus so my parents were able to come get my car and get it to the shop. This also meant that my mother would return to campus and pick me up from my first day of college. I felt kind of like I was back in high school all over again.

Also did I mention the massive amounts of rain??? There was a full on torrential downpour on my first day of school and I happened to have to walk the farthest distance to my classes on the first day. After parking my car and heading to the campus center to meet a friend, I was soaked. Needless to say I was unprepared for the weather and promptly took my waterlogged self to Target that evening to better prepare myself for future rainy days.

DAY TWO

Day two I felt more prepared for the weather, but luckily I didn’t need it! Also I met an amazing girl at my orientation that lives in my city and we have the same classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I didn’t have to worry about my car because we decided to be carpool buddies.

It was my first day in my learning community and so I got to spend the whole day with a huge group of amazing people. I feel like by the end of the semester we are going to feel like a family, and I’m actually pretty excited about that.

DAY THREE

I was finally reunited with my car and I never thought I would be so excited but as a car-less college student I was spooked. She’s no longer smoking and all the leaks have been fixed so she’s safe for me to drive to school (at least for now, pls hang in there Luna).

My Mondays and Wednesdays are going to be a lot shorter now because I realized I needed to drop one of my classes because I didn’t have the necessary prerequisite. My first adviser from when I was a Communications major thought one of my classes from high school would count, but it turns out it does not. So I’m taking the prereq’ next semester and will take the class I was really excited about next year. It’s all okay because I was stressing about my 17 credit hours anyway so now I’m down to 14, which seems a lot more manageable for me, at least for my first semester of college.

DAY FOUR

For the last day of my first week of college, my new LC squad and I decided to head down to the ice cream social. It’s amazing to me how I had lunch with one person on the first day of school, but by the end of the week I was having lunch with four new people. Little did I know by the end of my second week I’d be up to six new friends. My new college family is growing fast and I’m so excited about it.

I’m finally feeling more confident about school and I’m very excited for what the rest of this semester holds! Stay tuned for more creative content and college stories. I think I’m finally ready to commit to creativity again.

Thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin.


Instagram + Twitter + Facebook + Pinterest + Bloglovin’

Life

Where Have I Been?

by Katie1 Comment on Where Have I Been?
Where Have I Been?

OMG HEY!

It’s been a hot minute since I posted anything on here and I promise you it’s been driving me crazy and I promise you I can’t wait to get back into a creative flow again. Senior year is almost over, but I decided that I wanted to recap what’s been going on for me the last few months just to fill you all in as to why I have been gone.

While I love how my blog is a unique and separate part of me, I’d love to start sharing more personal experiences with you all as well because my life doesn’t stop and so I’ll always have something to write about if I bring it back to my life. So today I’m starting off this new tradition here on the blog by sharing photos and stories with you from my life the last couple of months. Enjoy 🙂

Best Buddies Prom

Best Buddies Prom with my Best Buddy and my beautiful sister, Em, of course! I always love dancing the night away with my favorite people in the world. You can’t forget how important it is to show these kiddos that they’re loved and that you want to spend time with them. Prom night to them meant so much and I am so so so happy I was a part of it.

Activism Through Journalism

I wrote a controversial opinion piece for my school’s news website about a decision made by my school board. Here’s the gist of it: My district’s original non-discrimination policy did not include sexuality or gender identity. Although all students and staff are technically protected by sex, gender, age, or religion, they can still be discriminated against because of their sexuality or how they identify. The board voted against adding these two terms to our policy. Their decision was fueled prejudice and personal opinion, which is why they failed to see that these were students asking for their help and they were turning their backs on them because of their beliefs.

That’s why I wrote the story. Every student and every staff member deserves to feel protected period, regardless of whether or not you agree with their opinion or how they live. I am the least opinionated person I’ve ever met in my life and I have never taken a stand on an issue like this before so it’s a HUUUGE deal for me and I really don’t think I could be more proud of something I’ve written outside my comfort zone.

My “Mid-Life Boy Crisis”

You ever been waiting around on a boy who flirts with you, and you think he’s interested and so you get your hopes up, and then all of a sudden you realize he really isn’t trying and he isn’t going to and there’s just been another guy who’s been hanging around being the best, being helpful when he definitely didn’t need to be, being supportive, offering advice, and being an all around freaking amazing guy and you didn’t pay him any attention because you were so focused on the cutie who isn’t making any moves and just keeps playing with your feelings??? CAUSE SAME. Like he was right there the whole time and I never even realized that this freaking fantastic, amazing, wonderful dude has been here just chilling watching all this go down and now I’m just sitting over here like sh*t. I have to wonder how I could really be this dumb and not see this, but there’s still time to try and fix this and maybe make things happen before the end of the summer, so wish me, luck folks.

College Decision Day

Ya girl is staying local and going to IUPUI in the fall, so get ready Indy! I can’t wait to rediscover my city with my favorite gals by my side. I’m heading there to study Spanish and communications, but I already have a feeling that my major (not my minor in Spanish because I love it too much) is probably going to change pretty quickly once I get there… 😉

A Lil Promposal

I asked my bestie to prom (She said yes)! I was a lil tired of waiting around on boys to make moves (OOF) and besides it’s more fun to go with your friends! And I mean technically you could dance with any single guys at the dance as well because it’s 2019, if you want to go to prom solo, you can go to prom solo and dance with other solos! Have a great time!! So we didn’t go to our senior prom “dateless” and because I feel like every girl deserves a cute promposal, I decided to ask my bestie to the dance. ALSO, boys, are y’all crazy? Have you SEEN this gorgeous gal? What the heck my dudes.

Hope for Happiness

I got to see an amazing event my school’s mental health club has been putting together with the city called Hope for Happiness come to life and it was AMAZING. Silent disco, mental health resources, speakers, community members coming together, and elementary school students showing the power of coping skills. It was astounding and I’m so so so grateful to have been a part of the planning process for this event for the last two years.

Learning About Loss

My whole world was flipped upside down when my great uncle, who has been in and out of the hospital the last few months, suddenly had a heart attack and passed away after what we thought was a life-saving surgery. While we weren’t close, I’ve never dealt with grief or loss before. I’ve never lost a grandparent or anyone else in my life, which I know to make it 18 years without losing someone close to you is no small feat, however I always wonder if I would have rather lost someone sooner just so it doesn’t hurt as much when they’re gone after knowing them for so long. Either way, it’s never easy to see the people you love most suffer through it. He was my grandma’s baby brother, but my grandpa’s best friend. They were devastated, my mom was devastated, and of course, then I had to be too.

Last Newspaper Work Session

I had my last newspaper work session, and let me tell you, I know my publications kids out there will get this, but OH MY GOD I am going to miss everyone I met on staff. The rest of the world may think we’re nerdy and annoying but oh well because I love us and I think we’re great. I’ve literally met some of the best people ever and I will miss them so freaking much.

Last Bring Change to Mind Meeting

I had my final mental health club meeting of the year and it was so freaking fun. I’m going to miss these people and this club so so so much. We made some super cute chalk drawings outside our school and posters to decorate the inside with positive affirmations for World Children’s Mental Health Day. We love to spread the love ♥️

Continued Activism

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the next board meeting regarding the issue of my school district’s non-discrimination policy. I was there as an ally to support one of my best friends as she spoke in front of the board. There were over 20 brave students and community members who addressed the board to their stories and why this addition matters, and there were easily over 300 people in attendance to show their support of the amended policy. Love prevailed and the board was swayed after hearing all the emotional testimonials. The addition of gender identity and sexual orientation were added to our policy in a 5-2 vote. It was an amazing thing to be a part of.

As my senior year comes to a close, I hope to share more of my summer adventures and college adventures with you all in the future, as well as your regularly scheduled creative content 🙂

As always, thank you for your love and support on this wild and creative journey.

Instagram + Twitter + Facebook + Pinterest + Bloglovin’

Life

Galentine’s Guide

by KatieLeave a Comment on Galentine’s Guide
Galentine’s Guide

Valentine’s + Galentine’s

Tis‘ the season for single girls everywhere to remember that they actually kind of want a boyfriend because all over the world, couples are doing cute things for Valentine’s Day and of course everyone wants to be a part of that!

And that’s all fine and dandy except it is actually much harder to cuff a man than all the happy ladies in relationships make it out to be. Which is why I believe all the single ladies banded together and decided to make Galentine’s Day, a day to celebrate with your favorite gals in your life, who are ultimately probably better than a boyfriend anyways (Just saying).

After all, my mom always taught me that Valentine’s Day is not only for giving the people you love cards and chocolates, it’s about telling the other important people in your life how much they mean to you and how much you appreciate them.

I like to think that my mom makes Valentine’s Day into her universal day of spreading love to everyone. She’s always made cards for her friends, my sister and I’s bus drivers, school teachers, her coworkers, you name it. If someone is important to her or did something kind for her and she wants to make sure they know how much she appreciated it, she puts something together for them on Valentine’s Day.

So for Valentine’s this year, if you need some ideas for getting together with your besties (Or coworkers, acquaintances, teachers, or any other lady in your life) or help finding the right gift for them to let them know you appreciate them, no worries! I’ve got you covered.

What to Do:

BOARD GAMES – Put those phones away and get lost in the moment. My friends and I played the game of life, which ironically enough for three almost eighteen-year-olds about to head off to college and start adulting, we totally didn’t know the rules of life. Both my friends had to look at the directions in order for us to figure it out! We got quite a few laughs.

FONDUE – Whether it be cheese or chocolate, just dip it. Some of my favorite things to dip in chocolate are strawberries, marshmallows, Rice Krispie treats, animal crackers, and pretzels! You can also mix it up by adding festive sprinkles, a personal favorite of mine.

P.S. This little fondue set was only $11.99 at Target! I highly recommend heating the chocolate in the microwave first since it is only powered by a tealight, but it keeps the chocolate from hardening while you’re still dipping! You can shop it here.

BINGE-WATCH – Watch your favorite show together, or at least one that will make you all laugh and interact. My recommendations are hands down Friends and The Office. Funniest shows out there, period.

DANCE PARTY – One of my sister and I’s all-time favorite ways to spend time together is having a dance party. We turn on our jams and just jump around, bop, and have a great time.

PIZZA NIGHT – It’s always fun to get all dressed up and take yourselves out to dinner, but if you would rather not be surrounded by couples on Valentine’s Day, it’s probably better to stay in. My personal favorite way to spend time together is to get all cozy with your favorite movies (Chick-flicks optional), and my food staple, a pizza.

PILLOW FORT – It doesn’t matter how old you are, you’re never too old for some pillow fort fun! You can make it super cute and add all the fairy lights your heart desires. Not to mention you can see if you’ve leveled up at all from your pillow fort buildings, ya know, back in the day (My fort fell on top of me and my friends at least 3 times so I’m gonna say I did not level up as much as I had hoped).

— P.S. Huge shoutout to my besties for letting me be annoying and take like 500 random pictures for this post! Thank you for helping me get the pictures for this post and always being so supportive, I love ya bunches.

What to Get Them:

HOMEMADE CARD – I personally feel like nothing beats a homemade card when it comes to telling someone how much you appreciate them. It takes a some time and a little bit of love, but it’ll mean the world to someone when they open it.

AT-HOME SPA DAY – Tell your hard-working girly that you’re enormously proud of her, but she needs to treat herself! Face masks, fuzzy aloe-infused socks, bath bombs or salts, and a candle make the perfect gift for someone who needs to relax in style.

COFFEE KIT – One of my personal favorite ideas is buying one of those reusable cups from Starbucks, whether it be the new $3 ones or one of the fancy $20 ones, and then fill it with your friend’s favorite candy, and of course, a Starbucks card. Pink ribbons and cheesy tags are optional that read: “I love you a latte.” Thank you, Pinterest.

BESTIE COUPONS – For your best friend, let her know how much you care by putting together a coupon book full of coupons that would only make sense between the two of you. “Pizza night for two,” “Drop everything and meet for coffee,” or “Binge session of our favorite show” are a few that I can think of, but you have all the opportunity in the world to get crafty with it and customize it for your bestie!

Check out my Pinterest board “Gift Ideas” for more inspiration, and be sure to give me a follow! I’m constantly pinning new things that inspire me.

No matter how you decide to spend Valentine’s Day, don’t forget to make sure everyone you love knows that they mean the world to you. I know I for one am not the best at saying “I love you” as much as I should to my family who does so much for me. So this year, I hope you’ll join me as I show my appreciation to my loved ones.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 Buy Me a Coffee 

Instagram + Twitter + Facebook + Pinterest + Bloglovin’

Life

2019 Goals: For life, for my health, & for the blog

by Katie1 Comment on 2019 Goals: For life, for my health, & for the blog
2019 Goals: For life, for my health, & for the blog

My 2019 Mantra:

“I will not be another lightning strike, seen for a second and forgotten just as fast. I will be a never ending storm. Chased by many. Caught by few. Remembered by all.” — Erin Van Vuren

Happy New Year!

I feel like I say it every year, but this time, I feel like 2019 is actually gonna be my year. 2018 was alright. It was full of challenges and triumphs, happiness and heartbreak, soul searching and getting lost all over again.

2018 was a lot of things. I’m grateful for all the things I learned, did, achieved, and discovered, but I am so glad it’s over.

2019 is the year I graduate, travel abroad, start college, and I literally don’t even know what else yet.

I guess that is the best, scariest, and most rewarding part of January 1st. There is a whole year in front of me now, waiting to happen. Full of the unknown, the unexpected, and the unplanned. I’m not going to know what happens until I get there, so I can’t spend too long dwelling on the past and worrying about the future. There just isn’t time.

Even though there’s so much I don’t know about 2019, I still want to have some kind of plan. So like I do every year, I made a list of goals that I want to try and achieve this year. I divided it into three categories this year, health, life, and the blog.

Health Goals

  • Take better care of my hair, as I’d like to donate it in the future!
  • Get more sleep (a yearly goal, but I swear I mean it).
  • Drink a heck ton more water.
  • RELAX.
  • Spend less time on my phone. Get lost in the moment more.
  • Take better care of myself overall.

“If you get tired learn to rest, not to quit.”

— Banksy

Life Goals

  • Have fun: there’s so many freaking exciting things happening for me in 2019, graduating, going to Spain, starting college, and who knows what else could happen, but what’s most important is that I have fun because if you told my fourteen-year-old self four years ago that everything was going to be okay and that’d I’d make it this far, I’d have never believed you.
  • Be more optimistic. I preach positivity, but some days it isn’t always the easiest. I want to refocus on being a positive person and spreading positivity and acknowledge that even when it’s tough, it’s the best thing you can do for yourself.
  • Have a bigger impact. Donate to more charities, volunteer, donate clothes to a place you know needs them, and try to be more selfless. You know you want to do these things, it’s about time you did them. 
  • Write every single day. Whether it be in a journal, a blog post, or even just notes in my planner, I want to write something each day.
  • Be a little more fearless. Be a little less scared to take risks, put yourself out there, and don’t be afraid of what others will think.
  • Read!! Quit adding books to my list that I want to read and then putting it off.

“She liked the moon because like herself, it shined it’s brightest when no one was around to see.”

Blog Goals

  • ENGAGE MORE. Like and comment, on social media other blog posts, etc. on the daily to help build engagement. Can’t build and audience if you aren’t part of one!
  • Be active even when life gets crazy. One of my top goals is to post more on my stories, even on days when I’m not working on content, just so you guys know I’m still here, and that I’m planning on getting back at it ASAP.
  • Be bold. Take more fun photos that may require a little bit of risk in public. 
  • Think outside the box and take creative risks that push my content to where I want to be.
  • Ask for help and don’t be embarrassed about it. It’s almost impossible for me to do everything myself, whether it be brainstorming content ideas, building outfits, or even taking photos, I want to be better about asking for help creating content.
  • Don’t doubt my abilities, test them and build on them.

“You have to go whole heartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having.”

— Frank Lloyd Wright

Wishing you a very happy new year! I hope you achieve all your goals in 2019!

“May you always be the one who notices the little things that make the light pour through, and may they always remind you: There is more to life and there is more to you.”

— Morgan Harper Nichols

xoxo, Katie