Reinvent Yo Self!

This image hangs in my kitchen, as a constant reminder that reinvention is possible!

In 1991 Madonna was an impossibly perfect Marilyn Monroe- the height of retro glamour.

In 1994 she was a pixie cut, minimal, tough as nails bitch- it blew my mind!

I might not be Madonna, but I do know a thing or two about reinventing myself. I have survived many transformations. I have been an honors student with a 4.2 GPA, a high school drop out, a conservative bride, lazy photography major, a tortured artist, a Martha Stewart wanna be, gallery director, bass player, an anemic new mom, and an aspiring model (and not necessarily in that order).

photo credits: Sarah Christensen and Genevieve Dietz

When I think back to the times I admired other people, and all the amazing things they achieved, and then thought to myself: "Oh, I could never do that!" I now know how ridiculous that statement really is. If you want to do something you love, you will choose to do it. If you want to become the sort of person you admire, you can choose to make those changes. I used to think there was no way I would be able to homeschool one child while maintaining any kind of job or being any kind of an artist. Today, I homeschool two boys while successfully running my own business and satisfying my need to create. I will be the first to admit my life is not easy, nor is it perfectly balanced, but I am squeezing in regular exercise into my schedule for the first time in my life.

But, here's the catch...

artwork by Sweaty Wisdom

That's really the "secret" everyone keeps talking about. There's no secret, it's a lot of damn work. And on top of working your ass off, you better be grateful at the same time! No one ever achieved personal and professional success by being a bitch all the time.

So, this is me today. New hairstyle, hope for the future, love for my family, and belief in my dreams.

Don't like the way the way things are going?

 xoxo