Environment, environment, environment!

Not the "green movement"... I'm talking about apartments that just make your heart skip a beat. That's what happened to me this morning when I stumbled on two Manhattan apartments with the coolest design.

In short, they inspired me. Click to read the articles below and more importantly look at the slideshow of more photos (...I can't find out how to be able to save those photos and paste them here...)

(NYT: "A Tiny Penthouse Studio Dressed in Comic Book Colors")

(NYT: "In NoHo, a Bento Box They Can Live In")

I've moved around every year or so for the past 6 years, giving me permanent "dorm room syndrome," a rather common affliction in which one does not find the need to invest in a quality lifestyle because of the knowledge that packing up and moving is right around the corner (and we ALL know that less 'stuff' fits better in garbage bags...)

I dream, however, of a personal sanctuary--a light, bright, open space full of my own art, things that inspire me and a style of relaxed chic. I do think it's a reachable dream, but I just don't know when I'll be in the position to stay in a city for long enough!

Which brings me to another dream of mine and something else I indulged in today.............(don't laugh, although I know you will!)

PUPPIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some women just fall apart with motherly desire when they see babies.....I've never had that (yet) but I believe I have the same intense feelings when I see baby animals. These little guys just stole my heart, and before I knew the extent of my emotions, I was YouTube-ing other videos of puppies playing and wishing so much I had my own dog to cuddle with on this cold, rainy day.

Everyone loves puppies (how could you NOT?!) but I've wanted a dog since I was a little girl....I subscribed to the American Kennel Association's publications when I was 12 in order to be informed and I went as far as to memorize all of the dog breeds/personalities. After all of the genuine effort and desire on my part, my parents STILL refused....
"Too much work," they replied definitively.

SO, a dog and a beautifully-furnished/inspiring permanent residence.... This is what inspired me today and this is what I am setting as long-term goals for myself.

Until then, Ramen Noodles for dinner, anyone?? (joking, of course...)

::N::

New look, same Notes on a Napkin...

Pilgrim
(by: Anne Morrow Lindbergh)

This is a road
     One walks alone,
Narrow the track
     And overgrown.

Dark is the way
     And hard to find,
When the last village
     Drops behind.

Never a footfall
     Light to show
Fellow Traveler--
     Yet I know

Someone before
     Has trudged his load
In the same footsteps--
     This is a road.

------

Dear Readers,

I decided to begin the first post of my "new and improved" blog with this poem because it resonates with me during this period of my life. Reading it for the first time a few weeks ago, I  immediately thought of my own introspective 'pilgrimage' this year. Everyone has a personal journey that one must 'walk alone' and although it may seem lonely at times, I am comforted to know that it has been taken before.

The reincarnation of my blog is the result of a lot of personal decisions, one of which is to more actively incorporate my creative energy into my everyday routine. More recently, I have felt an intense desire to share things that inspire me with others: photos, thoughts, poems, conversations with strangers, etc. I will share something that inspires me every day with the goal of keeping myself busy, documenting inspiring things for my own art, and in the hopes that like-minded individuals will see or read something to get the creative juices flowing.  :)

I would love to have feedback so do not hesitate to leave a comment!

Thank you, and enjoy...

::N::