décolletage

Wearing: Cartagena top by Faithfull (on sale!)

There's something about a little exposed décolletage and shoulders that I love. Especially with long sleeves and wide leg pants. It's not actually about showing a certain amount skin, but tricking the mind into perceiving something as sexier than it ought to be. A singlet bares more skin but an off shoulder top seems more revealing because it's probably less expected or conventional. Something akin to a flash of the ankles in the 1800s... *gasp* scandalous! Okay, but, I didn't study anthropology (although I wish I did), so don't take my word for it. 

But there are a few downsides to this off shoulder top in particular:

1. Restricted mobility of arms.

2. The partial elasticised band means that it's more rigid. I've noticed that when I slouch (which is always), the front puffs out. I guess it's not really a downside if it corrects my posture...

It's 100% linen, makes me feel like I'm on a summer holiday, and is a piece that I know I'll wear often on days I don't need to raise my arms above 45 degrees.

I haven't taken self-portraits in a very long time. I can't even recall the last time I set up a tripod and hopped back and forth between 10 second timed photos (I lost my remote). It's been long overdue because waiting until Kevin could take photos for me wasn't ideal (I don't want to make him work for me on his days off). Before you know it, months have gone by and I've got hardly any photos to show for it—even though my mind has been busy, endlessly running through new ideas and perfecting old ones. 

I think I've been making too many excuses: there's no space to take photos, your walls aren't white enough, it's too dark here... Ugh! I was getting tired of even thinking it. Whenever I feel 'stuck' or 'trapped', I always try to remember IKEA's philosophy that it's not about what you have, but how you use it. Don't judge me, I love IKEA. But I think this quote is so damn true, and can be applied to most things.

"It’s about being creative, a little rebellious and doing what you dream about no matter how much or how little... you have."
— IKEA on small spaces

I was determined to create a dedicated space for photos and, in the future, videos. So I cleared a wall in my home office/studio, vowed to keep it clear and said embraced the bad lighting. I felt a rush of energy and joy as I took the photos, feeling like I was 14 again, holding the family's point-and-shoot camera thinking to myself that it didn't matter if what I had was less than ideal. As long as I was creating and putting my ideas into action, I knew that I would find a way to make it work.

Also, yes I got a tattoo! Two, actually ;)

J

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