While my interests may have diverged from swoony photos of Leonardo diCaprio and Devon Sawa, I still continue to rip pages out of magazines every month. Actually, I dog-ear the pages first and then tear out the pages later, but you catch my drift. I have months and months of glossy pages with bent corners and ripped edges, an anthology of inspirations, or my Modern Girls Guide to Life: As I See It.
Anything from recipes I want to try out, a hairstyle I want to replicate, an outfit I want to recreate, budget tips, workout regimens, to book/music/movie reviews. This binder has moved with me from every apartment in Cincinnati (three), to Los Angeles, and back to Ohio. Sadly, I don't think I have tried out any of the recipes, completed any of the workouts, or recreated any of the outfits.
Until now.
Each month as my new magazines arrive, I will continue to dog-ear, rip, and expand my anthology. But it's time to experiment, grow, and live- and I want to share it all with you, virtually of course. Thus, I introduce you to the first feature at "Shades of Gray," Dog-Eared. Starting out, I have a lot to archive, and you'll be seeing a lot of entries, but eventually it should evolve into a monthly feature. I'll do my best.
"Whenever I told my parents I dreamed of becoming a writing, they said, 'Great, but what are you going to do for work?'"
I have never read an article that I thought was speaking directly at me, it's as if SELF subscriptions services and editors have been reading my blog for months and gathered together to dedicate this one just for me. But in all seriousness, if you have ever had a shred of doubt in your "successful" job, and have imagined a better life where you are pursuing your dreams and passions, I suggest you pick up a copy of SELF and flip to this article immediately-- or, you can just read it online, here. From working her way through college and grad school, and working in a service industry role, the author is describing just another day in my life- minus the fact that she's a published author, and I'm still trying to figure everything out. Thank you Ali Liebegott, for being my inspiration.
Any magazines you subscribe to?
I haven't subscribed to a magazine in YEARS, and I almost spit out my coffee at the YM reference. But, I tend to read everything from Glamour and Cosmo to gossip mags and Women's Health. I've got the rip and reuse method going on at my house ... just not the organized binder or follow through. Keep us apprised in how it goes and, perhaps, I can follow your good example and actually DO something with all those advice pages, too.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED YM! seriously, i think my cousins and i would split the subscription three ways bc back then $12 or whatever it was was really, really expensive. i mean that was probably like a month allowance. I just assumed I outgrew YM but I guess it just disappeared?
ReplyDeleteI do the exact same thing! I love my "inspiration" binder, but I also rarely even go through it to try new things. I subscribe to Real Simple and InStyle. My boyfriend gets Scientific American and Bon Appetit. Between those magazines, my binder has grown exponentially in the past year or so. I need to start trying all these new things!
ReplyDeleteImerika- I remember I was 15 and I got a job as a cashier at a restaurant just so I could pay for my subscriptions, haha!
ReplyDeleteStevie- I've been meaning to pick up a copy of Real Simple, I've read a few of their articles online and so far, I like what I've seen.