Microadventures

While I've been able to travel abroad a couple times in the last few years, I've had many more local adventures checking out what the Bay Area has to offer. There are still times I feel like I'm on vacation, even though I've lived here almost five years. I suppose it's a combination of being in a lively city, and having the surroundings that just beg for a hike, or a trip to wine country, or whatever. I would still like to keep traveling the globe, but the world close to home isn't bad to check out, either.

I came across the term "microadventures" in a recent article on simplicity and instantly loved it. That outing last weekend (finally) to the museum across town that I'd been meaning to go to? A microadventure, just a couple hours' worth of appreciating art I could never create myself. (Bonus part was meeting up with friends there.) Bringing my brother to the pop-up dinner that a friend had introduced me to a few weeks earlier? A delicious microadventure. A quiet walk through a different neighborhood with coffee on a sunny morning? An eye-opening microadventure. Not all adventures are farflung or require time off work; they can be had in discrete amounts of time and location. 

Resolution

SF MoMA

In a lot of ways 2016 was personally great (loved ones got married, engaged and brought babies into this world; my husband and I both transitioned to new aspects of our jobs; I got involved with a wonderful organization, and I generally got to enjoy another year of good health and fun adventures in California) but I was still happy to see it go. My friend had the brilliant idea of going out with a bang, in the form of a wonderful feast with friends. So on NYE we had a private dining room at a San Francisco restaurant, filled with 9 fantastic people, amazing food and delicious wine. I will always remember that meal and am grateful my friend thought of putting it together.

And now, we're fully in 2017, not just feet wet but hair dunked, body temperature acclimated. There aren't any totally new habits I want to do this year that I didn't start on already- eating healthy, exercising more. All the usual self-care, wellness and fitness habits I know to do but need to actually do. The hosts and guest on my favorite podcast Another Round were discussing the difference between telling people you'll do something (like going to the gym) and actually doing it. Anyway, as I get older, self-care moves to front of mind so that I can be in good shape to take care of other things.

And those other things? Well the 2016 election taught me I can't take democracy for granted. So in 2017 I have to keep learning what's going on, finding ways to make my voice heard and find a way to make an impact where I am. Last summer thanks to a friend's suggestion, I started working with a children's organization in San Francisco; this was meant to help underprivileged kids right in my city, but it has already impacted me immensely. 

I also want to remember to speak up more, in different channels. For a long time I did not put political views on social media; in fact I have had a tenuous relationship with social media and like to think I should just be living IRL. But I'd like to learn how to use tech to advance democracy. This is one article in WSJ that I found suggesting some nonpartisan tools to track government. I also downloaded Countable, an app for tracking government, and am finding it easy to use. I joined the Women's March in San Francisco this weekend - again, thanks to brilliant friends - and resolve to keep the inspiration and energy from the event in my heart going forward, and to continue to turn it into action.

photo from Buzzfeed

And finally on the fun side, I want to do more West Coast exploring this year and am starting to make those plans. I also have loved ones getting married this year so I'll be traveling to celebrate with them (I've got one bridesmaid dress ready and am about to order another one). So among other things, there will be a lot of fun in 2017.

The Effort in Being Effortless (related: Favorite SF Brands)

my Cuyana tote

Now that it's spring and the weather has been nicer, it seems like there's a lot more to do (which is not new to me, apparently). This month I've had two weekend camping trips, a jazz show, a drag show, birthday parties, wine country, and friends visiting in town. I've been outdoors as much as possible when not stuck behind a computer screen. 

One small way I find simplicity in busy times is to rely on a more streamlined style that fits wherever I go. After all, wardrobe style is part of lifestyle. And I've adapted a style over the first decade or so of adulthood that I really rely on. 

For me, part of 'growing up' was developing my own style (in professional settings, this would be referred to as 'creating your brand and image'). In grammar school and high school I wore a uniform, so my classmates and I would express creativity, or not, with accessories. I was very excited to build out an everyday wardrobe once I hit college and over a few years amassed so. many. clothes. It didn't help that I came of age along with fast fashion, so it was almost too easy to play around with different styles and trends and you know, really "find myself". (insert winking emoji here) Even friends would remark that I had an eclectic style and would even say "that's totally an Ingrid type of [whatever item]" when we were out shopping.

In the last few years, once I hit the later 20's, I started to pare things down a bit and stick to more of the same looks, if not a strict uniform. This also came about with lifestyle changes - new cities, jobs, activities. I wanted to focus less on the activity of shopping and instead on buying higher quality pieces and feel more like my grown-up self.

Luckily this train of thought came along the time that minimalism and capsule wardrobes also became more mainstream. (I don't know about anyone else, but after reading a ton of blogs I feel like I should be able to develop the perfect minimal capsule wardrobe, even if I don't want to.) I've still had some hits and misses, but overall I see my wardrobe becoming more streamlined. Even now I know I have more items in my closet than I truly "need". But my truth is that I still want the choices to play around with style a bit, while of course still looking and feeling "effortless".

There's the sophisticated, gamine, French-girl image of being "effortless". And there's the "groomed" kind of effortless - I know women who admit they straighten their hair and put on makeup so they're perceived as professional, or hardworking, or whatever. Then there's the stereotypical Silicon Valley "effortless" of hoodie, jeans and backpack. (Now despite the Bay Area being known more technological innovations there are some great companies catering to the more fashionably-inclined part of the population, which I'll get to in a bit.) I knew I had to come up with what kind of "effortless" style I wanted for myself. 

As much as I enjoy fashion, what l appreciate most are clothes and accessories that let me live my life, not get in the way of it. Therefore, my aesthetic has evolved in line with trying to simplify a fairly busy schedule that is probably familiar to other 30-year-old urban professionals: commuting to the office, figuring out after-work plans, packing in as much as possible on the weekends and of course, making exciting travel plans, preferably with friends. For all of this I want clothes with forgiving cuts (I just love a draped sweater or blouse), colors and prints that go together, and versatile basics that stand up to everyday wear. Also on my list of demands: clothes that don't make me feel guilty for adding to the human rights and environmental problems that fast fashion has fostered. Luckily, besides checking out some good consignment shops in the Bay Area, I've found some companies that answer this call with the clothes they manufacture. And I've realized that quite a few of my wardrobe staples come from them. Over the last few years I've become a loyal fan of these local brands:

• Everlane - The first of the local brands that I tried, I appreciated Everlane's 'luxury without the markup' and 'transparent supply chain' strategies. I started with their t-shirt, then bought a couple silk tops for <$100, and most recently their wallet. Here's a referral link if you want to try them out: https://www.everlane.com/r/y2nkha
• Cuyana - They first caught my eye with their lean closet movement and fewer, better motto. They also provide the story of where they source their materials. I was doing periodic closet purges and bringing bags of my unused items to Community Thrift. I first purchased a bag from them, not for myself but for my mom (who now has two, go figure). Finally this past Christmas my gift to myself was one of their classic tote bags (above) which I use nearly every day. I'm also interested in some of their clothing items for when I need to replace some wardrobe items.
• Amour Vert - I love the variety of cuts and prints by Amour Vert. They have a couple shops in the Bay Area and are distributed by some department stores. Over the last couple years I've collected silk/cotton mixed media tees, cotton tees, a silk pineapple-print tank, and silk printed pants.
• Betabrand - Dress pant yoga pants! (I wear the cropped version which hits my ankles) They  really are a dressy-enough material to not get called out as leggings, and they really are very comfortable. This is a fun company that crowdsources designs and makes most of their stuff right in SF. Again, a referral link: https://www.betabrand.com/referrals/landing/friend/?r=70dH (they also have student discounts)

These brands have gotten press elsewhere so they don't need me to sing their praises, nor do I wear them exclusively, but I did want to call them out since I was happy to find them close to home. Everyone has different brands they like and not everyone even cares so much about what's in their closet. I still care what my wardrobe is made up of, but in a different way than I did when I was an excited college student. Below is some more reading on this topic, I'd be interested if anyone else has more suggestions.

Ethical Shopping on Refinery 29
Local Fashion Labels on SFist

Tech Help

I've had a smartphone in my life for just over five years now. It's amazing that in a few short years your daily life can change so much because of new technology. All the toddlers growing up now won't know a world without smart phones and mobile apps! (My niece is already a pro with the iPad and she's only been alive for just over five years.) 

Due to work, family and personal obligations and aspirations, your life can get pretty busy. I always have my phone on me to look up info, snap a photo, and of course communicate with others. These are some ways I keep myself organized and motivated:

1. Schedule it on your calendar. Just give in to the cloud. It will just be that much easier to keep track of things, especially now that google reads your mail and automatically adds things to your calendar, and that calendars often link to map features so you can put in a precise location. Bonus points for blocking off your "me time".

Gmail Blog

1a. For conference lines, I use the Instant Meeting app, which syncs to your calendar and dials the conference codes for you automatically. If you have one of those jobs where everyone has a conference code, and/or you make your calls while on the road, this will save you so much time/brain energy:

meetingapps.com

2. Keep lists or notes (I really like Wunderlist and Swipes). Again, it makes it easier to keep track of things if you just record them. I have ongoing lists for things to do, groceries (which you can re-use by unchecking old items), books to read, vacation spots to look up, etc. Runner up is Swipes, which gives you that gratifying ability to swipe.

https://www.wunderlist.com/

http://swipesapp.com/personal/

3. Keep up with the world. Aside from work-related news and a couple general news headline emails, I subscribe to these daily email newsletters: The Skimm & The Broadsheet. They're both focused on women, in different ways - theSkimm was started by young women around my age to get the news in a digestible format and familiar voice to their peer demographic, and The Broadsheet has a more general news-y tone but gives you headlines on women in news/politics/business/culture. I look forward to reading both each weekday morning and feel like I'm not living under a rock.

http://www.theskimm.com/

http://fortune.com/newsletter/broadsheet

4. Keep yourself motivated. I found out about Shine texts in early December and now keep recommending it to friends. Right on the home page it says "We'll text you daily work hacks and reminders of why you're a badass." Uh, yea that made me up. So far, the texts have included gifs of Maya Rudolph, the Broad City girls, and Beyonce.

http://shinetext.herokuapp.com/

So there's 4 1/2 ways to simplify life and feel like you know what's going on. 

Gift Guide 2015: Getting off the Hedonic Treadmill

Wondering what to give your loved ones when they are fortunate enough to have what they need and capable enough to go get what they want? Or, perhaps, thinking of what you can get to treat yo'self during the holiday season?

April Wrap Up

Well, last month felt like a blur. There were milestones to celebrate with friends: birthdays, a baby shower, and I kicked off May with a wedding of dear friends last weekend. April started with Easter weekend, and ended with watching the team my husband coaches win against their biggest rival in the last game of the season. (Then May started with watching them win their league championship, in double OT!) My favorite activities in April included volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club (an event I set up through my office) and seeing The Book of Mormon. And in between all these things there was work and sleep and such...

personal photo

Not-so-impulsive Buys

For the past couple years, I've been paring down the contents of my closet, donating all the things I just don't wear anymore, and usually buying only classic basic elements to round out my wardrobe. A few things factored into this endeavor: I started a new job (w/quite a commute) and wanted to make getting dressed easy despite not being a morning person; I moved across the country, got married, and began sharing an apartment (& closet!) with my husband; and I just didn't want to keep adding to the fast fashion industry. It's not like shopping ever put me in debt, but the Pareto principle definitely applied to my wardrobe, so I also realized I didn't need to spend money on additional items beyond the kinds I wear most often. I had started viewing shopping as more of a hobby and not a necessity, and there are other things I'd rather spend my free time on.

I've been trying to practice a little more simplicity and minimalism rather than impulsively buying the trendy stuff at fast fashion spots. I am definitely inspired by sustainable brands (like Amour Vert's awesome basics) but also I can be more 'sustainable' by refraining from buying cheap things made to fall apart. I keep a running list of items I want/need on an app on my phone and a Pinterest board of wardrobe workhorses. These mechanisms remind me to consider my purchases in the full context of my closet, and choose things I can wear for a long time. 

I am still a design-loving consumer for sure. I'll flip through magazines and check out Remodelista and WhoWhatWear and random blogs. (Brooklyn Nine-Nine had a nerdy joke about going to a museum to see an exhibit of a chair, and my husband & I burst out laughing because we both knew I'd totally do that.) I've just tried to be more mindful of my personal style versus fashion trends... I'm no "minimalist pixie dream girl" but I can read about trendy items and still feel alright wearing an old sweater and simple jewelry out in public.

I've noticed, over the last couple of years, that I make fewer impulse buys and I'm pretty happy about that (so is my closet). But this winter I tried putting myself on an outright shopping fast for two months and almost got through it. For over a month I didn't even go into a store. However, I would still browse e-commerce sites, basically for sport, fully aware I wasn't going to put anything in the shopping cart.

At the end of March, just four days shy of hitting my two-month mark, I ordered a pair of shoes. This week, I ordered another. Both pairs (suede d'orsay flats, and black ankle boots) are ones I've wanted for a year or so (I have older versions of each), and they could match nearly every outfit I wear. I ordered them now because I found out the exact ones I've wanted were on sale via some fashion blogs, and they were still available in my size. I thought I might feel guilty for not making it the full two months, but then I realized these weren't impulse buys per se and I'm glad I could pull the trigger on items that my closet has been waiting for.