inspiration – Life with Ariana

Hello everyone who is reading this, if you are a follower on my blog then you would know that I have not posted in nearly five months, and I very much apologize. I began college and had a lot of change in my life and sort of forgot to keep up with my blog. However, I most definitely will pick up blogging again for the new year, so I hope you can stay tuned for some exciting content to come.

Anyways, for this post I will be giving a run down on what the past few years each represented for me. It’s unbelievably crazy how quick time goes by, 2018 was a legit roller coaster. However, this gave me insight on a reflection over the past few years and what I am looking for in 2019.

2016 was a year of realization

By the end of this year, I had come to the realization that I was severely unhappy and suffering from a lot of internal pain that I kept from people for years. Also the election was something that made me realize this country’s climate, but it also helped me realized what I wanted to stand for and what I was passionate about.

2017 was a year of pain.

That year was probably the toughest year of my life, I was battling internal demons that no one had a clue about. Things were going on in my life that made it difficult to change. I was afraid of change so I lived through that pain. There were multiple points throughout 2017 where I could not see myself here anymore, life was tough and unbearable, but I received help at the end of the year that made my life much better than it was before.

2018 was a year of change and growth.

The person I was who started off this year, was very anxious, lonely, and timid. The year started out very rough, I cut contact with almost everyone. I isolated myself for months. However, I also endured a big change this year when I started college, created this blog, and opened myself up to more people. It sure was nerve-racking, but I made it through. I did not think I was going to be able to handle it, but I did. I stepped outside my comfort zone and made progress. I am so grateful for the change, and how different my life is compared to one year ago today. I have met so many amazing people along the way, I have partaken in many experiences, and most of all I started to appreciate the things in life that I used to take for granted. The person I am now is not the girl from the beginning of 2018, she’s different, and although I may still be anxious and reserved at times, I have shown a great amount of courage and I can now honestly say that I’m courageous.

2019 will be my year of strength.

I will show and prove to my self my resilience of the past few years. It is going to be the year in my life where I learn to self grow and accept myself. I will prove to myself how strong I really am. I will find myself in ways that evoke my strengths and bring out the best of me.

peace.2018. — “peace 2018, thanks for preparing me for 2019”.

I hope you all enjoyed this read, I wish you all a happy new year filled with love and joy! I look forward to posting more on my blog in the new year.

talk to you soon, ariana. ♡

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Hello everyone, I hope your Monday is going well! I thought I would kick off the week, with something a little different and throw some creativity at you all! For today’s post I will be art journaling: Collaging edition. For the many of you who do not know, I am very creative if I do say so myself, and one of my absolute favorite art activities to do is, collaging. I got into collaging a few months ago and it is something that I never get sick of because there is always new inspiration out there. Collaging is amazing because you can use different types of media to create a collage, making it personal and unique to you. Throughout this post, I will be sharing some of my tips on how to start collaging and my collaging process for today’s collage.

Get Inspired//Find Inspiration:

Inspiration is everywhere around you, whether it’s in nature, on the internet, or in a physical item. In my personal opinion the best place to get inspiration from is either magazines or on pinterest. There is so much out there that will inspire you or call your attention. I love when I flip through a magazine and it’s almost like something is speaking to me on the page, so whether it is an image or words, I cut it out to use in a collage of mine.

Finding a theme:

Okay so this one is not an essential, however I find that when establishing a theme for the collage, it will help you be on the lookout for images/words that correspond to your theme when looking for ideas. A theme could be a mood board, aesthetics, a color, or feelings. Do not discouraged if you cannot find a theme, because sometimes they will form later on or sometimes it is just what you find exhilarating.

Using what you have:

The best thing about collages is that you do not have to go out and buy materials, you can easily use any of the supplies you have at home. Look through old magazines, if you have paint then add paint to your collage, if you have a printer then find images on the internet, go outside to get flowers and leaves, use buttons, tissue paper, or whatever materials your heart desires. Be imaginative and mix your supplies together to create your collage.

Things you will need:

An art Journal or paper
Scissors
A glue stick or mod podge
Inspiration & any kind of materials you want for your collage

Okay so now onto my collaging process. I went to an art journaling class the other night and I was inspired to create a collage that had a blue color scheme, it went really well with the page in my journal and I thought why not try it. At home I gathered images and background colors through magazines, cutting them out, I also used different shades of blue tissue paper to layer my pictures on.

I gathered some magazines I got earlier this year to flip through, my scissors and my glue stick. Look for images that speak to you or call your attention and then cut away!

Once you have a good amount of images to choose from, start forming how you want your collage to look.

Start gluing random pieces on top of each other, for an overlapping messy look.

If you notice any gaps or empty white spaces that are not covered, then simply get coloring materials (in this case I used pens and colored pencils, to color in the white spaces or you can choose to leave them, the choice is yours.

Once you are done, you will have your masterpiece. Collaging is just this great way to be inspired and to express yourself. I find it ultimately relaxing and a creative source for inspo. So the next time you are feeling artistic, gather some supplies and your journal, play some winter acoustic tunes on spotify, and let your mind take you to another place.

6AB13B67-76DF-472F-B964-862945DC6DC9 — Final piece.

Let me know if you collage or plan on creating one to express yourself, I’d love to see it! If you found creative inspiration then please like this post! I will be posting a TMI tag earlier tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that. If you enjoyed this post then please subscribe with your email in the sidebar, to be notified of new posts through your email, (be sure to confirm subscription in email) also make sure to follow me on my social media pages, down below!

Much love, Ari. ♡