In Progress...

So I’ve clearly neglected this website over the last four years to the point where I have let it deactivate and disappear off the web. Honestly, I’m not going to lie…I forgot about it. I’ve been through a lot and I am now at a point where I have been doing a ton of reflection. Mostly, thanks to COVID and taking some time away from work. I feel this site will go through a major update to eventually fit with the phase of life I am in. In the meantime, let me at least fix these broken links!

I like to see my life as ever-evolving, always in progress, and never quite perfect. As I navigate these experiences and figure out who I am at this point in time, I am enjoying the journey wherever it takes me. What I’m searching for is probably right around the corner, but patience is also not my strong suit. Isn’t that the beauty of life? Loving the unknown just as much as the known, and all the things you learn along the way. As a reminder, I’m going to try not to be too hard on myself.

I want to restart this site because it is really important to me that I start to document my journey, my thoughts, my work….everything because so much has happened over the years. I just have collections of notes, dreams, and projects just floating all over the place and they need a home. I have learned so much and worked on a variety of projects that I would like to share with the world. Will you join me…again?

Love,

Lola

Experiences

I'm leaving my first official experience of having an apartment and living on my own. I'm going to miss this…a lot. I keep looking around me and wondering where the time went. It's a week and a half until move-in at the new place and I haven't moved an ounce of anything.

I spent a year curating my perfect living environment, and believe me, it was perfect, but not the right time. You see I have financial goals that I want to meet and living here will not provide me the opportunity to meet them in the deadline that I have set for myself.

I need to live life, and I can't do it boggled down in debt. This discussion is for another post…

I had this fear of leaving this experience and moving into another because I don't like change and I thought the way I was living was perfect. It was so hard for me to comprehend that there is always something bigger and better out there. I completely forgot that when I was ending my internship in Seattle in 2017, I thought I was going to stay at Sequel Apartments when I returned to Seattle. When I returned last year to start my career, I wasted weeks sitting and waiting for the opportunity that never arrived. Come to find out, Elara randomly popped up on Apartments.com 2 days before I needed to leave my temporary housing. 5 days later, I'm moving into Elara and I'm like Sequel who? This apartment was 10x greater than I could have asked for, and I was just waiting for Sequel…psssh.

You just have to have faith that it will come to you in good time. We spend our lives trying to recreate past experiences, but that's it, it was in the past. And we…must keep moving forward and creating new experiences, and living and enjoying those moments as they occur.

#CheersToNewBeginnings

Love,

Lola

Why I design.

I  used to be offended by the role "designer". I wasn't quite sure why and I couldn't put my finger on it, but I never felt like it represented who I was at Gensler. It's funny now because I look back and that title is very fitting. For the longest, I think we, as a studio, boxed ourselves in, it’s funny because we all don’t fit into a box…especially thinking about our various roles and backgrounds. But in a way we did. We thought we could define ourselves and create a distinction between ourselves and the other studios. Let me say this, we are all designers! Architects design buildings (exteriors). Interior Designers design interior spaces. Our studio designs experiences, culture, information…the future!

We are all creatives, designers, and can choose whichever term we want to use.

Back to the point I wanted to make. We are a team of brand designers, interior designers, strategists, architects, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, industrial designers…I can keep going. But guess what, we are all designing something!

I like to gather, clean, analyze, and present data. And guess what that makes me….hmm…an information designer! Haha…guess what…I'm still a designer. Well, praise be.

We are all designing something or creating something that is for someone else to enjoy and I think that's a beautiful thing. At the end of the day, we make the world a tad bit more awesome and enjoyable, and if I can change the world a little bit at a time, I've done something right.

#Blessed be the fruit.

P.S. I watch way too much Handmaid's Tale

Love,

Lola

No Worries

Do you ever get those feelings when you doubt your decision, even though you know it is exactly what you want. I get those from time to time, and it's mostly because I have those moments when I get overwhelmed with all of the coursework and not to mention, I miss getting a salary. I have to remind myself that everything that's happening right now is a stepping stone to get to where I want to be.

Love,

Lola

Second Quarter

My second quarter has officially ended and I am happy to breathe a sigh of relief. Now that I have gotten back into the swing of being back in school, it has definitely gotten a lot better. The best part of every quarter is meeting new people and making new friends, and also the doubt in my head when I see the assignments at the beginning of the quarter and wonder how am I ever going to do all of this. That moment when I see the final product is priceless because I can't believe I did it, I made that. 

I am just more anxious about continuing forward. I'm so ready to begin my interior design coursework and I'm growing more impatient by the day, but I know these classes are necessary in order for me to be successful. 

This quarter I took Drawing II and Survey of Western Art. 

As I prepare my portfolio, images will be posted. Just bear with me! :)

Love,

Lola