Chapter 2: Customizing & Tailoring

 

Poster was made on Canva! 

(None of these photos are mine)

    For a while, I was thinking of what I wanted chapter two to be about. At first, I wanted to write about baggy clothes and how comfort can definitely elevate style…and honestly, we can still talk about that. I might do that for the next chapter since it’s still in the drafts, but as I was writing that, I was experimenting with something else. For a long time, I wanted to try upcycling/tailoring my shirts. When I was 18, I bought a stiff shirt from the thrift store; it was teal and had a little cat design on it. I tried cutting the shirt without a tutorial (I wanted something off the shoulder); it turned out terrible, and I didn’t try it again. Then, fast-forward to me at 20, and I came across a few videos of people cutting their shirts. I saw how nice the fashion girls looked, and at THAT point, I decided to try again. I cut a more stretchy shirt; I had better resources, and guess what? My shit came out FABULOUS lmao. So, when I got good results, I just kept doing it and cutting more shirts. Mannnn, when I tell you my shirts came out so cute, I felt cute too. Which is saying a lot because I never felt that cute in my life, but I’m rambling a lot right now. Look, the point is you don’t always have to spend money on new clothes; sometimes you can just look in your closet. 

Also, you’d be amazed by how many tutorials are online for anything fashion-related. I saw videos of people making shit off the shoulder, putting pictures and logos on shirts; I even saw a video of someone making capris by just cutting a pair of skinny jeans. From spying on the fashion and alternative sides of the internet, I learned a lot of people are just tailoring their clothes. Most of the clothes you see people wear? They’re cute, and they probably weren’t expensive. This is why I get sad when people say they don’t have enough money for their style. Not everyone starts off super stylish. A lot of people you see on the internet have experimented and practiced until they found what they liked. So try giving yourself that same grace! 

Another thing I wanted to talk about is customizing your character lol. Okay, hear me out; you know how you can make your own character in (some) video games? In my opinion, that is exactly how we should treat ourselves. Everything about us is customizable. You want to change how long or short your hair is? You can do it. You want to get some dope ass piercings? Well, you can. You want to try a new makeup look? You definitely can. You want to do some funky shit with your eyebrows? Go do that shit. And some of y’all think doing little things like that doesn’t make a difference, but it does. Making subtle changes to your “character” not only makes you stand out, but it gives you the chance to experiment and figure out what you like. Additionally, I don’t think we use our free will enough. Like me, for example; randomly throughout the year, I’ll remember I like to cut my eyebrows, so I’ll do eyebrow slits sometimes. I think some people are just scared to fuck around and find out. It’s our bodies, and we should feel comfortable enough to change our appearances as we see fit…but that’s just me, though! LMAO 

Now, the last thing I wanted to talk about is something I want to try: designing my own clothes. When I was looking at people cutting up their clothes, I came across videos of people bleaching and painting their clothes too, and that’s one of the things I can see myself trying. Now, I can’t lie…I get a little nervous about bleaching anything. I don’t know, bleach is such a powerful ass chemical. I just get anxious…so I might try painting first! Dude, I see people on Pinterest do these cool paintings on their jeans; I just HAVE to do something like that, and when I do it, I’ll get back to y’all!

Anyway, I think I made this entry to tell y’all to experiment a little bit. The most stylish people you know probably took the time to find themselves out, and I think we should do the same. Since my last journal entry about watches, I’ve been fucking around and finding out. I’ve been tailoring all of my old shirts in my closet, and it’s encouraged me to accessorize more. I feel nice about it too. You know how people say when you look good, you feel good? It’s kind of like that. Anyway, I’m done rambling for the day. Thanks for reading! I’m going to go tweak some more clothes now! 

- CD ★

I think I like disturbing the peace actually...

 

Yes, this is the song I thought of when writing this lol

Also, for legal reasons, this article is a joke. :')

    This might sound insane coming from an introvert, but I like to be disruptive as hell. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going around causing hell on purpose…but when I’m in my car? Everyone is hearing my shit. I love to blast music in my car, and before y’all hop on me, I was already hard of hearing YEARS before I started driving. I’ve already accepted that it’ll get worse; I might as well enjoy myself. I play all kinds of shit too: hip-hop, R&B, nu-metal, and I recently started blasting pop. In my opinion, it’s a fun thing to do as long as you’re not doing it every day. 

Not to mention, disturbing the peace has weirdly benefitted me? Don’t worry, I’ll explain myself. I get different reactions depending on what genre I blast. Dude, I was blasting Full Nelson by Limp Bizkit one time, and I was yelling the lyrics, right? I’m driving, and I look to my right, and there’s this white dude in a truck jamming with me. I was laughing hard as hell when I realized. That wasn’t even the first time that’s happened to me. Literally a whole year before, I was blasting a Doechii song in my car, and this kid was looking at me and dancing with his dad. Now obviously, I don’t always get the best reactions when I blast music. Some people look at me like I disgust them; some people laugh; shit, I had a cop look me dead in my face when I was blasting DJ Quik. I love it because I’m living. It’s one of those little - and dumbass - things that remind me I’m alive. I know it pisses some people off, but I genuinely do not care. I’m not disturbing neighborhoods at midnight, so shut the fuck up. Most of the people that you drive by, you rarely see them twice. As a matter of fact, I need more people to stop giving a fuck. Obviously, still be considerate when needed, but stop being scared of what people think of you. Just start disturbing shit. LMAO

- CD ★

Maybe I daydream too much: a journal entry (4)

 

This song is kind of related to the post? I was listening to this song when I was making this journal entry. Hope you guys like it. :)))

    I gotta be honest, ever since I started my blog, it seems like I've unlocked something in myself. I think I know why too; this is the first time I've given myself space. I gave myself a chance to see what I wanted to do, how I see myself outside of what people want from me. I know I said this before, but I was a traditional and digital artist before I started all of this shit. Don't get me wrong, I was decent with it. I was good at replicating, drawing what I saw, but I wasn't actually making anything I liked. When I started writing and putting my feelings into words, it felt like I learned something new about myself. Actually, it feels like I'm reintroducing the idea of who and what I am. As much as I reflect, this is why I say I don't regret anything that's led me up to here. Doing all this shit made me realize how many ideas I actually had and just never went through with any of them. Before I was blogging, I daydreamed so many things I could do as an artist. I can't even describe them all, but I would just sit with the idea in my mind, and it never left my head. I think by giving myself the space to do what I want, it makes me more confident and eager...? Every idea I have, I can throw it out confidently now. Do I still question myself? Yes, but it's nothing like before. The best way I can describe my artistry is hunger. I want more; I always have. I knew since I was little that I wanted to do more and I wanted more out of my life. I was never comfortable with doing just one thing. I genuinely want to do everything. Ever since I let myself be, I have so many ideas come to my head; eventually, I'm going to get to a point where I can't ignore them anymore. I'm sick of letting things sit in my head...and I'm fucking hungry. I want to get better at what I do. I want to be acknowledged. I want to be heard; and with all the ideas in my head, I know something is going to stick. Maybe that's too confident, but I don't think I care anymore. It's not like I have anything else to do LMAO.  

- CD ★

I'm meant to be something: a journal entry (3)

This is unrelated to the post lol. I just really love this song. Shout out to my friend for introducing me to it! :)))

    For those who don’t know, I reflect on a lot of things. Ever since I got out of school, I haven’t done anything but reflect. I keep rewinding my life, thinking of everything that has brought me to the point I’m at right now. I always think of the things I should’ve done, could’ve been, and so on. No matter how much I reflect and look back, I can’t deny that everything - both good and bad - has led me up to here. Considering I reflect a lot, that applies to my artistry as well. 

    I look at everything I create with overly critical eyes. Up until a certain point, I felt like everything had to be perfect. I realize that growing up, I’ve always been placed inside a box. As much as I love my parents, I can’t deny how dismissive they were when it came to me having certain ideas or wanting to do my own things. Any time I did something that didn’t fit this mold, it felt like I wasn’t worth listening to. As an adult, I don’t remember the exact moment, but I eventually gave myself space to figure myself out. I had to see what I wanted outside of other people’s expectations, and I found out I like creating. I love the idea of making something I can be proud of. I hate to bring the mood down, but I wasn’t fully proud of myself before. I didn’t feel like I had a lot going on in my life; a part of me still thinks that, but I believe I was put on this Earth to create. I don’t know; it’s the only thing I get actual enjoyment from. It doesn’t even matter what I’m making anymore. And ever since I realized my art doesn’t have to be perfect, I’ve been more comfortable with the idea of making it. It feels nice to let go of expectations and just live. Everything else, I can figure out later. 

- CD ★

Invader Zim Was a Sci-Fi Horror: A Quick Discussion

 

Let me make this clear: I love Invader Zim. None of what I'm about to say is me hating on the show lol.

    So, I’ve been doing this thing where I'm watching all the movies and shows I didn’t watch as a kid. I started watching Regular Show a while back; I found three Scooby Doo movies on sale for $5, and I found the Clueless movie for the same price. It’s not that I wasn’t allowed to watch any of those things; I just had a huge obsession with Dora the Explorer and Sonic the Hedgehog; I didn’t focus on anything else LMAO. Needless to say, I’ve been on a childhood movie and TV show run, and another show I started watching was Invader Zim (2001). I was at a family member’s house, and he had a Paramount+ subscription. I just got nosy and found the show by accident. It’s basically a show about an alien accidentally finding Earth and deciding to take over the planet for his alien government back at home; it’s a nice premise. I saw a few clips of the show online and found it funny, so I gave it a shot yesterday. Now tell me why…I thought Invader Zim was lowkey scary (at least in season one). 

No, seriously, bro! I was watching this shit, and it was funny, but it also had moments where it could’ve passed as a horror TV show. Literally was watching an episode where Zim had to go to the school’s nurse…for some reason, and Dib, his nemesis, was like, “You know the nurse is going to realize you don’t have any human organs.” I guess Zim got worried about that. So, what does he do? He starts STEALING ORGANS from everyone in school so he can appear more human. Like what?! Hello?! The fuck? Then, there’s an episode where Zim tries to make a friend so people didn’t find him suspicious, and he makes a friend named Keef, right? After a day or so, Zim decides he doesn’t want to be friends with the kid anymore, but Keef was in denial or something? Anyway, when Zim realizes Keef won’t leave him alone, he makes this master plan to TAKE KEEF’S EYES OUT, REPLACE THEM WITH NEW ONES, AND PROGRAM HIS MIND SO HE CAN MAKE A NEW FRIEND. I feel so crazy trying to explain this shit. Dude, I promise y’all it happened LMAO.

To be honest though, the absurdity actually makes me like the show. I love how stupid it is. I love Zim and Gir. I love how Zim makes it so obvious he’s an alien and people most likely know, and just don’t care (or they're just oblivious). It’s a funny show, and I see exactly why people love it. So y’all can consider me a fan after today. I can’t wait to finish the show, and I’ll talk to you guys later! 

- CD ★