29 Ways to Stay Creative.

To the Extremes

So, today as I was sitting at the Metra station, I thought back over my day, and about random aspects of my life, which I do very often, and realized that the characteristics that define me are a bunch of extremes. When describing myself, I'd most likely add an "extremely" or "super" in front of a lot of what I'd say. Is that just me?

As we venture through out teenage years, and probably a good chunk of our young adult years, we also embark on the journey of self-exploration and self-discovery. So far, my journey has been an interesting one--everything that I thought I'd end up being when I was younger, I'm, more or less, the opposite. Sometimes, I'm disappointed; sometimes, I'm thankful, but either way, I'm me, and that will never change. I'd never want it to.

Anyways, I just thought it'd be interesting to lay out a couple of my "extreme" traits.
I'm...

• extremely ticklish 
• extremely sensitive/emotional
• super shy (but I've been working on this)
• extremely analytical
• extremely impatient
• an extremely picky eater
• super nice (I've been told that I'm too nice)
• extremely amazing (lol jk)

Those are all that currently come to mind, but I'm sure as time goes on, more will fit the bill for this list.

Quote of the Day

"Life is the biggest jam. Unfortunately, no one gets out of it alive."

Quote of the Day

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

Team Lightskinned vs. Team Darkskinned

(Recycled from my Tumblr)

I don’t even know where to start with this one. The black community has been so brainwashed by the media and society in general, it’s sad. 

Those who believe that light-skinned people are more beautiful than, or better than dark-skinned people, are ignorant, lost, and simply pathetic. Do you not understand that by claiming “Team Light-skinned” or “Team Dark-skinned,” you are, in a way, pitting yourself against the other “team?” Let’s stop and think about it. We need to be creating unity, not competition. What blacks fail to realize is that, while we are a freed people, we are still prisoner to the misconceptions that whites tried to instill in us so long ago: that the lighter the skin, the better the person. Since when does less melanin determine the worth of an individual? While we’re out here going back and forth at each other over skin color, the people who once suppressed us are now laughing at us, because now, we’re doing their job for them. We are no longer getting held back; instead, we are now holding ourselves back.

I’m, to no extent, saying that white people are still racist or anything. I’m just saying, if you open your eyes and look at it that way, maybe you’ll understand how foolish we look. How, in a way, we’re doing to ourselves what we fought so hard to break free from.

We are all beautiful. No matter how light or how dark, each and every black individual has something to bring to the table. I just think we need to embrace and love ourselves and one another, rather than claim the mentality that one is better than the other. Blacks are already plagued by negative stereotypes and lingering misperceptions…we don’t need to hold ourselves back, too. Black is beautiful…and don’t you ever forget it.

J.O.B.

Today, I started work at Gallery 37. Gallery is a stipend-based arts program downtown for talented teens that includes programs such as dance, vocal ensemble, creative writing, culinary arts, painting on canvas, etc. Although I did the program last summer too, I still feel great that I have this opportunity to do what I love and get paid for it. I'm my biggest critic and sometimes I doubt my writing abilities, but at the end of the day I know I'm a strong writer, and I'm glad that I'm doing something that will help me continue to foster my skills.

On another note, my parents have been teaching me to be independent and have a good work ethic. It's always been mandatory in my household to work hard, and less than average results aren't acceptable. I think it's good that I'm getting work experience now, so that I'll know what it means to make my own money when I'm older. I live a pretty good life, but this won't be my life forever. Once I move out, the moves I'm making will dictate the type of life I have, not the moves my parents are making. I know some people my age who don't even want to get jobs because their parents will just hand them money whenever they need it, and I can't even imagine being in that spot anymore. I mean, I know I'm still a kid and it's their job to provide for me, and don't get me wrong, I still love that occasional treat of them spending their money when I shop lol, but I just like the feeling of having my own, earned money. I don't want to be sheltered by my parents until the last possible minute.

Idk. I just have big dreams and great visions for myself...success is calling my name.

Summer bucket list

Alright. On my quest to start living and have an amazing summer, I made a summer bucket list. I may or may not get everything on it done, but I'm really hoping to. I want to branch out and do new things, and things that I never imagined I'd end up doing before. I'm big on appreciating the little things life has to offer, so my list also includes small things that I don't normally do, but want to do. I'm trying to make the most of this summer! Here's my list--I'm thinking it's pretty much done, but if other things come to mind, I'll add them on.

1. Ride each CTA train line end to end
2. Get my cartilage pierced
3. Watch the sunset
4. Watch the sunrise
5. Kiss in the rain
6. Learn a recipe and cook a dish
7. Bake something from scratch
8. Lay under the stars
9. Have a bonfire
10. Play hide-&-seek/tag at night
11. Scary movie marathon sleepover!
12. Stay up for 24 hours straight
13. Play truth or dare with NO LIMITS
14. Play on a playground
15. Find a perfect theme song for my summer
16. Try a new/exotic food
17. Go skating
18. Get kicked out of a store
19. Drive a boat
20. Explore a neighborhood I've never been to before
21. Go to Field Museum
22. Go to Museum of Science and Industry
23. Eat at a restaurant I've never been to before
24. Go movie-hopping
25. Go to Michigan
26. Go on a tour of Chicago
27. Write an erotic story ;)
28. Rearrange my room
29. Climb a tree
30. Go thrifting
31. Do something crazy that I would otherwise never do
32. Take pictures on train tracks
33. Work on being less shy
34. Buy a dream catcher
35. Take tons of pictures!
36. Take a walk around the block
37. Attend a co-ed sleepover
38. Ride a segway
39. Swim in the ocean

And you know this.

Quote of the Day

"When it comes down to it, everyone is a follower--the difference, though, is whether you follow your own heart or someone else's."

Sing these Autumn melodies.

Are you living, or are you just alive?

Today as I laid in bed, I thought about how glad I am that summer is finally here, imagining all the shit that I plan on getting into. Then it crossed my mind…am I really living, or am I just alive?

In a sense, I’d say that I’m living, but not as fully as I’d like to be. Honestly, I’m more “just alive” than “living.” I see some of the people around me living it up everyday, and I admire them for going out, living their life to its fullest potential, and doing the things I’m afraid to do. At the same time though, I know that a lot of my peers are just like me; they have their fun here and there, but live life with a lot of “maybe tomorrows” and “nah, I’ll passes.” I may not have “the rest of my life” to do everything I want to do. If I died tomorrow, would I be happy with all that I’ve accomplished so far? Maybe. Probably not. Tomorrow is not promised, so I can’t continue to say “I’ll do it tomorrow.” 

I’m in the process of making my summer bucket list, which I’ll post soon. I’m gonna try to complete everything I put on that list…there are no excuses. I’m even gonna make an actual bucket list…things that I want to accomplish before I die. I can’t continue to allow myself to lay around and waste perfectly good days…I need to get up and make moves, whether it be money making moves, moves to to help secure my future, or just fun having, life living moves.

Life is better lived.

Quote of the Day

"Never let success get to your head, and never let failure get to your heart."

The Introduction

Hey y'all! I'm Rielle, 16, from Chicago. I'm new to Blogger, but not blogging. I've been on Tumblr for the past year, but with all the buzz it's been getting, it's not as... I don't know... exclusive as it once was. EVERYONE wants one now, and it just doesn't feel much like a blog site anymore, as just another social networking site. Don't get me wrong, I love Tumblr, and will continue to use it, but Blogger is appealing to me now as more of an authentic, mature blog site. It serves the correct purpose of a blog, which is allowing people to post what's on THEIR mind...something that kind of gets lost in the use of Tumblr because of the reblog feature. Also, not many of my peers have Bloggers, so I can vent and just say what's on my mind in a place with much more exclusivity than Tumblr.
Anyways, with my new blog, I plan on expressing myself and sharing my thoughts. It doesn't have a particular theme, like fashion or music, but it's simply an outlet when I need to vent or express something on my mind. Maybe it'll help me figure out who I am, a journey I'm excited to embark on. Ciao for now!