Charlotte Giver - fashion events, articles, spontaneous trips, days at my internship

Social networking. The phrase in which we say goodbye to faces and hello to facebook where we don´t actually have to step outside the door in order to hang out with our friends. Is it just me or is the world going mad? What happened to old-fashion letters? The hand written love letter? What happened to spending a whole vacation without the "need" to check the email, facebook or updating your twitter status? Those days seem long gone. The world want to welcome web 2.0, creating a global network in which we practically can share everything, a form of communication we never before experienced. I´m scared even thinking about what web 3.0 is going to be like, or even web 4.0. Are we going to end up living in an Avatar world? However, without knowledge in this fast-paced media we are unlikely to even get a job. On internship applications, employer ask for knowledge in webdesign, photoshop, indesign and excel and without a facebook we are unlikely to be able to communicate in this new generation. Of course it is fun to use a blog, having a website and receive emails but why not try to hold on to the real world a little bit more? Making kids actually go to soccer practice instead of giving them a Wee game.

A few days ago a talked to a person about routines. He told me how he always had a busy schedule and how he liked to be in a routine while I had different views; how I like every day to bring something unexpected and different from the day before, how I like to believe that one thing leads to another. I believe my way of thinking is uncommon in todays society, in which "I don't have enough time" is the most common phrase. Many of my closest friends back home in Sweden follow a daily routine which none of them would like to change. All of this made me think about  the importance of moving outside your comfort zone. Doing so is vitally important. The ability to stretch and grow can only begin when we actually move in new directions, whether you are living after a routined schedule or not. In life, we go through different stages. There is the  early stage of childhood and happiness, in which everything is bright and colorful, nothing seem to be impossible and we'll get excited just by hearing the word birthdayparty or candy. Then, there is the teenage stage in which we are trying to find ourselves along with the insecurity and questioned direction of friendship, taste in music, fashion and education. However, we still live at home with the food on the table, safeness, money and a warm bed. Somewhere along the road each one of these stages comes to an end. We'll know when it is time to change our clothes from that favourite purple princess dress to something more "cool" and "hip", which will fit in with what everyone else is wearing. But when our life as a high-school teenager comes to the end of an era, when it is time to start thinking about moving away from home, changing school, friends, life, city, country? and culture, the new stage waiting infront of us might suddenly seem pretty hard and quite scary to enter. When graduating high-school I looked at this new stage as something excited, wonderful and adventures. I could not wait to cross the Atlantic ocean, moving my suitcases from Sweden to New York. With a six hour time difference and a schedule filled with everything from working as an au-pair, taking Beauty and Editing writing classes in New York, media and communication courses at Fairfield University, showdance, hockeygames and shopping days along Mulberry Street in Soho, I never had the time nor chance to be scared or feel home-sick. Along with my confidence I raised the bar even higher and started working as a waitress and hostess in the city while trying to manage my future university plans in England. Somewhere along the road I started to get confused. I just could not stop challenging myself and one day it hit me - where am I heading? and why do I keep looking for new challenges? I realized the fact that not only had I moved out of my comfort zone, I was starting to move my "career" in different directions. After giving it some thoughts, I realized following: when it comes to career, it is about knowing your boundaries and stepping beyond them. Therefore, I knew that as long as I followed that one goal of mine I am not to be afraid of following it in new and different directions. Do not be afraid of new challenges because in the spirit of attempting something new, whether it is moving from one country to another, adding new responsibilities, teaming with new people or just doing something different you will, sooner or later, be comfortable wherever you are landing. 

What steps are you taking into the unfamiliar?

I know a girl who has a great talent: she is an amazing guitar player and song writer. Whenever I go over to hers for playing the guitar I get inspired and want to learn more. Music is her passion and her confident does not only reflect the songs she is writing but also her style of clothes and taste in music. Whenever I say "I want to be able to play this song as good as you" she replies "it takes practice, I have practiced since I was 15." And it shows! In the beginning she could be shy when playing some of her songs. However, after knowing her for over half a year, her insecurity is now gone. In my eyes, she grew and became strong together with her passion and her beliefs transfered the passion into a great talent.

I have a lot of assignments ahead, one media event, a presentation to prepare and exams coming up after spring break. Puh! In conjunction with all this I am applying for internships. Still, when facing all the work in the library on a Saturday afternoon, all I can think of is how much I want to bring my computer outside and write for an hour or two, read through magazines for inspiration and design my blog further. The other day, I received an email from a friend who told be how she tried to combine her passion with all her school work and after giving it an extra thought I realized that I find myself in the same situation in a way. I guess my answer to the question I ask myself many times; "why do time tend to pass by so fast sometimes", is that when I am looking ahead to the things I really want to do, time will fly! "When I am done with my degree I will be able to write!", "I want discover a new city!", "I would love to make a career in New York!" etc. However, it is up to me and up to you when you are finding yourself in the same situation to do something about it. Go and take those guitar lessons or dance classes, make them fit into your busy schedule even if it will make you go to bed an hour later at night. Create that blog, come up with an idea for a book or buy yourself a professional camera so you can take those pictures you have always dreamt of taking. Believe it or not, you can fit your passion into a busy schedule and a year or two later you will have a resume reflecting your passion next to your education. Or should we say the other way around? See, now I have wasted half an hour when I should have been working on my politic and economic assignment but do you know what? I will be fine! I got to do what I love to and after all, that is what I think is important!

Today I came to think about how proud i am over my friends as they are so successful. Not only because of that obviously, but they work like role models. First of all I want to say congratulations to my best friend Caroline who just got a job as a blogger on a swedish news site who also works part time as a model and study hard on the side on the top of that. My other best friend Stephanie goes to FIT in New York and has an internship at Elle magazine this summer. Continuously, one is studying Public Relations in Los Angeles, another one to become a doctor etc. Big credits to you girlies!