Hello! My Blog Moved!

I switched my blog from emmabauso.blogspot.com to emmabauso.com! Be sure to check out the new site, give feedback please, and add me on Bloglovin'!

Click here to go to the new site. // Click here to add my new blog on Bloglovin'.

I've Moved!

My new site address is emmabauso.com!

Yep! *Insert gritting teeth emoji here* It was sort of a quick decision that I didn't even really think too much about, but I felt like making the switch to a Squarespace site for a couple reasons...

1. I think getting away from Blogger makes me take myself more serious and now that I'm actually paying to have my space on the internet I'll be even more dedicated to writing.

2. I eventually want to move my portfolio site and my blog in together for a more unified brand. So give me a little bit to get that all figured out and together. 

3. I chose Squarespace over other platforms because it seemed to be the most cost effective option at the moment, and it also promised not having to know any coding knowldge, which I am embarassed to admit that I haven't gotten out of the beginner stage of learning yet. 

4. I want to realllyyy simplify things in terms of blog design, and really expose my writing and content and be able to focus on that instead of always worrying about whats in my sidebar and all of that.

5. I'm figuring out more and more of what I like and what my personal style is, as well as what my design style is, so this is kind of an extension of that. A "new me" I guess! More sophisticated, simpler, cleaner, and fresher. (I personally am pretty clean, FYI.)

So, yeah! It'll be interesting to see how I like the switch, and I will probably share more about my experience so far with Squarespace this week!

Have a great rest of your Sunday and an even better Monday!!

Take a quick reader survey!

I'm back quick with a link to a reader survey that I would love for you to take! It's only 10 quick questions, and I promise it's not too painful. I would love to get a better sense of my readers and what I can do to make my blog even better for you. You will even get a surprise for taking it!

Gratitude Journal // 05

Some weeks are just blah, and they just seem to pass by without any significance at all, which is weird to admit because shouldn’t every day be significant? I’m torn between feeling like only the things that feel important and grand are significant and feeling like even the most ordinary of days are significant because they’re part of a bigger picture. Taking a day out of your life would be like pulling a row of string out of a shirt- it’s incomplete and imperfect.

So I’m not sure how I feel because this whole week seemed unimportant, really. The only interesting thing that happened to me was that I received my At Home Try On from Warby Parker, which was fun. So maybe that was the significance of my week because now I’ll finally order some glasses and finally be able to read without squinting and drive without fearing for my life.

So, while there are probably a few small things that I could be grateful this week, I’m really just grateful that it’s Friday, which means that I might get to sleep in once this weekend (much needed) and that I might get to work on some design work for myself (I need new business cards!!).

I’m pretty proud that I’ve blogged every day this week, and I hope that next week will be just as productive here! I’m finding that some of my best and most thoughtful posts come from a whim or something I see that sparks my mind. Then before I know it I’ve written for a half hour on something that was inspired by a Tweet from a friend. I just love to write!

So, have a great weekend! Do something significant!

Developing Your Brand: Photography Styles

Something that I’ve been really vigilant of lately is the photography styles that belong to my favorite bloggers or designers. It’s funny how sometimes you can scroll through Pinterest and look at a picture and instantly know whose blog it came from. There are tons of people out there that are amazing at this, and it’s really a huge part of creating your brand identity. It’s something that usually develops over a span of time and doesn’t happen overnight. You might not even realize that you have a style or that your pictures are different than anyone else’s because that’s just what you like to look at personally.

I’ve been trying to develop my photography style lately by playing around with angles and paying a lot more attention to what’s in the backdrop- white, wood, fabric, grass, trees, people, darkness, shadows, ect. It’s so important to find your style of backgrounds and stick to it, or stick to a few different ones and that’s it.

I want to show you some examples of blogs/brands that come to mind when I think “specific photography styles” and highlight what makes them unique.

Hey Natalie Jean

Natalie’s pictures stand out to me because they are always really unified and consistent. They have this muted quality that plays along with a lot of other elements of her style. What she wears, what her home looks like, and the angles of her pictures all follow a similar, artsy style that is even carried over to her style of writing. You can tell she knows what she likes and she shows that in every aspect of her blog/life. The filters she probably uses reminds me of some of the filters that you can use on VSCO Cam, which I always love experimenting with!

A Beautiful Mess

How could I not talk about how unique their pictures are? When you see an “ABM” picture on Pinterest you know who is behind that camera! I love that all of their images are original, even on obscure posts that it would be sort of hard to find a relevant picture for. The backgrounds of their food posts are usually varied but they sort of follow one theme- neutral textures- which is definitely a compliment to the subject because it shoes off colors and shapes really well.

Another thing that I like about ABM is that even when they have home tours or guests on their blog, they stay with the style that they have developed. The homes they feature are similar to theirs in that they’re funky and quirky but still have that sense of classic traditional style mixed in. Another thing you are sure to see in every picture they post is color! I think that’s what sets their images apart. If I had to pick a filter that is ABM-esque it would be “Chrome” on the iPhone. Warm, vibrant, contrasting.

Breanna Rose

Minimalist design is very “in” right now and a ton of designers are carrying that graphic design style over into their home design and subsequently, their photographs. The photos that Breanna has on her portfolio website are all really crisp and involve bright whites, luscious greens, subtle hints of colors like yellows, oranges, reds, and wood tones. Her photos are really “clean” looking. (Yes, photos can look clean!)

Two Twenty One

Chelsea at Two Twenty One does a really great job of creating “Pinnable” images. When you have a lot of posts that are tutorials or “how tos” it’s definitely important to write the title on the image, otherwise people will just think it’s a pretty picture of a pretty kitchen. I like Chelsea’s pictures because they’re all really bright and crisp, but they’re different because of the color schemes she has chosen for her home and her blog. Rather than have the earthy tones like Breanna, Chelsea’s color schemes are a little ore preppy- gray, pink, green, white, some blues.

Ok, one last one that’s worth mentioning.

And Kathleen

Kathleen talks about a ton of different stuff on her blog, from her new baby boy, Fox, to building a brand for yourself, but he images all feel like they belong to her. It’s not only because of the style of the photos but because she has the tendency to add a yellow overlay to her pictures. I have never seen anyone do that before to their pictures and I think it’s an amazing way to make oardinary pictures. Love it!

So now that you’ve seen a bunch of different styles of photography that other people use for their sites, have you started to think about your images as well? It means a lot more than you think it does!

**All of the pictures featured in this post belong to their original owners, are used for examples only, and I take no credit for them whatsoever.**

Where Art Thou Spring?

Late last week and through this weekend we had beautiful weather here in Central New York, and it was such a huge tease. I even bought Julian a bunch of spring/sumer clothes and shoes from Old Navy because I cannot wait to be rid of snow. At this point it feels like snow will never go away and flip flops will never be an option ever again. But spring will come eventually!

So, I wanted to put together a little moodboard which gives you a taste of what I'm craving this spring!

Clockwise from top left: (links are in the numbers)

1. Love this little outfit for Julian.

2. This color looks great on everyone.

3. Katie Daisy's prints uplift my mood 100%!

4. Spring makes me want to start eating lighter and healthier. These tacos sound amazing!

5. I ordered these shoes for Julian and I can't wait for him to wear them!

6. I love these DIY lanterns as a fun permanent decoration for somewhere in our house.

7. Ahh tulips. I want to find a place to plant some this spring.

8. This outfit looks so cute and could be worn ona casual day or at work!

9. Pointy scallop flats in white? Screams spring and summer to me!

10. This would be a cute Easter treat to bring to the office or to use as little placecard holders at Easter dinner.

What things remind you of spring? Are you as sick of the cold as I am?

A little bit about education vs. no education.

A friend of mine tweeted that he is not ashamed to have dropped out of college after only four days of attendance because he has accomplished so much since then without a degree and has no debt. It’s something that a lot of young people can identify with because there is so much pressure to go to school and then worry about the money after. But for some people, school isn’t for them, isn’t an option for them, or they just can’t shake the image of paycheck after paycheck being handed over to some loan lender when they haven’t even landed a job in their field of study yet.

College is hard. But so is life.

I’m among those people that will probably never go to college, and I’m trying to be ok with it. It’s hard to be proud of not going to college when all of your friends are graduating and struggling through finals weeks and trying to make friends. It’s hard to relate to them because they think their life is hard, but you think your life is just as hard as or harder than theirs. I was away at college for two semesters (I was pregnant for one of them) and it was hard. I don’t know about how hard it gets after freshman year, but I can imagine that it is. Let’s agree that whether you go to college or not, finding success is hard.

I’m trying to convince myself that not going to school will work for me, and I think so far 95% of me believes it. The other 5% believes that I won’t be as successful (in my case, in graphic design) as someone who went to college to study it.

You can still be educated without an education.

For those of us who have either chosen not to go to college or didn’t have the option, it doesn’t mean that you can’t learn and be just as intelligent as someone who did. It might take a little extra effort on your part to find good sources of information. You might have to seek out someone to have an intelligent conversation about something your passionate about, maybe through a chat room or a blog.

Take advantage of the world around you.

Our generation is lucky to have the world at our fingertips and the ability to reach out to pretty much anyone to learn, grow, and experience. Take advantage of all of the resources out there, and that means social media! If you admire a famous director, give him a stout out on Twitter, because you never know what could happen. If you are so inspired by an up-and-coming calligraphy artist, sign up for her Skillshare class and mention her in an Instagram comment below a picture of your own work.

Be proud of who and what you've become regardless.

Whatever you do, don’t feel sorry that you didn’t get a college education, and do not belittle yourself around those who have. If you have honestly put in effort to make a better life for yourself or have just as much knowledge and experience then you are equals. Your paths have been different, your destinations probably aren’t the same, but if you have reached your own personal goals (or are on the right track, like I am) then you have something to be proud of.

If you really can’t live with yourself any longer because you don’t have that degree that supposedly gives you an occupation, then you should do what you can to go back to school and satisfy that void. I tried it because I thought it would make me better or make me feel better. All it did was make me even more dissatisfied and anxious to jump-start my career. So Iquit. I felt like I knew what I was doing already, and what I didn’t know wasn’t going to be learned through an online classroom full of “students” who didn’t have a clue about art or design.

I'm proud of you!

Everyone is different, and my message to you is to embrace it. If you don’t have a college education and you don’t want one, then I applaud you and wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. (And also ask you for some tips on staying successful!) If you do have a college education… oh my god I applaud you, too. I have no words for the amount of work you must have done to receive your degree. But please, applaud us who haven’t gone to school and are still achieving our dreams. Give us a helping hand when we are struggling with something that you were able to master under the instruction of a professor.

If you opted out of college, what is something that you have struggled with because of it? If you are in college or have graduated, are you glad you stuck with it, or would you have gone a different route if you could? And anyone, please feel free to share your advice for those of us who didn’t go to school!

Thanks for reading- I promise tomorrow’s post won’t be so lengthy!

PS- Thank you to Ben for the inspiration on this subject!