{nice to meet you} lynn from hearted girl

Happy Thursday! I'm so excited to introduce my sweet friend Lynn, from hearted girl, to all of you! She's down right one of the coolest, most genuine girls I've met since starting this blog, and I know if we met in real life, we'd be besties!! :- ) Take it away Lynn...

First of all I wanted to say thanks again Jessica! Your invitation to be a guest on this series filled up my jam jar and I adore that the Q's are all so positively focused. So let me have a quick sip of my sugary espresso and away we go...

01. tell us a little about yourself...
Hello fellow Creative Index lovas! I'm Lynn and my blog is called hearted girl. A rather random collective that I hope lends itself to a harmonized experience for its readers. This little blog is an extension of varied interests like photography, insights, my own goings on, net finds and inspirations. All the things I like to get loaded on, my intention is to infuse "giggle juice" into your day and make lasting connections with like-minds. It also feeds my creative spirit while my day job bolsters a more logical approach. The boyf and our fur babies have forever dibs on the heart portion of this mix, making it a batch of fulfillment most def!

02. what would you be doing if you weren't a designer?
This was Jessica's original question and even though I'm not a designer by trade I decided to leave it as is because it thrilled me to no end that she assumed I was. The list of "real" jobs I've had range from hairstylist, anything admin-like, production coordination and office management; all in creative spaces. Loved them all but if I could press the rewind button I would have REALLY become a graphic designer. It's the reason I went back to school last year and upgraded the ol' skill set to include a certificate in web development. geek out happy dance!!!!

* bonus about being a stylist is that the office peeps really seem to dig it too *

03. where do you find inspiration?
Can you say loaded question?! Oh man, more like what isn't inspiring. I find sparks in SO many things, from the moment I wake up till crawling under the covers at night. The most mind blowing ones usually appear when my boxed in thinking cap gets a smash upside the head. When those specific, dedicated beliefs become unraveled revealing another view.

Recently this happened while out on a drive with Sean (the boyf) and the radio was on. A familiar tune played, Styx - come sail away, now I've heard this song a gazillion times before but when Sean made an observation about how certain 70's artists must have grown up with Broadway musicals in their lives I was intrigued. Listening more intently, I heard IT! A revelation causing goosebumps, something I'd never thought of before and it was true. If you give it another listen you'll hear what I mean, so cool and I'll never hear it the same way again. New meaning to an old thought is reassuring and especially rad!

04. who are your favorite artists/designers (music, fashion, art, design, etc.)?
An artist that officially rocks my socks is my gf Zoe Pawlak - art throb for sure, I'm always struck by the gorgeous palette she uses. Her vivid use of color and unique compositions feel so calming to me. They represent peace, harmony & feminine spirit that bleeds out hazy auras that you could almost touch. Like a restful spirit moves through them towards you.

Another that comes to mind immediately is Mirko Han·k; I love his Bambi rendition and its likeness is in the works to be a part of my next tattoo.

On a different note 80's bands - particularly new wave have been staples in my life. New Order, Bauhaus, The Clash and Joy Division have my old school record player spinning happily most days.

05. favorite color, food, city, movie and store?
color :: pantone #3C9F9C (a kind of turquoise blue)
food :: go sushi, go sushi, go go go SUSHI!
city :: so far Verona or Positano in Italy, the history and beauty practically left me gasping for air. Sublime, picturesque scenery.
movie :: To Kill a Mockingbird, also my fave book.
store :: I have a hard time playing it cool when I pass through the hallowed doors of Anthropologie.


06. what's your favorite way to unwind on the weekends?
Vice, in no way relating to Miami ;) The recipe is this: 2 parts coffee, 1 part teen movie genre, 2 parts sugar cubes with a dash of cream and ample amounts of nook time with my handsome one. There's also the slightly embarrassing addiction to US Weekly, truly a mag you can trust that gives you the most reliable inside scoops - baha!

07. what is your favorite thing about blogging? the hardest thing?
Connection has been the biggest surprise and the most pleasurable experience to date. The charisma that carries across the screen when you're communicating with blogger peeps is most excellent to me. I adore it & the life sights we get to see along the way, it motivates me to live better and to make even more of the moments I have. The many leaders in fun times, fashion stylz supreme, travel, photography, fort building, pools of knowledge, delish foodie chefsters, crafting aficionados...the list goes on, are forever and always my faves.

Dude, it's really hard to keep up with everything. I mean bloggers should just be given more hours in a day by default don't you agree? Having the time to visit and comment is the key to the kingdom, like I said a moment ago but holy schmols how do we keep up plus write our shtick and live a relaxed life?! I will personally fly out and bow at the feet of anyone who can give me this answer - best believe.

08. can you offer any advice for other first time bloggers?
Well, I'm pretty timid to say since I'm by no means an expert but I guess it would be to really define yourself and the "brand" you want to display before jumping in. I had thought about doing a blog for at least 2 years before it actually happened. I collected insp images, design elements, typeface options and so forth. Folders upon folders existed that became my flow chart to help me discover the true intention and cohesive pattern I wanted to put out there.

Writing is a passion, but I'm also very much a perfection seeker, sometimes a bad mix when it comes to spontaneous pen to paper. If you have similar inclinations I'd suggest what I call my "little black book", a folder dedicated to saved quotes, phrases, font styles and certain words I favor for descriptions. Thesaurus is your friend and I'd give him a huge hug-it if I could!

Thanks for stopping by, Lynn!! You rock! :- )

Now, hurry on over to hearted girl, and say hello!! Hope all of you have a wonderful Thursday! xo

images found here:
mirko han·k images via a billion tastes and tunes
inspiration image via we heart it
teen movies via 1, 2, 3