I recently did my first AMA on Instagram and it was so fun! There were some frequently asked questions on there so I'm doing a little recap below so I can steer folks in the right direction in the future.
Q: How do you manage clutter?
Since my space is super small, I'm very conscious about what I bring into my home. If it won't be used regularly, doesn't have a purpose, and/or isn't sentimental (I'm even picky about sentimental things), then I will likely donate it. The things that I do keep/have to have around, have a place -- either in a bin on my shelf, in my closet, or stored away under my couch, or they're in my waterproof storage bench outside (I treat that bench like my "garage" - it holds tools, cleaning supplies, etc). I love wicker baskets for indoor storage (I thrift most of mine but have linked a few for people who don't thrift) or simple white boxes from IKEA are great as well depending on what you need to store. You can find links to storage items (that were linkable) here.
Q: What's your ideal Saturday look like?
Probably a hike or walk on the beach, fun lil coffee shop, and then possibly thrifting. Follow that with a good Spotify playlist on blast while gardening or enjoying a glass of wine on the patio and I'm a very happy gal. Love these kinds of days either with good company or spent alone.
Q: Tell me about your artwork journey!
I grew up in a very creative family, so I have been around various art forms from a young age. In second grade I entered a drawing competition for water conservation & won $2oo (big bucks baby!!). In middle/high school I practiced various art forms (from doodles to scrapbooking/etc) and loved art class. In college I double majored with art being one of the majors (the other as advertising... balance lol). I also loved art history, was one credit away from minoring in it lol. And after school I started getting more into illustration (from random illustrations to illustrating two children's books that both center around ocean life), woven art, and ceramics. I taught myself graphic design and freelanced for a few years with it before becoming a full time GD. After quitting corporate last year I started painting more and drawing a bit more as well and was even lucky enough to be part of a really cool gallery night down in San Diego.
Now I consider creating video vignettes, home decorating, and selling my art on my site to be my most present art form which I get to do daily for work (something I'm completely grateful for because I love it so much!)
A big highlight of this work is getting to meet so many amazing creatives throughout my life, whether that means connecting with them short term or creating a lifelong bond - it's a blessing to have any friendship, but a friendship that gets stoked over creating something together just hits different.
Q: Are you a full-time content creator or do you do something else for work?
Right now I'm freelance! I used to be freelance, then corporate, now back to freelance. I do content creation mostly, but I also sell my artwork on my website, create thrift bundles, and do home decor advisory on occasion! Like most creatives, I consider myself a multi-hyphenate who gets heebie-jeebies thinking about limiting ones self to one profession/outlet/label.
Q: Curious how are you adjusting to the move? From city life to smaller town vibes?
Fabulously lol. I grew up in a small town (not too far from here) and I actually felt waaaay out of pocket while living in LA. It's funny cause I've lived in loads of cities and towns all over the world, but LA was just really hard for me. I think it's because most people who move there move there for a purpose, "I wanna make it big on TV," etc, but I moved there because I had to for work. It was the first place I had lived that I didn't choose. Since the move and being closer to home/family/ friends/nature and being in a small town again I feel much more in flow with just about every aspect of life.
Q: Where can we buy your artwork?
My website! Right now I just have prints up, but you can always get in touch via email or DM if you want a custom piece :)
Q: Where do you live?
I live in Monterey county! And grateful for it everyday.
Q: What it's been like making friends where you are / building community?
I have had a few people in the area reach out to me from tiktok and those friendships lead to being introduced to their friends/etc! Super thankful for it. Sometimes meet ups don't always lead to friendships, but I've never left a meet up with an icky feeling, if anything it's like ok well now I know another friendly face around the neighborhood, even if we're not vibing as new bffs. I also have preexisting friendships (and family) close by from growing up near the area so I'm really grateful for that as well. As far as community beyond friends -- I've become acquainted with my neighbors, go to the same coffee shops and learn the baristas names, and when I'm out at shops I'll have mini convos with the owners/workers. Since it's a small town/city people start to recognize you the more you interact with them. The energy you give is usually matched.
Q: Do you take precautions with thrifted finds regarding bed bugs and or toxins?
Yes yes of course I do! Everything stays in a plastic bag in my car until I can clean it outside with a hose and then second clean with soap in my sink or at the laundromat if it’s clothes. If it’s a large piece of furniture I inspect it at the shop and if it’s sketch at all I just don’t get it. Otherwise I will give it a really good vacuum and Dirt Devil it.
Q: Where do you source all your cute home stuff?
Huge question! There's no direct answer, everything in my home is a mix of items I've collected over the years from various places and people. Some of the items I've collected from my travels, I've made it myself, a friend or family member has made it, its a family hand me down/heirloom, I've thrifted it, or it's a random bigger store find (like Home Goods). I think thats what makes my space feel special if I do say so myself. I didn't rush the decorating process. There's no copy/paste. It's truly one of a kind since there are so many one of a kind items here. I hope it inspires others to take time with their homes and fill it with things they truly love and appreciate, not just filling it to fill it.
Q: What's your favorite area in your house?
I have so much love for every little nook for different reasons. As I type this I'm sitting on my couch curled up with blankets and pillows, facing the huge sliding door windows watching rain slowly come down, glass of orange wine on my coffee table with music playing and candles lighting up the room. So in this moment, my living room. But when I walk over to the tea station to make a tea later tonight it will probably be the tea station. And then when I crawl into bed tonight it will be hands down my cozy bedroom. And then tomorrow when I enjoy a coffee on my patio it will of course be my tiny garden space. You get the picture. I have so much love and gratitude for my whole space, I feel so lucky for every inch of it every day.
Q: Where is this cute little place and how long have you lived there?
Monterey county! I don't feel comfy providing more details on location than the county since it's a pretty small city/town and the internet is a strange place haha. I've lived here since October, but I grew up not too far away so I've bee familiar with this stretch of coast my whole life.
Q: What are your favorite thrift shops?
This is a hard question because it changes depending on what city I'm in. A Goodwill in one town could be wildly different than a Goodwill 3 miles over, etc. If you're ever in the area though, you can find my fave thrift shops here.
I will continue to answer questions as they come and add them here if they're reoccuring, but thats all for now! If you still have other questions you can reference my other blog posts or social media posts or reach out via DM/email.
xx,
Rose