wearing:
Vintage Guatemalan dress from Shop Cloud Vintage with my hat purchased last year from a local Portland boutique company called SLOAN and retro printed scarf from eBay.
Photos were taken by Nate from @watdafuax
Hi Loves!
Well well well, what can I say, where do I start??? At the beginning I guess...
Okay for starters I will mention that at the beginning of lockdown/quarantine or whatever you wanna call it I made a To-Do List since I figured I'd be inside a while. For three solid months I barley left my one-bedroom apartment unless it was for groceries or go camping overnight with my boyfriend to get some fresh air. I liked the idea of being able to allow myself to fully embrace and become a homebody. My personality lends me towards loving being around people and socializing so I thought this would be quite a challenge for me. Now before I start unloading all my interpersonal thoughts and reflections on how I think I've changed, grown, and what I've learned during this time please allow me to show you what my so-called "To-Do List" entailed.
My Quarantine To-Do LIst:
1. Write a proposal email for a local resell shop Articat Creative Recycle to come up with a collaboration idea.
(I still need to do this but I put it on pause since the whole world shut down because of lockdown. Low and behold tomorrow this shop is reopening and you best believe that I'll be there.)
2. Wash my makeup brushes, which I did and need to do again.
(It's good to clean your makeup brushes often. I typically do it once a month but if you wear makeup often its a good idea to do this weekly. I also like to use a natural soap like Dr, Broner's one because it doesn't leave a residue and rinses clean.)
3. Dust my shelves and re-arrange
(I did this but need to clean it again because of the fact that it's a never-ending battle and having a long-haired cat that sheds means I'm always cleaning.)
4. Garden!!! Work on my garden beds and plant seeds and starters in the backyard.
(I did this and I'm very proud of how this turned out! I have successful grown green onions, English sage, thyme, sunflowers, wheatgrass, tomatoes, chives, basil, mint, and spinach.)
5. Vacuum and deep clean my apartment and car and apartment stairs.
(I also did this but then my vacuumed died and I had to buy a new filter so now it works wonderfully. I need to deep clean my car and get it washed though before I go back to work in two weeks...)
6. Pitch myself to brands and finish online work.
(I certainly did this but it's ongoing because my personal brand and this blog is a job in and of itself.)
7. Make some handmade repurposed and recycled jewelry to sell on Instagram.
(This was a hobby turned side hustle and still remains as such, I've been really loving creating things with my hands and since I can't do hair without clients making beautiful wearable art has been the next best thing for my creative soul.)
8. Create IGTV videos and post one regular schedule.
(This has definitely been something I've been doing successfully now and I feel like I've found my groove with it.)
9. Clean out my papers on my desk and file cabinet.
(Done and done, I even had my boyfriend do this too. It feels good to be organized which also helped get mt taxes done too.)
10. Take walks, pick flowers, and enjoy nature in my neighborhood.
(Check)
11. Repot my house plants and split my overgrown Monstera plant.
(I did this within the first week or two because it was spring and the perfect time to repot my plants, give them plant food and get more consistent watering them.)
12. Sign up for Skillshare.
(Did this and enjoyed the one-month free trial I got out of it, I highly recommend Skillshare.)
13. Write new blog posts and jot down fresh ideas to talk about.
(Check)
14. Sew my clothes and repair them.
(I did this and I even did a few D.I.Y. home bleaching and dying projects which was super fun!)
15. Refreshed my living room by painting and rearranging things.
(Check)
WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF:
So as you can see I kept busy and I have to say that all this busy work has made the time pass by easily. I even got in the habit of posting YouTube videos and I created a newsletter. It feels good knowing that I was able to accomplish a lot if I just set my mind to it. I wrote little checklists daily and still do to keep me on track and on task. I learned that setting goals and keeping a positive mindset has helped me tremendously to stay driven and motivated to be excited to wake up in the mornings. I also took the time to read some books which I found very enjoyable and took note that I should do this more often. I learned that I like being alone a lot and enjoy my own company as well as a ZOOM call. I listened to a LOT of podcasts and discovered new music. I've learned that looking forward to the future in an open-minded way has me level headed and pushed me to want to grow my personal brand and business in really progressive ways that I didn't think I needed to. I have also been reflecting on the fact that since I do have somewhat of online influence and presence that stay active and silent when I needed to be has helped me feel like I am part of something bigger than myself. I've donated to Black movement causes, educated myself by watching movies on the social repression our African American communities face as well as becoming more and more of an environmental activist. The older I become the more I realize I have a voice and need to stand up for what right and speak from the heart.
Anyways, I hope you get what I'm trying to say here. My positive mindset has helped me through this tough and crazy time we are living through and it's been nice to reflect upon it all as I face more change coming my way. Starting July 10th I'll be going back to work cutting hair and I'll also be moving in a month or two as well. So far the first half of 2020 has proven to be unlike anything I've ever experienced before in my life.
Let's see what else life throws at us.
XOXO
Jordan Jones
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