What I Gave Up for Lent

For Lent I decided to give up fashion shopping.  I am interested in fashion for fun, as an artistic/creative project, and as a means of cultural subversion.  It is something like a hobby for me, and I like to come up with creative, unique outfits.  I like to keep an eye on trends, certain brands I like, and street style.  I think on average, I probably buy something new approximately every month, usually online.  I'm trying to buy more and more second hand because it is more sustainable, and you can often find more unique and/or better quality items than in a chain or fast fashion store.

However, recently, I had come to realize that (1) I needed to save more money and (2) I felt like I was becoming ruled by shopping and always needing to buy something to feel like I was being 'current' and on top of developing my style and being a true practicing 'fashionista.'

When something starts to feel like it is controlling you instead of you controlling it, or stops feeling like fun, and begins interfering with your life and your sense of happiness, it's time to reexamine your relationship with that activity and change your habits.

I felt like this was appropriate to give up for Lent because I think our culture of consumerism and materialism is wrong and morally unhealthy.  Being interested in fashion can be a fraught hobby regarding this.  I felt like I was getting away from the positive, underlying things I liked about fashion and sinking into the negative and selfish ones.  Pope Francis asked us to fast from indifference to others this Lent;  and I felt like I could be more appreciative of the people in the fashion world, of myself, and of all the blessings in my life and become more in tune with how my actions were contributing to negative forces in our world if I were to fast from fashion.

Here are some of the things I observed so far:

Progress Report: Week 24 & 25

Wow, I really fell off the blogging bandwagon these past few weeks!  All of February I had some seriously lousy times and got the blues really bad.  For a few weeks I've been having a little bit of trouble sleeping (which is death for me) and headaches, which pretty much means STRESS!!!!  It makes it really hard for me to think, concentrate, and write. 

I definitely felt a change this past weekend.  The weather got a tiny bit better.  The sun shone on me. I spent some time writing.  I remembered that there are things to look forward to.  I was more determined to be productive this weekend.  And although I wasn't as productive as I wanted to be and did some unplanned Walking Dead watching, I still got more stuff done than I have in the past couple of weekends.

I'm about half way though the year, and I still have a lot to accomplish!  Gotta stay focused!

1.  Get a new job and move. **TINY PROGRESS**