How do you serve?

Traditionally I've always learned about hierarchy as placed in a normal pyramid with the highest positions at the top. Today I learned about people who see their hierarchy in an inverted pyramid with the positions reversed.

I never thought of leadership in this way until now. I could not stop thinking about it for the next 15 minutes. For some, this concept may be familiar, but it was new to me and really resonated.

Using the normal triangle places the executives/CEOs at the point. To me, this is the selfish diagram - it focuses on those in superior positions and places them above everyone else. When at the top, who do you have to look up to? To answer to? Where's there left to go when you're presumably at the highest point? I think sometimes when we reach the top of our triangle, we may grow complacent. We begin to think inside the box, because why exert the extra effort when you're already where you want to be? It is so important that as a leader you are always raising the bar for yourself - because if you don't, those who you are serving will suffer.

An inverted triangle is ideal. When you're in a serving position, who should truly be at the top? The inverted triangle shifts the importance to the people you are serving. With higher positions at the bottom, it becomes visually clear that your duty is to help others, those you are carrying. With the inverted pyramid, you can look up at all the people you are responsible for, an ever-changing population, which perpetuates growth in leadership. Any group of people you are serving will never be identical and for that reason, you cannot always lead these groups the same. It is so important that we are always seeking new and diverse ways to lead, and that we always keep those we are serving in mind when choosing how to lead.

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." - Rosalynn Carter

xoxo erikah

growing up

I've been putting off growing up for as long as I can remember.

Flashback to this past summer: I was 22, a recent grad, and had no idea where my life was going. I had a lot of ideas, but nothing I was too sure about. Without any specific direction, I was terrified of entering the corporate world as this small town girl who was so unsure of herself.

When I originally went to college, I wanted to pursue film - I had high hopes of becoming an editor or something of the like. By sophomore year, all of my intentions were in the rear-view mirror and I hadn't a clue of what I wanted to do. I ended up graduating with a degree in public relations, which I loved, but even when I took on the major, I never fully expected to get a job in that field. PR, by itself, wasn't something I full-hearted loved.

I have been very fortunate to have a year off between undergrad and *hopefully* grad school (in the application process!) and it really has allowed me to discover myself. I know a lot of people my age who "never want to grow up" and I really think this fear stems from not knowing what you want to do with your life, which essentially stems from not knowing yourself well enough. I think too many people settle into a job that is financially satisfying or beneficial in another way (work hours, time off, etc) but doesn't fully entice them emotionally... which is so important.

You should use everyday of your life to reflect and grow. If you don't like your major today, why wait until tomorrow to change it? Pursue something you're passionate about, and really pursue it. A job may not be sitting on your doorstep when you graduate. College doesn't last forever, so I understand when students would rather spend their summers with friends or hang out with their roommates this weekend as opposed to "working," but if said work is something you enjoy, then is it really "working?" Sure you could go on a vacation all summer, but maybe an internship with an amazing company isn't a bad idea, because if you love the work, the rest of your life will seem like a vacation.

Know that this is coming from an ex-student who cherished a lot of time with her friends and devoted no time to herself. A person who was willing to wait for opportunity to come knocking at her door. A girl who shot for less than her dreams, because, well, something's better than nothing, right?

This year off has really woke me up. I can't expect other people to pave out what I want in my life, I'm the only one in control of that. I can't wait, and wish, and hope, and dream - I have to pursue, and act, and aspire, and succeed! I can, and I will.

For once, I am excited about my future and I am ready to grow up.

xoxo erikah

an RA forever

I enjoyed being a resident adviser in college.

As each year passes, I find that it was much more than enjoyment. I loved that job.

One of my first residents graduated this month. I saw her about two months ago and she already has an absolutely wonderful job lined up. Graduating a semester early, she's the first resident I'm seeing enter the "real world." I didn't know that that would resonate with me, but it certainly is. As I sent her a message congratulating her, all these memories of her as a freshman came flooding into my mind. I was very fortunate enough to spend more time with her during undergrad in other student activities. I feel like I really got to watch her grow up and blossom from an amazing girl to an outstanding woman.

I feel so blessed to have had such a job that allowed me to meet so many people. I loved connecting to all my residents and learning about their aspirations - and it's just an even more wonderful thing to see them come full circle, to see them fulfilling their dreams.

After I graduated I wondered if I missed out on something in the college experience. I was an RA all four years, always lived on campus in the residence halls. Thinking about it now (7 months after graduation) I can't imagine my undergrad any other way. Each of my communities had a distinctly different personality and to think what my life would be like without meeting and interacting with those 40, 50, or 60 students that year - I just can't. I now, more than ever, cherish those years I had with the young, brilliant minds. And luckily, it's a gift that keeps giving as I see them graduate and move on.

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same." - Unknown

xoxo erikah

candlelogra

I really love the look of candle wax and how it melts onto different things.

I originally started this as an art project. For that reason, I didn't photo-document my steps, so I apologize for that now!

The final product cost me $3.20! We had the wood in our backyard. I picked out one I liked then drove nails we had on hand into the wood, pointy part up. I held a lighter to the tip of the nails to make the candles slide onto the nail easily. After that, it was just a matter of letting the candle melt. I did use a lighter to speed up the process and make sure the wax on the bottom melted well enough to hide the nails (with the exception of the orange candle, which you can probably tell.. I accidentally hit it with something and it cracked up the side, so I replaced it.)

I really liked the autumn colors of the candle and my mom actually ended up liking it so she's putting it in the house somewhere with her autumn decor (which we can still get away with because we live in Texas - woot fall-like winters!)

I will probably do this with different candles for my room in the future! I love the natural feeling it has.

xoxo erikah

not your typical craft project...

There is this hilariously cute, somewhat odd, YouTube video that my friend absolutely loves. It's called Marcel the Shell with Shoes on (WATCH IT!)

Marcel is such a precious little character that I couldn't help but want to remake him and gift him to my friend who adores him.

Introducing my version of Marcel:

The shoes were made out of white and pink polymer clay (I know they could be better...) It was my first time working with the clay, so hopefully next time it will be better. I just bought a bag of shells from Hobby Lobby and picked the one that looked most like him, and the lettuce looking part behind his eye is just neon green tissue paper.

Super simple and I thought he turned out too cute!

xoxo erikah

earring stud frame

So I love slash am addicted to stud earrings. Unfortunately, I'm also not the best at organizing them, often losing an earring, losing a back to one, or breaking them. I really wanted to make a holder that I liked the style of and that would help me stay organized - so this is what I made!

This is a bulletin board-style frame I bought at Hobby Lobby (originally $14.99, bought it on 50% off sale.) I was originally going to use a picture frame but they were about double the price, so I opted for this instead.

It originally had a back like this:

I took the screws out and essentially left it barebacked. I hot glued the cushion-y part in place, so that the backing was secure when I put the earrings on it.

Mine looks like this on the back:

I made two stands out of thick foam posterboard & spray painted them black with spray paint we had on hand. Originally I had did this because my intentions were to poke my earrings through the cushion & cardboard and then secure the back with my earring posts... however, it did not go over like this. I just couldn't manage to get the earrings through the backing even though it was thinner than when I bought it. If you can do that, then you could probably do this step and make it look prettier (I get excited easily when crafting and therefore rush the process - a downfall, I know.) If you're like me and can't quite get it, then I'm sure you can skip this step entirely and just leave the original back frame on.

Since I couldn't push my earrings all the way through, they're definitely stuck into the cushion enough that they won't budge, and I just put all my posts in an old organizer I had.

Anyhow, I like the way it turned out. I really like that I can leave it out and will hopefully not lose many earrings now!

Very simple craft today :)

Sewing with Erikah

Today I tried my hand at sewing a quilt... or rather something quilt-ish.
I bought the materials for this project back in May, and after sewing two patches I realized why I never started the darn thing.

So as nightmares of every other sewing project I had done came rushing back, I just put my head down and determined to finish it. And boy did I finish it.

If you close your eyes, open them suddenly for one second, then close them again, my blanket looks alright. Focus any longer than that, and every painful thing about its structure/design/whathaveyou will basically leap out of the picture and take your eyes from you.

Anyhow, I present the final product.

The yellow is actually the back side, I folded it over just so you could see.
Confession number one: I completely love minky fabric. It is the softest thing ever created in the worlddd and I don't think it should be just for babies because it is so. freaking. comfy.
Confession number two: No matter how bad it turned out, I still like it a lot. I love the flowers & stripes especially (I lovelovelove stripes.)
Confession number three: This wasn't my first time at the rodeo...

Back in May, when I bought the fabric, I bought fabric to make my mom a quilt/blanket/something that keeps you warm thing. I was on a time crunch because she was coming to visit me, so I hurriedly made it. That adventure with sewing made me so frustrated that I couldn't manage to pick up my own quilting project again until now. I thought hers looked okay, told myself I would spend so much time on my own that it would *basically* be immaculate. Womp wompppp.
Anyhow, here is her blanket:


WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT SEWING:
- my sewing will get better if I can be more patient. Meaning, there is no hope for me. I'd have to be the dalai lama if I ever want a really good quilt.
- there will be many store bought costumes in my future childrens' lives.
- I don't know how I passed geometry: I can't cut squares, I can't sew straight lines.
- I will even watch a Cowboys game if it means I can use it as an excuse to take a break from sewing.

Will I sew again?
Tune in next time to find out.