Living in Gratitude — Kristi in the City

It’s been a bit since I’ve updated my blog, and about 100,000 things have happened since then! One of my goals for 2019 is to update more regularly, so I thought I’d start by aggregating a few facebook posts about what I am thankful for going into 2019.

#1
I am super thankful for my core girls that I have been friends with since 1996 (22 years WHAT) and a little buggy app called Voxer. Ashley Cloutier, Meghan Scott Molin, Vanessa Pekelo, and I have been sharing our lives across several states daily for a couple of years now. As we have time, we record audio messages for each other, like a constant voice IM group. We share our struggles, our wins, our daily thoughts and silly ideas. It has provided support for all of us to feel heard at all times even if we aren't being heard in our personal lives or careers, as well as a place to share new surprises, secrets, and reflect on ourselves as individuals.

I feel so supported with this group since we know each other SO well from growing up together. We call each other out for being too hard on ourselves, and cheer each other on for the big accomplishments as well as the small ones.

Anyway, love you girls so much. So thankful for you!

#2
I am so very thankful for Her Universe and Ashley Eckstein for providing a platform for both community and for personal measured growth through the Geek Couture Fashion Show at San Diego Comic Con.

I applied for the show in 2015 on a whim after getting involved with a geek fashion show at the Phoenix Comic Con. I didn't expect to get in, but when I did it changed my life. Less than a month after returning from competing in the show, my company dissolved and I was laid off. Because of Her Universe I was encouraged to change my career to fashion. I moved to NYC and fast tracked fashion school within a year!

Fast forward to 2019, I began planning my look for the competition in January. I proved to myself that I can reach my goals and push myself if I set my mind to it. Winning the competition gave me validation, sure, but DOING the work for those 7 months had already validated me. This show allowed me to set goals to reach the success I want in my career. I literally gave everything I had to the show this year, and it gave back in a big way.

Almost better than the win has been the community developed from this competition. So many of my friends made in the last few years can be rooted back to Her Universe. Leetal Platt, and Laura Cristina Ortiz you ladies have provided me sooo much in the way of friendships as well as connecting me with other amazing people (ahem Brianne Lindsay and Kat Eves by way of Laura). Cynthia Kirkland, you and I were truly the comeback kids this year, and I know we would have been close even if we hadn't won together! Jane Burson it was so special to connect with you before the competition and so incredible to share the win together! There are so many other amazing people that are part of this network of HUFS talent that I feel so lucky to be a part of forever.

So Ashley, thank you for what you have done for the world of fashion design. You've brought us all together, and continue to change lives. I know you've certainly changed mine.

I have had a lot of ups and downs with my health this year - I started 2018 with a pretty severe hip problem that a few doctors were recommending surgery for. I am thankful for my general practice doctor Phylicia Baird at Mt. Sinai Hospital for always really listening to me and really working to find the best treatment plan available for me. Huge shout out to my physical therapists at Millenium PT in Astoria for being the 4th office I scheduled an appt with that was finally covered by my insurance and also not terrible (ask me about how bad the other one who WAS covered ended up being). You convinced me that surgery was NOT needed! After 3 months of PT we got it under control.

I tried really hard to get my body together in 2018 by transforming my eating habits, so am totally thankful for the app Noom which was a huge part of my year. No longer doing that program but I do recommend it (it’s just a little pricey and I feel like I have learned everything I can from it).

I am SUPER thankful for my trainer Katie Kluth for helping me last year begin my journey to GET RIPPED, but also really getting how life happens and understanding that fitness couldn’t always be a priority. Very stoked to get back to training as my new physical therapist and I work toward eliminating my back pain for good. Katie works with me remotely (and also has worked with the amazingly ripped Miss Hannah Lees Kent which is how I found her) so let me know if I can put you in touch with her! YOU CAN BE RIPPED TOO!

Finally, so happy to have been finally able to see Nicholas at Function Enhancing Physical Therapy. I think he is going to change my life you guys - only 2 appointments in and my back/hip feels better than it has since before I fell and screwed everything up in November. He thinks we can fix this issue for good.

So here’s to a healthy self in 2019!!

I turned my back on graphic design after a pretty less-than-successful 10 years of grinding away at it. I look at back at how hard it always seemed to be - I never really felt valued completely at any job I had. No one was ever interested in investing in my growth, and time after time I saw others (men) given more money and better titles for less work. It was always a struggle and I never had real creative control. I was never trusted in my expertise.

I don’t do graphic design projects for hire anymore unless it is VERY special because I burned myself out so hard on it.

HOWEVER

This year I found validation on a few projects that I did end up taking. It reminded me that I was super good at graphic design, even if the situations I was in when it was my career never gave me the true validation that I deserved.

Shout out to Kristi Krings, Aric Johnson, Marguerite Endsley, Laura Cristina Ortiz, Katy Vaughn, and Iman Woods for reminding me that I really do know what I am doing when it comes to digital art and creative direction. Thank you for loving my work and reminding me how fun branding can be when it’s for people and businesses that I care about.

Those are just a few of the people and things that have really made my 2018 amazing, here’s to another full year of amazingness!