New Blog post @ THEFULLNILSON.COM: More New York

http://thefullnilson.com/?p=120

be-bop-a-lu-la:

New post on THEFULLNILSON.COM!! My first outfit post in A MILLION YEARS!!!!

THEFULLNILSON has been switched to wordpress and is now live!!

http://www.thefullnilson.com

QUICK UPDATE:

I’m switching to wordpress. I feel like I will have a better time managing this blog through WP, and it’s about time that I stopped pretending like tumblr.com is a reasonable publishing tool for a proper blog! 

This will probably take awhile, since I have some other things on the go right now!

If you want to follow what I’m up to in the mean time, please follow me:

+ be-bop-a-lu-la (off topic/self-indulgent mind vomit)
+ @thefullnilson on twitter
+ @thefullnilson on instagram 

However, be forewarned; any semblance of propriety and decency generally goes out the door when I’m not trying to be a ~serious blogger~!

Hope you guys are having THE BEST summer!

POST GRAD LIFE/NYC: Our apartment & The Highline

So, almost a month ago now, I graduated from the Digital Graphic Design certificate program at VCC in Vancouver. It took me a long time to resign myself to (or rather, feel good about) the fact that I was doing this Community College thing in lieu of finishing my degree.

I’m 30 now, and I was raised in a very “degree-centric” family, where my lifelong academic floundering was a source of frustration, embarrassment and black-sheep stigma that extended all the way to the extended within my family. I had decided when I was 16 that I would devote the latter portion of my public school experience to fastidiously creating a fantastic portfolio that would jettison me from the bleak experience of growing up in small town Northern Ontario to a sophisticated Art World (or so I thought, anything that wasn’t Kenora seemed awfully sophisticated to me at the time) at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design (now Emily Carr University of Art and Design) in Vancouver BC.

And it worked. I flew out to attend Interational Portfolio Day in November of 1999 (or something?? I don’t even know anymore), and a few months later I was offered admission. I didn’t actually go the following fall, because I dropped out of high school and had to defer my admission for another year. I rode out that period, finished my diploma through correspondence when I was 21 and reapplied, gaining acceptance once again. 

I managed to spend 4 glorious years at Art School, with a stop-start momentum that mimicked a particularly frustrating game of Monopoly, only managing to complete about 95% of 1st year University credits (I had a really dramatic life, ok?).

Fast forward to now, with a decade of bad decisions and a life that paralleled this song (if you substitute “Hastings Dive Bar” for “Riverboat”, anyway) behind me, I found myself running out of options, and as I gained ground and control of my life, Emily Carr and the promise of an art-related degree slipped through my fingers while finally spiralling down the drain when I was declined entry on my last attempt at reapplication.  

The Digital Graphic Design program was good. Our instructors were top-notch, and jammed as much learning into a 9 month program as humanly possible. I can hear the academics scoffing from here on my living room couch, but I will tell you, having been in a degree program, having worked retail for the bulk of my 20s, that nothing will prepare you for the hard work that an intensive certificate program demands of you. I won’t get into specifics, but it took a lot out of me, emotionally, mentally and physically (I spent most of January crippled with a sacroilliac joint issue, and grabbing “on the go” croissants day after day, however delicious, takes its toll - especially when you have a wheat allergy). 

I had already worked in graphic design, both with a (small, one man) firm out of high school, and freelance throughout my time in Vancouver, but I don’t think there is anything better than an intensive, 9-month program to hone and refine your skills and expand your knowledge of software. I feel more confident about working in my chosen field now more than ever, although I still feel the fear and loathing.

Anyway, grad was awesome. I was chosen out of all the 30-odd students in my graduating class to design the branding and collateral for our Grad Show. Small time, I know, but I’d never seen my work in huge vinyl letters, visible from the front lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery before. Or on digital monitors, or anywhere of note outside of Kenora, really. 

Andrew and I had decided earlier this spring that we were going to do a big trip. I’d gone to New York the previous summer (I still haven’t scanned in the film photos I took, if that gives you any indication of how badly I’ve neglected this blog lately), but only for a few days — not nearly enough to really experience it, at least not in a way that didn’t leave you completely overwhelmed and dizzy. So we booked an apartment through airbnb.com (if you’re visiting a city where the cleanest/most basically decent hotel rooms are minimum 300$ a night, do this), and got a place on Kent Ave. in Williamsburg.

Sooo, here are a few images from our first day, which we spent traipsing through The East Village (I hadn’t remembered to take out my camera at this point) and walking The Highline. I am going to do my best to keep editing and posting photos to try to get myself back into the swing of blogging, so stay tuned I guess????

BEEN A LONG TIME BEEN A LONG TIME

Hey dudes. I know it’s been a long time (months and months) since I’ve posted, and I just wanted to let you know that I haven’t forgotten about this blog and I don’t intend to abandon it. I’ve been pretty swamped with school and future plans (will a find work in design or try to realize my dream of opening up a coffee shop/gallery?), so taking photos and blogging hasn’t been a priority for me. Thankfully it’s Easter weekend, so I have an extra flex day. Andrew and I decided to take a walk down Commercial Drive for some iced coffee. Since I have been avoiding socializing (I have 3 major projects due on Tuesday and I can’t afford to lose a whole day sick with the Vodka Flu) and will be spending the bulk of the weekend in sweat pants, I dressed up for no reason.

Um in other news (which most of you following me on twitter et al probably already know), Andrew and I got engaged on Christmas Eve in St. John’s! We’re gunning to start planning the wedding for June of 2013. I know a great deal of people find weddings to be a self-indulgent snooze-fest, so I’ll try to keep it to a minimum, but I’ve been “curating” a pin-board of stuff I like if you want to check it out. Also we adopted a Betta fish named “The Captain”. I’ve been really into looking at beautiful planted aquariums on youtube (though I don’t have the time or patience for anything other than silk ones myself). 

Somewhere in the last while, I also made a portfolio website, so you can see some of the work I’ve been doing this year.

Also can you believe it’s been about 10 months since I shaved my head?

We hit the “golden hour” as we were walking home, and I had taken my back-breaking DSLR with me, so I got Andrew to snap a few photos to share with you guys.

BOWLER HAT - Goorin Bros.
SUNGLASSES - Karen Walker
DRESS - Gap
NECKLACE - “Material Girl” @ The Bay
BELT - H&M (too big :( Hint: if you’re chubz /w a tiny waist, you probz don’t need a LRG)
STOCKINGS - Wolford (I ripped them today ;________; Thankfully it’s not too noticeable)
SHOES - Jeffery Campbell
BANGLES - Kate Spade 

Also we met this beautiful heaven-sent angel baby dream love on our way home. Can you believe how cute she is? She was a tortie, but with the dusty velvety look of a Russian Blue. She had a super cobby body and actually the softest hair I have ever felt on a cat. If all of that and her obsession with getting pats wasn’t enough, she had the tiniest littlest highest pitch bell of a meow. We really wanted to bring her home with us.  ♥ East Van Kitties ♥

Anyway, you probably won’t be hearing from me again for awhile, because school is about to get even more harrowingly stress death status beginning on Tuesday… But this summer I plan to get back into posting in a MAJOR way.

Oh hey, if you miss me, I’m still relatively active on the internet elsewhere. You can follow me on Twitter @thefullnilson. If you don’t miss me, F U.

INSTAGRAMMIN’ MY MANIZ

Basically once a week (usually while watching Sunday Night TV - Breaking Bad, True Blood, Curb and now BOARDWALK EMPIRE - or playing video games, since I can use an xbox controller without gunking things up) I give myself a manicure. Sometimes I go plain jane, sometimes I let my nails trip the light fantastic. My secret is Nicole by OPI’s DRYING DROPS. I’ve tried other drying sprays etc. before, but this stuff is magic. It dries a coat or two of polish in under 60 seconds, so you can do multi-layer tricks without the polish becoming goopy.

Now back to being a SERIOUS STUDENT.

GOODBYE SUMMER

I’ve made a lot of promises I can’t keep about blog updating lately, but life has gotten in the way of things. And I’m gracious for that. I start school on Tuesday, so you can expect an even slower trickle of posts from me in the future. Summer was good to me. And a little tough at times and maybe somewhat confusing. But I’m nothing but optimistic for autumn and all that comes ahead (autumn and everything after!?). To make up for my shitty blogging, here’s a recipe for a salad I made up. One that Andrew’s brother told me was “The best he’s ever had”:

CURRIED QUINOA SALAD:

• 3 cups cooked quinoa (1:3 quinoa to water ratio)
• 1-2 cups chopped raw kale
• 1 apple, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 large red onion, diced
• 1 large yellow pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup dried currants (or dried cherries or dried cranberries, unsweetened pref)
• 2-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or hemp oil! or flax oil!)
• 1 tbsp raw agave syrup (this is sweeter than sugar, so not much, if any, is needed)

SEASON WITH THE FOLLOWING, TO TASTE:

• Masala powder (curry)
• Roasted coriander
• Powdered (or fresh, grated) ginger
• Powdered (or fresh, minced) garlic
• Desert spice blend (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, cloves)

Combine everything in a giant bowl and eat it.

If you’re still not satiated, please feel free to check out the rest of the snaps I took this summer! I got really into using my Olympus E-PL1. I feel like I have to make a deliberate attempt to use my 5D Mark ii again, since it’s basically the perfect camera, however hefty…

SEASON OF THE BITCH

I just thought that I should try to do a quick little post while I still can. This isn’t even a very well conceived “outfit”, but I felt so amaze-a-crazy in this dress that I had to get Andrew to snap a picture. I saw this dress all over the editorials this spring, but I didn’t think it was ever even a possibility for me. However, when I passed it in a shop, I couldn’t bear not to try it on (even though I’m doing my very best to try to be more frugal and save money). Suprisingly it fit like a dream, feels great and falls under my maxi/midi summer hem length requirement. The skirt floats like a cloud around my legs and the cool silk feels great on a wilty balmy day. I feel like I can’t really pull off the whole 70s kooky aristocrat colourblock look that’s super popular right now, but with my ridiculous new hairdo, I can definitely do mid 1970s by way of the mid 1990s (which was my ~signature look~ in grade eight). Thinking about Deee-lite, Kids era Chloe Sevigny and Vicky from Reality Bites.

DRESS - Marc by Marc Jacobs
SHOES - Adidas
JEWELRY - Oak + Fort/Family heirlooms from my grandma and great aunt

Anyway, I’m headed off to Toronto/New York(!)/Kenora on Sunday, so I’ll probably be internet quiet for awhile. MISS YOU!

I’ve been preoccupied with gardening lately. And I don’t believe I ever posted a photo of my DIY front door window. Static cling “frosted” window film + stencils + exacto knife! 

Anyhow, I thought I’d mention that a number of you have been sending me messages through tumblr’s “ask” feature. Thank you all for your sweet messages! However, while it’s true this blog is hosted on tumblr, I don’t want to clog up my entries with replies to questions. The comments section is the best way to get ahold of me in a way where I can actually respond to you. Don’t be shy to use it! I love receiving and replying to comments!