Hey, Girl, Hay!

I know you’re probably…uh, where have you been? Well, I ‘been’ around. Sometimes you’ve got to get your priorities in order and refocus. I’ve been trucking away at finishing up cosmetology school. I’m over 2/3 of the way there and I can’t wait to finish. The last part of the previous sentence is THE understatement of the year.

I’ve also been writing quite a bit. I’m really enjoying the process of unpacking pieces of my life into songs.

I have an artistic temperament. In light of this, I’ve decided that I’m going to work in quarterly blog hiatuses in order to keep my thoughts and inspirations fresh. Over the last couple of years that I’ve been blogging, I’ve realized that one of the most important aspects of blogging is actually what happens when blogging isn’t going on. It’s the living. I have found that blogging is life giving for me when I’m living well, intentionally.

Here’s what I’ve been up to over the last few months:

I’ve been at cosmetology school doing’ thangs. The program is 1500 hours total and I’m almost finished. [Insert sky punch]

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Fun color for a fun gal @marandas Pale Pink, Pale Yellow, Peach ombré #hairstyling #ombre #cosmetology

A post shared by Satoya Foster (@satoyafoster) on Sep 30, 2014 at 4:45pm PDT

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Origami Updo inspired by @glamsquadnyc #updo #hairstylist #cosmetologyschool

A post shared by Satoya Foster (@satoyafoster) on Oct 27, 2014 at 4:11pm PDT

I dyed a piece of my hair purple.

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I 💜 the purple streak in my hair. So. Much. I couldn't have done it if my hair was relaxed. #naturalhair #purplehair

A post shared by Satoya Foster (@satoyafoster) on Oct 23, 2014 at 4:22pm PDT

I started taking voice lessons to work on my craft.

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I should've been sleeping, but insomnia…sigh. I also love this song by Bonnie Raitt. #music #singer #vocalist #currentlyverysleepy

A post shared by Satoya Foster (@satoyafoster) on Oct 9, 2014 at 8:14am PDT

I’ve been making lots of music that I’m so excited to share.

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Great day of songwriting, singing, and other productive creations. I love what I do and the people I do it with. #musician #singer #vocalist #blessed #music #musiclife

A post shared by Satoya Foster (@satoyafoster) on Nov 12, 2014 at 7:07pm PST

I’ve been doing photoshoots for my portfolio.

Hair + Makeup: Satoya Foster

We’ve been raising funds for our upcoming IVF procedure.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser-widget.aspx?frid=271243

I got my wisdom teeth removed.

I hope that you all have had great closure to 2014 and that 2015 will be your absolute best year yet!

HUGS xoxo

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Chattanooga Fashion Week (Photo Heavy)

 

 

This year, Chattanooga Fashion Week took place in the Lindsay Street Hall, a beautiful building with over 100 years of history as a church that was renovated into a multipurpose venue.

The featured designs for Friday night’s event were:

XEN SWIM, SOUTHERN GRACE, MONARCH, BOB FRANKLIN APPAREL, BRANDON PIERRE, DESIRAE DANIELLE, SIENNA & BELLINI

Sienna & Bellini was actually a collection of pieces from Valentina Pou and Thali Gottesman, co-designers from Atlanta, that will be available in their new store in Hamilton Place Mall which is set to open in late October.

 

 

 

The featured designs for the Grand Finale Event were:

SHERIE L. NEVETT, ANNA VICTORIA, BRANDON PIERRE, NCHOLE FEROCE, CSERRI, JENI D DESIGNS, SHATTERED STITCH, ISSA SOROGO, SIENNA & BELLINI

 

One of the lines (Brandon Pierre) was a fusion between West African and American culture. I went backstage to get a sneak peak at them and the pieces were very well made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, of course, no CFW would be complete without a #selfie.

Sweet 28

My birthday recently passed on August 14th. Now that i’m in the 28th year of my life, I’ve been re-evaluating a lot of things. I’ve thinking about my life, goals, relationships, and truly living into my passions.

One of the things that I strive to do is live unapologetically. The truth is, we will all make mistakes. We will all do or have done things that we are not proud of. But I’m finding that it is way more important to not live a life that is a continual apology, but to live a life of continual forgiveness of myself and others. The older I get, the more I begin to realize the importance of building fences with gates instead of walls.

I’m letting go of the things that I can’t change. I’m letting go of the things that I don’t have control over. I am loving, believing in, affirming, and investing in myself. I am living the truth of my life, my experiences, and my beliefs in every present moment. These are things that I am choosing to do because they are life-giving to me. I am able to disagree, with love and respect. I am practicing living a life of authority and vulnerability.

And I love these shoes. I digress. These are all things I’ve pondered, wrestled with, and decided to live out. I’m excited for what this 28th year is unveiling. A few of my other goals consist of sharing quite a bit more and allowing much more space to create in being the artist and creative that has always been. Sweet 28.

How To // 1 Pair of Shorts, 3 Ways

I picked up these jacquard shorts at Target a few months ago for only $19.99 because my heart couldn’t leave them in the store. Then again, I may or may not be one of those people that go to Target for mouthwash and end up in the clothing section. Either way, these shorts were coming with me. I treat these shorts more like a neutral (then again, leopard print is a neutral for me too, but to each their own…haha), so there are a ton of things that I mix and match with them. These are just a few options.

Denim Shirt// H&M  Grey Tank// TJ Maxx

Pocketbook// TJ Maxx

Sandals// Dolce Vita via TJ Maxx

Have you ever been the gracious recipient of a gift card from a place you have no intention of ever shopping, but now you’re stuck with a card for some hunting store, when you’d rather have a card for something useful (like some red pumps)? Then you MUST check out Raise.com!

Embroidered Shirt// TJ Maxx  Necklace// Forever21  Sandals// Bucco via Hautelook

I was recently introduced to Raise.com, an online marketplace where you can buy and sell gift cards. How it works is you take the gift card you received to, let’s say, a hardware store and sell it. Then, you turn around and use that cash to buy a gift card to Target, TJ Maxx, Forever21, or another store of your choosing. Easy peasy.

This is a great shopping tool because if you receive a gift card to a place that doesn’t fit you or your needs, you can turn it into something that will.

Shirt// Forever21  Necklace// Forever21  Watch// Hautelook

If you end up with 20 bucks, you can pick up an awesome piece to add to your wardrobe to maximize your options for wearing it.

Wedges// Target

For more information or to sign up, go check out Raise.com. I don’t get anything if you do or don’t. I’m just a bearer of the good news. And yes, there is purple in my hair.

xo