Lifestyle – Page 3 – Ensemble of Elan

Half the Story

Our mission at Ensemble of Elan is to dress with purpose.

To explore ideas that intrigue us, to celebrate those who inspire us, and discover who we are through fashion.

As part of that, we try to be as authentic and honest as we can, but like anyone, there are still sides of ourselves that we don’t exactly broadcast to the world.

We want to inspire those around us to take on the world with confidence, but we don’t want to give you the idea that this is something that comes to us with ease. Because like anyone, we sometimes doubt ourselves and our abilities.

So, we wanted to share with you our #halfthestory, which is a movement to share the half of yourself that you don’t normally share on social media, and we hope our stories inspire you to do the same.

Have you ever gone somewhere and felt like you were out of place?

Now, have you felt that way almost every day of your life?

Most people probably haven’t, but I have.

I suffer from what is called impostor syndrome.

Impostor syndrome is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. I graduated as valedictorian from my high school, got accepted into one of the most prestigious honors colleges in the country, graduated summa cum laude with my bachelor’s degree, and I am currently holding a 4.0 GPA in my master’s program.

People have always regarded me as the “smart girl,” but for a long time, I honestly never felt that way.cI always discounted every accomplishment with something along the lines of “I went to a small school, so there wasn’t as much competition,”or “I got in the Honors College because my sister was already in it, and they liked her,” or “The work wasn’t very hard, so it didn’t take that much effort to get an A.” I never credited myself for a single one of those feats.

I hadn’t heard of imposter syndrome until about a year ago, but when I finally read an article about it, something clicked because it perfectly articulated something I’d felt for years. I was truly afraid to write this because I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging; I’m not that kind of person (rather, quite the opposite). I know there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way, but don’t know how to talk about it without looking like they’re fishing for a compliment. From all of us out there who struggle with this, I promise we aren’t ‘humble bragging’ because outside validation does nothing to help us.

I wanted to share this anecdote from Neil Gaiman because it helped me realize that I wasn’t alone:

Some years ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to a gathering of great and good people: artists and scientists, writers and discoverers of things. And I felt that at any moment they would realize that I didn’t qualify to be there, among these people who had really done things.

On my second or third night there, I was standing at the back of the hall, while a musical entertainment happened, and I started talking to a very nice, polite, elderly gentleman about several things, including our shared first name. And then he pointed to the hall of people, and said words to the effect of,

“I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.”

And I said, “Yes. But you were the first man on the moon. I think that counts for something.”

And I felt a bit better. Because if Neil Armstrong felt like an impostor, maybe everyone did.

Maybe there weren’t any grown-ups, only people who had worked hard and also got lucky and were slightly out of their depth;

all of us doing the best job we could, which is all we can really hope for.

The older I get, the more I realize that nobody actually ever feels like they know what they’re doing.

We look at people who seemingly have it all together and forget that they’re people too.

People just like us.

So, if you do feel way out of your league or completely terrified that people are going to discover that you actually aren’t as intelligent or creative or whatever as people think you are, keep going. Someone (probably a lot of someones) saw something in you, even though you couldn’t see it yourself. Try to give yourself a little credit, and if that’s still difficult for you, remember it’s better to be humble and keep striving to better yourself than to think you are the most amazing person who has ever existed and stay exactly where you are.

-S

This year, I took on quite the workload with being a full time student, working 20-30 hours a week, starting Ensemble of Elan, and taking the first steps to open our sustainable fashion company, Awaken. I’ve learned that being an aspiring entrepreneur often means accepting stress as part of your life.

Many days last semester consisted of waking up and starting my day in school, doing work for two of my jobs in class (sorry mom), racing to business meetings or blog photoshoots as soon as I got done with class, then in the wee hours of the night I would finally start on some homework. I’m only twenty years old, but I have a lot of dreams, so I knew I needed to find a way for me to take them on without my brain exploding from so much stress.

I noticed the weight of the anxiety and tensions start to creep in, and I continually pushed it to the back of my mind or ignored it until I was on the verge of a meltdown every other day. Rather than sharing my feelings with my friends or family, I employed the “fake it till you make it” method, or as some social psychiatrists put it, “impression management”.

Many of the things that make a great entrepreneur- creativity, passion, energy- are also the things that can lead to them feeling worthless and sapped of motivation, especially when things don’t go as planned.

There are almost entire days when I lay in bed, just mentally exhausted from all of the tasks I have to do on regular basis. On those days, the last thing I want to do is to post another social media post or create another graphic. But many times, I don’t really have a choice.

So what are we supposed to do to keep stress from overcoming our lives?

Are we just supposed to give up our dreams altogether because they’re too stressful?

What has helped me deal with the stress and burdens of being an aspiring entrepreneur is remembering why we started Awaken in the first place: to help promote sustainable clothing in the fashion industry (and because going into fashion has always been my dream). When I refocus my purpose and intentions of why I am doing all of this, it makes it all worth it.

There are days when I am the most positive, encouraging person and I am ready to take on the day, but there are also days when the doubt and fear crashes down like a thousand ton elephant on my shoulders, and I can barely get a single thing done.

On those days, I like to hit up the gym and let out all of my frustrations.

ANOTHER TIP IS TO JUST TAKE A BATH EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE. IT HELPS.

Many of us worship the ideal of perfection, but letting that go can help us release all stress we compound on a daily basis.

-H

Be sure to check out the Half the Story Project for more life unfiltered!Hannah’s Outfit Details

Camisole: Target

Robe: Victoria’s Secret

Earrings: Amazon

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Slip Dress: Target

Robe: Gift

Earrings: Gift

A ‘Make It Work’ Moment

As many of you know, the two of us live in Arkansas. Physically at least. Mentally, we live in places like Paris and New York City, and our sense of style reflects that urban, fashion week-street style vibe.

As such, it’s a challenge to make our photographs appear as though they could have been taken on the streets of Manhattan rather than Little Rock, Arkansas.

We love our home state and all the wonders of nature it has to offer, but when it comes to fashion, we certainly prefer stilettos and skyscrapers to cowboy boots and cornfields.

When we initially started this blog, we were open to taking photos wherever.

Greenhouses, college campuses, the downtown area of the small city we live in.

As we continued to develop our aesthetic, we decided that we wanted to stick to more ‘urban’ backgrounds and colors to make our blog feel as though it could have originated from a big city. Little Rock is beautiful with its river bridges and river market, but it can be difficult to find places to shoot photos without resorting to the same old spots over and over again.

Yet, somehow, some way, we’ve made it work.

What is life without a little challenge? Hannah and I would love nothing more than to travel and take photos in the fashion capitals of the world, but unfortunately as students and budding entrepreneurs, that is not exactly in our budget. So, for the most part,we take the thirty minute trip to our state’s capital to scout locations and show off our sense of style.

Sometimes we get disappointed because we are not able to capture some of the shots we really want, but we kind of enjoy the challenge of making Arkansas look urban. When we end up with photos like these, I don’t think we’re really missing out at all.

Plus, it’s kind of cool to show the people of Little Rock that fashion is not nonexistent here. So many times, we’ve been out for a shoot and people have stopped their cars to tell us that we look amazing or that they love what we’re doing. Just because we don’t live in a big city, it doesn’t mean we have to give up on what we truly want for our blog and for ourselves.

-S

From a photographer’s perspective, it would be much easier to live in a city with a color scheme similar to ours and the sort of aesthetic the bigger cities have to offer.

We quickly ran out of locations to use when we started Ensemble of Elan, so we had to look at the situation differently and see how we could make places in Arkansas look more chic and sophisticated. When I’m scouting for places, I usually like to start in an urban area that has pretty tall buildings to create depth and interest in the background. Sabrina and I usually drive around until we see buildings that fit our color scheme, so for us, we usually look for white/gray, modern or architectural structures. Buildings with tall windows are also helpful in creating an intriguing, reflective background.

It’s not impossible to make Arkansas look sophisticated; you just have to know what to look for.

-H

This summer, we are looking forward to traveling to places like Fayetteville, Dallas, and Memphis to do photoshoots in new, exciting locations because we will finally have the time and money to do so.

For once, we won’t have to scour the same square mile of Little Rock in search of somewhere fresh! It is an engaging challenge in creativity to find new angles and new crevices of our state’s capital where we can hold photoshoots, but it would be a welcome change to shoot somewhere completely untouched by us and our camera.

Traveling frequently won’t be an option during the rest of the year until we are both done with school, so until then, we have to–as our idol, Tim Gunn, says–make it work.

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Jumpsuit: TJ Maxx

Button-Down Shirt: Goodwill

Tennis Shoes: Adidas

Glasses: Coach

Ear Cuff: Badgley Mischka

Purse: BCBG

Hannah’s Outfit Details

Dress: Target

Long Sleeve Shirt: Goodwill

Ankle Boots: Lulu’s

Backpack: Goodwill

Hair Piece: Target

Earrings: Amazon

Less is More, More or Less

What does ‘less is more’ mean to you?

The definition of this phrase is: “the view that a minimalist approach to artistic or aesthetic matters is more effective,” but people extrapolate and transfer this definition to fit a variety of ideals. Some see ‘less is more’ as a reason to limit the power of various authority figures, like law enforcement or the government. Others use it as grounds to write a one-page Lean Canvas instead of a full-fledged business plan.

Many still see it as a lifestyle choice where they learn to live with fewer possessions or a smaller social circle,so they can fully appreciate the value of each of those possessions or individuals. We can easily say that this last one is something that we aspire to, but also frequently struggle with on a day-to-day basis.

We’ve grown accustomed to the fast-paced life that comes with fashion photography, where we typically select the 8-10 photos for a blog post from about three hundred raw images. It’s time consuming to edit and narrow down all of those photos, but we love it because it gives us more than enough options to choose from.

As we were collaborating on this photo shoot with the Green brothers, we kept thinking to ourselves, “We need more photos than this!” when we noticed that they snapped far fewer than we were used to. We were worried that we would not be able to do our meticulously crafted outfits justice in only a couple photos at each location.

Yet, as we began looking through them, we realized that we really only need one or two killer photos in each spot, and we actually did have enough. (And it was kind of nice to only spend about a quarter of the time as usual editing them!)

I used to feel remorseful for simplifying my circle of friends so significantly when I started attending UCA. I felt an obligation towards people that meant so much to me in the past, but the reality is that if they are not improving your present or your future, they have no business being in your life.

Life is too short to constantly preoccupy yourself with this kind of guilt. People will always come and go; that’s just the way life works! At one point in your life, a friend will be exactly who you need, but as you grow and change as a person, that friend may no longer serve in your best interest (or you in their best interest).Simplifying your circle causes less frustration and less stress, more freedom lessens anxiety and lessens worry, and more meaning in your life allows you to focus far less on life’s excess in favor of what’s truly important.

When I started to focus on the people who added more value to my life and inspired me to chase after my passions, I began to become more successful in my aspirations. Now I have professional photographers and videographers as my close friends, and computer scientists and incredible artists. Allowing more time to connect with them truly helped me see the value in having less.

-H

I remember ‘less is more’ as one of my dad’s key phrases when I was growing up. As a teenager, I wholeheartedly opposed this idea, especially when it came to clothing. My dad even used to joke that I could go an entire year without doing a single load of laundry! That was a stretch…but not by much, I’m afraid.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve moved towards higher-quality, staple pieces, and I’ve (begrudgingly, I’ll admit) begun to see the value in having fewer, better pieces in rotation.

There’s nothing I love more than giving my wardrobe a refresher every season, but I do find myself turning to many of the same pieces when I’m looking for something to wear. I didn’t used to, but now I do see the value in having less. When I’m limited to only ten or so pieces to create outfits from (like on a vacation), I tend to create better outfits than when I have an entire walk-in closet at my disposal.

An art teacher once told me that creativity is best expressed within limits, and for me, that is inescapably true.

-S

Like anyone else, we would love to have lots of people, places, and things in our lives, but if we spread ourselves too thin, we won’t be able to see the true value of any of them.

We love the fast-paced world of fashion, but it’s also nice to step away every once in a while and get back to the simple artistry of taking photographs. We’ve seen that minimalism isn’t any better or worse than other styles of living your life, choosing your friends, or partaking in artistic adventures; it’s just different.

And who better than us understands the value of being different?

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Leonardo da Vinci

Hannah’s Outfit Details

Top: TJ Maxx

Jeans: Target

Loafers: Forever 21

Hat: Target

Earrings: Earthbound Trading Co.

Sunglasses: Eyeglass Direct

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Top: Impressions Boutique

Jeans: Impressions Boutique

Cardigan: Impressions Boutique

Heeled Sandals: Impressions Boutique

Purse: BCBG

Necklace: Amazon

Earrings: Fred Meyers

Photos by: the Green Brothers

Science Not Silence

Today is Earth Day, and this Earth Day is probably the most important in recent history.

Today, scientists and science enthusiasts march on Washington to declare their support for evidence-based decision-making, scientific research and education, and more. There are entire groups dedicated to putting scientists in office in an effort to ensure that the policies we set as a country align with what would be best for future generations and our planet.

It should not have to come to this, but it has.

Our country’s leaders have made it clear that they rebuff science in favor of alternative facts, so the fate of our planet has been put in the hands of the people.

One of our favorite quotes concerning this rejection of facts is by Neil DeGrasse Tyson:

“The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.”

We don’t know if ‘good’ is the word we would use because in this case, the truth is terrifying, but this statement is accurate. You can ignore science and pretend that climate change doesn’t exist and that vaccines cause autism for a little while, but you cannot ignore it for long.

Science is not a belief system, so no matter what you believe, the truth will eventually prevail.

I was fortunate enough to grow up with two scientists for parents who taught me from a young age to think rationally and look to the facts. Not everyone was so fortunate, but in the age of information, there is no excuse for ignorance.

The fashion industry, which is the second-most polluting on the planet, is slowly trying to become more sustainable through ‘eco-friendly’ clothing companies that only use organic materials and the like. Yet, most people do not realize that a single organic cotton t-shirt still requires a staggering 2,700 gallons of water to produce. At least, these companies are not using harmful chemicals that seep into farmland and waterways and are using coal alternatives to fuel their production, but they are still consuming our quickly depleting supply of fresh water.

This is why we are pushing the importance of secondhand clothing. It takes exactly zero gallons of water to revitalize a secondhand t-shirt. And, by keeping that shirt out of a landfill, it is effectively a negative-waste piece of clothing. We are not delusional, so we do not think that just wearing a secondhand t-shirt is going to save the planet. But, if everyone does something small, like forgoing plastic grocery bags, drinking out of reusable water bottles–or yes, wearing secondhand clothing– all of those little deeds will add up to make a big difference.

-S

In the 21st century, technological advances have become a daily regularity. I get in my Prius each day, and I use less than half the amount of gas the average American car does, which would not have been possible even a couple decades ago. A lot of people do not realize the impact that the science of today has on the technology of tomorrow.

Without funding scientific research and thinking about ways to make products better and more energy-efficient, we would never be able to enjoy things like smartphones or hybrid cars.

I am not a scientist, but I understand the importance of science in our society. Without it, we would understand almost nothing about ourselves or the world around us. It is because of science that I am able to use those ideas and discoveries and transform them into artistic expressions.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Science is the poetry of reality.” Science and art are more intermingled than you might think, with concepts like the Golden Ratio (which is found everywhere in nature) guiding artistry and design aesthetic, and the science of light to making photography a possibility.

Beyond that, science is what keeps us alive. If scientists from the past hadn’t dedicated their entire lives to research, we would still be dying from infections due to minor cuts and scratches and diseases like smallpox because we never would have developed a vaccine. I don’t know about you, but I kind of like being alive and being able to engage in the activities that I love.

Use your dollar to vote for companies that are advancing this type of technology and use your ballot to vote for elect officials who recognize that science is the only way of thinking that will propel us into a better, more sustainable future.

-H

If we ignore the facts for much longer and keep silent on issues that matter, it will be too late for us. Every year is consecutively becoming the hottest year on record, and it’s getting to the point that it is noticeable on a daily basis. This year in Arkansas, we wearing short sleeves in February, and now, the temperature outside in April feels how it used to in June.

This is one of the most irritating consequences of climate change (particularly as aficionados of cold weather fashion), but it’s not even the biggest. Ocean levels are rising, which will lead to several of our coastal cities slowly drowning under water, conflict and potential terrorism is brewing in countries that are most affected by rising temperatures, and entire species of plants and animals are going extinct because their habitats are becoming uninhabitable.

As humans, we sometimes mistakenly think we are above the ecosystem because we live in air-conditioned houses and drive fancy cars. We cannot forget that the Earth is our home, and it’s the only one we’ve got. Whether we like it or not, we are dependent on our ecosystem to stay alive, and if we continue to ignore the disastrous effect we are having on it, not only will the environment suffer, but the human species will too.

If we do nothing, in the future we will only exist as a chapter in the history book of the Earth.

“The radical novelty of modern science lies precisely in the rejection of the belief that the forces which move the stars and atoms are contingent upon the preferences of the human heart.”

-Walter Lippman

Hannah’s Outfit Details

Dress: Goodwill (refashioned by Awaken Atelier)

Boots: Zara

Necklaces: Amazon

Earrings: Amazon

Sunglasses: TJ Maxx

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Top: TJ Maxx

Pants: Goodwill (refashioned by Awaken Atelier)

Heels: Impressions Boutique

Sunglasses: TJ Maxx

Necklace: Amazon

Watch: Plato’s Closet

Photos by: the Green Brothers

In Defense of Social Media

Social media gets blamed for a lot of things nowadays.

Low-self esteem. Violence. Addiction.

Even social media-savvy celebrities like Selena Gomez and Kendall Jenner have popularized the “Instagram Detox” as a way to escape the pressure and potentially harmful side effects that these apps can trigger. It’s true that too much of Instagram or Facebook can definitely have a negative impact on people’s lives, but we’ve forgotten that despite these shortcomings, social media does have the power to do good if it is used in moderation.

A few years ago, I studied abroad in Europe and spent about a month backpacking across the continent. I took a lot of photos, but besides posting them on Instagram, I didn’t do much else with them.

I’m so thankful I used Instagram back then because now when I scroll back through my feed, that section of it is like a travel journal filled with my adventures. I’ve always wanted to put together a scrapbook of my time in Europe, but in the almost four years since I’ve been back (has it seriously been that long?!), I still haven’t done it. (Shocker.)

If I hadn’t posted those photos on social media, they would have simply gotten lost in my iPhoto library, (almost) never to be looked at again.

Social media gives us a way to not only share our experiences with other people, but it also gives us a way to look back on them and reminisce ourselves. I honestly do not care if two hundred or ten people like my posts because I post them mostly for my future self anyways.

-S

Social media has given me an incredible opportunity as an artist to share everything I am currently working on, from our daily posts on Ensemble of Elan to art I create in my classes or recent thrift shop transformations. I love that I can immediately share them with my community at the touch of a button. Not only is it great for sharing daily events,it has also given me ample opportunities for jobs and collaborations.

I started H + L Creations to brand myself so it would be easier for future employers to familiarize themselves with my skills and talents. And I’ve already reaped the benefits with not one, but two jobs as Marketing and Social Media Assistant for RaftUp and Social Media Manager for Waterhouse Market.

I run five social media accounts daily, and to be honest, I can get tired of it too.

There are some days when it is really hard to keep up with everything and it’s mentally exhausting.

So, as much as I love the opportunities these social paths create, I do have to agree that sometimes it’s nice to take some time for yourself and put the phone down.

-H

Social media has brought us closer together and has allowed us to accomplish some pretty amazing things, from creating supportive networks for those living with mental illnesses or pre-existing conditions through the use of hashtags, to raising awareness and sometimes even millions of dollars for social causes around the globe.

Without social media, those feats would have never been possible.

For better or for worse, social media is here to stay.

It’s ultimately up to you if you want to use it, and we completely understand if it isn’t for you. But before you take to bashing social media (on social media, probably), remember the reason it was created in the first place.

To connect with new friends and family.

To reconnect with old ones.

To share and celebrate your life experiences with the world,

And to voice your opinion on a platform where you will be heard.

How often do you really think you would talk to those who don’t live near you if it wasn’t for Facebook? How many “Happy Birthdays” do you think you would get? How many scrapbooks would you have made of your travels if it wasn’t for Instagram?

Social media has made our world a whole lot smaller, and we’re definitely experiencing some growing pains because of it. But, it’s also made us closer to one another and more aware of the events going on around us.

Connections and knowledge are power, and we can’t imagine our world without them.

“Social media are a catalyst for the advancement of everyone’s rights. It’s where we’re reminded that we’re all human and all equal.

It’s where people can find and fight for a cause, global or local, popular or specialized,

even when there are hundreds of miles between them.”

-Queen Raina of Jordan

Hannah’s Outfit Details

Dress: HipSway (Refashioned by Awaken Atelier)

Ankle Boots: Lulu’s

Clutch: TJ Maxx

Sunglasses: Rue21

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Button-Down Shirt: Goodwill (Refashioned by Awaken Atelier)

Shorts: Impressions Boutique

Fishnet Socks: Amazon

Heels: Kohl’s

Purse: BCBG

Earrings: H&M