Getting to Know You...11 Questions

For those of you who follow Delightfully Tacky this post is from her 11 Things About Me post. This is a dedication to the Myspace and even Xanga surveys we occupied ourselves with in high school, and that my family still likes to circulate via e-mail which are amazing to read! Fun and revealing then, and fun and revealing now!

Also...every time I see this picture it makes me want to reach for the scissors, but it's so hard to maintain! And as everyone can attest I am horribly indecisive about my hair, and most personal things in general.

Any who, on to the questions!

1. If money, schooling or time was no obstacle, what career would you choose?

I would be a full time free-lance writer/performer/stylist/fashion designer. Blogs, articles, plays, novels, you name it, I'd stay home in my fuzzy slippers with a cup of coffee and write it. Acting has always been a side project of mine, but I didn't think I was prepared to "starve" for that particular art, but if money is no object then heck yes! I'm obsessed with fashion trends, buying new clothes, re-vamping old ones, making my own, and I think I'm a killer outfit mixer and matcher. If I could combine all four of these jobs it would be my dream life I think.


2. What’s the one thing you look forward to every day?

Reading through my bloglovin' cue and becoming inspired to do and try new things as an artist or as a human being in general. I also normally treat myself to something sweet while I do it so it might be that awesome sense memory thing too.

3. What is your number one, all-time, favorite blog?

The first blog I ever started reading which is Joanna Goddard's A Cup Of Jo, and her Glamour blog Smitten. I feel like I've followed her from being single in the city to getting engaged, married, and having a baby. I imagine my life taking a similar path (I hope!) so she gives me inspiration. She's almost like the cool big sister I never had!

4. Biggest online pet peeve?

People making comments on blogs or forums about others like they're never going to read it or see it. Sometimes people get so vicious I have to ban myself from reading the comments section. Think about if you would you say it to their face, would to still type it out in the comments? I know everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I thought cyber-bullying was high school hazing, not something that transferred to the online lives of (what I assume to be) adult women. Let the cattiness go and figure out what you're truly upset about, because chances are it's not really that "ugly" outfit or Kim Kardashian.

5. What is your all-time favorite book?

I don't like to have one favorite, but the last thing I read an loved was Tina Fey's Bossy Pants. It's like my unofficial guide to navigating the entertainment industry. I also re-read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg when I have writer's block, and I've been re-reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron lately. I've been on "week 3" of the program for two weeks now though!

6. What would your “last meal” be?

Chicken parmesan with alfredo sauce, a spinach, strawberry, and balsamic salad, something rich and chocolatey for dessert and a peach, just because they're my favorite. Wash it all down with a soy chai latte!

7. Do you believe in love at first sight?

I believe in lust at first sight! When I saw my boyfriend for the first time I got weak in the knees he was so handsome! My affinity for beards and red heads contributes to that one. But I did know after talking to him for only a little bit that we had chemistry. Regardless of whether I'm going to pursue a relationship or not I can tell who I have chemistry with pretty much instantly. It's a serendipitous series of clicks that usually means we're going to get along very well.

8. What would your ideal Sunday morning consist of?

Summer, sunny, I drink my coffee on a deck or porch and read over blogs or work on writing before I get ready. I spend my time picking out a perfectly adorable outfit then go out to breakfast with Viking Boyfriend. After that I meet up with friends or my mom for some early afternoon shopping!

9. Why do you blog?

I started reading blogs when I was in high school and became obsessed. For me it's like reading long form novels of other people's lives and experiences that you get to sit in on for two minutes out of your day. I have a passion for style, diy, and fashion so that has a lot to do with it. I also don't have a lot of lady friends in real life, so the online blogging community is a good way to connect with smart, stylish, and talented women.

But I came to a point in my life where I thought what I was doing was worth sharing. I had just quit my jobs and moved to Chicago, an eight hour drive from my hometown of Columbus, Ohio and I was an unemployed artist. I also realized that while the blogs I was reading were inspirational for my future, none of them were for a 23 year old post-grad struggling to find herself, which is a group that I think gets overlooked a lot. I speak to a lot of young guns like myself in the city that think they're alone in their search, but I assure them that they're not.

I always try to keep in mind what my co-worker told me at my last job: I'm at the stage in life where I can go do anything, be anything, figure it out and not be responsible to anyone but myself. That's what I'm trying to do here on Kiley Kate, find my voice, my path, and my passion.

10. If you had to choose one color to wear forever, what would you pick?

Navy/Cobalt blue. My friends and mom can attest that I own a ridiculous amount of dark blue clothing. No rhyme or reason, I'm just attracted to it when I see it on a rack at the store. My friend E even tried to implement a ban on me buying dark blue or black clothes since I own so many. That didn't last long, although this spring I'm tempted to buy pastels for the first time in a long time!

11. What is your all-time favorite band?

I have so many! I love music but don't consider myself a die hard loyal fan to one particular group...I'm also ridiculously indecisive, but right now I'm loving Matt & Kim, Mumford and Sons, and Passion Pit.