How Art Comes to Life in Fashion: Teuta Matoshi

Even if you have never heard of Teuta Matoshi, there is a good chance you have stumbled across one of her whimsical gowns on social media. What is so unique and alluring about Teuta Matoshi’s gowns? Looking through any of them seems to transport you into a dream world. A world where you run through castles in an elegant gown as you hear the gentle swish of tulle and lace sway around you. A world where you dance through meadows and stroll through orchards as a light breeze ruffles your skirt. A world of tea parties and balls and twirling around a gleaming dance floor without a single care. A world where woodland creatures build you a dress and hunt down glass slippers. I think designers that can stir your imagination through their art hold an incredible amount of talent. I fall in love with a design based on the story it tells and the emotions it draws out.

Matoshi’s pieces incorporate delicate flowers, intricate leaves, and climbing vines. These details add an element of nature and appear as though they were handcrafted by a fairy godmother. Her pieces have billowing sleeves with corset-style tops and flowy, wide skirts. These beautiful gowns could make anyone feel like royalty. It does not take a trained eye to see the work and passion that is intertwined in each whimsical design What makes these designs even more unique is the designer behind them – Teuta. Teuta grew up in Kosovo in a large family with nine siblings. She made her own designs throughout high school and received praise for her work. She eventually attended school for fashion design. Her career took off while she was still a student. As Teuta’s designs grew, she gave back to the community she grew up in. She now makes it a point to hire women from her community and provides them an opportunity to build a life in fashion.

Biography. Teuta Matoshi. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://www.teutamatoshi.com/pages/biography.

How to Survive College (During a Pandemic)

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Hello friends,

During the midst of this pandemic, my creative self has been quiet. My inspiration and creativity seemed to hit a point where it wasn’t growing and I wanted it to so badly. And all over on the internet I see people saying to use this time wisely, in fact, I’m one of the people who have said that. But with all this time at home, I don’t see a lot of time to do the things I want. Being a college student, many of us went from no online classes to five or six. Anyone that has taken an online class knows that you have to be motivated and have some sort of structure. Imagine that-but times five. And every professor or teacher feels like they have to add extra assignments because you’re not in class and now you have this overload of online work while you’re trying to wrap your head around what’s going on outside. I see posts almost daily about how “bored” people are, for goodness sake, I feel incredibly busy with this huge switch and I’m sure many other college students do as well. Many of us have gone from being the student to being our own teacher for the next few weeks. It’s a new normal and while I wish I had time to put aside homework and fully focus on my creative side (like everyone on the internet says to), I know that I have assignments that must be completed first. And I will complete those so that I can work on my artistic self. Luckily I was homeschooled for the first several years of my life and didn’t begin public school until I was 14, so while I find this switch back to learning at home somewhat difficult, I’m not scared of it. I’m going to give you some tips on how to handle a pandemic while being cooped inside.

  • Don’t stay inside! If you have a yard, go outside. Go for a walk. I promise the fresh air is so much better than being inside all day breathing in that germy, dusty air.
  • Open your windows if you’re doing homework and the temperature is good, fresh air always changes my mood.
  • Have some sort of structure with your assignments, spend a certain amount of time on each subject per day so you don’t fall behind. After you give each subject the same amount of time, work on what is due first and what needs your attention most.
  • Take breaks in between assignments! Every hour you should take a break for a few minutes and stretch your legs, look up (literally, your neck will start to hurt from looking down all the time), get a snack, listen to music, dance around your room, step aside -whatever you need to do.
  • Don’t stay up till 4 a.m because you don’t physically have to attend class. Don’t create those bad habits for yourself. You will completely throw off your sleep schedule.
  • Don’t scroll through social media every five minutes, you can use it but don’t abuse it. Too much scary news isn’t good for your focus and can create anxiety.
  • Do something you love at least a few times a week. Let time for your hobby be what encourages you to get your assignments done. I find that it’s hard to focus on the art I want to do when I have all these assignments looming over me.
  • Exercise! Workout at least 5 days a week. You don’t have to drive to a gym. You don’t have to look cute. You can do full body workouts with just a little space, and if you can go outside, even better! Your body needs exercise still and it will help your focus later. If you have no idea where to start, check Pinterest. I’m sure you’ll find all the workouts you could ever possibly need- and more.
  • Journal, don’t let all those thoughts stay bottled up. Don’t stay tense. It’s okay to write down how you’re really feeling.
  • Make a new recipe once a week, even if you’re bad at cooking! I find it completely relaxing to see something through from start to finish and cooking gives me that opportunity.
  • Make your bed! It’s not like you don’t have enough time.
  • Shower and get dressed, you don’t have to wear jeans, you don’t have to look fancy, but don’t live in the same sweatpants and hoodie for a week. I promise showering and getting ready for the day will help you keep some normality in your life.
  • Call people that you haven’t talked to in a while, send out texts and check up on others! See if any of your elderly friends need you to grab them groceries!
  • Get organized! Now is the perfect time and it makes online classes so much easier. Each week, make a list of what’s due, that way you’re not checking the syllabus every day.
  • Read your Bible! That always helps me find peace. Listen to worship music if you’re feeling stressed or tense. It always reminds me of who is in control.
  • Make a checklist and check things off as you go, it makes completing tasks more fun.
  • Don’t forget to breathe.

Much love,

Holl

 

New Year, Same Jesus

New Year’s Day doesn’t have to be perfect. The thing is, we all have this idea of a perfect holiday. We all have these expectations for New Years, like being in a room surrounded by people we love watching the ball drop while everyone cheers “happy new year!” and temporarily forgets about the struggles of the last year. Maybe some of us think about how much further in our journey we would be if we kept to our resolutions the year before, we may be disappointed in ourselves. It seems to me the more expectations we put on a holiday, the more disappointment we find in it. The more emptiness we feel as the moment comes and goes in a way we didn’t plan or a way that didn’t match our expectations. Then we have all these expectations for the New Year, like all our resolutions and plans and things we actually needed to do that we pushed off until 11:59 on December 31st. But the thing is- you don’t have to wait till New Years to change your life. Change is a process. Your new year can start at any time. New Year’s Day is based off a piece of paper that tells you it’s January 1st, your new year starts when you recognize that you need a change in your life. You see, if the only time we waited to change ourselves was after the ball dropped on January 1st then we are completely limiting our growth. If we are still lost on New Years Eve, New Years Day, God is still God and God is still good. He is ready to give you a fresh start whether its January 1st or the middle of September. His fresh start for you doesn’t expire when a year begins or ends. He is overflowing with love and grace. He is ready to quiet that unrest in your heart and bring peace to your soul.
The song, “You’re the Only One” by Chris Renzema tied in with this.
“Though the earth may try
To satisfy my heart
Though the earth may try
To tell me you’re not faithful
Though the earth may try
To blind me from your goodness
You shine through
You’re the only one who
Fills me up”
Your life doesn’t have to be empty. The world is never going to fill you up with its bright resolutions and empty promises but Jesus will. Jesus will prepare your heart to grow if you are willing to take the steps needed to grow. Don’t spend another moment empty. Jesus is more than ready to get behind the steering wheel of your heart and steer it in the right direction.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Even though the world may be changing around you, Jesus will never change. So wipe away that disappointment you felt as the new year rang in and your expectations weren’t meant. New beginnings in Christ are waiting.

Love,
Holl

My story of growth

A year ago I was driving down the streets of Purdue’s campus wondering why I had returned to this place and why it made me feel so miserable. I had missed 2nd semester of my freshman year for a military obligation and I returned to campus 7 months later, ready to start sophomore year. The friends I had made my first semester had dissipated because I had been gone for so many months and our initial friendship was only for a semester. So I came back to a place where I would need to rebuild friendships and I came back to school in a toxic, long distance relationship.

I lived off campus for the first time in a house full of people who rarely- if ever, spoke to me. It was a whole new environment of loneliness for me. A few months in, I felt weighed down, but it wasn’t necessarily school- rather the things I was allowing in my life. I remember going to my academic advisor and asking him if I should transfer schools in order to be happier, or if I could graduate early. He helped me switch to degree in 3 and I happily piled on roughly 21 credits in one semester. It was the distraction I thought I needed and how I felt about finishing school was the motivation I needed. My academic advisor- Andre was literally a life saver and an angel who helped me figure out life & promised me he would make sure I enjoyed my time at Purdue, sadly he passed away the beginning of this semester, but I will always remember him being the reason I stayed at Purdue.

Now back to building friends- I tried my hardest to meet people, I looked up Bible studies, I looked up art clubs, photography clubs, music clubs- you name it. I just wanted to fill my schedule with things that would distract me from going back to my house where no one spoke to me. I wanted to build friendships but it ended up being a lot harder than I thought – especially being in a toxic relationship that at certain points told me to cut off family members and friends.

I had lost sight of the person I had been and my faith started to slip. I felt suffocated. I felt like there was a huge void between me and God. One of my friends passed away and I didn’t know how to handle it. I knew that cutting off people in my family was a huge mistake, they were my emotional support system at the time. I didn’t feel like myself, my family told me I wasn’t acting like myself. I had experiences that broke me down further and at that point you just gotta wonder how many people God needs to place in your life for character development. It sure felt like a lot. Thank goodness for perseverance and for God gifting me with the ability to persevere through everything life has tossed my way.

You might be wondering, why is Holly writing this? It’s because as I was driving through campus today, my junior year, the song Rescue by Lauren Daigle came on. And this year I am the happiest I’ve ever been at school. I live with amazing girls that are becoming some of my closest friends. I have a healthy, Christ-centered relationship with someone who is a complete breath of fresh air and makes me realize what a relationship is truly meant to be. My bond with my family is strong. I have an awesome Christ filled community on campus. I love my classes and my schedule isn’t overwhelming. This song- Rescue- was something I had played over and over last year. It was a song that helped me in my broken moments. It was a song that made me feel like maybe God knew I was breaking down and maybe He heard my prayers. It was a song that spoke exactly to my heart.

It’s crazy to me that last year, driving down the streets of campus, I could not wait to graduate. I could not wait to leave. I was in a lonely place. Now, this year, I drive the streets of campus and I love my school. I love the people I have here. Sometimes it’s not the place you’re in that’s bad, sometimes you need a perspective change. Sometimes you need to get out of that toxic relationship or friendship that’s cutting off your access to fresh air.

Purdue was never a bad school, it was my own brokenness that made me view everything as miserable. Now I see that God intentionally placed me here and He had a plan from the start. Sometimes we want to ask God, why are you letting me go through this? I think God gives us battles to remind us that we need Him, but also to make us grow- and even in all the pain of last year- I am grateful for my growth. Every person that I have met on this journey taught me something, even if it was through pain. I don’t hold anything against anyone because I know that they were also in a process of growth and that I could never fully understand their journey.

If you’re stuck in a place of brokenness, hang in there. I promise that life is more than messy moments, it’s also joyful moments. God can take your life and flip it around. Just know if you feel drained, alone or broken – you’re not alone, there’s someone waiting to fight your battles with you. Some of you might be reading this and think- wow, this is way too long and personal for her to have shared. I understand that and everyone is entitled to their own perspective- but I also want to remind you that sharing your story is way more than okay. If sharing my struggles helps someone in theirs, than I am more than okay with sharing my own vulnerability. Be open to sharing yours in your own time.

And if you ever need to chat- send me a message! All love💛

Holl

A Letter to You, A Letter to Me

Written by Holly W. – February 25th, 2017

I’m sorry about everyone who pumped lies into your head and made you believe you weren’t enough.

I’m sorry that someone broke your heart and made you question your existence.

The people who are unable to love you don’t define you.

And I know that a thousand apologies won’t fix the damage, but I know of a Savior who will

I’m sorry that the person you put your trust in made you never want to trust again, but I know of a man who died to be your everything.

The one to wipe away your tears.

I’m sorry that every relationship has left you with a bitter taste in your mouth and a fear of falling in love.

I’m sorry that this world has told you that your value comes from the way you look and not who you are.

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry that you have a misconception of love because the person who told you how much they loved you is the one that turned on you in the end.

I can promise you that you are worth more than the mistakes you have made and the failures that you feel like you can’t escape from.

I know that every experience prepares us for something, and I wish you didn’t have to go through that pain, but I promise it wasn’t all for nothing.

Your life has value, your life has meaning, God has an individual plan for every heart that is beating.

So take these words and use them as hope, because this is the truth and what God has spoken cannot be unspoke.