Tuesday, November 21

Thankful.


I'm writing this tonight because maybe some of you are heading out of town tomorrow and may not check in. It's a busy time of year.

I had a really tough day at the 'real job' today. So I came home and lost it for a couple of minutes (okay, it was at least a half hour) then I hugged my dog, thought about the good stuff in my life and one of the things at the top of the list is this blog and you readers that read it.

It may seem silly, but interior design is a career I let go of many years ago, mostly because I couldn't make a living at it. After graduating from design school, I started in furniture sales, and I kid you not, my boss at the time actually brought me in on a Saturday to pass along his 'mantra' to me, in hopes the chanting might help me make more sales. Wow, how L.A. can you get? It didn't help a bit - because I was really bad at trying to talk people into buying something I wasn't sure they wanted. So after a while I abandoned something I really loved to head into the world of advertising and pay my rent.

I am proud of my achievements in advertising, don't get me wrong. I started as a receptionist and worked my way up the ladder to become the director of creative services and art buying at a San Francisco ad agency that I am lucky to be a part of. But a day like today, dealing with trying to keep a very large and diverse group of talented, individually opinionated and creative people happy, and all that crap (and believe me, it can be a lot of crapity-crap), I was so glad to come home and have another purpose - writing this blog and learning as I go along. My blog isn't perfect and I aspire to so much more, but it does make me happy. And they say if you can do what makes you happy you'll do it well. So with all that said, I just wanted to say how thankful I am that I have your interest, and you occasionally like checking in to see what I have to share with you. Seriously, it really means more to me than you know. I hope you all have some good things to be thankful for too. It's a tough world out there sometimes, and we all need to remember to be a little kinder, a little more patient and just be there for each other. It may sound lame. Perhaps. But isn't it easier to be optimistic, strong and happy when part of a community?

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Design on people!
Victoria

Photograph compliments of the lovely Astrid. Thanks so much for your talent, girl.

11 comments:

Erica said...

What a nice post. Your blog is wonderful. It brightens my day at work, and inspires me. Thanks for your hard work!

ps did you see Decor 8 did a little post about you?

sfgirlbybay said...

Hi Erica - thank you so much! And thanks for alerting me to decor8's post - that was so lovely!

Have a wonderful holiday,
Victoria

Victoria said...

I found your blog the other day and I was so pleased because I remembered seeing your photos somewhere - corners of my home I think - but couldnt go back on flickr because it uses up our downloads for the month.. What I want to say is your images are so inspiring. Keep it up, I imagine your job would make you crazy some days.

Chelsea said...

Victoria, Sorry your day was so crappy. You do a beautiful job here and have been an inspiration for me. So have a wonderful evening and a great holiday!

Ingrid said...

Victoria,

I may not always leave a note but like so many I really enjoy your Blog. It's full of inspiration and you have such an eye for design. I truly enjoy it..and am thankful it's there to read and inspire me. I hope your holiday is wonderful..and the crappy days are fewer and fewer! :)

kstyle said...

Thank you for sharing the good and the not always so good. I love it that we have created a place to be creative and real. k

kimmy said...

I came across your blog over a month ago and have been checking in almost daily since then. Just wanted to let you know that many days reading your blog will get me back on track; knitting, writing, etc. I love your eye for design and look forward to seeing what new things you create and discover. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

I came across your blog a couple of months ago and I check it every day when I have my afternoon tea (at my crapola job). Your ideas, photos and writing brighten my day.

Thanks for your devotion to the site and the constant inspiration you provide!

jen said...

lovely post. thanks for sharing your views, which i am sure we can all relate to! great choice in using astrid's picture! it is so happy.

Anonymous said...

i love your blog. i check it all the time. i just moved out here and my friend sent me the link and it made me feel much more excited about the move! (even though who wouldnt be excited to move here...)i often take inspirations from your blog for my home and my office. anyways, keep it up! and its interesting to see that someone with a cool job like yours would still have bad days. guess we all do!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for linking to my photo :-)
Hope your day got better.