Get ready for a new Blogger of the Moment! I am so excited to introduce you guys to Tieka from Selective Potential! If you like my blog, I'm sure you'll like hers because we seem to be very similar people. I kind of wish I lived in Michigan so we could be real-live BFFs! Haha! But really, this girl is such a lovely soul and she has an incredible sense of style. Every time I go to her blog, I'm inspired. I love reading about her cute life in Michigan with her adorable husband, as well as her gorgeous self-style photos. Get to know her a little more with this little interview, then head over to her blog!
1. You've been blogging since 2006, but only recently focused more on fashion. What sparked you to focus more on style in your blog?
3. What blogs do you go to regularly for inspiration?
When I first got into the blogging world, my first major inspiration was Lena from http://elenita.no/. Then I found I loved the more personal blogs like Tess from Tessaboo and fell in love with her and even took her picture to the salon to get my bangs cut just like hers! More recently, my absolute
5. Who are some of your favorite artists?
When I started college, I had to do an essay on Georgia O'Keeffe and fell in love with her work. Her ability to take something so simple and turn it into such an amazing piece of art is just inspiring. I always hear, "What is so interesting about a mule's skull with a pink poinsettia?" and when you really think about it... nothing, but she makesit so beautiful. I love being able to take simplicity and turn it into something wonderful. I try to do that a lot with my art - whether it's my personal style or my design work. Take something simple and make it beautiful, make it yours. Take your old cardigan and belt it, add necklaces, cute new tights and make it yours.
My life dream was to marry young, fill a giant old house with four kids, a huge Newfoundland named Tessie (after the sea monster from Earthbound) and our two black cats, Sergeant Death and Ultra Mega and all pile in bed eating popcorn and giggling over old Jack Lemmon
7. Of all the places in the world, where would you like to visit/live most?
I've always been obsessed with the idea of visiting Italy. It's because of Under The Tuscan Sun, I'm sure. I live too much in the movies. It just seems magical and wonderful and the lighting is just... too perfect. I'm huge on lighting and the feeling you get from the atmosphere or the color of the sky. Plus Diane Lane's life in that movie is just picturesque. Plus, I adore riding scooters. I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to ride a Vespa through the streets! Oh boy.
8. What is your favorite part of the day?
My favorite part of the day totally depends on our amazing and uncontrollable weather in Michigan. It's approximately 9:23 PM in the summer evenings and approximately 5:11 PM in the winter evenings, meaning I'm in love with our sunsets. We live right on the lake so it's just gorgeous when the sun is setting on our town whether it be summer or winter; sometimes I can't even describe the colors we get.9. What is your style philosophy? What does style mean to you?I believe that style can do more than just make you look stylish, it can define you. I grew up in a "punk" community where the kids all dressed in studs, leather, mohawks, chucks and it progressed and changed over the years reflecting their growing up process and their different changes in interests and in life. I feel like personal style reflects your personality. The way you dress reflects you and how you want to be perceived to others. I'm such a visual person that I tend to look at what a person's
My favorite thing about Michigan is definitely our lakes and beaches. I have so many favorite things about Michigan, but the first thing when I close my eyes and think about my town is the beach. We live in a little beach town right on Lake Michigan. I love how when you come home from a different town and you step out of your car, you breathe in the scent of the lake. I've always imagined my family playing at the beach, jumping in the leaves, building snowmen and breathing sighs of relief when spring hits and it's just beautiful outside and I feel like I can really have it all with this state. We have beautiful seasons. Plus, Grand Rapids is the cutest city and it's 30 minutes away from our town and we're also just 3 hours from Chicago, my favorite "big" city.
My dream house is... historic, giant and completely renovated. It's always been such a dream to flip an old house, but I've just always been warned of the work and the funds needed to do such a job. I've always wanted an old historic home where there were trap doors or old servant hallways and pulley systems with old attics and hidden rooms. A house with major history. A house with a place for the milkman to put the milk jugs (even though it would never be used), or doors that are painted shut that are 5 feet up from the ground where the horses used to drop off the home-owners, or a carriage house in the back full of old rusted gardening tools and radio-flyer wagons, or a home with a ball room, a library, a music room with old tiling and original wood work. Oh, I'm drooling over here.
I'm inspired on a daily basis by the seasons. It definitely has a lot to do with my fashion sense. So many comments and feedback I get are, "Oh, Tieka... you look so fall!" or "Adorable look for winter!” I'm so inspired by the scenery outdoors, the way nature changes and the way style changes with the seasons. I'm also just inspired by everyday people. Whether it's walking to class, clicking through my favorite blogs, getting together with my friends or even taking note on what Brett is currently into style-wise, I'm always inspired. Life is just inspiring in itself.
1. You've been blogging since 2006, but only recently focused more on fashion. What sparked you to focus more on style in your blog?I've always envied girls with amazing style and always wanted a personal style of my own, but never knew how to get there. After dropping 35 pounds, I just felt like it was the right time to dive in. I wasn't even aware of the fashion blogging community until I subscribed to "Who What Wear" daily emails and they had a huge feature on four bloggers. I lurked around their blogs and just felt so inspired. I already had my own "personal life" blog, so I created another blog to focus on only fashion which was called "At Fashion's Mercy" but felt like I wasn't personal enough in that blog and my personal blog didn't reflect who I really was because fashion had overtaken my life, so I merged the two into "Selective Potential" and I'm so thrilled with the support I've gotten so far from it.
2. What's your favorite part of blogging and the blogging community?
My favorite part about blogging is the girls I've met and the support I've received from them. There are such amazing girls out there that inspire me so much and encourage me to step out of the box and try something new. I feel bored looking through magazines sometimes now because I'd rather be clicking through my favorite blogs and getting the kind of ideas and inspiration I really can use. I have an insanely hard time finding real girlfriends who support one another and their goals and so I'm just so overwhelmed by the support and nice things said by all of the girls in this community. Ever since I started this endeavor, I've never felt more welcomed by open arms.
3. What blogs do you go to regularly for inspiration?
When I first got into the blogging world, my first major inspiration was Lena from http://elenita.no/. Then I found I loved the more personal blogs like Tess from Tessaboo and fell in love with her and even took her picture to the salon to get my bangs cut just like hers! More recently, my absolute
favorite blogs and daily must-reads are Le Blog de Betty, Leproust Vintage, Delightfully Tacky, The Clothes Horse, Idée Géniale and Orchid Grey. Not only are these girls just down right stylish, they are super down-to-earth amazing girls. I've gotten so much support from Delightfully Tacky that I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for her!
4. You go to an art school, what is your favorite form of art? What art you studying and what do you hope to do with it?
I have so many favorite forms of art. I'm in love with every kind of art this world has to offer. From fashion, to fine art, to design, to music. It has changed my life so much for the better. I will be graduating in May with my BFA from an art and design college. My major is digital media with a focus in interactive design, which basically means when I graduate I hope to do everything from business cards to websites to flash animations to logos. I love everything print and everything digital. After college, I want to work freelance as a side job for now. I currently have a job at a recycling center that I adore and can't give up quite yet, so freelance just fits perfect in my life right now.
5. Who are some of your favorite artists?
When I started college, I had to do an essay on Georgia O'Keeffe and fell in love with her work. Her ability to take something so simple and turn it into such an amazing piece of art is just inspiring. I always hear, "What is so interesting about a mule's skull with a pink poinsettia?" and when you really think about it... nothing, but she makesit so beautiful. I love being able to take simplicity and turn it into something wonderful. I try to do that a lot with my art - whether it's my personal style or my design work. Take something simple and make it beautiful, make it yours. Take your old cardigan and belt it, add necklaces, cute new tights and make it yours.
6. What are your life dream(s)?
My life dream was to marry young, fill a giant old house with four kids, a huge Newfoundland named Tessie (after the sea monster from Earthbound) and our two black cats, Sergeant Death and Ultra Mega and all pile in bed eating popcorn and giggling over old Jack Lemmon
and Walter Matthau films. But stepping away from that movie scene (how I tend to view life with too much idealism) it has been my number one dream to meet my best friend whom I
love more than anything and marry him as quickly as possible, which I've already done. My parents separated when I was 3, so I had a hard time thinking you could truly have that one person in your life, but that has been such a dream come true with Brett. One of my biggest dreams that I've been working my butt off at for the last four years has been getting my bachelor's degree. I'll be the first in my family to get a four-year degree, which is so thrilling. In the future, I can't wait to be a mom someday, to possibly flip an old historic home, travel tons and celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary. I'm a simple girl. :)
7. Of all the places in the world, where would you like to visit/live most?
I've always been obsessed with the idea of visiting Italy. It's because of Under The Tuscan Sun, I'm sure. I live too much in the movies. It just seems magical and wonderful and the lighting is just... too perfect. I'm huge on lighting and the feeling you get from the atmosphere or the color of the sky. Plus Diane Lane's life in that movie is just picturesque. Plus, I adore riding scooters. I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to ride a Vespa through the streets! Oh boy.
8. What is your favorite part of the day?My favorite part of the day totally depends on our amazing and uncontrollable weather in Michigan. It's approximately 9:23 PM in the summer evenings and approximately 5:11 PM in the winter evenings, meaning I'm in love with our sunsets. We live right on the lake so it's just gorgeous when the sun is setting on our town whether it be summer or winter; sometimes I can't even describe the colors we get.9. What is your style philosophy? What does style mean to you?I believe that style can do more than just make you look stylish, it can define you. I grew up in a "punk" community where the kids all dressed in studs, leather, mohawks, chucks and it progressed and changed over the years reflecting their growing up process and their different changes in interests and in life. I feel like personal style reflects your personality. The way you dress reflects you and how you want to be perceived to others. I'm such a visual person that I tend to look at what a person's
wearing to totally make my mind up on their personality, which isn't always the case, but being an artist I just tend to do that, especially coming from the music community I came from. But I believe style is just personal expression. An outlet. I don't believe you have to be rich to be stylish or wear labels or know every new trend or designer. That's not personal style.
10. What is your favorite thing about Michigan?
My favorite thing about Michigan is definitely our lakes and beaches. I have so many favorite things about Michigan, but the first thing when I close my eyes and think about my town is the beach. We live in a little beach town right on Lake Michigan. I love how when you come home from a different town and you step out of your car, you breathe in the scent of the lake. I've always imagined my family playing at the beach, jumping in the leaves, building snowmen and breathing sighs of relief when spring hits and it's just beautiful outside and I feel like I can really have it all with this state. We have beautiful seasons. Plus, Grand Rapids is the cutest city and it's 30 minutes away from our town and we're also just 3 hours from Chicago, my favorite "big" city.
11. Describe your dream house.
My dream house is... historic, giant and completely renovated. It's always been such a dream to flip an old house, but I've just always been warned of the work and the funds needed to do such a job. I've always wanted an old historic home where there were trap doors or old servant hallways and pulley systems with old attics and hidden rooms. A house with major history. A house with a place for the milkman to put the milk jugs (even though it would never be used), or doors that are painted shut that are 5 feet up from the ground where the horses used to drop off the home-owners, or a carriage house in the back full of old rusted gardening tools and radio-flyer wagons, or a home with a ball room, a library, a music room with old tiling and original wood work. Oh, I'm drooling over here.
12. What inspires you on a daily basis?
I'm inspired on a daily basis by the seasons. It definitely has a lot to do with my fashion sense. So many comments and feedback I get are, "Oh, Tieka... you look so fall!" or "Adorable look for winter!” I'm so inspired by the scenery outdoors, the way nature changes and the way style changes with the seasons. I'm also just inspired by everyday people. Whether it's walking to class, clicking through my favorite blogs, getting together with my friends or even taking note on what Brett is currently into style-wise, I'm always inspired. Life is just inspiring in itself.
