Easy Summer Styling

There has been a personal emergence taking place these past few years: an acceptance of self and long-held desires and a growing belief that I can self-express without being spiritually harmed and wounded. It feels ‘dramatic’ to say how much relief I experience when I state “I want to do this thing, so I’m going to do this thing” without the constraints of crippling anxiety and low self-esteem, but I’ve never really known a future without it being in the shade of self-doubt. Sure, I go out and try things, but it takes me yearsssss of gathering courage and lots of start/stop before I go and actually do the thing I desire to experience.

With that being said, the second half of 2025 feels like the right time to step into my skill-share era. Experiment endlessly and share while doing it. Make cringy stuff publicly but keep refining.

Now that my book on capsule wardrobes, Divine Capsule, has been out for some time, and my next book on styling by your natal stars, Divine Style, is on its way in the next 6 months, I’m ready to own my styling know-how and visibly share what I have learned about finding and developing voice over these past four decades. (Listen, Pluto is conjunct my Ascendant natally. I’m a pro at reinvention.)

Over the past 8 years of really diving into the freelance life, learning how to own/trust/express my creativity, and developing collections of photo, astrology, and styling work, my output may have appeared random and disconnected, but there are threads weaving all of the work together…each piece of the pattern coming together to form a whole garment that is a body of work. Some think being multi-passionate makes the artist messy, but I think each practice makes the media that much richer. My styling skills come in handy with portrait clients. My photo skills support my styling work. My writings serve all clients who wish to develop a unique voice. And, all of my skills combined have been leading to creating photo work for brands.

Side Note: The book “Body of Work: Finding the Thread That Ties Your Story Together” by Pamela Slim is one of my favorite reads for professionals, entrepreneurs, and artists building a career, not just following a path. I was blessed to photograph Pam in 2020 for portrait work, and she is a phenomenal human being.

One of my experiments going forward (that you will now find on this website blog) is the development of carousels featuring mini wardrobe capsules with styling tips and thoughts on intentional consumption and curation. (This is my build-up to creating the YouTube channel that has, you know, been on my to-do list for years. 😐) Here is the very first carousel featuring a few of the white shirts and light denim pants from my current wardrobe and inspired by easy summer cowgirl dressing –with a hint of urban cool.

One of the ‘rules’ for the initial set of ten carousels I set out to create was that I had to use garments I already owned. I want to deepen my relationship with my current wardrobe and push the styling of what I already possess. I do not want to fall into the cycle of buy, edit, buy, edit like so many online seem to engage in. This practice is unsustainable both financially and environmentally. Since I may be entering influencer territory with this content, I would hope to influence you to buy less over consuming more.

Did every outfit featured in these carousels end up being perfect? No. Was every outfit one I would rush to wear in real life? Not really. In fact, some of the clothes I tried on may be going in the resale bin. But that’s the reality for most of us. Wardrobes are bodies of work in progress. They take time to develop. I’ve been intentionally working on mine as an adult since around 2008, when I was 23-24, though I started playing with my personal style long before that. At 40, I’m just beginning to find clarity with my look and the direction I want to take it.

The most important step to take when building a personal style is the first one –into your current wardrobe. Just start by trying stuff on.