thoughts and the city

With fashion week being the hot topic on Twitter and many of the blogs and websites I read it has really made me want to take a trip to the city. 

I grew up close to DC and as kids my parents took us into downtown quite a bit, I'm pretty sure I've been to almost every art museum at least once. 

When I was close to graduating I seriously considered moving to Chicago. I love the feel of that city- except for the cold, which is really what kept me from seriously, seriously considering moving there- well that and love, which is what kept me in Charlotte.

As a young professional, whenever I traveled to NYC I loved wondering around, being in a place where there was always something going on.  Everyone on the street with somewhere to be- the city that never sleeps, I love it.

Sometimes I'm sad that I never took the opportunity to move to a big city when I was in my 20s, I'm sure I would have ended up right here in Charlotte anyways, saying, "I love the city but the quality of life here in Charlotte is so much better- people are nice, things are clean, and the weather is awesome".  Even so I still wish I was in the mix of diversity and creativity, experiencing things that inspired me and stimulated me, with something new and exciting around every corner.

I love these drawings by Stephen Wiltshire, they seem to capture the vibrancy and chaos of a city so well.  Of course I went on and on about my thoughts already but I must encourage you to head over to Stephen Wiltshire's website to check out more of his beautiful work and read his story.  Stephen is autistic and has been able to make an amazing career for himself despite the challenges of autism.

Stephen has had several books of his published with great success, and although he is a London based artist one of his books is called, Stephen Wiltshire's American Dream. What a wonderful thing to pursue, the "American Dream"- whether that be an exciting city life or a sweet, calm, happy life in the suburbs.  I hope you are out there pursuing your "American Dream" today!  Happy Monday!