The Beauty of Spontaneity, Slowing Down, and Collaborating

The Beauty of Spontaneity, Slowing Down, and Collaborations by The Luxi Look

A couple weeks ago, I willingly woke up at 5am on a Saturday to embark on a day trip with two of my girlfriends, Linda and Mire. We were in search of the super bloom (eruption of wildflowers!) that has been covering Southern California (and hoping to snag a few pics along the way). We found the most beautiful flower fields. But what I took away from the day was discovering the beauty of spontaneity, slowing down, and collaborating.

The Beauty of Spontaneity, Slowing Down, and Collaborating

Being an incredibly structured person, the way the day unfolded was very different from my typical weekend.

To give you an idea of my psycho habits: I keep lists everywhere – on my phone, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Excel on my laptop. And if it’s trackable, I’m writing it down. This includes my hour-by-hour schedule, food diary, workout log, yearly goals, finances, etc. Bullet journaling has been a lifesaver. I typically plan everything out in advance and feel incredibly thrilled when I check off everything on my to-do list that day.

But I’m learning (trying) to be more open to spontaneity. To let things just come and not plan out every minute of my life.

In my experience, the best things happen when you least expect them. When you’re – surprise, surprise – spontaneous. 

Carrizzo Plains Superbloom | by The Luxi Look

Carizzo Flower Fields Superbloom by The Luxi Look

The beauty of spontaneity.

There’s something to be said about packing up your bags, driving with no real end destination in mind, and stumbling upon exactly what you were looking for. Taking a moment to breathe in the beauty of your surroundings and not be rushed to run to the next thing or task on your checklist for the day. Typically when I shoot photos for the blog, I like to shoot as efficiently as possible.

But the purpose of this day was not to push out as many looks in an hour as possible – it was to slow down, enjoy good company, and capture moments when inspiration hit. A very different way of thinking for me.

The day wasn’t planned, there was no agenda or to-do list. Well, there was one – to find flowers.

The Beauty of Spontaneity, Slowing Down, and Collaborations by The Luxi Look

Carizzo Flower Fields Superbloom by The Luxi Look

We headed up to Carrizzo Plains (near San Luis Obispo) to see the super bloom, which was absolutely breathtaking. If you have time over the next week or two to visit, I highly recommend you do so – the fields are stunning and the super bloom is only expected to last a little while longer.

Lesson learned – it’s ok to not plan out your entire day or week. In fact, sometimes it might be encouraged. You don’t want your schedule to be so planned out and rigid that you don’t have any free time to say yes to rare and exciting experiences or opportunities that may present themselves. (I say this as I have my next week already blocked off on my Google calendar… need to work on this more).

The Beauty of Spontaneity, Slowing Down, and Collaborations by The Luxi Look Wearing Flair the Label

The Beauty of Spontaneity, Slowing Down, and Collaborations by The Luxi Look Wearing Flair the Label

The beauty of slowing down.

As with anything in life, there are pros and cons to operating at 100 mph. One of them being, sometimes you miss out on the little things. Slowing down my pace during this trip showed me how good it can feel to not be sprinting all the time. Especially when it comes to art and creativity. I’ll admit, I have a much greater appreciation for creativity than before (I blame my corporate background ; )).

Oh – and how gorgeous are these pieces? Linda and I are both wearing pieces from the upcoming spring collection from Flair the Label. I’m wearing the Emma dress and Linda is wearing the Marianne Lace Jumpsuit. I seriously want everything in this collection!

One thing I really want to be more conscious of is buying from fast fashion. It’s hard to resist the super on-trend pieces from Zara or Forever 21. But after learning about all of the hard work it goes into launching an independent brand and creating a single season’s collection, I am going to make a concerted effort to support more small, local designers – Flair being one of them.

Flair the Label Emma Dress by The Luxi Look

Flair the Label Emma Dress by The Luxi Look

The beauty of collaborations.

As a blogger, there is so much to learn from working with brands, big or small, and other individuals. Los Angeles is built upon Hollywood and the city has no shortage of creatives. For me, it’s truly such a treat to work with other brands and individuals and learn from them. It’s allowed me to develop and continue to hone a set of skills I haven’t been able to in the corporate world. I’m not always the most conceptual person. But I totally feed off of the creativity and energy of those around me. People that work in a creative space in their day to day have a lot to offer to those of us that tend to be more structured and by the books : ).

I can’t think of any careers where you can become successful by operating entirely on your own in a vacuum. Collaborations can often be the key to success – you know the phrase “it’s not about who you know, but what you know”? There’s a lot of truth in there. But collaborations should be viewed as more than a transaction. They’re opportunities to learn from one another and grow together. There’s so much we can do to work together and empower one another – and that’s why this trip was so fulfilling. Oh, and the super bloom was totally worth it!

xx, Amy

linda’s jumpsuit: flair the label | my dress: flair the label

The Beauty of Spontaneity, Slowing Down, and Collaborations by The Luxi Look Wearing Flair the Label

The Beauty of Spontaneity, Slowing Down, and Collaborations by The Luxi Look Wearing Flair the Label

18 Discussion to this post

  1. Jessi Malay says:

    This looks like an absolutely amazing trip 🙂 I definitely agree that there is beauty in spontaneity and these photographs are proof of that statement! Thanks so much for sharing babe!

    XO Jessi,
    http://www.mywhitet.com/zgalleriemakeover/

  2. Rina says:

    Such a beautifully written post! I definitely need to learn to be a little more spontaneous. When working a day job plus blogging full time, it often leaves less time and room for spontaneity. Thankfully, I scaled back 1 day week from my day job to help me find a little more balance.

    xoxo
    Rina Samantha
    http://www.andshedressed.com

  3. Carmen says:

    That sounds like such an amazing trip. I love those times when you feel absolutely free! All thumbs up for those pictures as well – they are fantastic <3
    xx, Carmen – http://www.carmitive.com

  4. Elizabeth says:

    Can’t agree with you more about spontaneity and slowing down! Just like you, Amy, I’m a bit OCD, and I keep lists everywhere too – from daily to-dos, to the goals I have, to the things I want to have done in one, three, maybe even five years… And while it definitely feels great to check things off the list, sometimes, it’s also nice to slow down a little and just enjoy life. This year, I’ve been trying to do that more, and I can gladly say that I feel lighter somehow, and I also gained some new insights 🙂 Thank you for sharing this inspirational post! And loving the flowers! Plus your dress is so beautiful!

    XO, Elizabeth
    http://clothestoyouuu.com/

  5. Jamie says:

    What’s most important is that you found the flowers!

    love the post Amy!

    Great job girl.

    xo jamie

    http://jamieonthings.com/

  6. yuka says:

    oh wow these photos are sooo gorgeous!! you both look dreamy!

    http://www.prettyinleather.net

  7. Merel says:

    Wow! These pictures are so dreamy!! <3

    X Merel
    http://www.andathousandwords.com

  8. This was such a lovely read babe! I’m a very structured person too and leave barely any room for spontaneity in my life. But reading this is a great reminder that spontaneous moments are so important too: and just take life as it comes. Anyways, these pictures are so so stunning and your dress is too gorgeous. Love the casual style!

    Hope you’re having a lovely week! Xx
    http://www.thefashionfolks.com

  9. Yara Mel says:

    I love that the images really reflect your message!
    Slowing down is Key sometimes. Enjoying every moment 🙂

    http://www.desiringsme.com/camden-town-london/

  10. Katherine says:

    I’m obsessed with these photos, so gorgeous! I agree, spontaneity is the best 🙂

    http://www.myclusterofthoughts.com/

  11. Jessica C. says:

    I seriously enjoy reading your posts, every single time. You write with a certain precision and zen, if I might add. I somehow always stop glancing and just actually read the whole thing from beginning to end…. You rock.

    And I totally wanted to chase the bloom too! Being in San Diego that was just going to wipe out my entire day, so I gave up on the thought. Next year if we get the same kind of rain, I will definitely try to catch the ones in SD!!

    Jessica || Cubicle Chic

    • Amy Zhang says:

      Thank you soooo much Jessica!! You seriously made my day. I’m so happy someone, somewhere is reading my posts – haha! But in all seriousness – thanks for reading, commenting, chatting with me – you rock. I appreciate you so, so much! Lots of love xx

  12. Emy says:

    Wow beautiful photos! And the fields are so peaceful. I agree with you about collaborations, people with different backgrounds and abilities can complement each other.

    Emy 😉
    MyCasualStyle

  13. Hannah says:

    Gorgeous photos!! Running around in a field of flowers is on my bucket list (I’m such a dork!)

    🙂

    xx Hannah
    http://www.beaconthrills.com

  14. Very true!! Creativity cannot be forced and in order to find true creativity and innovation we must leave room for flexibility and spontaneity. I love making lists and planning things, but I absolutely despise routines, as I learned through experience that it dulls my creativity. Not everyone is the same, but it took me years to observe what works and what doesn’t in my creative flow 🙂

    Much love <3
    http://www.styleunsettled.com

  15. Loving these photos Amy, that’s where I’d rather be currently!

    xx
    Lauren
    http://www.shoesandsashimi.com

  16. La Caleya says:

    Just discovered your blog…. LOVE IT!!!

    http://www.lacaleya.com

  17. […] focused more on working with smaller brands. Letting go of my ego and personal agenda, and truly collaborating with others in a way that is not only mutually beneficial but also […]

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