10 Things That Inspired Me This Summer

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With the temperatures slowly dropping here in Seattle (it’s pretty much fully sweater weather at this point), I thought I would dedicate this week’s issue to summer. 

If I’m going to be honest, for years, I hated summer. I hated the heat and couldn’t wait for fall (it didn’t help that Colorado is notorious for having Indian summers). But this year was different. I started to lean into summer activities like playing tennis, gardening, going to the beach, and more, and it made me begin to love the season—so much so that I was actually sad to see the seasons change—a first for me! 

So, without further adieu, here are 10 things that inspired me this summer. 

1. My patio garden

I’ve been trying to tend to flowers on my patio for the last two years—and I failed. This year, I was determined to keep my patio garden alive. I got a dahlia, some herbs (oregano, mint, and basil), and some lavender. While it took a lot of maintenance, seeing the fruits of my labor—fresh-cut flowers and fresh herbs—was well worth it.

2. Tennis

I never grew up playing tennis on a team, much less recreationally, so when one of my friends started a tennis group last year, I figured, why not give it a go? This year, we got to the point where we played consistently 1-2 times per week every week throughout the summer. It’s been a fun hobby that I look forward to each time we play. And I’ve improved a lot since starting, which is a bonus!

3. Film photography

After almost a year of sitting in my cabinet, I finally put batteries in a 90s 35mm film camera I inherited and started shooting with it. It’s been a great exercise for me in selectively picking the subjects of my photos. I haven’t gotten the film developed yet, but I’m excited to have a roll that documents the summer!  

4. Swimming 

For as long as I can remember, I have never liked swimming in the ocean. But, living in Seattle with access to the Puget Sound, I decided to give it another shot. And surprisingly, I liked it. So I ended up at the beach a lot this summer, taking plunges into the Sound. I also swam in Lake Washington, which was lovely too. It got me ready for Greece, where I swam in the Aegean almost every day I was there. After all, beaches are for swimming, are they not? 

5. New branding for my business 

This year, I’ve been on a mission to realign my business. I knew I needed to invest in some new branding desperately, so when Kristina from Gem Creative Co. announced her DIY branding course, Brand Ed, I had to sign up. And it was seriously the best decision I made. I took inspiration from punk rock posters and magazine layouts to create a new brand identity that feels like me and is what I want my business to evoke, and I could not be happier with it. It felt like I was coming home to myself because it reminded me of what I was into when I was younger. The best part is that I’ve created all my brand assets from scratch, which is empowering!   

Doors are closed for the fall, but you can join the waitlist for her next round. 

6. Guesting on podcasts 

It wasn’t on my radar to focus on podcasting and visibility this year, but I landed seven guest slots, so I’ve been recording many interviews throughout the summer. It inspired me to start my own show (coming early 2025). As a long-form content girly who loves to yap, what better way flex those muscles? 

Catch the published episodes here. 

7. Documenting my personal style 

Another way I’ve been working on realigning myself this year has been through personal style. For a while, I’ve felt meh about my personal style, so with the help of a lovely freebie from a personal style consultant, I narrowed down my style pillars to “bold,” “edgy,” and “effortless.” It makes it a lot easier to pick stores to shop at and pieces to purchase. Another friend and I started a style challenge to document our personal style each day and send it to each other. Not only does it keep me accountable, but it’s also helped me get creative with putting together outfits and pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone in pairing pieces of clothing. 

8. Greece

I can’t do this post without talking about Greece. It was so amazing to go back to Greece after 11 years. The trip was amazing for so many reasons. It got me back in touch with my heritage, faith, and culture, making me want to prioritize and focus on it more (I plan on signing up with a Greek tutor here soon). It was also a well-deserved break that gave me time away to reflect and get clarity on the energy I want to bring into my 30s. Lastly, it was nice to make some time and space for creativity, teaching me me that making bad art is just part of the process. 

9. Seeing things though a more creative lens 

I restarted the Artist’s Way this summer (and have kind of dropped the ball, ngl). However, it taught me to look for more opportunities to create in the mundane. A marketing tactic I’m working on for my business is creating Reels, and I’m pushing myself just to record a b-roll of me doing things throughout my day. It’s also making me capture and document more things out in nature that I find inspiring. Both these acts are really helping build and flex my creative muscles to live a more creative life. 

10. My old journals 

Last but not least, I took out all my old journals from storage a few weeks ago to display them on an empty bookcase in my apartment. I walked down memory lane, flipped through them, and re-inspired myself. Past me was so cool and had a great eye and great taste. It inspired me to pick up some magazines to clip and use as brand imagery and for collaging. It also inspired me to return to my old style of journaling (stream of conscious writing combined with memory keeping in one book), which I fully intend to return to next year. 

And with that, summer 2024 is officially in the books! 

CREATIVE CORNER

• 🎞️ What I’m Consuming: Nobody Wants This on Netflix. It’s everything you want and more from a rom-com series.

• 💡 What I’m Loving: Magazines! I headed to Barnes and Noble and spent $100 on magazines to have some cool new pieces of inspiration to cut up and use for collaging and create custom brand imagery.

• 🎨 What I’m Working On: Still working on documenting my trip to Greece

• 💭 Weekly Musing:

Thank you 💕

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I’m so grateful for all of your support!

Alexa Phillips is a writer, brand strategist, and multi-passionate creative. She is the founder and Chief Brand Architect at Bright Eyes Creative, a creative studio that helps creatives monetize their zone of genius and creativity.

Where to find me:

• Join the waitlist for my new offer, Musing to Monetized, launching soon!

• Listen to my recent podcast episodes here

• Subscribe to my other business newsletter, Money Moves, where I talk about strategies and tactics for monetizing your zone of genius and creativity

• Grab my Brand Realignment Workbook to help realign your brand to build your dream business