BE YOUR OWN MOOD BOARD

(I wrote this last week but didn’t get a chance to edit and send it out until today… which feels like divine timing, because this Miley Cryrus-inspired piece comes on the heels of her FIRST GRAMMY WIN!!! I was legit crying watching her acceptance speech and performance this morning. GO MILEY!!!)

I’m a frequent - maybe even manic - moodboarder. I’ve been making them forever - long before manifestation language permeated the mainstream. But something curious happened recently. I took down my 2023 moodboard - leaving just one central item* to be the star of the show. 

And … I haven’t felt compelled to fill it back it up. The only things I’ve added to it this year have been a few ceramic pieces I made at a Mellow workshop recently.

After a bit of time wondering if something was categorically wrong with me (not quite a Code Twilight, but close), I remembered a clip of an interview with Miley Cyrus that came across my For You page a while back. 

She was sharing a piece of advice she got as she was forming her post-Disney-Channel identity: be your own moodboard. 

She went into some meeting with a bunch of references to her music and style icons, and she was essentially told to put them all to the side - after a childhood spent under the creative direction of others, it was important for her to form her own style - musically, aesthetically, and personally. 

(This wasn’t the exact interview, but highly recommend her Used to Be Young Series.)

The advice wasn’t about Eternal-Sunshining your brain to delete all previous sources of inspiration. Role models and inspiration are important. But when it comes to creating your own voice, you have you pave your own way. 

I’m not denouncing moodboarding. I think it’s an incredibly potent part of the creative process and one that’s really helped me access my sense of personal style over the years. Recently I dug up my old Tumblr and was surprised by the consistency between what I was gravitating towards then and what surfaces on my Pinterest boards today. Of course, some layers had been shed (RIP my preppy era), but it was a cool reminder of what I’ve been drawn to over the years.

For right this second, though I wonder if maybe this is my time to embrace Miley’s advice and be my own moodboard. Other than my occasional chats with Ms. Kate Moss, I’m really content right now letting my intuition guide me when it comes to style, vibe, and attitude. 

This reflection reminds me of another iconic interview clip which I’m sure ALL of you have seen by now - Zoe Saldana’s “I know who I am”. That video has come across my TikTok a handful of times over the years, and I remember having a really hard time connecting with it at first because I did NOT know who I was. 

Getting to know yourself is one of the most difficult things you can do - because to truly, deeply, REALLY know yourself requires a great deal of surrender to the shadowy discomfort of growing pains. Like in Big Fish. (Because everything comes back to Big Fish.)

Brightsiding has become a practice in surrendering to growing pains and expressing myself as I work through them anyway. Some people have a strong sense of self early on, but for me, it took a while.

I didn’t realize it as it was happening, but what I can see now is that the more space I created to look at my full self, even the parts that felt harder to embrace - the more space was created in me to see the things I love, too. 

Through it all - the moodboarding, experimenting stylistically, practicing finding my voice, putting out newsletters (and podcasts!), I’m really proud of the person I’ve grown into, and the way I express myself. 

So for now, the MO: be my own moodboard. Here are some ways you can be your own moodboard, too: 

• Revisit the Archives 

  • Pull up your old Tumblr, Pinterest boards, Spotify playlists…notice what you’ve shed, and release those parts of you with love - but more importantly, note what’s consistent and be amazed by that. Something I REALLY love to do is listen to old playlists of mine and be like DAMN BOGS, NO SKIPS. 

• Make a Vibe Map 

  • Walk around your city or town and pin things to your Google map SOLELY based on vibe. This is my Google Map … and then you have a fun list of places to try. And think about what it was that drew you that place. Maybe it was the aesthetic, the color, the natural light … and explore.

• ARTISTS DATES BABY 

  • Go see the art that YOU WANT TO SEE! Movies! Exhibits! Shows! Alone! Find inspiration, shamelessly! No one wants to go see that broadway show with you? That’s on them. If you’re gravitating towards something, follow that instinct and go check it out, there’s probably a lot of inspiration waiting for you there.

• WEAR WHAT YOU FEEL GOOD IN

  • Think about what you feel the best in, clothing-wise. What makes you feel the most you? Invest in a few quality pieces in the shapes/colors that make you feel GOOD, and work them into your rotation. This doesn’t need to be an expensive exercise - Poshmark is your friend! Try to even come up with a name for the aesthetic that feels most you. (Mine? Femme Utility. I like things that are practical, with lots of pockets, that still make me feel girly.) 

• Affirm the WEIRDEST things about yourself that you love 

  • For me, it’s my dirt-shaped freckle. The way I talk(ed) to my Magic 8 Ball. My Twilight obsession. All of these things are objectively quite embarrassing, but I own it. 

• If you DO have a moodboard up (which I 100% SUPPORT!!!) put a picture of tiny you on it. Remember, everything you’re doing is for her. 

Pay attention to the things that feel like a “full body yes” and explore them. And have fun. 

I hope you have a great weekend y’all. I’m obsessed with you. For reals.

X!O!

Bogs

*This quote is from an incredible piece of work that my brother art directed for Homme Girls x Nike. I’m so proud ❤️