The weirdest thing happened the other day. The piece I wrote about what the next hipster cities will be was read by more than 45 people and my mother. In fact, in some of the towns I mentioned in the post, the article got passed around like a cheerleader in a frat house (sorry to any of you who were cheerleaders. I’m not sorry if you were in a frat).

The article predicts that Chattanooga, Tennessee, Asheville, North Carolina, Burlington, Vermont, Detroit, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Richmond, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland will be the next hipster cities.

My article did not sit well with everyone and even prompted a few humorous articles in Detroit in where I’m lambasted for making fun of a city I’ve never been to (it’s true…though like the hipsters I mentioned in the post, I would love to go to Detroit to see all the delicious ruin porn). One article titled “Dear People Who Don’t Know Anything About Detroit, Your Jokes Are Dumb“, I particularly liked. Even Curbed Detroit jumped into the debate.

Luckily the great people of Chattanooga enjoyed the post and were even kind enough to ask why I bestowed the hipster title upon their city. Two words: city-wide typeface. Or is that three words?

Mental Floss was sweet enough to pick up the story, where I can honestly say that had the least hateful and most articulate commenters I’ve ever seen (thank you for not making me feel like crap).

I think the dude who wrote “The Rise of the Creative Class” tweeted about it, and so did some urban planners, which is weird considering I typically have no idea what the hell I’m talking about.

What do you think? Do you think I forgot any up-and-coming cities? Some people have suggested Colombus, Ohio, Denton, Texas, New Orleans, Louisiana, San Luis Obispo, California, Flagstaff, Arizona and Decatur, Georgia.

Or if you agree with my choices, vote for your favorite new hipster city on CultureMap’s “The New Hipster City” poll. So far Chattanooga is in the lead.

And if you’re tired of talking about or hearing about hipsters, I’m sorry.

Sometimes it feels like there is no place more hipster-plentiful than Austin, Texas. The city has become the poster child of what young creatives and entrepreneurs are discharging into this world. When you look up the word ‘Austin’ in the thesaurus, the words, ‘old-timey facial hair,’ ‘your grandmother’s eyewear,’ ‘college degree in food carting,’ ‘bee hive hoarding’ and ‘Which Wich eating‘ appear. It’s true that there is no escaping the fauxhemian gorilla-whale that is running amok in our city.

But are other cities unscathed by the beast? Smaller, up-and-coming cities that are like how Austin was before ‘we’ showed up? Cities that hipsters can flock to now that other, older hipsters have crimped their style of being on the forefront of a burgeoning scene? The answer is yes.

Are other cities unscathed by the beast? Smaller, up-and-coming cities that are like how Austin was before ‘we’ showed up?

Forget Austin, forget Brooklyn, forget Portland, forget Silver Lake. What are the cities on the verge of hipsterfication right now?

CONTINUE TO CULTUREMAP…

Ah, writer’s block.

You never know when it’s going to hit.

The current writer’s block that reared its ugly head last week after a homeless man tried getting into my house while I was taking a shower, was actually a long time coming.

I wish I could pin it entirely on the homeless man, but in reality, he’s maybe only 50% of the blockage traveling through my creative vein right now.

The homeless man has preoccupied my thoughts.

Though he is not a danger, at least I keep telling myself, his presence has recharged any already existing fear I’ve had living on the eastside. With my fear comes the frustration that I should not live in fear in this neighborhood I love so dearly. I try to remind myself that living in a big city comes with its “character”, but within the past year, I’ve seen more sketchy shit than I have in my entire life. When I lived in Los Angeles I was shielded from the grit and grime because I lived in an apartment. In Austin, I live in a house and I’ve never felt more vulnerable- even with an alarm system and concrete walls.

I’m a shaky leaf enveloped by a large forest.

This leads to an illogical fear of being in the house alone, which summoned an old acquaintance Saturday night- the anxiety attack. Though the spell was minor, I found myself in the predicament of not being able to breath. I began hyperventilating and in my tunnel vision, recalled the last time Mr. Anxiety Attack appeared- the hour before I was to jump into my car and leave Los Angeles for the last time. From there, I was taken to the thought of Esme Barrera, the young woman who was killed earlier this year in her house in Central Austin. Though the assumed murderer is now deceased, it reminds me that anything can happen.

Just like the man who was hit by a car as he waited outside the grocery store I go to on Sunday night. He died on the scene.

My fear of going into my house lead me to wonder where I should go if I ever felt unsafe and I realized that I wasn’t sure. I felt I had no place to escape to. Now that I’m dating someone, and that other friends are also dating, I feel that the strong connection I had with some has thinned and that asking to stay at their house would be an imposition. Though I know this is probably not true, it made me wonder if I’m doing enough to stay connected with my friends. Real friends will always be there, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tend to the life-sustaining garden.

I’ve been creatively blocked because I wanted to write about this situation, but I felt that I shouldn’t. I felt that this was a private matter, but keeping it in has only made me feel stifled.

The other 50% of my writer’s block has been a combination of lack of structure due to my freelance lifestyle, impending career changes for my boyfriend which includes 3 months of work overseas, Lionel’s further plummet into the mad world of Alzheimer’s, my grandmother and mother’s subsequent difficulty in handling it, our dying cousin’s recent development of sleeping in the fetal position with her hands clenched shut, my questioning of my writing talents and the age-old inquiry “What are my future goals?” making a nest on the top of my brain.

And though I should be taking all of these normal life moments and using them as fodder for my writing, I can’t. Because I don’t want to think about them. Because I’m afraid to acknowledge what they all mean. Because I’ve begun thinking so superficially that spending any time dwelling on what I’m actually feeling is a lot of work.

But you know what? I did just now and it felt so good.

Often find yourself sitting alone on the couch in your underwear crying to Purple Rain because you can’t dance like Prince- YOU’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO DANCE LIKE PRINCE!- and wondering what the hell you should get yourself loaded with? Well look no further than Drinkify, the new drink generating app for while you’re listening to your favorite artists.

There really is no ryhme or reason to the drink suggestions Drinkify offers other than that they obviously want you to get really drunk.

Here are the beverages Drinkify suggested for my favorite artists. Next to it are the drinks I think I should actually drink.

David Bowie-
Drinkify- 1 bottle Box of wine (this doesn’t even make any sense)
Hipsterify- 6 ounces of Vodka, 1 ounce of Dance Magic, .5 ounce of glitter and pinch of Mick Jagger’s tears.

Talking Heads-
Drinkify- 6 ounces of Vodka
Hipsterify- 10 ounces of gin, 2 ounces of Water at the Bottom of the Ocean, garnish with a photo of an inanimate object.

Warren Zevon-
Drinkify- 1 bottle of Pinot Noir with pickled asparagus
Hipsterify- 4 bottles of Whiskey and a splash of playing with a loaded weapon on the railroad tracks.

Elvis Costello-
Drinkify- 8 ounces of water, 8 ounces Fassionola, 10 ounces half and half
Hipsterify- 4 ounces of Sherry and 1 ounce of Scottish angst.

Frank Zappa-
Drinkify- 1 bottle of Tequila Oro and 1 bottle of cranberry juice
Hipsterify- 1 bottle of Scotch, 2 ounces of Yellow Snow, garnish with a pair of Zircon encrusted tweezers

Fleetwood Mac-
Drinkify- 1 bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon and 1 bottle of Lime juice
Hipsterify- 6 ounces of Whiskey, 2 ounces of Gold Dust and a sprinkling of Mick Fleetwood’s man-sweat

Prince-
Drinkify- 10 ounces of Red Bull, 10 ounces of Finlandia Vodka
Hipsterify- 200 ounces of Purple Rain poured into a porcelain bathtub

In the meantime, while I regain my focus, please enjoy this photo of a typical Sunday afternoon for me.

Actually, this is my Ryan Gosling character in one of our SXSW bumpers. How it looks like Ryan Gosling, I have no idea. Also, I can’t act my way out of a paper bag.

I’ve been on Pinterest for a few months now. I rarely used it and it had about as much appeal to me as covering my entire body in Nair.

With it’s broadening popularity and user presence, I began noticing that people are doing some pretty creative stuff on it.

Austin ad agency GSD&M’s “SXSW Survival Guide” is a great example of how Pinterest can be so much more than just a bunch of photos of shoes or houses you’ll never be able to afford.

Inspired by this project and trying to find the best avenue for a relocation guide to Austin, I created a series of boards with popular neighborhoods in our city, neighborhoods people would want to move to. I included business, homes, the cost of living, museums etc. Often I get emails or comments from folks telling me that they’re thinking about moving here and I thought having a visual on Pinterest would be a perfect answer!

If you’re on Pinterest, you can follow me here. Please leave your username in the comments below so I can follow you too!

If you have any suggestions to add to the boards below, please let me know! I’m still updating the boards. This took me several days to make and it will evolve over time.

Thinking of Moving to Austin? A Pinterest Relocation Guide

The boards:

Clarksville- this downtown neighborhood is within walking distance to many popular shops, but real estate and rent is quite high (includes Enfield area) $$$-$$$$

South Austin- this hip and family-friendly neighborhood is home to many favorite local businesses. Real Estate is affordable for considering how close it is to Downtown and renters can find good deals. $$

University Area- the University area is covered in students, but the neighborhood features some favorite hangout spots and affordable places to rent. $$

North Loop – this Northern Central neighborhood is popular with families but more young entrpreneurs are opening businesses here. Real Estate is growing here, but you can find good deals, as can renters. $$

Crestview- this Northern Central neighborhood is popular with families but more young entrepreneurs are opening businesses here as well. Real Estate is a little high for what you get, but you can find good deals, as can renters (includes Allendale neighborhood). $$

Hyde Park – Hyde Park is a family-friendly neighborhood that caters to both old and new alike. There is a homey feeling in this historical neighborhood. Real estate is high, but you can find some good deals, as can renters. $$-$$$

South Congress- this close to Downtown neighborhood features old and new boutiques and restaurants and is popular with locals and tourists. Real estate is expensive, but renters can find some good deals (includes Travis Heights and Bouldin Creek neighborhoods). $$$

Downtown Austin- this neighborhood is mostly condos and lofts, but is a popular place for young people to hang out. Real estate and rent is expensive. $$$-$$$$

East Austin- this neighborhood is where old meets new and is popular with artists an young entrepreneurs. Real estate is still affordable here and you can find great deals on rent. P.S. This is my hood! (includes Cherrywood and Holly neighborhoods) $-$$

So, this weekend I got my first, “you’re not a good writer” comment.

KA-POW!

Straight into the nuts.

Sheeeeeeeiiiit that stung like a whoopee cushion exploding against your bare ass after you stuck it in your underwear.

I pouted like a little bitch about it for the next two hours. I looked to my boyfriend for child-like affirmation and even took to trusty ol’ Twitter to share my lament. Who the hell needs a psychiatrist when you have social media to tell you exactly what you want to hear?

I already emo’d about the negative comments I’ve received lately in another blog post, and you were all nice enough to write sweet comments to make me less butt hurt. I’m not writing this to fish any additional saccharine from you. I’m writing about this now because this is the first time someone has attacked my writing capabilities, and in that I realize it will be the first of many times that happens.

Because I’m fairly new to this whole freelance writing thing, I’m like a child being expelled from the womb for the first time, and realizing that the world is an angry and critical place. I’m like the high school student that looks up to their inspirational teacher only to find out that they’re a raging drunk that captures squirrels (not purple ones) and beats them on a daily basis. Because I was only writing on my blog previously, I was shielded from the fact that the Internet is a battlefield. Similar to when I would ask my mother if I was mentally challenged and I figured she was just too afraid to tell me the truth, I feel like most people have been kind enough not to tell me that I suck ass at the one thing I enjoy doing most in this world other than eating sweet potato tater tots.

I’m in the early stages of attempting to be an artist where you go, “Whoa whoa WHOA! Wait a minute! You mean not everyone likes what I do?” After hearing from other writers on Twitter and Facebook, I’m learning that this will be a string of many put downs and heartaches that will lead to a life full of drinking, talking to feral cats and developing a wide-eyed, vacant look on my face.

The commenter who told me I was not a good writer kind of has a point. I’m new to this. I’m still in my twenties. If I were good at it, I would probably be one of those annoying folks who were quoting Shakespeare at three years of age (those people are boring). Even some of the folks that got published at a young age- let’s look at Bret Easton Ellis, for example- were still at the very bottom of their game. I don’t think Bret Easton Ellis looks at Less Than Zero and goes, “Shit, I plateaued at twenty. I’m just going downhill with my talent from here.” Or maybe he does. Maybe he has one massive ego. Who knows? All I know is that right now I just feel comfortable enough calling myself writer with no adjective in front of it. Maybe in ten years I’ll be good and maybe in another twenty years I’ll be amazeballs (will a phrase like amazeballs even make it 2032?)! I come from the mindset that an artist gets better with experience and so far my experience is minimal. In my early twenties I didn’t even bother writing because I felt I had nothing to draw from other than the “problems” of a whiny, middle class white girl. I’m not one of those lucky few who have an overactive imagination and can write epic science fiction or fantasy stories. My overactive imagination mostly leaves me in a perpetual state of Deer Caught in Headlights Stance. I figure that at any moment I’m going to be killed, so writing, “Oh my GOD! A solar fire is going to strike me down!” over and over probably isn’t that interesting.

On a side note- I don’t have anyone to edit my shit and I’m still trying to recall the very little I learned in English class. All my English teachers, but one, gave us A’s as long as we turned in our work. I probably have the grammatical education of an eight year-old. At least that is something I can learn, which is why I would like to pay $25,000 that I don’t have to go back to college to make sure I’m putting commas in the right places. I also read and write every day which has helped significantly.

I figure that real talent comes down to the way that you regurgitate your experience and make your work relatable, which is something I’m growing in. Or just having the confidence in yourself to keep going and know that one day people will be saying, “Holy shit! I’m blinded by how awesome your writing skills are!”

I felt compelled to make a Jeff Goldblum Valentine’s Day card today.

via Brandon Bird

via Ryantinesday

via Fuck Yeah Jeff Goldblum

via Buzzfeed

via Happy Place

via The Oatmeal

via Happy Place

via Storycorps

I secretly love reading self-help articles written by people who have no formal training in telling you how to live your life.

In my scavenging for these articles on such sites like Huffington Post, The Frisky and any bubbly-logo’d site aimed towards my demographic, I occasionally come across posts condemning the act of longing. “Longing prevents us from fulfilling our dreams and moving forward in life,” they say. If we’re stuck in the past and long for people, places and things that are realistically unattainable, then we will never truly enjoy our lives.

These articles often hit home for me, because I realize that I’m a person that does indeed live in the past and not “in the now.” I long for my childhood, places I’ve lived, places I’ve never been to, my family, my friends, people that I miss. I’m constantly suspended in a perpetual state of romanticism. I also realize that all of these factors play an intricate part in my writing. They are daily inspiration and reoccurring themes and fodder.

This observation led me to wonder that without longing, would half of the world’s greatest works of art, music, literature and cinema even exist?

Here are some artists whose greatest work stemmed from longing…

CONTINUE…