An Introduction

Hi there. I'm glad you're here. If this wasn't the internet I'd offer you a nice gin and tonic and we
could sit on the front porch and talk. I love to talk about things. And gin and tonic.

Let me introduce myself. I'm Julie. My family calls me Spencer. I answer to both. That's me up there posing for an embarrassing mirror picture just because I was proud of my top bun (do you know how hard that was to perfect?). I live in Austin. I like honey whiskey and sweet tea. I listen to a lot of the James Vincent McMorrow and the Arctic
Monkeys. I like to read, watch Modern Family and The Walking Dead, go to live music shows,
and spend time with friends. And if I could dress like anyone it would be Alexa Chung (but I
guess every girl would). I also have a cat but don't classify me as a cat-lady quite yet.

Now that we know a little about each other let's talk about growing up.

 I came out of college doe-eyed, idealistic, and similar to many in my generation - a self-proclaimed dreamer. "It won't be that hard to make it!" I thought. I mean come on- I'm creative, unique, have a lot to offer, and work hard. In my dreams I glided seamlessly into the non-profit field (work for a for-profit or even (gasp) corporate company? NEVER!), enjoyed quick success, and still managed to make time for my own creative endeavors on the side. In my mind, I wouldn't ditch my ideals nor my cool for a day job.

That was in 2007.

This adult world I've found myself in is packed full of hard working, endlessly creative,
ridiculously talented professionals and I'm not as unique as I thought I was. My hard work needs
to be harder work (let's be honest- it needs to be hardest work), I landed a job at a corporate
company and although I like it, finding time for my own creative work has been really
difficult.

This adjustment into what some people call "responsibility" (whatever that means) is a long
haul and it's difficult. And let's be honest- I'm far from what people would call a normal career
girl. Perhaps it's that dreamer in me but I don't think growing up and succumbing to a career
means I have to sacrifice my ideals, aspirations, or even my so-called cool (I'm having a very hard time trading my skinny black jeans and over-sized tanks for more appropriate office attire).

I know I'm not the only one who's finding herself trying to balance these two things in this
generation of countless idealists. So here at Ripped Tights and Pin Stripes let’s talk about it all. About the good, the bad, the style, the business sleazes, and all about making it work. I believe we could learn from one another.

For all you regulars - this is the major blog overhaul I mentioned a couple months ago. Thank you for your patience and for your reads. I would love to hear your input as things continue to change and grow over here at Ripped Tights and Pin Stripes.