apropos of nothing
favorites
My daughter, all animals ever, the smell of dirt, ramen, the ocean, gardening, hiking, well designed stuff regardless of purpose.
pet peeves
Repeating myself, people who complain a lot, messes, being interrupted, people who don’t pay attention to their surroundings
media
Horror movies, true crime stories, every single music genre, clever & low-key comedy, books that haunt you years later (“Never Let Me Go”), Steven Universe.
weird-isms
I have a made up language for my daughter and animals that includes such phrases as “Squablie Squoobs”, “fwog toe”, and “snicker snout.”
Gallery
what's the point?
community
I would love to foster a community of people focused on self-development, social awareness, kindness in action and thought, and desire to change the world. Humans are adorable little creatures with so much to offer others, but we are rarely pushed to be better versions of ourselves with the emphasis instead being on how to make more money, get more stuff, and succeed despite the suffering of other members of our world. Ideally, the community Oh, Jolie! fosters would be one that other humans would see as inspirational, if not to join, then to create their own world-changing, compassionate, and creative community.
acceptance
We have come a long way in accepting different neurological abilities as well as mental illnesses, but we are no where near where we need to be as a society. In my own small way, I would like to create a safe space for people to explore the hard parts of being human in our world. We often feel alone and different and it causes us to try to change ourselves without the core understanding of how we developed our issues over time. Without understanding and accepting how we came to be where we are, for better and worse, we can’t make positive changes in our lives. Everyone deserves that acceptance and tolerance in themselves.
development
You’re not always going to feel great about where you are in life, and that’s ok. Sometimes you’re just doing your best and your best isn’t aspirational. We live our lives thinking that if we aren’t Instagram inspiration, we aren’t doing well, but that’s an unrealistic metric for feeling good about your life. Say it with me, social media isn’t real. Are you working on your spirit? Are you giving back to your community? Are you actively looking at your programming and seeing what’s unhealthy, unrealistic, abusive, and lacking in compassion? Are you working to educate yourself on issues that aren’t familiar? That’s what I want to inspire.
passion projects
self-help
I have a passion for evidence-based self-help techniques that are accessible to all and easy to implement. I don’t believe there’s one “secret” to achieving your goals and I find the majority of touted methods to be inaccessible and rooted in logical fallacies that are inherently victim-blaming, classist or racist (and a lot of times, both), and too “woo” for most folks. Self-help can take many forms, but at its core it should be easy to work with regardless of your socio-economic background.
design
There are many ways to design a space, product, or lifestyle that works best for the user and fits an aesthetic ideal. I’m obsessed with good design, regardless of whether I gravitate toward the aesthetic values of the item. There are many ways of being but there are always guidelines to creating the best outcome. I love playing with design and finding beauty in things to which I may or may not have an immediate affinity. I try not to define things as good or bad, but judge it on its ability to fully realize its potential.
entertainment
The best way to deliver a message is with the principals of entertainment in mind. I love creating humorous, vulnerable, and educational material and I don’t think this medium works without all three in tandem. You can learn from anyone you meet, but you’re more likely to receive the information they have to give if you’re truly kept captivated. There is a psychological component to creating media that sticks, and, even when I don’t fully succeed, I love the challenge.
