Tie-dye, life ramblings, and Jhené Aiko.

Top: Daydreamer LA // Skirt: Zara // Necklace: H&M // Flats: STEVEN by Steve Madden

Photos by MSL Photography

I’ve always been a huge Jhené Aiko fan straight from the mixtape, but recently I saw an interview she did, and I love how she truly embodied the “hippie” mentality of peace, love, and happiness. She has so much love for the world and humankind despite all the things life threw her way. At the age of 20, she had an (adorable) baby named Namiko. In 2012, she lost her brother to cancer. So, in a way, this look was inspired by Jhené Aiko and the depth of her poetic lyrics.

Similarly, I, too, have been steadfastly working to keep my focus on the positives that can propel myself forward in life while still keeping in mind to acknowledge and grow from the negatives. So if you feel hung up on mistakes you made or a period in your life that hurt you deeply, pivot away from the mindset that there could be something you could have done and look forward to what you can do to cultivate yourself into the best person you can be. It’s so important to love yourself and who you are in the present moment so that you can allow yourself to move forward with an ardent belief in your spirit as well as a strong foundation.

One of my all-time favorite songs by Jhené Aiko is called “Spotless Mind” from her album Souled Out. In the song, Jhené talks about her wandering, alternative soul that is ever-changing. She accepts that that’s just the way she is and doesn’t attempt to alter what is true to herself for another. Her message really stuck with me because it reminds us all to not sell our souls to live up to some expectation, but to sail with our souls through life; to stay true to who we are and what we feel is genuine within ourselves…because in Jhené’s words, “it’s the one thing we can always take with us wherever it is we go.”