Sunday Morning Manifesto: Choosing Authenticity Over Perfection

It's barely 9AM on a Sunday, and I'm already on my second coffee (don't judge - the fashion student life requires chemical assistance). Last night I stayed up sketching until my hand cramped, but something feels different this morning. Maybe it's the golden LA light streaming through my apartment window, or maybe it's because yesterday's realization about authentic design is still buzzing in my brain.

I woke up thinking about what Professor Rivera said in class Friday. That whole "authentic voice" thing has been living rent-free in my head since then. I pulled out my "secret" sketchbook this morning - you know, the one with all the designs I never show anyone because they feel too weird or personal or whatever - and I actually didn't hate what I saw?

There's this asymmetrical jacket I sketched last month with these unexpected pocket placements that I was too scared to develop for class. Looking at it now, I'm like... why was I hiding this? Because it doesn't look like what everyone else is doing? Isn't that literally the point of being a designer?

I've spent so much time trying to be the perfect fashion student, creating what I think will get approval, when the whole reason I got into fashion was because I wanted to express something unique. How did I forget that somewhere along the way?

So here's my Sunday morning manifesto: I'm done designing for imaginary critics. I'm done hiding my actual aesthetic because it might be "too much." Starting with my final collection, I'm creating from that authentic place, even when it's scary.

This feels like a tiny revolution happening in my IKEA-furnished apartment. Like I'm finally giving myself permission to be the designer I actually am, not the one I thought I should be.

Anyone else feel like they've been performing a version of themselves instead of just... being? Or is that just my 9AM coffee philosophy kicking in?