Maybe it's a young 20-something kind of thing to be self-absorbed, obnoxious, and judgemental, but I have found it to be most apparent within the 'hipster' culture.

At 20, I'm still struggling with learning those two lessons, and still trying to see the difference between 'niceness' and 'kindness' in my own behavior. I'm really glad that you came out of your experience a stronger person.

I struggle with being a doormat too. I was always proud on the 'sweet' and 'sacrificing' persona I showed to others, until a situation last year when that same 'niceness' caused all of my peers to start avoiding me like the plague. (I was in a foreign country and only knew several other students from my home…

If it will give you peace of mind, I would get a one-piece. It's probably best to err on the side of 'too modest', right? Hopefully they pay you enough that a swimsuit won't take too much out of your paychecks, and if you're wearing it just for the job it doesn't need to be ultra-fashionable or anything.

I feel like this article is more poking fun at hipstery guys and girls who are really into the whole DIY woodland paradise thing. I go to art school, these people and their Mason jars / Herschel backpacks are everywhere.

Being able to pin my favorite illustrations and artworks instead of downloading them has saved my computer. I don't pin art as much as I should but I love looking through my classmate's design pins. She finds the weirdest stuff.

Agreeing with blue_myself, Pinterest is so useful for artists and designers! I use it to 'collect' illustrations that I find really interesting, and whenever I feel uninspired I go and take a look through what I've pinned - and it saves a lot of space on my computer.

Ice cream bread is popular where my dad is from (Singapore) but my mom said she ate it all the time growing up in Brazil. I'm not sure if it's a Brazilian thing either, but there is (was?) a sizable Asian population in Brazil.

My mom eats ice cream this way all the time, except she uses potato bread slices.

From what I know, these electron microscope images turn out in monochrome and scientists will color stuff in later so they're easier to tell apart.

I second the advice to see a therapist or doctor if you feel like things are getting to be too much. For the past few months I've also been struggling with depression and finding a therapist has really helped make things a little more bearable.

Don't have any advice on how to feel about the age difference, but I totally feel you about the mess thing. My boyfriend (also an artist) is the messiest person I've ever met. It's started to really stress me out to spend time at his place because the whole floor of his room is covered in sketches, books and old…

Hmm, very interesting. Maybe it also has to do with the type of couple getting married? I've seen orders for twee cutesy invitations run up to $4k so I'd always imagined the kind of person willing to do that would be spending exponentially more on the actual event.

I also find that DIY-ing tends to have that effect. :( I think a lot of it just has to do with experience and what materials are available - a lot of the fancy stuff comes in bulk sizes and aren't practical for doing a one-time invitation set. But at least you get the satisfaction of having made something on your own!

Haha! I used to pick misprints out of the trash because the design/colors were so beautiful and I couldn't let them go to waste.

I'm not old enough to have friends getting married, but has anyone seen a trend in super fancy, personalized wedding stationery?

I second EmpressZombie's suggestion of different beer-related activities. One of my coworkers took her beer enthusiast dad to a local brewery where they have tons of different homemade brews on tap. If he and your sibling live near a brewery that offers tours or hosts parties, that could be an option? (Disclaimer: I…

Seconded.

Thank you! I recently bought my own domain name and put up my portfolio :) Most of the competitions I find seem to find have pretty steep entry fees ($15-40 per piece), but hopefully worth it in the end. I hadn't thought of your third point - I should get writing!

Thanks! I've been taking design and typography classes and have worked for a few small stationery designers; currently in the process of applying for bigger studios and advertising places. Hopefully by the time I graduate I'll have a good body of work in both design and illustration. Take that, stupid hiring manager!