What a Way To End 2015!

Heyyyy y'all! I HAVE to share how I spent my last couple of days of 2015. Okay so check this out, I found out that Elhae would be performing in DC on December 30th at the Fillmore in Silver Springs, Maryland as an opening act for Jazmine Sullivan (talk about a win win!) and of course I was on those tickets like white on rice! Lol I was able to get tickets and was beyond excited to attend the performance. When I arrived at the venue, the line was literally wrapped around the building. I was so nervous that I would miss Elhae as the time was approaching showtime. I finally get to the doors to walk in the venue JUST to find out that I had missed his entire performance. Y'all! I was so mad I literally wanted to cry! Shortly after being told that information my older sister Kim texted me asking, "How is the concert going?". I then replied back, "Well I missed the one person I paid to see bc they were holding the line so I'm pissed" "Like beyond" "Nothing can ever go right for me". My sister then replied back to me, "Everything happens for the right reason". I did not see her message immediately because I was so mad I decided to move to the other side of the venue to at least find better vision to see the rest of the show. As soon as I got to the other side of the venue I noticed someone who I thought looked just like Elhae. I turned to my best friend who had accompanied me to the show and told her that I thought the person I saw was indeed him. I then told her "I'm going to see I don't care". Lol Lo and behold it was Elhae himself and he was more than willing to take the time to converse with me regarding his music. I let him know that I was upset about being unable to see him perform however, I was also able to tell him how "Halfway Love" was my favorite song and also how I could relate to some of the emotions he expressed in "Her". Even though I was not able to see him perform, something about having a personal one on one conversation with an artist I listen and relate to everyday was actually more fulfilling. It is so crazy how pessimistic I was when I replied to my sister telling her nothing ever works out for me because literally right after that something major occurred. It was almost like God was saying "anyone can pay and see him perform Kourtney but who can say they had a chance to actually converse with one of their favorite artists?". I am BEYOND grateful for that moment. In that instant I was able to see that it's not that things don't ever work out for me but rather they aren't always going to happen the way I plan or want and sometimes, just as in this case, they may happen in a way that's even better. I was at a loss for words after meeting him and afterwards I was able to see the message from my sister that said "Everything happens for the right reason". She couldn't have been more right! I will never forget that moment! Ever! 

Peace & Good Vibes

Harmonious Kourt

W/ Elhae

Just Harmonious Kourt

Holiday Lookbook Fun!

Hey Hey! Happy Monday! I just wanted to share with you all some recent filming I did with my good friend Crystal on her YouTube channel. As I mentioned in a recent post I am so thankful that Crystal allows me to be apart of her vision as I love expressing myself through art. In this particular video Crystal allowed me to dress in my own comfortable chic style! She also decided to use music from one of my favorite artists which I also wrote about in a previous post. Below is the video from her channel! Please subscribe, comment, & like!

Peace & Good Vibes

Harmonious Kourt

A Little Goes A Long Way....

Hey Hey! Being that 2015 is coming to a close I wanted to take the time to think back on my original post and how I got into wanting to become a minimalist. That was wayyyyyyyyyyyy back in February when I wasn't even sure if I would ever get the courage to share my blog. Since then I have dove deeper into minimalism but I have also become more and more introspective in regards to what it does for me and my life. Anyone who knows me knows I don't give a damn about what anyone tries to offer me when it comes to monetary things or possessions. I'm a feeler! I like to feel everything lol I've found that tangible things don't make me feel like genuine love, happiness and positive energy. So for me that's what drives my minimalistic lifestyle. Of course I have my moments when I buy myself something here and there but what has changed is me being able to acknowledge that it's just stuff. Let me tell you! Once you realize "it's just stuff" you feel so much more free. My personal space is a lot more open as well as clutter free and I don't assign so much meaning to my possessions anymore. I honestly find more joy in giving back to those less fortunate and I am thankful that God has allowed me to do so.  Minimalists search for happiness not through things, but through life itself. It's up to you to determine what is necessary and what isn't in your life. I'm just beyond thankful that I've been able to weed out what I feel is excess in my life and have begin to focus on what is more important. I've definitely been more happy, more fulfilled, and more free! Please comment below and let me know if you're a minimalist or a growing minimalist like myself! I would love to know your thoughts on it.

Peace & Good Vibes

Harmonious Kourt

Do Everything With Kindness!

                                                     "Whatever you do, do with kindness.

Whatever you say, say with kindness.

Wherever you go, radiate kindness."

The Other Crystal!

Hey Y’all! Today I wanted to share some of the cool stuff I do in my spare time. I LOVE YOUTUBE! I am subscribed to so many channels and I enjoy watching all the content creators share their hobbies, stories, and passions with their viewers. Well it just so happens one of my dearest friends is a YouTube content creator/ video blogger....you guessed it, it’s my girl Crystal. Crystal’s channel is entitled “TheOtherCrystal” and I’ve had the pleasure of being featured on her channel many times. Crystal is one of the dopest individuals I know! There’s no need to go on and on because her work and creativity speaks for itself! Please check out her channel! Like, comment, and subscribe to "TheOtherCrystal" on YouTube. She also recently launched her website TheOtherCrystal.com. Check her out! 

It’s Beauty In The Struggle

Hey Hey! I wanted to use this post to share something I found very insightful. I had the pleasure of attending a lovely holiday luncheon with the company I work for and one of the guests in attendance shared a great story that touched on how there is beauty and benefits in struggling. I looked the story up and decided to pass it along in hopes that someone will find it as motivating as i did! It goes as follows: 

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat
and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body
through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as
far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the
butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of
the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.

But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to
watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would
enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a
swollen body and shriveled wings.

It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the
restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through
the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the
butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved
its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us
to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would
not be as strong as what we could have been.

And we could never fly.

MUSIC MONDAYS!!

Hey Hey! I love music and discovering artists whose music makes me "feel" and allows me to connect with them while listening. I found that exact thing in a Canadian artist by the name of Elhae. Since first listening to "Aura" a work he did 11 months ago I've been hooked. I can relate to a lot of the experiences he speaks on and I love how open he is with expressing his emotions through his music. One of my favorite songs is entitled "Halfway Love". I decided to share it with you guys in hopes that you'll give it a listen and be just as moved as I was. I hope you enjoy! 

"I'm living in the future, seducing you with music so how you tryna do this?" 

Fall Birthday Behavior!

My favorite fall look goes to my 26th birthday get up! I was SO apprehensive about turning 26 and getting older until I popped on my birthday ensemble. Can i say i felt like a WOMAN! haha! Everything came together so well and I genuinely felt so good once I got all dressed up and painted the town. I am so thankful to see another year and I am beyond ready for what 26 has to offer. I can sense a good year ahead!

Peace & Good Vibes

-Harmonious Kourt 

Comfy Sweaters, Warm Drinks & Pretty Colors!

Hey Hey! I am in love with all things fall and I 

decided to take a few pictures of myself embracing the fall weather while taking a little stroll on the streets of DC! I genuinely enjoy the change of weather and watching the leaves change colors. What a beautiful reminder that change is necessary and evolution is inevitable! Hope y’all are enjoying the fall as much as I am! 

Peace & Good Vibes! 

Harmonious Kourt

Where’s the Peace? Positivity?

I have been super busy with school, work, and interning and I haven’t given the proper amount of time to some of the things I want. I spoke in my previous posts about real genuine peace of mind and how I wanted to acquire this from within however, I have been slipping on giving myself the attention I deserve to get this. I get so caught up in the obligations I have for school and work that I don’t take the time to spend time with Kourtney. As a result, I become stagnant and in the same place I said I did not want to be. Complaining and wishing that things were different. That is not a way to live! I say all this to say, be persistent when it comes to manifesting your desires. Just as I stay busy with school and work, I need to stay busy with Kourtney. You must stay persistent to better understand your own needs. I hope i’ve encouraged you to become more in tune with yourself and the things you desire. After all, you deserve what you desire! 

Peace & Good Vibes 

HarmoniousKourt

Goodbye Summer Break!

Hey yall! It's that time of the year again and if you've read any of my earlier posts I mentioned that I was a doctoral student. With it being mid- August that means it's back to school time for me! I always pick up a few items that are must have's for a productive and organized semester. Here is a list of the items I always need to get me motivated for the semester ahead. 

1. A planner: I HAVE to be organized at all times. With a planner on hand I can stay on top of all assignments I need to have completed at school as well as work. I need structure or I'll go crazy lol 

2. A 3 or 5 subject notebook: Depending on the amount of classes I have in a semester I'll either need a 3 or 5 subject notebook. I like to keep all notes together in one notebook so I never have to worry about picking up the wrong notebook or leaving it at home. 

3. A folder: I keep a folder on hand to keep all handouts I'm given in & also my syllabi for each class until I'm used to my new schedule and the location of each of my courses. 

4. Loose leaf paper: I always need loose leaf paper on hand in case my professors ask us to do anything that needs to be handed in. You don't want to have to tear paper out of your notebook. It looks super messy and that's a no no! Especially in a doctoral level course. 

5. My laptop: This probably should've been #1 on my list for obvious reasons. In college, whether it's undergrad or graduate, your laptop is your best friend! Your laptop is pretty much linked to any assignments you have to do. 

6. A backpack/tote: Depending on the books and materials I need for a semester, I always make sure I have a sturdy BUT stylish school bag. I haven't chosen which one I will use yet but I will definitely update you all when I do! :) 

7. Pens & Highlighters: I need good writing pens because I take A LOT of notes! I also need highlighter so reading and studying. Highlighters are a great way to signify and keep track of  key points. 

So those are my must have items for a new semester! I hope you all who are in school have a wonderful semester and share with me what your favorite back to school items are! 

Peace & Good Vibes,

Harmonious Kourt 

A Book Worth Reading!

Hey guys! I'm back again and this time I want to share my thoughts on a book I recently finished reading. I got my hands on Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" and it was absolutely amazing! I finished the book in two nights because I simply could not put it down! I mean from start to finish I was truly captivated by its' content. Coelho touches on various themes throughout the book but the main theme was in regards to fulfilling ones own "Personal Legend". Coelho simply encourages the reader to follow their dreams. I don't know if it's because I'm in a point in my life where I want to be genuinely happy but I found this so inspiring! Everyone has their own personal legend or goals they want to accomplish but sometimes we never achieve them. Sometimes we get caught in the mist of all the other things that are being thrown our way that we neglect the things that make us happy or simply neglect our dreams and goals altogether. I was inspired to never give up on my dreams and happiness even if there are sacrifices and obstacles that I have to endure to achieve them. Life isn't always going to be easy and sometimes the cards we're dealt are downright scary, but I vow to never let my fears keep me away from my happiness. When we allow ourselves to be free, the universe will conspire to help us achieve all the things we wish to achieve and find our own personal legend. I hope I've encouraged you to get your hands on a copy! It's definitely worth it! 

Peace & Good Vibes! 

-Harmonious Kourt  

What have I been up to?

Check me out on my good friend Crystal’s youtube page! I was so happy to work with her again! Subscribe to her channel! TheOtherCrytal 

Enjoy! 

Hey Hey Hey! I used those awesome Creme of Nature products to do a braid-out and I wanted to update you all on how it turned out! I ended up loving how defined the style was and how bigger it got as the days progressed. I started with their Pure-licious Co-Wash, followed by their Moisturizing Deep Condition Hair Mask, and I styled with the Argon Buttermilk Leave-In conditioner. I would recommend these products to anyone with dry hair. My hair is a little on the drier side and these products gave me SO MUCH MOISTURE! Soooooo definitely two thumbs up for Creme of Nature and their great line of natural products! I can’t wait to try all the other goodies I got as well!

Creme of Nature Shine in Color Event!

Heyyyyy y’all! Once again I have some really cool stuff to share with you! I had the pleasure of attending another awesome event by Creme of Nature entitled “Shine In Color" and I had a wonderful time! Creme of Nature was celebrating the launch of their new line of hair colors. I met up with someone I vibed with at Curls Over Brunch and even ran into one of my favorite bloggers again! I was honored to be in the presence of so many beautiful natural women! The event was hosted by actress and model Africa Miranda and the evening was filled with hair talk and great advice. I even got more goodies from Creme of Nature! I look forward to attending many more events by Creme of Nature in the future. Check out the pictures below to get a glimpse of the event! 

w/ Africa Miranda 

I love Curls Curls Curls Curls! Curls I do ADORE!

Hello Everyone! It’s been a while but i’m back! It has gotten very hot and for me that means embracing my natural kinky-curly hair! Being a curly girl has caused me to be a bit of a product junkie. I LOVE trying new curly hair products! Tomorrow I will finally be trying some new goodies I got from attending Curls Over Brunch DC with YouTube beauty/lifestyle blogger Jade Kendle better known as LipsticknCurls! It was such a wonderful event and definitely a joy to be around other curly girls like myself. Below is a peek of the lovely items i received from attending the event which was sponsored by Creme of Nature! 

Hello April!

Hey Guys! Just wanted to share my horoscope for the month of April! Looks like the stars see fit for me to embark on my journey with minimalism. How coincidental is that?!? I take it as a sign that it's meant to be! I'm continuing to minimize and declutter my universe for the best! Join me if you like! 

Just have a mind as beautiful as mine!

Anxiety on Overdrive!

So as those who are close to me know, I have problems with anxiety. I am greatly affected by stressors that I feel I don't have control over or occur differently than I expected. I have found that my anxiety is provoked the most by my interactions with the people in my life and situations involving the people in my life. By nature my heart is bigger than myself, therefore I tend to have high hopes and expectations for the people and things I care about. There is a huge problem with that though! When you feel so deeply about everything and things don't go as expected, you're left with a great amount of disappointment. The disappointment comes from the high hopes and expectations that you have for these people or situations. No one likes to feel let down or as if they failed. These are the feelings that I mainly experience when this happens and that brings me stress and anxiety. I'm always wondering what I could've done differently on my part. When I meet people and I let them into my universe I don't see it as a temporary instance so when things go left it's hard for me to accept the change. I am aware that this happens all the time to many people, not just me, however, it takes a while for me to adjust.

When anxiety consumes you it's very hard to concentrate and find the motivation to do the things you know you have to do. I am in a doctoral program and I have many obligations to fulfill . Sometimes when I'm feeling anxious and tense I shut down and I don't want to do anything. My close friends always pick up on this and try to get me to talk about what I'm feeling. That's the type of behavior that makes me want to gain control of how I let situations affect me. I don't have time for any setbacks! Getting too attached to people and situations makes you forget about yourself and maybe even lose sight of yourself. You have to acquire your happiness from within and not rely on others for that. Happiness begins with you. Within myself I'll find freedom from stress and anxiety.  

I'm realizing now that sometimes SHIT HAPPENS! Shit happens and it may be beyond anything that I can do so it's up to me to free myself of the stress and anxiety. It has happened! The change, the disappointment, and maybe even the failure but I don't have to be stuck there. Trust me it's easier for me to write that than it is for me to practice it, but I promised myself I would find real freedom within myself so I have to let things go. This is my biggest internal challenge but I owe a worry free life to myself and I plan to acquire it. Even though I'm up at 2:09am writing this in the most heartless hour, I still have a place in my heart for forgiveness and faith that things will get better!

Peace & Good Vibes, 

Harmonious Kourt

What's Work With No Play?!

So I'm back! Just wanted to share with you all what I did this past weekend. Literally almost all my friends are involved in or simply enjoy art in some way. One of my really good friends Crystal is a photographer/ youtube blogger. I have done plenty photography projects with Crystal for fun and recently she asked me to be featured on her YouTube channel. This weekend we met up and I filmed for her first segment of "Girl who has time for makeup?". It was so much fun and I got to show her as well as her subscribers my make-up skills or lack thereof lol. So far on her social media she's posted photos and on March 5,2015 she'll be posting a sneak peak of the segment. The name of her youtube channel is "theothercrystal" and this is also her name on Twitter and IG! So subscribe to her channel and follow her on social media! She's truly dope! Hope you all enjoy! 

Starting on a journey...

So this is my first post ever and I want to use it to talk about life. I already know what you are probably thinking! “This girl is about to get real deep on us!” And truthfully I kind of am but not too much. Let's just see how this goes...bear with me people.

I was having a conversation with one of my friends (who are all the dopest people ever might I add) and we got on the subject of minimalism. I had never heard of the term before but I was quite intrigued by the idea of this lifestyle. Honestly, what intrigued me more was the idea that I was having a conversation and being enlightened about a lifestyle that sounded a lot like the life I was already living. If you don’t know, minimalism is about having the space and freedom in your life for what really matters. Minimalists describe minimalism as “a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution”. I don’t know about you but for me that was DOPE. 

Everyday I wake up with the intentions of contributing to the world in a beneficial way and letting energy into my world that does the same. Being able to weed out negativity and pessimism is what I have been currently working on. I just want to surround myself with all things genuine and pure. I have learned that no matter how my circumstances may seem, I have the control to be the change that I wish to see. I believe that life is more than money and material things. Yes we need money to live but I believe that is truly what we should use it for, TO LIVE. We should be mindful of the things we buy and how it makes us feel. I want the majority of the things I purchase to contribute to my life. I want to spend my money on helping others, traveling the world and embarking on new experiences. That is what I want my life to be about. I want to make beautiful memories with beautiful people. Now I know what you’re thinking, “this is where she has gotten deep on us”. I know it seems like a lot to take in and think about and trust me I am still trying to figure it out myself. I am a 25 year old evolving minimalist and I can guarantee you that I will look completely different and view minimalism completely different than a 20 year old or even 30 year old minimalist. 

All in all we all just want to find freedom and these are the things that I believe will allow me to find the freedom I long for. Freedom from fear, freedom from worry, and freedom from any guilt. REAL FREEDOM. I’m still learning and evolving and I look forward to my journey. Join me if you like. :)