Pardon my enthusiasm, but it’s coming out of me like crazy today. Alex Yeske, one of my go-to blogger and design inspirers is giving us a look into her inspirations and her working space. This girl has some killer style, and I was so glad to have been introduced to her through the blogging world last year. She just moved apartments in NYC and it was perfect timing for her to be featured here, if I do say so myself! Now, let’s let Alex take it away. 

Hi everyone! I’m Alex and I am a graphic designer, currently working for Madewell in NYC. I also blog over at Dreams + Jeans and do freelance work when I have the time!

What gets you jazzed?

Exceptional typography, unexpected color palettes, anything black + white, stripes, unique printed pieces… the list goes on!

Where do you go to find inspiration, and what are you inspired by?

Living in NYC is inspiration in and of itself. I’m constantly learning about new things, going to new exhibits, passing by interesting stores… It is ever-changing and serves as great inspiration. I spend an enormous amount of time on the internet so I have to say that I find a lot of inspiration online from various websites including Pinterest, Designspiration and other blogs.

Tell me a little about this project and how it was inspired:

I originally did this project as a DIY gift idea for a friend’s blog. I was inspired to take a stab at monogramming something myself after seeing all of Clare Vivier’s monogrammed goodies. It was a fun projects & definitely took me out of my comfort zone – you can see the step-by-step here.

How has blogging effected your creative life, and vice versa?

I started blogging the summer before my senior year of college and it helped me meet and interact with a group of people who had similar interests. It opened my eyes to so much that I didn’t have access to living in upstate NY and allowed me a creative outlet outside of my intense design major. It also helped me with networking which is ultimately how I got my current job!

 If you could give one tip to the rest of us, what would that be?

My one tip would be to learn that it’s okay to say no. Too often I’ve found myself in a place where I’ve said yes to too many commitments and have completely overwhelmed myself with work. I’m now learning to be choosier about what I decide to do, especially in my free time. I never force myself to blog if I don’t have something I really want to post about and I don’t take on freelance work that I don’t feel passionate about. It’s been an important lesson for me when balancing a full-time job, a blog, freelance work and regular life.

Thank you thank you Alex! Please be sure to check out more of Alex’s work on her blog, Dreams and Jeans.