mahalo, new york city!

for me, my story is new york city.

this blog post has been a long one in the making as i wanted to choose my words wisely. earlier this summer i decided to leave my home in brooklyn and close the chapter to what has been three of the most epic years of my life...

three years ago, i received an opportunity to move to nyc; an opportunity that rocked my world completely. i had been living in los angeles but was feeling stuck in a rut and complacent. i had a great job with amazing mentors where i was learning something new everyday .. but still something was missing. so when i got the call offering me a job in manhattan, i said yes and didn't think twice about it. within two weeks i packed up my life, broke the lease on my apartment in west hollywood, shipped my car back to hawaii and off to the east coast i went. 

i can only describe new york city in one way : a place full of dreamers who do anything but sleep. there really is something special about living in the city; you feel it the moment you lay eyes on the skyline.. an energy like no other place in the world. the beginning wasn't easy. actually, i'd be lying if i said living there didn't suck at times. ever wanna know what it feels like to be completely alone even though you are surrounded by thousands of people? i hope not, but new york city can make you feel that way. its all part of the experience, one of many experiences that changed me. 

it was a great ride and i don't regret a single second of my time spent out east. if someone were to ask me to list five things that new york city taught me, i'd tell them this:

1. DON'T EVER SETTLE FOR COMFORTABLE .. when i was comfortable, i wasn't being challenged, which then made me feel bored .. and when i was bored, i was complacent, and when i was complacent, i was unhappy. new york city is not for the comfortable. bottom line : don't settle for comfortable.  
2. WHEN YOU SAY ITS NOT POSSIBLE, IT WONT HAPPEN ..sitting in fashion school 5 years ago, the reality of owning my own business seemed unattainable. i would think, "yeah that all sounds great and all, but its not possible because of (x,y & z reason). at some point though (idk maybe around the end of 2013?) my excuses became excuses and i was running out of reasons as to why i couldn't. the minute i changed my attitude and started believing i could, I DID. 
3. PEOPLE ARE JUST PEOPLE ..i used to be so easily influenced by individuals around me who i perceived as "better" because they held a higher job title, worked for a super cool brand or even dressed a certain way. new york city taught me to cut through the bullshit of these people and draw a line of respect for everyone no matter how big or small. there is nothing wrong with speaking up for what you believe in. if you smell something, say something. (thanks jon stewart)
4. TAKE TIME TO FOCUS ON YOURSELF .. i've found a great deal of peace and internal balance by making it a point to spend at least 30 minutes a day reflecting in silence with a candle lit of my favorite scents from anthropologie, unplugged from all technology and noise around me. 
5. READ THE ALCHEMIST .. if its only at least once in your life. and please, don't read it just so you can slap a cliche quote from the book on your body in some form of a tattoo without really understanding the importance of it's philosophy. 

and when all is said and done, all i can say is, thank you to the people i have made such positive connections with in this city. never have i lived in a place surrounded by so much inspiration built by hard working individuals who aren't afraid of the hustle. call it cliche, but i absolutely believe that if you can make it in new york city, you can make it anywhere. 

as for the future of dolkii. hawaii is where yasmin and i planted the seeds, but brooklyn  is absolutely where this company has blossomed. we will continue to grow and evolve each day as we will now plant our roots in los angeles & hawaii. this summer will bring about major change to our brand, concept and involvement with the community; yas & i are so excited for whats to come.

but for now .. hello LA. i believe i have some unfinished business with you.

a hui hou new york city! it's been epic.

xoxo, shaiyanne