covid notes 16

Things about style school, in no particular order.

 

I had to learn how to take a selfie. When I began style school, there were just three photos on my photo that identified themselves as selfies. They were, but the phone was not in my hand when they were taken.

 

Luckily, Stasia recommended a cheap tripod and Bluetooth shutter remote control that I purchased so I could set my phone up on said tripod and take a photo from afar. That took a lot of practice on my part, because I (think I) look shitty in photos, so a LOT of photos have to be taken to get good ones. It was so so hard for me, but I did it. And I still haven’t taken a regular selfie with my phone in my hand.

 

When I signed up for style school I thought I would be doing all the work alone in the house. Thanks to COVID-19, Tim started working from home the day I started style school. I wouldn’t tell him what I was doing, and he left me alone, god love him. But it totally changed the energy of the whole thing and made me even more self-conscious than I already am, which I did not think was possible. (I seriously didn’t tell him what I was doing until it was over, five weeks later.)

 

The class calls, which happened via Zoom, were the best part for me. In the beginning, I didn’t do them live but watched them later at night. When I started doing them live, I was glad I did, because you could watch the questions come in as people texted them and could chat on the side. You didn’t see that on the taped call. Again, because of my self-consciousness, I didn’t turn on my video or mic until THE VERY LAST CALL I WAS ON (before the class started, people could chat). I’m telling you this not only because it’s true, but to let you know how even though I am this self-conscious and easily frustrated, I loved style school.

 

I have told maybe one or two other people that I did style school. I’m guessing I would have told more people after the fact if we weren’t all on lockdown, but we are, and I just haven’t mentioned it.

 

In part maybe this is because I don’t want people to think suddenly maybe I’ll be stylish or something. You know, people looking for evidence that I went to style school, whatever the hell that is. I don’t want people looking at me with that eye, like I need to prove something or something should be different.

 

And that’s why I didn’t tell people about it while I was doing it. That was a point of contention, because the first week (remember this?) Stasia asked us to gather words from others that describe us. I didn’t want to explain what I was doing to anyone. I don’t like people watching me while I’m trying to learn something. The only way I could master the stick shift was to be left alone with the car. Just give me a little time by myself to get comfortable. I’m slow this way. I asked to retake Algebra I in ninth grade and not be tracked high into Algebra II. They didn’t let me, and I nearly failed. I know when I’m slow, but slow doesn’t mean unable. Please respect that, world.

 

Our group was SSS-19, the 19th style school. And it was the first style school when most of us, all around the world, were in some sort of lockdown. It became SSS-COVID-19. None of us could go shopping. Our closets became the ONLY places we needed to go for creativity. In the strangest way, this was awesome. (I still haven’t purchased any clothes since style school, even though I have things I’d like to have, because I fear mail order. Oh, and because my closet is actually serving me pretty well, it turns out, if I think about it a little bit.)

 

There were people in school with me from Denmark, Italy, India, Canada, all over the U.S. I think Stasia says there have been students on five or six continents. Can’t find that statistic now. It’s amazing how differently some of us can be culturally and yet our issues are so damn similar.

 

Schools are broken into (usually) four smaller groups, and you get tight with your own. They are Maya (Angelou, my group), Rosie (the Riveter), Amelia (Earhart), and Frida (Kahlo—our school was slightly smaller so we didn’t have this last group).

 

I never did my real closet edit (although I have done some closet edits before style school). I want to go back and go over ALL the material again, but I haven’t yet. I love the alumni group, which you can join when you’ve finished style school. Sometimes, when I’m feeling sad, I go there and immediately feel connected and supported and real again.

 

Here’s the link to her website (https://www.stasiasavasuk.com/stasias-style-school). Registration for the next school opens August 28, which probably means it starts sometime in September. I can’t tell you that you will love it. But I can tell you that I loved it. It was the worst timing ever for me, as well as the best. It’s helped me think differently about myself and about others. It’s helped me be more compassionate toward just about everyone.

 

And Tim has told me multiple times, without prompting, how good I look. Tiny changes. But he’s noticed.