ariana decastro

Hi, hello! May I just say that it feels so good to be back?! For my new readers, welcome. For my former (and shall I say, loyal) readers, welcome back.

This is the new arianadecastro.com. It’s still as colorful and pink as ever. It’s still a bit all over the place (you’ll find recipes, and poetry, and book reviews, and photography, and travel diaries, and skincare tips, and…OK, you get where I’m going here). But I’ll tell you what has changed: Me.

I told myself that this blog would be for me. For me to share the genuine “me.” The good, the bad, and the really ugly. And by sharing my truth, my hope is that this blog ends up feeling like it’s for you too.

So much growth has happened since my blog launched in 2015. I was still a sophomore in college then and surprisingly had a lot of time on my hands. But that changed. I went through a really difficult creative writing block and I really had no enthusiasm for writing. Not short stories, not blog posts, not even journaling.

You can imagine how particularly traumatic this time was for me, because I mean, all I knew myself to be was a writer. And I couldn’t write? It was a period of total crisis.

I eventually found my way out of that block (I promise to tell you more about that journey soon), but I missed the innocence behind my writing and doing it for the sole purpose of just doing it because I loved it.

All I focused on in college was getting published, and hoped that if I get published enough, I’d eventually get paid for it. But it was a taxing, daunting cycle. It sucked all the love I had for writing.

A few other health reasons contributed to my hiatus, but I knew I had to stop using uncontrollable situations as an excuse and make a commitment to myself to begin writing again. And I wanted my current rebirth to happen where it all started: blogging.

It began circa 2007 in the Myspace bulletin boards. Then, for years, I bore my deepest, darkest feelings on Tumblr. And eventually, I had my very own space. Unfortunately, I just didn’t know who I was at the time and sharing parts of myself became really, truly scary. Baring vulnerability was too hard for me. But I’m trying to change that.

This relaunch is happening because I’m finding bits and pieces of who I am and want to be, and I’d like to have you along through the journey.

My biggest hope is that in this creative space, you find a little of yourself in me and I find a bit of myself in you.
Let’s be friends. ♡

With love—always,
Ariana

Have you ever looked at someone’s Instagram feed and think, “Just how do they do that?” You probably see their followers commenting, “Feed goals,” and you think, “I wish my photos were pretty like that.”

Well, you’re not alone.

For so many people, Instagram has been a portfolio of their photographic work. It’s become more than just a place to filter your selfies with and has really become a place that people showcase their photographic skills.

Some people just click their camera once and get a great photo, but for many people, it takes more than one try. For amateurs like myself, I’ve found a quick way to accomplish getting a visually appealing photo on Instagram.

The main two things I use when I take photos are my handy dandy LED lamp and white rug from IKEA.

The white light from the LED lamp allows me to achieve great lighting, even when I’m taking pictures at night, and the white rug gives me a solid background that brings cohesiveness to all of my photos no matter where I am.

VSCO also plays a huge part of how well my photos look. It’s my favorite photo-editing app because it has so many filters and so many editing tools as well. Many of the editing options don’t over-filter photos, but merely enhances them, which is what filters are meant for.

I really suggest that you download VSCO app if you love to take photos!

So those are my secret weapons in achieving many of the my most-liked Instagram photos.

But lighting and background aside, I think what makes someone’s Instagram so appealing is when it has cohesiveness to it and that the photos really represent that person’s interests.

Instagram is my favorite social network because I don’t need to know someone to follow them– I just have to like their photos, and on Instagram, people’s photos represent their interests.

Make sure you showcase yours!

Watch the video above to see a step-by-step “behind the scenes” video of how I take my photos for Instagram!

Author: ariana decastro

A New Space for Me — and For You!