inspirational people: vol 3. (amy notestein)

   For April's "Inspirational People" interview, I decided I wanted to focus on a person outside of my "internet-met" inspirations  and have someone I personally know. Amy came to my mind because of her passion for fashion that I've known about since our high school years, and her love for the windy city of Chicago where she currently resides. She is a Kansas Citian at heart, but her drive to experience outside of her common grounds and follow through with ideas that she set in her teen years is what can be inspiring to all. After working together with her in the fashion section of our high school news publication, it was a sense of accomplishment hearing about her wanderings in interning and blogging in Chicago.

   (Lindsey) Tell us a little more about you and what you do. (Amy)"I study public relations and journalism at DePaul University in Chicago. In between class and work, I intern at a high end luxury consignment shop called Luxury Garage Sale. I’m responsible for copy-editing clothing and accessory descriptions before going live on eBay, helping with social media content, and some daily administrative and operational tasks."

   When did you first develop an interest in fashion? How has it grown/changed over the years? "I think my interest in fashion sparked in middle school. I vividly remember thinking that I didn't want to blend in with everyone else at school, so I started dressing differently to stand out. My mom would take me thrift store shopping in middle school and I would buy ridiculous costume jewelry to wear with my outfits. I always had fun putting outfits together--mixing my thrift store finds with my other clothes. In high school, I started to follow trends and become more interested in runway. I think I went through a phase Junior and Senior year of high school were I would never wear the same outfit twice. It really made me be creative with my clothes and mix items that I never thought would look good."

   Describe your sense of style. "If you (Lindsey) remember my style from high school, or even my style, it’s completely different now. Right now, I’m really into the athletic look mixed with a feminine twist. I’m always wearing heels (unless there’s a blizzard, like every day in Chicago it seems right now). Even though I love following trends, I just take inspiration from trends, not design my whole outfit around them. Even though it’s harder to stand out in Chicago because there are a lot of people who are very fashionable, I like to make my own trends and follow what I like, not what people expect. That’s something that’s never changed about how I style myself. Even though I don’t dress the same anymore, I still stay true to myself."

   Being both students, it is obvious we are on budgets. What kind of ways do you go about when you shop for clothing? "I’ve become obsessed with resale shops here. I probably clean out my closet twice a month and take those clothes to Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads and take the trade money to buy a few trend items. I’m still employed at H&M, so I buy most of my basics there with my employee discount. Once in a while I’ll hit up a designer boutique and splurge on a nice bag or pair of shoes to treat myself. I’ve found a couple of okay thrift stores in Chicago where I can find a few interesting pieces, but they are nothing compared to my favorite Kansas City thrift stores!" 

(The Street Style blog Amy contributes to, Street Style Chi.) 

   

   How did you get involved in blogging? "I’ve always been involved in blogging and anything social media since middle school. Until recently have I been consistently involved with blogging. I currently copy-edit and produce some content for a fashion blog in Chicago."

   I've known that you always have wanted to live in Chicago.. and now you've made it! How does it feel moving from a "little big city" to there? What are the pros/cons? "Man, there is a lot to be said about big city living. I’ve wanted to live in Chicago for majority of my life. Living in a big city was always something that I wanted to do because big cities naturally seem luxurious and consistently fun, and it was something that I wanted to conquer. Since moving here, Chicago has lost some of it’s initial excitement to me. Chicago is a beautiful city and I’m having the time of my life here, but to me now, it’s just a place that I live and not the same Chicago that I remember it as before I moved here. What I’m basically trying to say that my honeymoon stage with Chicago is over and I’m trying to settle my life here. Also, Chicago winter absolutely sucks and I’m just anticipating summer!"

   

   

   What do you plan to do with your major when you graduate? "Honestly, I don’t know exactly where I’m headed after I graduate. I know that I definitely want to go in the direction of public relations and social media, but I’m not sure what industry I’d like to work in. Ideally, I'd love to be head of a communications department or social media department of a company. But I’d really love to work at a company that is helping people and has a direct impact on people and the community. I've slowly realized that I am most happy when I’m building relationships with people and making a change in people’s lives. I’m really looking forward to exploring new internships in different industries to figure out what is the best fit for me."

Find more of Amy on Twitter, and contributing to this Chicago-based blog.