Design Portfolio: https://carolynanndesigns.wordpress.com/

CURRENT MISSION:

To connect with communities across the globe and learn from them to continually grow as a designer and mentor and deepen my connection with the earth.

ABOUT ME:

Things I do:
Dance ( Blues, tango, contact improv, ecstatic/ freestyle)
Sing ( I enjoy singing with others)
Create
Volunteer to help my community
Help mentor and raise children
Learn earth skills
Teach earth skills
Design clothes
Dress as an elf ( on occasion)
Attend earth skills gatherings and nature mentoring workshops to further my education.

I am an adventurer who loves to travel, learn, and meet new people. Every person has a story to tell and I enjoy hearing their stories and finding out their talents. I travel every chance I get and continuously challenge myself to grow through each new experience. I love to spend time outdoors experiencing the beauty of nature, learning how to reconnect with the land and live off of it, hiking, exploring , rafting, camping, being entranced by fire, running through forests barefoot, squishing mud between my toes, feeling soft grass beneath my feet, climbing, swinging in hammocks...etc. I'm the happiest running through the forest barefoot, playing in streams, or swimming under a waterfall. Summer is my favorite time. Sunshine, warmth, rivers, lakes, hiking, camping, festivals, traveling to new places and exploring endless roads...That's where my heart lies and the key to my happiness.

One of my biggest hobbies is designing costumes and unique clothing as well as up-cycling old clothes into new wearable items. My specialties are renaissance, steampunk, fairy/whimsical, medieval , neo tribal street wear and designs inspired from all of these elements. I am currently working on a women's line inspired by fashions of 1891 and a neo tribal streetwear/samurai inspired line for my final senior project in the apparel design program at OSU.

PHILOSOPHY

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal."
- Albert Pine

Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life. There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure. Never forget your Personal Legend. Never forget your dreams. Your silent heart will guide you. Be silent now. It is the possibility of a dream that makes life interesting. You can choose between being a victim of destiny or an adventurer who is fighting for something important.
- Paulo Coelho

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I regularly attend meetups with my local couchsurfing community and join them on hikes and other excursions/ adventures. I host when I am able to and enjoy exploring the town with travelers and showing them some of my favorite locations.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I couchsurfed through Europe the summer of 2011 with a friend of mine and had many great couchsurfing experiences. The most memorable of which was when we found ourselves without a place to stay in Heidelberg, Germany due to the amount of tourists in the area that evening. It was around 10pm and we had already scoped out the area and found a nice place to sleep outside. We were sitting outside a Rewe eating some bread and cheese when a lady walks up and asks us if we need a place to stay for the night. We said "yes" thinking she may know of a hostel that had rooms but then found out that she was taking us back to her flat to stay with her and her family for the evening!

When we arrived at their flat they served us wine and stayed up for a bit talking with us and asking about our travels.

They were a really amazing and genuinely kind family. They gave us their email address to contact them but unfortunately that information was lost when some of my items were stolen later in the trip. I hope that somehow I will be able to let them know how much their kindness meant to us!

Interests

Things I enjoy: nature immersion, mentoring, working with children, archery, hiking, dancing ( blues, tango, swing, contact improve, ecstatic), singing, slack lining, biking, hula hooping, fire dancing ( watching), campfire drum circles/music sessions, dream analysis, art, apparel design, costumes, music of all types, learning new languages, re-wilding, earth skills gatherings.

I enjoy conversations about sexuality, gender, societal norms and expectations, social interactions ( sometimes I just enjoy people watching), cultures, traveling, language, earth skills, mentoring and child raising, community development, and little things such as contemplating the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Medicine for the People, Rising Appalachia, Xavier Rudd, Kan'nal, Faun, Omnia, Brother, Hozier, Rusted Root, Bobby Mcferrin, Janelle Monae, Adele, Gogol Bordello...

I like a variety of music including: reggae, reggaeton, dubstep,world music, music with a mystical or unique sounds and instruments such as the didgeridoo....
I'm always looking for new bands and love hearing what others enjoy listening to. :-)

Books: Terry Pratchett

Movies: I enjoy watching comedies, action/adventure films(especially martial arts films) and Sci-Fi films (Serenity, Firefly TV Series)
I also really enjoy foreign films such as The City of Lost Children, Pan's Labyrinth, and Ong Bak.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent 2 weeks in Tijuana,Mexico building a soccer field for the children. My group stayed in a church and slept on concrete floors. The families in the surrounding neighborhood provided us with meals during our stay. I was very honored that they would sacrifice some of their food for us. The families were all very welcoming and I felt very loved.
This is a time in my life where I had the least physical possessions but felt the most loved and at peace. This was one of the best experiences of my life. I feel the best when I am helping others.

Teach, Learn, Share

I design patterns for clothing and costumes. I could teach you something about sewing or whatever you want to know.

I can also teach you some wild harvesting and how to make cordage from wild materials.

I can bake some pretty delicious food (including vegan!).

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

•