#littleliv

[kilabear-blog]

My Squishy Little Liv 🎀 I said “Olivia look!” And got awarded with Besos instead. #LittleLiv🎀 #BeStillMyHeart #Niece #LilChunker https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGFsNLALA2v7T3Ns4UTlVu24a-wbMDKnyvw3s0/?igshid=1odjix9weml54

[divinetribe]

#myBaby #littleLiv #sittingonthegrass #arcataplaza #8months (at Plaza)

[karihalverson]

Got a watch this one… she's my #littlemonkey #daredevil #fearless #littleliv.

[little-living-tiny-house]

[livinglargebylivinglittle]

A part of the reason I’m on this journey now is a little 2 week trip I took in my tent trailer back in 2013.  A friend and I decided to hit 10 SouthWest National Parks throughout California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada.  It was a mad tour, but it was  lot of fun and it really triggered my love of the open road and taking pictures of the beautiful landscapes.  It also made me realize I could actually doing my computer consulting while traveling.

A book I read in 2010 also pushed me towards where I am today.  The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris is that book.  It made me realize that I was already doing a lot of the things he suggests in his book.  I was working from home.  I haven’t been in an office, perse, since 1998, which obviously provides one with a lot of freedom and flexibility.  The only problem with this was I wasn’t really taking advantage of this freedom and flexibility, but just sitting in my home office, enjoying working in my underwear.  What I could be doing, which I realized from this trip, was traveling all over the US and enjoying new places and experiences while I worked.

So after I completed the journey above, I started thinking a lot about what I needed to do to actually start traveling while I worked.  I had a couple of set backs and it took me until 2015 until I actually took action on it, but I eventually did get in my tent trailer and I started traveling around the US.   And then around the globe.

Here are some of the most memorable pics from that trip.   What inspired you to start living more minimally?   Tell me about your minimalistic lifestyle and desires for travel and adventure.   I’d love to hear what you’re doing to live a more simple life.

  Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Route 66

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Zion

Kings Canyon

Death Valley

Moab

Moab

Joshua Tree

Fire Valley

Yosemite (big fire that year)

San Francisco

Central California Coast

Monterey

Souther California Railroad

SouthWestern Tour A part of the reason I'm on this journey now is a little 2 week trip I took in my tent trailer back in 2013.  

[juanpm-02]

[brooksmeatswift]

Start them young...future Liverpool Ladies captain? #littleliver #LFC

[brandyjanell]

Let's Get Cozy w/ LIV The Collection

Who is the Creator?

My name is Olivia Castro and I am born and raised in Cleveland. I am the owner of a sustainable, fine jewelry brand called LIV the collection and I am also a fashion blogger and stylist. 

What is “LIV The Collection”?

LIV the collection has been a lot of things and is currently developing into so much more! LIV the collection is a collection of rare, handpicked jewelry pieces that are vintage, antique and estate jewelry. Being "green" is really near and dear to my heart so I really wanted to start a jewelry line that utilized that aspect and was just good for our world. My blog is called LIV the look which is where I focus on modern vintage looks. That is truly the base of it all. I love to be trendy and on point but I also love vintage fashion. It's a great way to create a sustainable wardrobe and just simply have pieces that are truly one of a kind. I know that when I put together a look on my blog that no one will have seen it before because I am not just wearing Fashion Nova or Forever21 but timeless, statement pieces from the past. I bring that concept to life in my business. As of now, I curate a collection of vintage, antique and estate jewelry but this year we will also have a collection of my own designs as well! I am super excited to share this with you in this interview as I haven't really shared it with many people yet. 

How long have you been interested in building your own jewelry line and how important is it to you?

So my business hasn't always been jewelry but has more like evolved into it. I graduated from Capital University in 2016, got married and moved to California that same summer. It really was a crazy whirl wind experience especially graduating without a clear direction for what I wanted to do with my life. I basically took that year to figure it out. My amazing husband worked full-time and let me take time for myself (which I literally have never done ever). My greatest skill was always being a creative but I just didn't know what to do with it. As a girl, I wanted to be a fashion designer and I always wanted to have my own business so I just went for it. It sounds easy when saying it now but it was really hard and really scary. I felt like I couldn't fully put myself out there so I started with baby steps. I first opened an online boutique called Medusa's Vintage Boutique which turned into a Depop shop where I sold modern vintage clothing. Medusa's then turned into my first blog called Awaking Olivia which then turned into LIV the look where I focused on styling my own modern vintage looks. As I started to put myself out there more and more I decided to just truly go for it and in September I launched LIV the collection. It really has been the best thing I have ever done. It's only been open for a few months now but I have been met with so much love and encouragement from the community so I am super excited for the future and just to keep growing! 

Has any fashion icons, or any particular pieces inspired you?

I have a few fashion icons that basically formed my style over the years. The first is 90s/early 2000s Gwen Stefani. She was just such a bad ass and I loved her rebelliousness. I remember dancing in my basement to Just A Girl as a kid and feeling so empowered by her. As I grew up I would watch her videos and they were so creative and intriguing and it would just give me such a throwback fashion direction. I think she was the one who really made me start looking for vintage pieces. The next icon for me is Lady Gaga. She is a total icon all together and when I was in high school I was obsessed with her! She just was so cool and just a bold woman and that is how I wanted to be. I loved that she was edgy and a rocker yet totally wore classic, pieces that are as timeless. If you look close enough a lot of those pieces are vintage too! This may sound like the weirdest collection of fashion inspo but the last is Kim Kardashian! She really helped me become comfortable with showing off and loving my curvy, petite body. I remember watching the show and Kanye telling Kim that her body was her accessory. I had never thought of it that way so after that I started to simplify my style and make my body by accessory. Before Kim, tall, thin people dominated covers and the fashion industry; she was one of the first to break that barrier. I love being able to look to her for how to style a small curvy frame. I also just love that she is always on the cutting edge of fashion yet also is into neutrals as well. So from Gwen I got my vintage love, from Gaga I got my edginess and from Kim I got my sexy neutrals! 

What are your short term goals and where do you see your brand in five years?

This is such a great questions because I am a virgo and I am all about those goals! For this year I have two major goals for LIV the collection. The first is to feature my own designs! I am really excited about this and super nervous all at the same time. It take a lot of vulnerability to show your work and your art to the world, especially when you're expecting people to buy it and cherish it, so my goal is to launch my own designs with confidence and really put myself out there. The second goal I have for LIV is to do a city tour! Our plan is every couple of months to do a pop-up shop in a different city. As of now we have Washington DC planned as our first stop in the spring so keep an eye out for more details on our website and social media! In five years, I see my brand as a Cleveland powerhouse. I see myself having a working studio with a show room that I can rent out to local photographers and small businesses to use and a space for me to throw events and hold pop-up shops of my own. I also really want to give back. I would love to have internships and mentorship programs for women of color so they can get business experience (I just have to get a little more experience myself first!). 

On days where you aren't feeling motivated, what motivates you?

My family is what motivates me most. I come from really humble beginnings and I am a first generation college student, which are both things that I am really proud of. On days where I am not feeling it, I really just think of what a privilege it is to be where I am. I work from home, I have a dope life, a sexy husband, a kick-ass apartment and literally the coolest job in the world. The only thing in life I want to do is to make them proud and give back that opportunity to others. I will say though that this isn't always a good thing for me as a lot of times of do things for other people instead of myself and end of putting myself last. So although putting myself first is something I am working on, at the end of the day, all I want to do is be and do what the generation before be didn't have the opportunity to. That gives me all the fuel I need. 

What advice would you give someone that's interested in starting a similar brand?

1. Be authentic. You cannot create for a place that is defensive. You cannot create from a place that is insecure. People can sense that in your work and in your art. You have to be vulnerable and really put yourself out there. People respond to that and that is what will keep their attention. 

2. Only listen to your intuition. This may sound a little crazy but for a long time I would listen to other people. I always just thought they knew better than me and what they were talking about. I gave them credit simply because they were older than me or they were a parent or they were smart. Today I only listen to myself. My intuition is my guide. My gut is my guide. Yes I do take in advice from others but I always take everything with a grain of salt. At the end of the day only you know what is best for you and remember that your intuition never lies to you. 

3. Know that if you succeed, it will only because of you. That is the beauty of business. It is the greatest equalizer. You can be given everything in life and still not be successful at your own business. You can be given nothing and be super successful. Or even vice versa! The only way it can work is if you make it work. No one will help you. There is no right way. There is no guideline or cook book. There is only you, your tools and what you can do with them.

What do you do to stay cozy?

Cozy to me is all about a state of mind. As a fashion blogger I am usually styled in my favorite look. Some people may think I am overdressed, doing too much or uncomfortable but staying cozy to me is all about what you feel inside. Confidence is everything. I am cozy when I am confident. Whether that is when I am shooting styles for my blog, in full glam doing a photoshoot for LIV the collection or wearing sweats with my husband watching Netflix. As long as you are confident in yourself, you can be cozy anywhere! 

Social Media?

Blog: 

LIV the look

Olivia Castro (@littlelivslook) • Instagram photos and videos

littleliv (littlelivpinterest) on PinterestBusiness: 

LIV the collection 

@liv_thecollection • Instagram photos and videosLIV the collection (livthecollection) on Pinterest

[vanlifebot]

@klaatu: RT @the_happy_bus_: Stylishly understated wedding car! #brightonliving #homeiswhereyouparkit #tinyhomes #vanlife #littleliving… https://t.co/JEWaMXhy9n

from http://twitter.com/klaatu via IFTTT

[kilabear-blog]

The perfect Tuesday surprise for this Tia ♥️ #LittlePrince #LittleLiv🎀 https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ihCDygISFOfkvODNl7s40b0ZKBrWe1OOb3vI0/?igshid=q9p883yk9kzt

[divinetribe]

#Wow #cow #baby #13mo #bikeride #withdaddy #humboldt #cattle #littleLiv (at Arcata, California)

[karihalverson]

Gotta watch this one... she's my little #daredevil #trickriding #fearless #littleliv.

[livthegirl]

I should definitely stop trying to find small places to hide in and start doing something useful at work. 😂 #littleliv

[little-living-tiny-house]

Golden hour on the farm

[vanlifebot]

@the_happy_bus_: Stylishly understated wedding car! #brightonliving #homeiswhereyouparkit #tinyhomes #vanlife #littleliving… https://t.co/JEWaMXhy9n

from http://twitter.com/the_happy_bus_ via IFTTT

[kilabear-blog]

Happy Birthday Olivia 🐝 #LittleLiv🎀 #Niece #FirstBirthday #HappyBaby https://www.instagram.com/p/BzmR0HZAJxWNdC4XixdwwIKf2H9b3Ve1znwcmQ0/?igshid=6qkj293s50yn