#FrayLife Follows: Libby Living Colorfully
This month’s #FrayLife Follows looks at a Libby Living Colorfully– local blogger and Instagrammer who hails from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but came to DC for college and never left. She’s an event planner by day and spends her free time chronicling her adventures around town on her blog and social accounts.
Read Libby’s story below and give her a follow to brighten up your IG feed!
Give our readers some background on you and your blog. Who is Libby Rasmussen and how did Libby Living Colorfully come to be?
Oh gosh, well the name was originally a bit of a joke that just stuck and became somewhat of a motto. A little bit about me? I’m originally from Oshkosh, Wisconsin and I will never let you forget it. I love the midwest so much, sometimes I can’t believe that it’s been nearly a decade since I left. I moved to DC for college and have been here ever since. The blog was created as outlet and a way for me to document all of the new things I was discovering and get to know creatives outside of my corporate law job. I was really focused on my career path and where I thought I saw my life going. As the blog developed and social media changed, I began to think about what success and happiness meant to me in the long run. I grew up a really creative kid but repressed it as I got older, almost seeing it as a distraction from my goals. When I did a career 180 and started event planning, I promised myself that I would try to regain that creativity, (and still pay the bills.) I have a blog, yes, but for me it’s evolved into so much more than that. My mindset and goals have changed because of the experiences and people I’ve met since starting it. It’s allowed me to see myself and DC in a totally different light and I could not be more in love with where I’m at in this city. Whoa, cathartic.
What kinds of content do you regularly share on your blog/social accounts?
Instagram stories have really been a game-changer. I’ve said this before, but I’m a bit of an oversharer sometimes and the stories allow me to give a little play by play of my day. A lot of my content is yes, colorful – whether it’s food, murals, flowers, whatever. I try not to overthink it and just post things, people, places, I love. A lot of music too, I made it a goal to attend at least 15 concerts this year. I’ve checked nine off my list already in just the last month alone, so you’ll see a lot of concerts featured this year.
Where does the inspiration for your content come from?
When it comes to content creation, I really try not to overthink it. If I love something, I want to remember and document it. I’ve been heavily inspired by simplicity and happiness, and am trying to steer away from materialism and extravagance, though I welcome it from my insta icon, Aureta. My content is just, what it is. If that’s a video the sage I’m burning to my favorite Tove Lo song on a Sunday morning, cool. If it’s a beautiful dinner a friend prepared, wonderful. It might not be me laying on a boat in a kaftan in Ibiza, #goals but it’s a moment in my life that made me smile and ‘gramming it is a reminder of how great that day was.
Can you offer any advice to anyone also trying to balance a demanding professional career and a creative side hustle?
As a 20-something, I try to remind myself that this is probably going to be the most care-free, fun, and honestly, selfish time of my life. I am literally the only person in my life who depends on me, and that’s kind of a blessing in itself, right? I think for me it’s less of finding a balance, per say, and more honoring this period in my life that I can put my time in at work, and then also enjoy my life and my other interests. I guess my advice for those who feel like they don’t have enough balance between the two worlds, try integrating your side hustle into your nine-to-five. Maybe that means getting more involved with your marketing team. Or maybe even just telling your colleagues that you have a creative hustle could be a way of letting the two intersect. For me it was about overall happiness, so leaving law for horse show event planning felt like an obvious choice.
What is something completely random or unusual that most people don’t know about you?
Wow this one is hard, because I’m a pretty open book. I rarely “plead the fifth” when asked my opinion about something or a question about myself. But, I’ve always regretted not doing ROTC in college. When I got into law school I was really excited to look into the JAG program. I’m sure my friends reading this are spitting out their coffees thinking about me doing a pull-up but I’ve always admired those who serve and am incredibly envious of their selflessness and determination. I think I’ve only told a handful of people in this world that, and hey, now you all know.
What are 3 things that belong on the bucket list of any 20-something living in DC?
1.) Live in northeast at some point during your DC stint. Or, move to a different part of DC every 2-3 years. You’ll fall in love with DC in ways you never knew you could.
2.) Thip Khao in Columbia Heights is a MUST. Chef Seng is amazing and you can’t leave DC without eating there and getting at least 2 things off the jungle menu. At LEAST.
3.) Get a bike or a bike share membership. Some of my favorite memories in DC were while riding a bike. And, nothing is more rewarding then biking at night around the monuments knowing the tourists you’re dodging came from around the world to visit your cute little city.
Who is your favorite local Instagram account to follow? Let us know in the comments and you may see them featured in a future #FrayLife Follows.
Need more cool people to follow? Check out Devin Maier on IG for all things fitness and DC.
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