I can still remember sitting at my desk one night after another twelve-hour day, eyes burning from staring at my laptop for so long. I was revising a client’s brand strategy deck. The number of edits the deck had undergone exceeded our initial agreement, but I didn’t have the courage to decline. When the project finally ended, they thanked me warmly but never paid the final balance. I reached out multiple times, but when I got no response, I just let it go and didn't even chase the money. I thought about blasting them online, but what good would that do? I honestly just wanted to move on.

Rather than frame Katrina as a singular moment, Race Against Time maps a timeline of systemic collapse, one where rescue delays, government apathy, and racial bias collided to turn a natural disaster into a human rights crisis. The series refuses to sanitize or simplify what happened. Instead, it centers the voices of residents who lived through it. These are stories we should never stop telling because they’re not just stories about what was lost; they’re a chronicle of what was taken, who paid the cost, and why it still matters now more than ever.

It started with a candle I had been saving for weeks. Not a particularly rare one, but special enough to sit untouched underneath the console table since my birthday this past March. My friend gifted me a personalized Le Labo candle for my birthday. Its scent reminded me of the kind of feeling I yearn for, quite literally, all the time. It smelt like a partly cloudy summer afternoon, it was a calming fragrance that I couldn’t get enough of. I told myself I’d light it on a special day. Maybe after I finally caught up on sleep, after the housekeeper cleaned, after I felt more like myself. For weeks, it waited, and I found many excuses. For weeks, I waited too.

The first time I cried while folding laundry, it wasn’t because I was sad. It was because I finally felt safe.

The housekeeper had just departed a couple of hours before. The house was quiet. The dryer hummed softly, and my son was somewhere down the hall humming along with a show he’s watched a dozen times. But inside of me, there was quiet. No rush to get to the next thing. No guilt that I wasn’t using this time “better” or to be more productive. Just me, my hands, warm cotton, and breath. I remember thinking, so this is what peace in the body feels like. And then the tears came.

I’ve always been drawn to the spaces between things.

The way a coat drapes over the back of a chair or an article of clothing that takes shape into a feeling. The soft echo of jazz in a quiet, clean kitchen. The arch of an entryway that lets the morning in just right. Long before I knew what I would do professionally, I knew what I loved: how design could hold emotion. Not just in the expected ways, but in the quiet ones too. It has never been purely about aesthetics, it’s been about storytelling and belonging as well.

There is no mistake that this entry came to me on the day of a full moon. Today’s full moon calls us to release what no longer serves, to make space for what’s waiting to arrive. It’s a moment of both illumination and letting go and a reminder that clarity often comes when we’re willing to shed, surrender, and start anew.'

There comes a time in all of our lives when we realize that the life we’ve been building may not actually reflect the most authentic version of ourselves. We pause, reassess, and choose to begin again, not from scratch but from within.

Over the past year and a half, I’ve been reintroducing the world to my personal brand while also showing the world more of Dvn Oasis. I knew early on in my process that I couldn’t just start from where I was; I would have to make a lot of changes and fully rebrand. But, my rebrand didn’t begin with a bold declaration or a drastic overhaul. It started with a question: “Does this still reflect who I am becoming?” That one question unraveled a deeper truth I hadn’t even realized. I was evolving, but my brand was standing still.

There’s something deeply poetic about starting over and stripping away the old layers of who you once were to uncover the truth of who you are now. That was the energy I carried into February 2024, when I started redesigning my website. What began as a visual refresh quickly became a mirror, a reflection of the journey I’ve taken in my career and who I’ve become through it all.

We’ve all been there, staring at a closet bursting at the seams, a desk buried under stacks of paper, or a mind racing with endless to-do lists. Clutter isn’t just about the physical mess; it affects our mindset, energy, and ability to be present. When life feels overwhelming, it’s often because we carry too much physically, mentally, and emotionally. The end of February was challenging for me. It was like one day I woke up and had a million and one things I wanted to accomplish, but I couldn’t quite find the balance to get it all done. The energy and overwhelm I carried at the end of last month inspired this post.

There’s something about a good story that stays with you. Think about it—how often have you found yourself drawn to a brand, not because of their product or who they are, but because of how they made you feel? Maybe it was how they shared their journey of founding their brand, the nostalgia they evoked, or how they articulated a struggle you deeply related to. That, my friend, is the power of storytelling in branding. I always say it’s not about what you sell but how you make people feel.

Let’s be honest: no one remembers a brand that constantly screams, “Buy this!” But they’ll remember the one that whispers, “I see you. I’ve been there, too.”

This month in The Edit, I’ll explore love in all its forms—self-love, love through creativity, relationships, and expression. Love is often celebrated as the emotion that binds us to others but is also a catalyst for creativity. Whether it’s love for a person, a passion, or a purpose, this deep and universal feeling has the power to inspire art, drive innovation, and foster authentic self-expression. Love has been at the heart of creative expansion for decades, from history's greatest artists to modern-day entrepreneurs. In this exploration, we’ll uncover how love serves as a source of creativity, how to channel it into your work, and why self-love is essential for overcoming creative blocks.

Total Read Time: 4 min 48 sec

It may be just me, but more and more, connecting with others these days feels rooted in inauthenticity and lack of reciprocity. I am sure we’ve all had an experience or two when we’ve invested energy into relationships that feel one-sided or transactional, where the effort isn’t mutual. Between social media "likes" and the occasional "thinking of you" text, it’s no wonder many of us feel more isolated than ever. I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to pause, dig deeper, and allow ourselves to connect with others on a more intentional level. 

Total Read Time: 4 min 51 sec

Starting a brand from scratch or figuring out the next step in your rebranding can feel like the most intimidating thing in the world. There are so many paths you could take and so many brand directions for you to go in. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the endless options and external influences telling you what you should do.

In my years of experience, I’ve discovered that finding the right direction for your brand doesn’t have to be complicated. It just requires intention and a deep sense of clarity throughout the planning process.

Total Read Time: 2 min 25 sec

Hello, and welcome! I’m Amber Janae. Welcome to my little corner of the internet. A little about me: I am a strategic lifestyle stylist, brand consultant, writer, and passionate advocate for intentional living. Whether you’ve just stumbled upon my blog or have been following my journey for a while, I’m so glad you’re here. My story is one of transformation, resilience, and self-discovery

Total Read Time: 2 mins 13 secs

As I sit here sipping on my favorite cup of coffee, I’ve been reflecting on something that used to quietly haunt me: the fear of getting older. It’s a fear that sneaks up on so many of us, disguised as panic over laugh lines, anxiety about missed opportunities, or regret over not being “further along” in life. If I’m honest, I’ve spent too many moments of my life caught up in this fear, and it’s only recently that I’ve started to let it go. etting older is inevitable, but how we view it? That’s entirely within our control. Somewhere along the way, society convinced us that aging is something to dread.

Total Read Time: 2 mins 33 secs

As I type this, it is the eve of New Year's Eve, and I am in awe that we are a few hours closer to the end of the year and the dawn of a new one. As usual, there’s a buzz in the air. Social media timelines flood with “new year, new me” declarations, while everyone seems to scramble to set goals and resolutions as if January 1st is a magical reset button. And while I’m all for personal growth and goal-setting, I’ve been reflecting on the pressure we put on ourselves to overperform in the name of starting fresh.

Total Read Time: 2 mins 58 secs

There’s something truly magical about baking bread, especially focaccia. I tried focaccia for the first time many, many years ago when a job I was working ordered me the wrong sandwich. It was a pesto and turkey on focaccia bread; I never looked back after that. This past December, I baked more bread than I have since I picked up the hobby in early 2024. Some of my family members tried focaccia for the very first time this year, and it warmed my heart to be able to bake something with love for the people I love the most.

Total Read Time: 4 mins 28 secs

Here’s the thing: Discipline gets a lot of hype, but let’s be real—it doesn’t work for everyone. For me? Discipline isn’t really something that has pushed me forward in the pursuit of my goals. I thrive not because I force myself into rigid structures but because I follow my curiosity and excitement to learn, create, and grow.

As a Pisces, I am free-flowing, so I consider myself to be one of the most undisciplined yet productive and flourishing people you will ever meet, and that’s because I lead with my intuition. When I feel the spark of inspiration or the pull to move forward, I go all in—and that flow has carried me further than any strict regimen ever could.

Total Read Time: 5 min 40 sec

Luxury, to me, is treating myself to opulent experiences. Luxury, to me, is catering to my mind, body, and spirit. Luxury, to me, is dedicated time to my growth, loving on the right people, celebrating life, and just being one with who I am as a woman. Luxury is me creating a life and living in a reality that does not require me to struggle. I don’t believe in the mindset that I have to avoid quality environments and experiences to be more grounded or appear more likable. I opt out of struggle