Artist's Corner: A Haiku on Bliss

Lately, I've been feeling moved to write poetry again. It's been the strangest thing, because for a while there I thought I'd sort of moved past that point in my life. Apparently I haven't though, and I can't begin to tell you how glad this makes me. I absolutely adore poetry. All that emotion, captured beautifully and compactly into just a few words. In high school I would write poetry at the back of my notes during class whenever I felt bored. In those days writing was my source of escape. In many ways, it still is now actually, but for whatever reason I haven't felt such an intense need to paint a picture with my words since then. That is what poetry is to me, by the way. It is the creation of a poignant vivid visual experience by using experienced emotions as your paintbrush and words as your paint.

I'm really glad I'm writing poetry again. It's my purest form of self-expression.

Here is my latest haiku, inspired by the theme of bliss.

Bliss

Bright Bursts of colour:

sprinkles of rain mixed with dazzling light

on a summer's day.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What does poetry mean to you? What is your purest form of self-expression? What is making you happy today? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

How to have a fab (low cost) Holiday by Bringing the Resort to You

Its officially summer for almost everybody and here in Geneva people have already begun to head out to their various vacation hotspots. Unfortunately, times are hard and not everyone can jet off to some fabulous exotic beach for the summer. And even if you do get to go somewhere for the summer, chances are there are gonna be days that you are at lost for what to do. So with this in mind I've come up with a few ways of battling the boring summer blues.

• Create your own personal getaway: If you've been blessed with loads of sun but no beach or pool for miles get a beach blanket, towel or lawn chair, some shade and a good read and go out. Even though its just the park or even your own yard, getting out and getting fresh air instantly releases feel-good hormones, not to mention the fact that any kind of fresh air is good for you. When I do this in my yard I usually go the whole nine yards: bikini, large sun hat, a pair of sunglasses and a cool drink but if you are going to be in public and don't want to seem too odd here are some outfit ideas below:
  






• Curl up with a good book/zine and get cosy: Feed your mind! The right book can give a previously dull holiday an instant makeover. Novels and magazines are more acessible and portable than good tv and therefore are generally in high demand this season. You can take them to the park, to a café , to the beach or even to your front yard. And on a rainy day, you can just curl up on your couch (or hotel bed) with it and continue your vacation fun from the comfort of your space. Some of the books I've been loving this summer are:
  

1. Princess Diaries: After Eight, To the Nines and Ten out of Ten by Meg Cabot
2. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger
3. Tuesday's Child by Louise Bagshawe
4. Revenge of The Wedding Planner by Sharon Owens
5. What You Wear Can Change Your Life by Trinny and Susannah
   

Numbers 1 through 4 lists books that are generally happy go-lucky, romantic comic yet totally engaging novels. Book 5 is an interesting look into the fashion forward minds of Trinny and Susannah of the show What Not to Wear. Although the book doesn't really focus on the adolescent/young adult demographic it does give a lot of basic style advice that can be applied to females of all ages. Personally, its one of my favorite style books because its written in a witty tone that screams Trinny and Susannah. All in all, these books are light-hearted and fun, which makes them perfect for a bright summer day.

• Get out and hit the town: Go to places that you've never been before: Cute, little hidden shops and tourists sites and parks. A lot of people never really see the place that they live in because of the hectic nature of everyday life. Now its summer, you can actually take out the time to see it.
  

• Dive into the cultural tide pool: Visit museums, art galleries, photography and jewelwry exhibitions, and other cultural related stuff. These places can serve as huge sources of inspiration to anyone with an artistc nature including fashionistas. After visits, you can work on a holiday related inspiration book to pull you out of dull phases. Who knows, your next look could be found in a museum near you.
  

• Discover yourself with hobbies and internships: Summer is the perfect time to try your hand at new things, especially stuff that you may have develped an interest in but never really had time to pursue. Take me, for example, I took a digital photography course in school last semester and realized I really like photography. So this summer, I've been taking a summer course in photography for fun. And if you've been exploring the idea of working in the magazine industry, this could be a good time to gather experience. Of course, internships do need a lot of preparation time, organization planning in order to work, but most universities are willing to help with this process.

• Do random fun (and sometimes useful) stuff: have a barbeque with friends, do spa days, keep an eye out for free or really cheap festivals, concerts and parties. After all, this is the best time of year for such things and you would amazed by the number of parties and festivals you could find just by looking in the paper or online. And if you're anything like me and the idea of spicing your wardrobe or living space to reflect your style better excites you, this is totally the best time to do it.
  

• Volunteer your Time: Christmas isn't the only time of year people need your help. Instead of vegging out in front of the tv, why not play a part in making this world a better place. You could either work locally, at a nearby orphanage or humanitarian organisation, or you could decide to make a trip out of it and travel out to help people in other places. Either way, you can be ensured that it will definitely be an experience.

So, I really hope that the ideas in this post will add a little spice to your summer holidays. Have fun and Happy Summer!!

Love you all and Stay Inspired,

Aury


P.S. How are you spending your summer holidays? Are you gonna be travelling somewhere exotic or mostly sticking to your homebase? Feel Free to comment below...


Photo credit:All photos from flickr.com via CC