Are You a T.A.T.A ? To The Teen Artists Trapped in Academia

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Do you wake up every morning just longing for the chance to express yourself in art? Do you feel personally attacked by the existence of school uniforms and overly stringent dress codes? Do you long for the day that you will be free to learn the way you want to learn things, and about the things you want to learn? If so you may be a Teen Artist Trapped in Academia.

I feel like I can comment on the existence of the Teen Artists Trapped in Academia because I too was once a T.A.T.A. Trust me, the plight of a T.A.T.A is very sad. They are hardly difficult to identify and chances are that if you are not one yourself, you have at least run across some in the course of your life. Fitting into the conventions of academia is pretty hard especially if you are not a conventional person, and let's face it, the current state of academia can only appeal to so many people, because everyone is not the same, does not have the same goals and values and does not learn the same way. If you can't fit into the conventional academic structure, you might think that learning is not for you and that education is not a very worthwhile venture for you. You might think that school and education are equal to torture and may begin to look for several ways of fighting/escaping the system.

I can't blame you for wanting to stop the torture. I just think that it might be more worthwhile to try to work with it and to make it work for you.

Ever since Grade School I've known I was a little odd. I couldn't organise well. I would go through phases in my clothing during which I would pursue a particular style of dress for months at a time. I had a melange of mismatched bracelets, bangles and scrunchies on both hands, and took great delight in changing my hair style at least once a month. I spent weeks of my summer, reading in the public library, and hours creating and playing in my own incredibly intricate fantasy world, past the age of 10. By the time I was 12 I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer and literally counted down the years until I could go to University and start working on my dream. I hated learning traditionally, and always learnt better when I could physically be allowed to understand the concept holistically. Abstract cramming and random studying was never my thing, and classes in which you just sort of had to know something (i.e. commit something to memory), left me quaking under my sheets in horror. So if you do think that the traditional school system thing is not working for you believe me when I say I know how you feel. In fact, I was recently thinking about words of advice that I could give to current teen artists to help them learn to live with (and possibly love academia). Here are some of the tips I came up with:

1. Embrace the fact that you are different and that you, like everyone else, have your strengths and your weaknesses. Look for your strengths, and spend at least some time every day working on them/ enjoying them. If most of your school work doesn't inspire you, definitely work on it but try to spend some time, writing music if it's what you like doing or join a dance class as an after-school activity. Do something that makes you happy everyday. It works wonders for your self-esteem.
2. Don't put your dreams off until university. No. Scratch that. Don't put off your dreams period. Try to live them at least a little bit today. Do whatever you can for to work towards your dream in a little way today. It is never to early to start living the life you want to live.
3. Try to look for the bright side in learning everything that you have to learn in school. Sometimes you might discover a hidden talent or random interest in an unexpected subject. Sometimes all you'll learn is that whatever you are taking is not for you. At least you've learnt something.
4. Remember that no knowledge is wasted. Art is a reflection of life. Academia is awesome because it enables you to broaden your knowledge about the world around you and gives you the opportunity to build your well of experience. Creatives especially should be curious about the world around them because you can only improve what currently exists if you know what currently exists. So the next time you're trying to figure out how to survive another day in that class you hate, remember that inspiration can come from anywhere, and give the class (yet) another chance.
5. Study the way you want. Only you truly know how best you learn. If you realise that rote memorisation does not work for you, try to learn the material in another way. If you don't know how best you learn, try taking a learning style test. No matter what kind of learner you are (visual, kinesthetic, auditory, etc), learning in a way that uses various methods to learn to learn the same subject matter tends to help you learn better. For example, while studying from your notes, you could try making lists, diagrams and pneumonics to help you remember what you've learnt. You could also try explaining general concepts out loud to yourself, to make sure you understand what you've just read.
6. Adopt a more holistic approach to studying. I personally can not strictly memorize anything to save my life, so I try learning concepts and general ideas first, before attempting to place specifics into the mix. By getting the background info of a subject, I am able to paint a picture in my mind of what I'm trying to learn and then it becomes so much easier to remember the random facts that I need to know. One way in which you could make this easier to do would be to always know the why behind any particular fact. Knowing the why, even if its not necessary for the test, helps you make connections in your mind, and these connections can act as a guide leading you to the right answer if you ever get lost during a test.

Academia is not the devil. In fact, it can be a really powerful ally and can bring a whole new dimension to your art.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Are you a T.A.T.A? Do you know one? How did you adapt to the world of Academia? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

What is Your Wildcard?

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Dearest Devotees,

I mentioned my "wildcard" list in my last Renovate Your Life post and was asked to share mine with you. First of all for those who aren't really sure what it is, a wildcard list is a list of all the random things that you would really like to do, and that you would make you happy, but that may not be high on your priority list otherwise since you do not have to do them. An item on the list could be anything from signing up for swing classes to buying tickets to see a musical to going to the beach on a random Thursday afternoon.

It's sort of like the "happy, fun-time" alternative to the productive stereotypical to-do list, and for that reason, I make it a point to have one always present to pick from. In fact, lately I've found that crossing off something that can be put off until later from my too full to-do list and replacing it with something fun from my wildcard list, is the perfect way to get me motivated enough to power through everything I have to do for that day. The window of fun in my day, provides me with the breath of fresh air and sense of encouragement I need after a lot of draining work. So without further ado, here is what's on my wildcard list right now:

• See a play at the theatre (probably for free using my Student Complementary Card)
• Visit a photography gallery
• Spend a couple of hours drawing at the Art Museum
• Go to an orphanage to play with the kids, find one to get signed up for regular volunteering
• Go to the parks
• Go salsa and swing dancing with friends
• Go to the library
• Read Mini Shopaholic on Kindle at cute, little coffee shop.
• See Easy A at the cinema.
• See The Social Network at the cinema.
• Bake cookies with friends.
• Decorate Dorm room more- buy flowers, and create special corners :)
• Watch TED talks on Creativity.
• Go for a walk by the river.
• Skype friends and family.
• Explore more of the area where my dance classes are located.
• See Romeo and Juliet opera
• Find out what Inception : The Musical is.

I definitely recommend creating a wildcard list. It can help you stop and just enjoy life.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you have a "wildcard list" ? What's on yours? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Renovate Your Life: Prioritising, Reorganising and Outsourcing

My Darling Devotees,

Now that you have re-organised your room, you may be revelling in the freedom and joy that comes from the ability to know where your things are when you need them (I know I am), and may also be looking for other ways to extend this freedom to the rest of your life. Well, I'm all about productivity right now and making the best use of the time that you do have in a day in order to a avoid ending up with a foot long daily to-do- list, so I have devised a system for turning the conquering of each day into a more manageable feat. Warning: some of these things may be hard to hear coming from me but these are the lessons that I've learn't the hard way. I only tell you these lessons, because I have found that they actually work. Also, this process ( like most Renovate Your Life processes) needs time investment, so make yourself comfortable as you work through it (possibly grabbing a cup of iced tea and playing some soothing music), at your own leisurely pace.

1. Identifying:
Identify all the things that you do in an average day, week, month and year, that take up a lot of your time. If you have to pick, I would start with what you do in an average day, because it usually gives you a pretty good idea of where your time goes on a large scale. Write all these things down. Also, identify all of your major and minor long term and short term goals (all the things you want to do, that would probably lead you to the kind of person you want to be). Write all these down too. Make sure they are in separate columns or are at least in separate lists.

2. Evaluating:
Compare the two lists. How much of the stuff that you want to do do you actually do each day? How much time do you spend doing things you don't love/don't really care about? Why? Evaluate your goals. How much time do you spend working towards them each day? Are all your goals still concurrent with the person you are? What are the really large goals? Can you break them down into smaller ones? After answering all these questions, you should have found the goals that are are actually on track with who you are, and should also have gotten rid of/modified the goals that no longer appeal to you.

3.Prioritizing:
Divide your remaining major activities/goals into 3 major categories:
Things you have to do, but don't particularly like/are not really good at: (e.g. chores you don't like, etc)
Things you like/love to do, that are important to you
Things you don't have to do/ are not really good at, but that are important to achieving your goals.

Arrange these as much as possible according to level of importance (something along the lines of 1 star for least, 3 stars for most).

Note: I only mention these 3 categories, because really life is too short to spend time doing things you don't like, don't need to do, and that are not important to you ( or your loved ones)

4.Reorganising:
Reorganise your schedule by doing the following:
Allocate the most time to the things that are most important, that you are good at and that you love. Spend as little time as possible doing the things that you are either not good at, or that are important but that you don't like doing.You can do this by only working on the things that you need to do but that you are not good at, during your least productive times in the day. For example, if you are a writer, but you know that it is near impossible for you to get any work done during the afternoon from 1-4pm, you could use that time for your errands. By doing this you will be getting all the things you need to get done in a day, by using your least creatively productive time for something else that you need to get done, instead of wasting it by making mind to work yourself work through your low productivity periods. Also, I've noticed that errands become a lot more appealing when I am sick of doing school work, so I am more willing to do my errands at these points in time.

5.Outsourcing:
Refer to the list of things that you are not good at/don't like but that need to be done, and that are not really important to you, as well as the things that you are not good at, but that need to be done in order to achieve your goals. For these two categories I suggest outsourcing as much as possible. You are only one person, you cannot do everything yourself, and even if you could I don't think you would want to. If you're not good at taxes or finances get help during tax period or, if you can, get a financial advisor or make use of a finacial assisting program like mint.com. If you are a budding director but for the life you can not figure out how to dress your cast, team up with a budding costumer.
In fact, when I was thinking about how to outsource things I need help with, I went back to my list of goals, and began to look at the intermediary goals I had added because I thought that I would need to do that in order to achieve another goal. After evaluating some of these goals, I realised that I would not mind outsourcing a great deal of them, if it would mean I would get to spend more time doing things that I was really passionate about. After realising this, I was able to make my goals a lot clearer and more streamlined and defined. I was able to identify the things that were most important to me and separate them from the things that I would be interested in trying out at some point simply for novelty's sake. For example, I was able to realise that creating the storyline and storyboard for a music video was a lot more interesting to me than actually filming and editing so I will team up with a friend of mine to work on the video rather than filming, editing and creating the video all by myself. This doesn't mean I'll never do the actual filming myself. It just means that it isn't one of the top things I want to do with my time right now.

By going through this process I was able to find out where all my time goes in a day and figure out where I want it to go. I was able to find my priorities and make sure that I was actively working towards them. But most importanitly I've learnt how to use my time so I don't feel like I'm running against a ticking clock.
It's all about making the best use of your time.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Have you ever outsourced certain activities? Do you regularly evaluate your goals? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

P.P.S. I hinted that I would be gone for a week because of finals and because of travelling home. I'm home now, and although I'm a little jet-lagged I'm back to the blogosphere after focusing on my finals and doing really well on them :) Thanks for sticking with me through this darlings. I love you!

Letter to my Body (The letter that kicked off Operation Organise)

Dear Body,

I am sorry that I don't treat you well enough. I stuff you with junk food that is really not good and that you don't even recognise as food. I don't get as much as exercise as I know I should. The amazing gym just down the street barely knows of my existence. Also, I barely sleep. Fours a night is not acceptable by any standards, especially considering how much I make you do during the day. To top everything off I stress you out to no end with needless worries and unflagging anxiety brought on by my disorganised state. It isn't right. I promise all this will change.

Love,

Aury.

One night, after realizing and being appalled at the vicious cycle of stress I found myself in, I sat down, wrote this letter to my body, and made a decision that set me on this new path to a life of purpose. I've always had goals and aims and pretty ambitious ones too, but for quite a while I'd felt stuck. I realized then that the reason I wasn't moving forward in my goals was because I lacked an organized system to support them. I like think of it in this way: My goals and dreams are castles built in the sky; without a sturdy support and foundation to back them up they will fall apart. It's sort of like my joy actually; without the foundation that is my faith in God, it would fall to the floor, and I would be swallowed by despair.

With all that is on my plate I need to organize. I really feel that I've come as far as possible without structure. Now it feels like every time I try to juggle everything, something falls by the wayside. I try to pick up the fallen item and something else falls. After high school, I wanted nothing to do with structure because I felt like it was a crutch being used to hinder my creativity but now I feel like it's the support I need to give me back the freedom needed to create. I'm aware it's a huge undertaking, trying to organize and instill structure to something as big as one's life, but in the long run I imagine it would surely be for the best. As I conquer each step I will let you know how I did it and what I've learnt from the process. I really hope I'll be able to help anyone who's looking for more structure in their lives as well.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Have you ever felt this way? What did you do? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Photo from: We Heart it

Seeking Inspiration: Cross Training

Photo from : tumblr

My Dearest Devotees,

Sometimes, I go through periods of inspirational drought. Every time I try to write, or design, or create art through one of my regular mediums I encounter a huge mind block that cripples me creatively. Sometimes, I just get bored of using the same materials or skills all the time. I long for something different and desire a new challenge. At these times, just being thrown out of your comfort zone and having to make use of skills you didn't even know you had is enough to get you inspired. I'm talking about cross-training.

During the last undergraduate retreat I attended, we talked about how athletes sometimes use cross-training to improve certain skills. For example, a basketball player could do gymnastics to improve his/her agility on the court. During the retreat we were told about how we could cross train in our faith, by using different types of prayer. And after taking all the classes I took last semester, I've been trying to figure out how I can cross-train by trying out different forms of art. For the longest time, I've been a writer. Ever since I was eight, I've been writing poetry and short stories. Since then I've written songs, blog posts, a short novel, a short play, and worked on plots for movies, and sitcoms. I've been designing clothes since I was 12. Coming up with new ideas gets hard after a while and just the thrill of trying something new could give a totally new approach. Who knows? You may even a stumble on a hidden talent.

I'm going to take a break from my fashion designer dreams for a while and dive full speed ahead into music and visual arts ( mostly drawing and painting still lifes and human figures.) I've no idea where it'll take me, but I'm really excited to see. I say taking a break because it's hard to imagine that I won't still be caught in fabric stores picking out swatches for my next project in a couple of weeks, but it's all about taking it out of first place and putting it in maybe second place? My darling devotees, if you've been feeling uninspired whenever you take to your art form of choice, why not take another route? Cross-train with me and if you have any ideas of different art forms you think I should try you can let me know in the comments or email me at aury4eva@gmail.com.

Here's the inspirational exercise for this week:

How do you translate this picture into your favorite art form? Or you could translate it into a totally different art form to start your cross-training practice.

My Translation:

At this very moment I felt like I could fly.

As the ground beneath me disappeared, dashed dreams and lost ambitions were left behind.

And hope filled me completely.

Suddenly, I could see a future where I would be happy- where everything I wanted could and would happen.

As my feet reached over the sun, I leaned back, prepared to jump.

And took a flying leap into the great beyond.

I'm also working on a silhouette drawing of this picture that I may show you all later this week in another post.

***

Links that have inspired me this week

I think Doe Deere is absolutely wonderful for doing this.

This song has nothing to do with this post but it makes me soo happy. It's Matt Hires Honey Let Me Sing You a Song.

I really loved this post on being an 18th Century mortician. Who knew they could be so stylish?

I thinking making my dorm room green may just be one of the best ideas I've ever heard.

We can either sit around and sulk about what sucks in our lives or we could decide to do something about it. A advocates the second in this post.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What inspired you this week? What is your favorite art form and what would you try out if you were cross-training? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Seeking Inspiration: Celebrate Spring!

Dearest Devotees,

Spring is all around us! It's in the chirping of the birds in the trees. It's in the gorgeous sunny days. It's in the rainy days, and it's definitely in the beautiful blooming flowers! Spring is here my loves, and even when its a particularly cold and blustery day, with temperatures reminiscent of dark winter days, I want you to remember that it really is all around you. It feels like we've been waiting for it for so long and now we can finally celebrate that it's here!

How to Celebrate Spring:

• Plant a seed/seedling of your favorite flower and tend to it each day. I have a mammoth sunflower growing in my dorm room. It makes me happy to watch it grow and care for it.
• Seek out some spring reminiscent music. It can be someway related to spring or it could just make you really happy and/or peacefully content. I am currently in love with the soundtrack for the Spring Awakening Musical. Favourite song= Left Behind. I also really love Yiruma's River flows in you and The Fray's Syndicate.
• Change your computer screen background to flowers, fields, etc.
• Wear wildflower perfume.
• Wear flowers in your hair to class, or when you're going out.
• Walk through your favorite park and or garden.
• Take pictures of people enjoying the sporadic bouts of ridiculously beautiful weather we've been having.
• Sunbathe on the grass (with sunscreen on, of course).
• Jump in puddles on rainy days.
• Enjoy beautiful springy poetry like Daffodils by Wordsworth.
• Renovate your wardrobe and/or your living space through spring cleaning. It can be really exhilarating.
• Update your inspiration board with spring 2010 pastels and pastoral pieces.
• Update your inspiration board with beautiful springy photos like the ones below:

All images from: we heart it

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. How are you celebrating spring? What are the signs of spring you look for? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

What an artist needs...

Photo from: Emily Golitzin

An Artist needs...

A bunch of spirit

Rounds of pleasure

Experiences of love

A muse

Access to a well of inspiration

A jolt of eccentricity

A solid support system

A sprinkling of bitter experiences

A dash of empathy

Some sympathy

A thirst for true self expression

Love for the little things

A drive for perfection

An intense desire to create

But most importantly an artist needs...

Someone who believes in their ability to create.

Someone to believe in.

Something to be inspired by.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What do you think an artist needs? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Checking in with Reality: 07/02/10

Photo from : brandydarling

Darling Devotees,

Its February now and the further we get away from January 1st the harder it is to keep to the resolutions we made at the beginning of the year. I find that when breaking down major goals into smaller ones that fit into specific time frames makes them more realistic and easier to accomplish. I've also found that telling people about your goals makes you more determined to accomplish them because these people, directly or indirect, hold you accountable. That's why I want to use this segment to break up my new year's resolutions into manageable smaller goals and hopefully by the end of the year everything will be achieved. I invite you to join me by commenting about your goals at the end of the post. I shall do this segment every week and try to let you know how the week went in the following week's post. I hope that we can achieve all we've set out to do together. :)

So over the next month I will:

♥ Write an approximately 50,000 word novel.

♥ Do something new and exciting on my blog (wait for it darlings).

♥ Become good friends with some people in my classes.

♥ Find scholarships and apply for them. I need them for next year.

♥ Improve in my spiritual life.

♥ Work on my music. That demo won't record itself. Good news: My voice and piano teachers have promised to help me!!! I'm going to record one in particular for my voice class.

Photo from: Sabino

Over the next week I will:

♥Write at least 2 chapters of my book.

♥Start the surprise on my blog.

♥Post out my acceptance letter to the National Society for College Scholars (I got the letter yesterday!!!). Scholarships and discounts here I come!!!

♥Go for Catholic Center Retreat, and deeply reconnect with my faith.

♥Practice my singing and piano playing everyday for at least an hour.

♥Form study groups with lovely people in my classes.

I'm taking the big leap into the unknown. Will you take it with me?

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think.What are your new year's resolutions, goals or aims? Have you begun work on them? What will you do this week and month? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Post at Secret Society of List Addicts: The Airline Travel Packing List

Photo from: Caribb

Hey Darlings,

So there is this fantastic blog called The Secret Society of List Addicts and ever since I first found it, I've desired to become a member of the society and publish a post on the blog. I joined a couple of weeks ago but today, I feel like I'm come full circle because my first post, The Airline Travel Packing List, was put up today! It's a list containing all the most important things I feel one needs when flying. Feel free to check it out loves and let me know what you think about the post.


Love you all and Stay inspired,

Life's Little Lessons: Life Doesn't always turn out the way you planned

Photo From: Leasare

The Tale of Two Magical Nights:

I met him at orientation. That night, under the dimmed lights of the student union underground café, a friend of mine introduced me to him and I just knew I was gone. I tried to fight it anyway, tried to deny my feelings for him, because I knew it was way too soon. But I couldn't.

It started with strong physical attraction and mild interest because we both lived in Europe and in places that bordered each other and both spoke French. We started off talking in our group of friends about a bunch of random, socially incorrect topics, but once while he was talking, I made the gross mistake of looking him straight in the eyes . Those eyes, so stunningly green that the funky lighting in the room only emphasized their emerald-like beauty. They will probably remain forever etched in my mind that way. But I digress.

After talking for quite some time, we all decided to go for an hour long walk that took us to the loveliest park in Boston. Once at the park, he and I got to talking about what felt like everything under the sun. We sort of separated ourselves from the group and under the dark orange night sky, we compared life experiences and discovered our backgrounds were very much alike. Almost everything in our past from the size of our families and position in the family, to random grade school experiences, were shockingly similar. I was enthralled and we were so involved in our conversation that we didn't notice everyone giving us space until later. We caught up with them, and as we continued our walk around the romantically lit lake, it started to drizzle, and soon escalated to full blown shower. We continued walking together though and with the aid my female friends umbrella (which he held :) ) we got back to campus relatively unscathed.

I didn't see him for a week afterwards until we all met up for dinner. We talked some more and exchanged numbers then.

Then, one night we went for a walk by the Charles River along the Esplanade...

It was light cardigan weather and the sun had just set when I met him at the staircase leading to the path. He was standing at the top of staircase when I first saw his outline against the sky. We exchanged nervous smiles and started walking. Words cannot describe how beautiful a night it was. The stars were actually visible in the sky because of how clear the day had been. There was a light breeze blowing that rustled the leaves of the trees and caused ripples on the river, but that only added to the atmosphere. Our path was lit mostly by infrequent antique light poles and the odd bike rider. As it got colder we walked arm in arm down the path, past bikers and joggers, and couples too. After spending a lot of time talking about nothing in particular, we eventually stopped talking and instead proceeded in companionable silence. At some point, we discovered a stretch of land that protruded unusually far into the river and somehow created a small pond within the expanse of the river. After pondering the existence of such an otherworldly place in an actual city like Boston, while sitting together on a cute park bench facing the river and the city of Cambridge we decided to head back to my dorm.

As we approached my dorm, I noticed he seemed tense about something and I guessed what it was. I know I'd hoped that all our shared experiences meant that we had potential but that wasn't the case. I had been right, everything had happened too soon. But I also knew I couldn't have and wouldn't have done anything differently. After that, he started to pull away and I let him, because I had to. I trust that there is something better out there for me and if nothing else I got to experience a truly magical and enchanted night. I strongly believe that if things were meant to be, they will be, and that every cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes you can see the silver lining immediately, sometimes you can't, but I believe it's always there. And if you have faith that it's there, you can trust that even when life doesn't work out how you've planned, it will work out, usually much better than you could have ever foreseen.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining? Are there any situations in which a door shut but another opened for you? What made you wait to find the silver lining? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Seeking Inspiration: According to me (and you!!!)

Photo from : The Art of Jordan

Dearest Devotees,


Why is it that when it comes to the people we love, we can't bear to let anything less than stellar happen to them, but when it comes to ourselves we tolerate all sorts of imperfections and negative criticisms?


This week I've been in love with Orianthi's song According to You because it made me realise how I tend to put other's opinion of me over my own. I let myself get hurt by what others say about me and base my self perception on their opinions. But this wrong because no one in this world really knows you better than you do. You are the only one that knows everything that goes on in your life and how it really affects you. You are the only one who knows your whole story and are therefore the best judge of yourself. Being aware of this is important, not only in evaluating your work but also in evaluating your life in general. If something happens that makes you second-guess yourself step out of the situation and look at the whole picture. Ask what caused the event and give solid reasons e.g I didn't do well because I didn't study when I should have as opposed to I didn't do well because I'm just not as smart as everyone else.



For example, last semester I was not getting the grades I aspired to in my classes and started wondering if I was good enough to be at my new school. It was really upsetting me and making me lose faith in my abilities, but one day I sat down on my bed and tried to figure out what was happening to cause the poor performance. I soon realised that something similar had happened at the beginning of freshman year at my old school, and that it was as a result of transitioning and adapting to a new way of life. I decided to realign my goals to reflect this change and to give myself time to adapt. By stepping back from a situation and looking at the big picture you are able to judge yourself in a healthy way that encourages growth and improvement. Remember that your opinion matters most. Treat yourself well and make sure you get the best because you deserve it.



Inspirational links:



College Fashion's How to Establish Your Style Trademark is such a great read!



I desire to be indie! It sounds like such a fun life!



I must see the Bright Star movie! Such imagination! Such beauty!



My current love for Criminal Minds must have stemmed from my love for Sherlock Holmes, and that was before I knew he had such style!

Here is this week's exercise:

Thanks for the memories... by aury4eva featuring Forever21 tote bags

My translation:

It burns from within.

Like a fire it consumes everything in its path.

Within reason, I know not where it came from

Had I foreseen it in my mind's eye,

Maybe then I would not be so full of disdain.

For it has turned my free will to ashes;

My choice to nothing but scraps in its flames and,

Looking back on it now, I know that it may some day come again .

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What does the image make you think of? How does it make you feel? How would you translate those feelings into art work? And have you seen either of the movies featured? What did you think of them? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Love and Relationships: Music therapy- Self Encouragement

Photo from: tumblr

In truth, I am my own harshest critic. I forgive myself last, judge my decisions too strictly and forget all too often that I'm only human, and therefore am allowed to make mistakes and take a fall. This all makes for a defeated take on life and shows a lack of love of self. If we don't love ourselves we make it hard for others to love us because then they have to show us the good in ourselves and prove their love. This is why whenever I find I'm feeling defeated or despairing I turn on my self encouragement soundtrack. It always gets me back on my feet and charges me with energy and drive. Here are the songs as well as the major message I get from each:

One More by Superchick: The first step is usually the hardest but once you get going you've already won the battle to achieve success.

I Want Everything by Hope 7: You can achieve all your dreams, just get ready to reach.

It's my life by Jon Bon Jovi: Carpe Diem i.e. seize the day.

In the end by Linkin Park: In the end it doesn't really matter if you fall along the way, as long you get where you want to be.

Go by Boys Like Girls: Everyday is a chance for a new beginning.

With Arms Wide Open by Creed: Be open to opportunity and new experiences.

The list changes occassionally but some of these songs have been there since I was 10.After all a really good song will always be a really good song. The basic idea is to make sure that the list has songs with meaningful lyrics a beat that energizes and motivates you.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you have some songs you listen to for encouragement or motivation? What are they? Have they changed over time? Why do you like them? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

How to Budget Shop: The Ultimate Shopping List

Photo from: Photos8

This is part 5 of the Budget Shopping series. If you haven't already, please check out part 1- How to Budget Shop: The Rules, part 2- How to Budget Shop: Investment Pieces, Basics and Classics part 3- How to Budget Shop: Sales, Thrift stores and Shopping Your Closet and part 4- How to Budget Shop: Income,Outcome and All that jazz .





Even though you don't know it darlings this is what you've been waiting for. The solution to the endless days of frenzied shopping sprees and nights of the evil known as buyer's remorse: The Ultimate Shopping List. This is a list that acknowledges the fact that we are human, we can't always be perfect and therefore need to be allowed to get things just because we want them and not because we need them. I personally really love it because it helps me organise my shopping in order of priority and necessity, and desire. I'm going to give you the categories and advise that you use this list not only for clothes shopping but for all your major shopping. I feel like if you can see all the things that you want/need written down as you shop, you can know what will make you happiest to have and therefore avoid buyer's remorse. That being said, here are the categories for the ultimate shopping list:

• High Priority Items: These are things that you need to have urgently either for a particular event or in order to accomplish a set goal . These vary widely with time and need to be bought first when shopping. They include: a dress for an elegant ball or dinner a couple of nights before the event, supplies for a major project, etc.
  



• Basic Items: These are items that you need for everyday life but that you may not need right away. In your wardrobe : they are closet essentials, outside of your wardrobe they include certain household appliances such as vacuum cleaners and fridges. Basics are usually upgraded to high priority items if they are not bought in a while.

• Fantasy Items: These are the least attainable items that you usually don't need but really really want anyway. They can be anything from that gorgeous Elie Saab wedding dress I aspire to, or a million dollar mansion complete with orchard, Olympic-sized swimming pool and horse stables stocked with several thoroughbred horses. These are things that you usually have to work towards to and save up for in order to attain them one day.
  



• Splurge Items: These are items that you also really want but they are slightly (or not so slightly) out of your price range. You may or may not need them and the level of desire at that moment and the cost-per-wear determine whether or not you will buy them. They include: Designer shoes on sale, overpriced but extremely gorgeous $40 hairpieces, a compact digital camera, etc.

Remember that what falls into one category for a certain person may fall into a completely opposite category for another, because people are different and therefore have different wants, needs and means. Update your list regularly and make sure it reflects you all the time, and it should help you shop better. I discovered this list in a book I believe was called The Pink Book when I was about 11 years old and wrote it down in my diary knowing that it would be useful to me and it was the inspiration for this whole series. This is the last post in the budget shopping series and I hope that its helped you in your journey to lead a more budget friendly life.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you use a shopping list? If so, how often? What kind of stuff would be on your ultimate shopping list? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Life's Little Lessons: Don't undermine the power of change

Photo from: paida70

Dearest Devotees,

This week has been hella crazy for me (and I'm sure quite a few out there can relate). You see, I had to pack to go back to Boston on Sunday and ended up staying up all night packing the night before I travelled. Usually, this would not seem like such a bad idea to many people because you would think that, it being a 6 hour and a 2 hour flight and all, I could just catch up on my sleep on the plane, and this is what I planned to do. This was a bad idea because:

1. I was naturally physically exhausted because of the whole packing all night thing.



2. I had (conveniently) forgotten how tiring travelling is in itself.



3. I had also forgotten that I would be jetlagged by virtue of travelling through not 1, not 2 but 6 time zones!

Needless to say that when I got to the luggage carel and found out that one of my bags was missing I was not pleased. It was only when I that I found that I was close to tears because of my missing luggage that I realised how bad it was. That night, for the first time in years I went to sleep at 9pm! The perpetual night owl in me (i.e. the crazy girl that sleeps at 3-4 am regardless of circumstances) has been conquered. And not a moment too soon because what with all the art classes (My intro costume production class, figure drawing, costume design 1, acting) and my other equally lovely but more mentally challenging than physically challenging classes- like intermediate microeconomics and reading shakespeare- that I'm taking this semester I'm going to need all the rest I can get.

Lesson of the tale: Change is good but usually a lot of hard work. Routines are comfortable but people are dynamic and so is life. I didn't put off packing until the last minute because I did not want my holidays routine to change. But not preparing for change did not stop it from happening and now that it has happened it has improved the person I am. Remember that you can't stay stuck in the same place forever. Therefore, realise the importance of change, embrace it and accept that it tends to involve effort on your part in order to be fully realised. Be aware of that and keep the goal in sight so it can lead you to a better place.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know think. What experiences have you undergone recently that involved a change in routine? Where you excited about the change? Did it give you instant fufillment or is it more of a long term goal? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

How to Budget Shop: Income,Outcome and All that jazz

This is part 4 of the Budget Shopping series. If you haven't already, please check out part 1- How to Budget Shop: The Rules, and part 2- How to Budget Shop: Investment Pieces, Basics and Classics and part 3- How to Budget Shop: Sales, Thrift stores and Shopping Your Closet.

How many times have you looked at your bank statement and loudly exclaimed "I've been robbed!" , only to realise minutes later that you actually made all those purchases and withdrawals and not some creepy computer hacker/highly skilled robber? I don't know about you, darling devotees, but I've only been living in a dorm for 4 months and this has already happened to me too many times to be comfortable with. Darling devotees, I can honestly say that I learnt the following lesson the hard way: In order to live on a budget, one must have a budget to live on. It is really asking too much of yourself to resist than $300 purse, if you don't monitor (or even know) how much money is coming in and going out of your account. Last semester I would tell myself that I technically knew how much money I can spend this month, and expected that I would be able to keep track of my expenses in my head. Clearly, that didn't work out and after much research, I have come up with this list of activities that should help one live on a budget:

1. Set up a visible monthly budget: It can be on paper or on Excel, either way is fine as long as you actually have it written somewhere. The reason I love Excel is because you can update the figures easier, but having a little notebook where you record your income and expenses as well as your monthly plan is fine too. When creating your monthly plan, look at your total income (or the amount of money you have or will soon have for the month) and list all of the categories of expenses you will have to take care of over the course of the month e.g. rent, food, clothes (!) , school supplies, transportation, emergency, miscellaneous, etc. Allocate a certain amount of money to each category and try to stick to your budget as much as possible. As time progresses you'll be able to predict how much money you spend better.
   
2. Monitor your income and expenses: Whenever you spend money, reflect that in the expense column of your budget according to its category. Do the same whenever you receive money. You don't even have to say what exactly you spent the money on, that's why we're using categories. By doing this you get a better idea of where all your money goes to every month and can therefore know where you need to cut back, if necessary. Evaluating and monitoring your budget also lets you know what options you have on how to use your money i.e. more shoes or more trips to the movies.


3. Cost-per-wear: As I've mentioned before one of the major keys to budget shopping is calculating the cost-per-wear. All you really have to do is guesstimate how many times you will wear an item (e.g. 1 a week for a year= 52 times) and divide it by its price. The problem with this is that people sometimes overestimate the durabilitiy/quality of an item, which causes them to get a wrong cost-per-wear. A couple tips to help you better determine high quality items are:

-Check the seams of the clothes: If threads pull apart relatively easily or if buttons are hanging loose, it probably wasn't well sewn.

-Check the quality of the fabric: some fabrics just look cheap, others really are. Being able to tell the difference between the two is something you can only learn with experience.

- Weigh the trend factor: Will you even want to be seen wearing the item in a couple of months? If not, will it be good enough to resell or use for something else?

If you want more help on setting up a budget or organising your finances, check out Suze Orman, particularly her advice on Oprah.

(Photo from: toolmantim )

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you have a budget plan? Does it work for you? How do you determine quality of an item? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

2010 Artistic Retreat: Making it last forever

Photo from: Stuck in Customs



Day 7: Visual Immortalisation

My Darling Devotees,

When I came up with the idea for this retreat week, it was an idea bred from necessity. The reality of how art-centric my year is going to be had just hit me and I was wondering where I would get the inspiration to get everything done. I had also noticed how many of you, my devotees, had resolutions that involved improving your artistic skills. That's when I decided that a retreat week devoted to learning how to find inspiration in everything around you was exactly what we all needed , and I feel like this goal has been achieved. We started off this week by establishing where we were coming from stylistically by looking through our past work. Then we really begun actively seeking out sources of inspiration by watching movies, visiting the library and other places that tend to make creative juices flow. Over the past couple of days I've been asking you to not only visit these places but to try to think out of the box, by brainstorming ways in which you could translate what inspired you into your art.


Now, I want you to immortalise this week by putting all of these ideas and points of inspiration into two visual media you can always refer to: an inspiration board and an inspiration portfolio. The board should be kept somewhere you can easily see it when you want to work on your art, preferably in your room or studio . The portfolio should really be a sort of book that only has works in progress and sources of inspiration, no finished works or pictures of finished works. The idea is that your most inspiring visual pieces should go on your board and your larger or more word-intensive pieces should go in the portfolio. I also recommend that you have a digital back-up of your portfolio.


This has been an amazing week and I for one am sad to see its end. I've learnt so much about myself and the things that move me this week and I hope you have too. I've also learnt a lot about you my darling devotees, through the comments and suggestions you so kindly left me under all of the parts of the series. Thank you so much for partaking in this artistic retreat with me. Like I mentioned before I have a problem with finishing projects that I've started and only recently realised what the cause may be. I needed to finish this series to show myself that I can complete things I've started. Your comments encouraged me to continue writing and coming up with new ideas, and showed me just how fantastic you people are. Part of the reason I started this blog was to meet people who shared my interests, people I could influence positively and that could influence me positively too, and I really feel like that's happening. Once again, thanks for your participation and good luck in all your artistic ventures.


Assignment Summary

1. Gather all your major pieces of inspiration, select the most attention-grabbing and aesthetically pleasing pieces and pin them to your board.



2. Type up key words that inspire you and that describe some of the pieces on your board and add them to the board, too.



3. Put the more detailed and word intensive pieces in your inspiration portfolio; key pages from your retreat notebook could be removed from the notebook could be added too.



4. Put digital photos, online links and other digital inspiration in a digital portfolio.



5. Begin to document any art that you do and create a finished products portfolio.
   
   

My Interpretation:

This post by Luinae of More Magic Always, I feel really explains how to make an inspiration board. I already have an inspiration portfolio (that I'm currently updating), but I've never had a board before and I'm really excited about making one. When I'm done, I'll put the pictures in a separate post. Finally, I want you to feel free to record your work in whatever format suits you best i.e. if you dance, you can video your routines, if you sing, record your songs, etc, as long as it accurately records your achievements and lets you see how much you improve each day, it's fine.

Be open to new experiences and your life shall be fulfilled.
-Me

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Was this retreat helpful? What did you like? What would you like to see next time? What quotes, pictures, links, etc are on your board/in your portfolio? If you have any links to pictures of your boards or portfolios you'd like me to see feel free to put them in comments, along with your answers, below.