Exercising Creativity

In an interview I carried out with Alice for my Other Minds series, I said that she was "at one with her creativity". By this I meant she could peacefully be creative without feeling the guilt that I feel.
I have been creative my whole life, reorganising and decorating my room, drawing outfits, sewing bags-I spent every hour doing something that let my imagination run wild.
The pressures of school forced me into a bland, square box, no creativity just productivity. After revision consumed every second of my day, I didn't know what to do with myself.
"Do some painting" mum said, "But that has no use, its pointless" was always my reply.
I have been forcing myself, ever since, to be creative, to remind myself of the joy I used to get out of it. That the final product doesn't matter, its the process, the way it makes you feel.
My friends have all been away this past week and I have been entertaining myself with an array of artistic pathways.

On this day, it was bliss. I had The Breakfast Club on , my paints out and a large cup of tea next to me.

My favourite arty things to do are:

1. Collaging
2. Journalling (because this combines everything)
3. Painting (but always filling in someone else's picture or just colours because I can't paint for shit)
4. Colouring (I love the Secret Garden colouring book and the online Rookie pages)
5. Writing
6. Collaging on my laptop
7. Photography

It never fails to relax me and take my mind away to a more peaceful place-that can only be a good thing right?
Slowly slowly I am feeling less of the guilt and more just enjoying the doing. School will whip around and it will probably zap all that inspiration out of me again.
Oh well.

OTHER MINDS

After gathering inspiration from various different 'zines and deciding to finally channel my inner journalist-dreams (I think?), I came upon the idea of a series such as this:
An online collection of raw and real answers from people I find inspiring/interesting.
It will (hopefully) be based upon a myriad of themes, a different 'interview' for a different theme; identity, inspiration, fears, challenges, body image etc.
The series will be in conjunction with this blog but the organisation-craving me wanted it all to be housed in a separate place (link here but it will also be linked at the top)

Expect vulnerability and truth washed down with a bit of light heartedness and (fingers crossed) some relatable anecdotal writing.

I have just posted my first interview with Maddie Mills about identity-please go and give it a read!

Who knows where this will evolve but any suggestions for themes etc would be greatly appreciated

Adventuring

I have just returned from 3 days spent in Nice with my good friend Maddie.
We had such a lovely time relaxing and tanning and photographing and walking and talking and eating and doing all the things that make a holiday great.
I didn't have the thrill of independence that I had had from other holidays alone but I think that that made it better-it made it relaxed and meant we could take advantage of the scenery and culture.
I practised a fair amount of French and submersed myself in a country that I love more and more every time I go.
We visited the memorial of the attacks that took place the week previous. It was incredibly emotional but otherwise the city had returned to 'normal', with just the armed police for evidence of the tensions.
Highlights include the glorious sun, lying on the beach reading Rookie (so worth the hassle of dragging it on the plane), sitting in the evening sun on the balcony, the Musee Marc Chagall, the views from the headland walk we did and Place Rosetti in the evening where we retreated-but it was all pretty super.

I hope you enjoyed the photos (I took waay too many as usual)

pages/sites ima lovin'

I have come across some [web] pages and sites recently that I am desperate to share, for their imparting wisdom or just blummin' beauty.
Maybe you'll feel inspired and creative too.

General sites I've been loving:
Rookie mag
Kiloran mag
Plasma dolphin
The messy heads
Noors Place
A pair & a spare (specifically for DIY)
Teenapes
The things the books forgot
Lauryn's notebook

More specific pages:
How to hang out solo and not feel weird about it: (this is good for me because all my bestest pals are currently in Ecuador for 16 days  so ima need some entertainment)
5 things to make with clay
An ode to teenage girls
Femme-entrailles (some funky french self empowerment)
Collage kit
DIY off-the shoulder top

If anyone has any other suggestions of pages/blogs/sites, leave them below!

Twitter - Bloglovin - Instagram

Milk and Honey (and tears)

After pining for this book for what feels like forever, much to my delight, I received it for my birthday.
I have followed Kaur's posts on Pinterest and marvelled at their poignant artistry but I was unprepared for the book.
Its raw, explicit beauty and the craft at which she constructs such fiercely excruciating poems left me reading it with tears down my face.

The blurb reads:
"This is the journey
of surviving through poetry
this is the blood sweat tears
of twenty one years
this is my heart
in your hands
this is
the hurting
the loving
the breaking
the healing"

She has poured what feels like every ounce of herself and her story into something so beautiful yet horrific, some of which will make you squirm with discomfort others, that will fill your heart with power and fire.

Along with most poems are illustrations drawn by her which are equally heart rendering.

I urge you to read this book, the digital versions are good but, with the book, you feel you are holding the delicacy of her whole life in the sheets of paper.

As a taster,  here are two of my favourites:

"i do not want to have you
to fill the empty parts of me
i want to be full on my own
i want to be so complete
i could light a whole city
and then
i want to have you
cause the two of us combined
could set it on fire"

"i want to apologise to all the women
i have called pretty
before i've called them intelligent or brave
i am sorry i made it sound as though
something as simple as what you are born with
is the most you have to be proud of when your
spirit has crushed mountains
from now on i will say things like
you are resilient or you are extraordinary 
not because i don't think you are pretty
but because you are so much more than that"

Check out Rupi Kaur's website here

Currently

Listening: Tom Odell-Wrong Crowd and last night I listened to Tom Rosenthal which threw me back to January mocks-ew

Reading: The Go-Between, L.P Hartley-its super summery and I am thoroughly enjoying it (after it sat on my shelf for 2 years)-"It is the story of the loss of innocence, a loss so shattering and profound that it breeds a lasting mistrust on life"

Eating: Nectarines and probs too much brownie

Drinking: Last night, we drank Pimms in the freezing cold with blankets, pretending it was acutally JULY

Been doing: Too many open day's, too much travelling (5 trains in one day-no thanks), spending too much money, partying to celebrate all the July birthday's, thinking about summer, stressing about the future (as always) and not having much time to think

Procrastinating from: My history essay that I really don't want to do-the worst part is, I actually have 3

Loving: Instagram, specifically taking pics for Instagram (follow me 'ere-insta) and partying with my pals

Lusting: A bardot top, some Birkenstoks and for summer to hurry up

Writing: Seeing as it is my birthday on Saturday, I'll probably do some kind of 16 round up-I feel like I left being 16 ages ago and it sounds so young-but I'd be happy to stay here for the rest of my life. Also, considering beginning a novella but I need ideassss

Excited for: holidaysss