You Can Spin Your Own Story And All Of The World Will Adore You

Alright. I give up. It's time to admit that it's been nearly a month and my 'special project' still isn't ready. This is partly because my camera had a major crisis, partially because I had a major crisis, and partly because I'm a lazy human being. Anyway, my excuses don't matter too much - I have plenty of things I can tell you in the meantime. A whole month's worth of things. Which is a lot of things so, uh, long post warning. Take a big breath and put on some calming music and power through, guys, it'll be worth it. Maybe.

So here are some things I like right now:




















Clockwise from top left. I've been hunting for a good audition monologue. This means buying a truckload of plays - about two of which ever end up having useful pieces in them. However, since my parents consider plays a necessary expense, I'm not complaining about a multitude of new reading material. Some might find it a bit weird  to read plays in the same way that you would books, but the only real difference is that you get more direction about how to imagine a scene - which we all do anyway, when reading books. Here are: 'The Effect' by Lucy Prebble, which concerns the fate of a romance based on chemicals alone; Naomi Iizuka's 'Polaroid Stories', a mashed up collection of ancient myth and street legends; and 'Circle Mirror Transformation' by Annie Baker, who writes fantastic plays about seemingly innocuous situations that any of us could find ourselves in. 'The Aliens' (not pictured) is another of hers that is possibly my favourite play of all time.

I went nuts on finding out that my parents had bought me a Dazed And Confused magazine subscription, and the first edition to arrive got me even more excited. It's called 'Girls Rule The World' , so my love for it is hardly a surprise. It focuses particularly on powerful and talented women like Lupita Nyong'o (oh lord how can she be that beautiful), Amandla Stenberg (babe) and Rookie gals Tavi and Petra, who are good god bloody amazing and inspirational. Dazed and Confused is hardly the most mainstream mag there is, but it's still nice to see recognition of all these amazing - and amazingly diverse - women in a publication that quite a lot of people read.

Next up is 'S.' by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst. This is, in my opinion, more a piece of art or a literary experience than a book - the pages of  'Ship Of Theseus', written by the fictional V.M. Straka, are filled with handwritten notes, postcards, letters and newspaper cuttings that tell the story of a conversation between two curious readers. Being a complete book nerd, noticing details like library stamps and torn pages nearly made me cry with happiness. Miraculously, I've managed to hold off starting to actually read it until I have time to sit down and get stuck in.

The Pigma Micron pen is the light of my life at the moment. I use it for nearly all my journal entries. It manages to turn drawing lines into some kind of wonderful treat.

Next to it is another line drawing tool, only this one is meant for eyes. Black eyeliner makes any day better, no joke.

Valrhona Noir Guanaja chocolate is a total dream of fruity delection, but I would never buy something that ridiculously expensive for myself - three cheers for my granny!

These delicate H. S. Samuels silver hoop earrings are the only jewellery I ever wear, save for a few rings. They make me feel instantly fierce, even if I'm still in jogging bottoms and a bra...

I'm only just starting to find my feet with Dr P.H. Martin's Black Bombay India ink, but I get the feeling it'll be fabulous.

The Konstruktor camera that I got for Christmas was both a delight and a frustration to make and, despite the tricksy top viewfinder, I really enjoy using it. Because I'm new to analogue photography, and because the camera isn't perfectly made, it's all a bit of experimentation and I'm stoked to see how the photos turn out - if they exist, and I haven't completely failed to make a piece of working machinery. *deep breaths*

Finally, music is such a massive part of my life that I have literally removed all information from my facebook account that doesn't relate to bands. I have no regrets whatsoever. These white Bluetooth headphones aren't perfect, but they're pretty good for under £20, and they look spiffy. I can now dance practically anywhere without anyone hearing what I'm listening to - and yes, that is exactly why I bought them.

Speaking of music, there are three very important, sad, musical men in my life right now. The first is Sivu, who you'll know about if you've read any of my previous music posts, and whose music I fall asleep to on every troubled night. Listen to anything from his 'Bodies' album and be amazed. The second is Keaton Henson, a tremulous and beautifully disillusioned singer and artist who is as withdrawn as he is talented. Listen to 'Corpse Roads' or 'Lying to you' if want twinkly, slightly depressing honesty. For something more light-hearted... actually, I'm pretty sure depressing honesty is all Henson does. But he's very good at it. Finally, Tom Rosenthal is a recent (meaning: yesterday) discovery of mine. The fact that he soulfully rendered Eiffel 65's 'Blue', the least soulful song ever created, says a lot about how great he is. Also, he offers bespoke songs. Just listen to any and all of his music. Right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, there's more.

I watched Ginger and Rosa recently, and expected a lot from it. It delivered. Elle Fanning is one of the most beautiful humans on earth even when bawling her eyes out - totally not fair, but still amazing. The film was perfectly shot, and the characterization was on point. Even the music was top stuff - but then, it is set in the sixties. Now I want red hair and a movement to fight for. And stripy pyjamas and a derelict house full of artists. Or I'll be Elle Fanning.

 

Below are all the journal entries I have made since the last ones. This is by far the best journal I have ever had; it's really precious to me, and there is absolutely nothing in there that I regret creating. I guess that means I've moved forward as an artist? Who knows.

 

And there we finish! If you've read this far, your brain is made of iron and I applaud you for that. See you, hopefully soon. And if you especially want to see me and hear me all the time, 24/7, then just follow me on tumblr. That's it. Cool.

Sweetheart, What Have You Done

This post is mostly a gap filler, a standby, on the way to cooler things. I wanted to let you know that I am still alive and kicking, despite my unusually long absence. Said absence is both because I've been washed out and overwhelmed by Christmas, and because I'm preparing something creative that takes quite a bit of time and effort. I hope you (and I) find it worth the wait. However, I also want to update you a bit on my life, and my blog, and what the deal is with all this. Look at these miscellaneous photos while you read, they might make it more interesting.

I felt it important to mention that my blogging style will be changing a bit, both in writing and content. It's been a step too far in the direction of 'English Assignment on Non-Fiction Writing', and it's making me gag. It's funny really, how quickly attitudes can change - what felt professional two weeks ago now feels childish, and what was serious feels silly. What I want to be changes almost daily, from delicate to fierce and from dark to playful, and I think the reason that this (school) year has seemed like such a period of transformation, is that I am ultimately getting closer to what I really  want to be. Teenagerhood as a whole exists almost exclusively so that we can try out as many personas as we wish, before finding the one that fits well enough to carry into adulthood.

 

I've discovered that I like the fierceness of clunking shoes and sharp eyebrows - why bother trying to shrink and hide when I can stand as tall as a mountain (a 6'1" mountain) and pierce enemies with my eyeliner? I like  the boldness of bare legs all through winter. The solid britishness of kilts and wispy plaits. The carefree, go-wherever attitude of old jeans and a rucksack. The person I want to be is relaxed and invulnerable, exciting in her disregard for rules. She can make the best out of situations and make a friend out of anyone willing. She is me at my best, amplified, with a slip of extra vigour.

 

Eccentricity has always appealed to me, but I've never been quite sure why - I suppose some would say it's the pretentious hipster in me, always striving to be different, but that isn't quite right (if I am a hipster, it is with good reason). I think I hit upon the real matter last night while watching a programme about Dave Allen, who had a penchant for eccentrics. He explained that it wasn't madness - he was never looking for mad people - but a passion to do what you wanted, no matter what anybody else thought. That seems like a wonderful freedom to me.

 

 

And now comes the point at which I've put off publishing this post for several days, and no longer have the faintest clue what I've written. I do remember that I thought most of this up in the bath - that's the Archimedes in me - so don't be too harsh if it doesn't make any sense. Not all my future posts will be so stream-of-consciousness-y, and my overall content probably won't be that noticeably different, but I'm glad I've given it a try. Let me know what you think! Even if you hate it - I probably will too in a few weeks (or days).

 

 

All photos were taken by me, and the art in them is mine.

I may post them on tumblr.

x

 

October-ish thoughts

I've just spent a day traipsing around Oxford, so I'm pretty exhausted, but I thought it might soon be too late for a post about October, so here we are. These are just some thoughts I had last month, as well as some photos I took or liked, some of my art, some inspiration, etc. Fair warning: this will be long and photo-heavy, so you might want to grab some tea and snuggle down...

 

I tried taking one of those lovely pics of nice things arranged in cool patterns that pop up so often on tumblr, but I have neither a flat surface or impeccable folding skills, so this is what I ended up with. Top left are my new Topshop leather dungarees - these are so comfy and look cool with every top you could possibly imagine. Also, they're snuggly. The orange shirt next to them has actually been in my wardrobe for years (ever since I stole it off my brother) but I only just got around to adjusting it and wearing it. Bottom left are my ballet shoes. I really want some black, canvas split-soles as well as these, but I need an excuse to go to my dance shop. Then there's my signed, first edition copy of More Than This by Patrick Ness (which I have now finished), some make up, and this wonderful gosling green fluffy jumper, also from Topshop.



from here

From this wonderful post by Ellie Connor-Phillips

Found here

Found here

 

I've been loving all kind of misty, mysterious photos of plants and trees. This makes me sad that I live in a place with very few misty mysterious foresty places, being in a large city and all. Also, wolves! Ideally, I'd like a dire-wolf (as in Game of Thrones) but I might have to settle for getting me a husky as soon as humanly possible.

 

I've been on the hunt for the ever-elusive perfect jeans. For a couple of weeks, I wore my destroyed, 5 year old pair of Moto Leigh's non-stop, because they're sooo distressed and comfy. Unfortunately, my mum isn't too happy with the multiple rips, grass and mud stains and paint splatters. Sadly, all the new pairs I looked at were super tight and thin, or just badly fitting, so I'm sticking to dungarees for the moment.

And, on the subject of blue jeans, 'Requiem For Blue Jeans' has been on loop in my room throughout October. I adore Lana Del Rey and her original 'Blue Jeans', but I have to say this remix/mashup/cover by Bastille is even better.

 

 

And here's some other music I've listened to a lot. Just a couple notes - 'Satukit' is Sinead Satu of Peppermint Whiskers, and she is amazing. Not only can she put together dreamy pastel princess outfits and be a total artistic badass, but she creates wonderful music. Check her out immediately if you haven't already! Also, 'Dawn of Eden' by Underworld was created for Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle at The National. I saw a screening of this on Halloween, and it was one of the best pieces of theatre I have ever seen. The acting, staging, music, everything was overwhelmingly beautiful and awe-inspiring. I only wish I could have seen it live.

 

 

Rookie meet up! This wasn't actually organised by Rookie, but by a group of lovely girls on Facebook who read the mag and wanted to get together. We met at the Southbank centre to do crafty-collagey things, and we chatted about school and blogs and life and whatnot. There may be another meetup soon, so if you'd like to come, check out this facebook group.

 

The babe in the last picture is Sophie of Pretty Passions, Fine Fashions, who has awesome style and makes cool zines, and is a total sweetie to top it all off.

 

This is the collage I made at the meet up. I will probably add more to it, maybe some text.

 

 

 And this is my baby! He took about a million hours to finish, and you can see some progress shots on my tumblr. If I hadn't drawn him for schoolwork I would add something to make him a bit more interesting, but I don't think my art teacher would be too pleased with flowers and poetry on my observational drawing practice.

 

Finally, some news for the future: I'm planning on doing a series of little art/poetry pieces, based on things that could be said/thought about loves and crushes and so on. If I have time, I might even turn them into a zine-type-thing. They will be posted on my tumblr, and probably here as well at some point. If anybody would like to contribute short lines or poems about the people they have loved/crushed on, that would be very welcome!

 

Stay cool,

xx

Southbank Sixties

Sadly, silly me forgot to put a memory card into my camera, so I didn't get any pictures out of my trip yesterday. However, I did get a ton of new knowledge about the sixties!

As I mentioned in my last post, the Southbank Centre put on a sixties week as part of their 'The Rest Is Noise' festival, and I was lucky enough to grab the last couple of tickets. The Sunday portion of the event included talks, live music and film screenings; I attended three of these and, boy were they different to what I expected.

 The first, called 'Noise Bites' was very educational, but entertaining nonetheless. There were several sessions, and we went to the first one, which focused on Coronation Street, Woodstock, LSD, and Bernsein's Mass (we skipped Bernstein to have a yummy lunch at Las Iguanas). The Woodstock and LSD talks focused on aspects that were pretty new to me - for example, how most LSD research was funded by the military in the hopes that the drug could help control enemy forces. The 15 minutes on Coronation Street were a bit dry for me, but then it's not really my kind of thing.

 

After Mexican chilli chicken skewer deliciousness, we arrived a few minutes into a discussion about The Beatles. Bill Harry, creator of Mersey Beat and old friend of The Beatles (who, in fact, helped introduce them to their future manager), journalist Leslie Woodhead, and radio icon Paul Gambaccini all voiced their opinions on The Beatles' sudden rise to fame, the dynamic of the group and its members, and Liverpool's 'vandalism' of many music venues played by the group and others like them.

 

It was pretty packed and stuffy in there, so we had a wander around Southbank to clear our heads. We searched through the book stalls, checked out the little cutesy shops in Gabriel's Wharf, looked at all the pretty design shops of the OXO tower, and went into Foyles book shop so that I could spend more money on books I can't afford! I found this baby:

A signed first edition of Patrick Ness' latest book - I adore his books and this was just so cool I had to buy it for myself. It is amazing so far, and you'll hear more once I've finished it, for sure!

 

Finally, while most of the crowds were queuing for the Roger McGough and Brian Patten poetry reading, we slipped into an intimate performance of Stockhausen's Stimmung. This was really unusual - not so much singing as a combination of vocal noises - and in German, English, and jibberish (or so it seemed). The sound was lovely though, and quite fun to listen to.

 

And, Bonus, we got to see all the wonderful costumes of the folks heading to and from comic con!

 

For those who can't stand this text-heavy type stuff, there will be lots more pictures and fun stuff later this week, so keep your eyes peeled!

Kisses xx