10 Ways To Make Your Instagram Photos Pop!
[ 7 May 2012, 10:20 ]
God, I love my iPhone. I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I never understood the hype until I spent a week with my parents last year. My mother & father both have iPhones, & my father — who is slightly app-obsessed — was fiddling with his constantly. I thought I loved my Android, but after using his phone for a little while, I realised I was missing out. I bought myself an iPhone the very next week, & ever since then, I have been a total evangelist.
One of my favourite things about the iPhone is Instagram. Instagram is an app that records your visual life in the same way that Twitter captures it via text.
There’s good news for non-iPhone users, though: Instagram has recently released for the Android phone!
When I was in Las Vegas, I noticed Nubby taking pictures directly through the Instagram app, which is not how I’ve ever done it. I think the very best way to make the most of your photos is to take your snaps using the Camera, & shoot a few of them. Then you can pick your favourites, edit them using an app or two, & add them to Instagram when you’re done. (In Instagram, the icon on the bottom left with two boxes will allow you to import a photo from your library.)
Instagram comes with a few built-in filters, & that’s what most people use. But you can alter your pictures a LOT even before you add them to Instagram. While the photos that come out of the iPhone are pretty good by themselves, there are a few great apps I’ve discovered which can really pump up the volume. In fact, I often run my photos through 2 or 3 apps before I upload them to Instagram. Maybe that’s weird & obsessive, but the results speak for themselves!
I discovered MoreBeaute just recently & I was so thrilled! This is perfect for self-portraits or pictures of people, because it has this tremendous skin filter which makes everyone look flawless! It’s totally adjustable, too, so you can make yourself look like a total Barbie, or just give yourself a little improvement here & there.
MoreBeaute is extremely simple in design. You either take a photo or select one from your library, & then you can choose from Brightness, Smoothing, Detail & Tone. The changes appear minute on-screen, but a quick flick back to the Before tab will show you just how much the image has changed!
You can see from my examples at the top that you can get extremely overzealous with this app, but this shows you exactly how much you can smooth & blur someone’s skin tone. The answer: a lot!
P.S. If you want to take a self-portrait which makes you look flawless, get as close to a diffused natural light source as possible. Standing next to a window — especially on a cloudy day — is perfect!
It’s great to vary your shots, & photographing a photo is an excellent way to do it. One of my favourite things to do is snap a few Instax pictures, then spread them out & shoot them with my iPhone. I always end up doing this when I’m on holiday, because it gives you a visual summary in just one frame!
I’m almost always carrying around an Instax camera, so I suppose this suggestion relies on having another camera on-hand… But if you do collect Instax, Polaroids or photobooth strips, this is a great way to document a segment of time!
Camera+ is always the first app I use to edit a photo. Once you’ve selected the photo you want to alter, you’re given five options: Scenes, Adjust, Crops, Effects & Borders. In Scenes, you can adjust the lighting of the photo. Choose from a huge variety of settings like Clarity, Auto, Flash, Backlit, Shade, Portrait, & so on. Camera+ has the best lighting adjustments I’ve seen of any app, & sometimes all a photo needs is a little brightness to make it pop!
The Effects tab has four groups: Color, Retro, Special & I 
Analog. Each of these groups has 9 different effects, all of which are pretty fantastic.
The I Analog group is a paid section, but it has a couple of my favourite filters in it: XPRO C-41, Diana & Silver Gelatin. Silver Gelatin is the filter I added to the sample photo above! Once you’ve purchased access to this section, you can use it forever… & I think you will!
Some of my favourite Instagram photos are not of anything I made or created, or even of someone I know. Often they’re simply pictures of art on the street.
NYC is a great place to do that: there’s art practically everywhere you look, from stickers on lampposts to huge murals on the sides of buildings. Everyone here has something to say & a lot of those people are excellent at expressing themselves visually, so it seems like a mistake not to capture your favourite examples!
Shooting the art you see is a fantastic way of documenting the way your city changes over time. Murals get tagged up, stickers get pulled down, advertisings goes up where posters once stood, & nothing remains the same. So snap your favourite art, because it might not be there tomorrow!
First things first: Camera Awesome has an “Awesomize” slider, which increases brightness, contrast & vibrancy all at once. If you want to keep things really simple, just use that. It does a great job!
The Presets & Filters tabs are fantastic on here, & there are a LOT of options. Camera Awesome is another one of those apps where some of the features are free, but a lot of them are paid. It’s 99c to purchase 9 filters, & just like with Camera+ you get to use them forever. Camera Awesome has some really dramatic effects, as well as textures & frames.
This app doesn’t have the most intuitive design, but you’ll get the hang of it! It’s definitely worth experimenting with!
As much as we all love to shoot endless self-portraits, there’s something refreshing about an Instagram feed which is diverse & full of surprises!
You could even use your Instagram account as extra incentive to go out & explore your city. I always end up snapping the best pictures when I’m somewhere a little unknown, & seeing with new eyes. For example, last week I went out exploring with Kat & Gareth. We ventured into a store called Georgetown Cupcakes — which I’d never been into before — & we discovered this pink bedazzled KitchenAid! OH MY! I asked if I could take a photo, they said yes, & what resulted is my most-favourited photo on Instagram… ever.
It’s not just about accumulating “likes” & “followers” though: if you shoot what you love, even if no one else follows you, you’ll still get a lot of pleasure out of Instagram.
Picfx has a lot of options, including Vintage, Cross Process & Premixed filters, but where it really shines is in its selection of Light filters. Oh yes, if you’re looking for bokeh, this is the app to use!
I used Picfx to add those little bubbles of light to this photo of pink champagne, & I think it definitely adds to the image! (I also used Camera+ & Camera Awesome to brighten & intensify the colours!)
Truth time: LensLight is a little bit cheesy. The design is not wonderful. But if you’re looking for starbursts, heart-shaped bokeh (oh yes!) or sparkle spectrums, you’ll be ALL about it!
This photo taken at the YogaRave was CLEARLY begging for purple heart-shaped bokeh! Right?!
I used LensLight to add the rainbow effect to this building covered in ivy, too. So pretty.
There are a lot of apps which allow you to combine several pictures, but PictureFrames is my favourite. You can add rounded corners to your frames, change the border colours & thickness, & also resize the frames. Brilliant! It’s a great app for showing details or a few sides of one object!
For this image, I processed each photo with Camera+ before importing them into PictureFrames. I changed the brightness of the image in Scenes & then added some colouring in Effects. I also added some bokeh to the top picture using LensLight! You can see how just one app can be a gateway drug!
Looking at my Instagram profile makes me smile, because essentially, it boils down to a collection of photos of things that I love. Some people don’t “get” Instagram, but if you think of it as a kind of digital scrapbook, it starts to make more sense. It doesn’t have to stay digital & intangible, either: there are a handful of companies who will turn your Instagram photos into little books, stickers, or even print pillows with a selection of your favourite pictures!
Don’t fall victim to Instagram anxiety, or the need to get 1000 likes in under a minute. Only post when you feel genuinely inspired to share something, & you’ll quickly become as obsessed as I am!
If you want to follow me on Instagram, my username is galadarling... & I’d love to see what you end up shooting! Let me know if you use any of the apps I suggested, too. I love them!
Click click, flash flash!
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The Ultimate Guide To Making Your Period Suck Less!
[ 12 April 2012, 08:52 ]
Periods. (Sorry, fellas.) Does anyone really enjoy them? I don’t think so. Even those super-grounded, patchouli-scented “Earth Mother” types who like to talk about cycles & the moon probably (secretly) become screaming PMS hellbeasts!
I know that I become a complete, walking girl cliche. I have been known to stand on line holding a tub of ice-cream, three fashion magazines, pimple cream & a box of “sanitary products”. I get REALLY REALLY MOODY & impatient with everyone. I feel the need to eat massive amounts of chocolate. I watch terrible romantic comedies (yes!!!) & sometimes (okay, often) get teary-eyed! OH, GIRL! I go all out!
With these things in mind, I thought the time was right to write about a selection of things to make “that time of the month” go a little more smoothly. How can we make it more relaxing & pleasant, & less stressful? I have some ideas!
1. Wear cute underwear!
I know it’s tempting to wear your rattiest knickers this week, but resist! RESIST! Sure, you need something comfortable, but wearing dreary underpants makes a sucky week even suckier.
Thankfully, I just discovered Harebrained Period Panties, & they crack me up! Featuring grisly cartoonish depictions of “Aunt Flo”, an evil beaver, “Raggedy Fran” & a gory unicorn, they’re a super-soft full-brief style which will have you in comfortable (if a little grumpy!) style!
It’s always nice to wear underpants that depict your emotional state, don’t you think?
2. Learn which foods to embrace… & which to avoid!
The bad news is that the foods you’re probably craving — sugar, salt, coffee & alcohol — will only aggravate your symptoms & make them worse. Mega-sad-face!
Here’s why to avoid those things. Eating sugar will make your blood sugar spike & crash, which will make you even MORE irritable. Salt will cause greater water retention, so if you’re already feeling bloated, a big bowl of french fries will make you swell up! Finally, caffeine elevates production of estrogen, which in turn causes even crazier PMS symptoms. It will also increase breast tenderness pretty considerably!
The good news is that there are plenty of great things you can eat which will actually make you feel BETTER! Check out these tips.
Eat more frequently! When you eat more regularly, it keeps your metabolism zipping along, which in turn gives you more energy & makes you feel good. This is true all of the time, not just during period week, so try having five little meals as opposed to three huge ones, & see if it makes you feel better!
Get your fill of Vitamin B6 & Vitamin C! Vitamin B6 is like a little miracle: it helps relieve premenstrual cravings, exhaustion, nutty mood swings, water retention & bloating. What a beaut! There’s a lot of Vitamin B6 in turkey, fish & chicken, nuts, bananas, potatoes & eggs. Vitamin C will help reduce symptoms too — you can get it from all citrus fruits, cranberry juice & brussels sprouts!
If you crave chocolate, eat RAW chocolate! Raw cacao is one of the #1 sources of magnesium, which is something we tend to crave. The problem with eating regular chocolate is that it has been so processed & messed around with that by the time it gets to us, it contains only a teeny-tiny amount of magnesium. Raw chocolate, on the other hand, is the real deal! You’ll get a mega-hit of magnesium, plus it’s rich & dark enough to be really satisfying. Nice one!
Drink plenty of water! Even though it sounds counterintuitive, since you’re probably retaining water like crazy, keeping yourself hydrated will actually make you feel a lot better. In fact, some of the reason you’re holding onto all that water might just be because you’re dehydrated! Guzzle some H2O & feel the difference!
If you get migraines, change what you eat! If I eat a standard American diet (this is known, somewhat ironically, as SAD), I get crippling migraines that render me 100% incapacitated on the second day of my period. However, if I make an effort to cut down on white bread, refined sugar & dairy, & choose to replace those foods with more vegetables, fruit, nuts, chicken or fish, I don’t get them AT ALL! It’s an immense relief to not be relegated to my bedroom, wanting to cry from pain & trying not to throw up on myself. I definitely recommend trying this if it’s something you have suffered from too!
3. Prevent spots & break-outs!
In the week leading up to & during your period, take extra special care of your skin. Aside from the usual things, like remembering to take your make-up off at night, here are some other things to try!
Eat foods rich in Vitamin A & D! They’re great for the skin & will help you avoid getting spots. Some excellent sources of Vitamin A & D include baby carrots (so good with hummus!); spinach (use it as a base for your salads); watermelon (juice it for the ultimate refreshing drink!); spices like red pepper, paprika, cayenne & chili powder; dried apricots (a fantastic portable snack); salmon & tuna; eggs & mushrooms!
Squeeze some fresh lemon into your water. It’s wonderful for your skin!
Keep some tea tree oil on hand. It’s an incredible natural antiseptic & antibacterial, so if you feel any blemishes coming up, dab a little tea tree oil on! It works about as well as 5% benzoyl peroxide, except it’s less harsh!
4. Shake that booty!
As tempting as it may be to spend four days curled up in a ball, watching re-runs of terrible old reality shows, you’ll feel so much better if you get up & move your body! I promise!
You don’t have to run a marathon or ride a horse along the beach like women in Carefree commercials… Even some easy, simple stretching will help marvellously.
My newest obsession is boxing. It’s immensely satisfying & definitely a good way to vent your frustrations (& let’s face it, this tends to be the most frustrating week of the month!). I even use pink boxing gloves! There are few things better than taping up your hands & punching away all your angst. You should definitely give it a shot!
Yoga is immensely popular too, & with good reason! There are many different types of yoga, from slow & easy to fast & brutal, so try a few variations & see which you like best. (I started out doing Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, & it’s my favourite type!) My favourite part of the class, though, is where you lie down at the end & have a sleep under a blanket. It feels so amazing after giving your body an amazing stretch!
5. Utilise the power of essential oils!
They can make you feel so much better, no drugs required! You can add a few drops to a bath, put a couple of droplets into an oil burner, or you can mix essential oils with a carrier oil (like jojoba), & massage it into your temples!
When it comes to picking oils, bergamot & clary sage can help keep your moods more even, though if you just feel crabby in general, you can use some geranium. If you’re more bummed out than tetchy, try rose essential oil. Lavender can help relax you, while peppermint can relieve headaches (or upset stomachs). Grapefruit & lemon are great for bloating, too.
Additionally, Lush Cosmetics does an incredible shower gel (& perfume) called Flying Fox, which is loaded with anti-PMS essential oils! It’s pretty incredible, & smells phenomenal. Check it out!
6. Don’t do anything painful!
You probably already learned this one, perhaps on account of the somewhat painful results of trial & error… but in the week leading up to & during your period, you’re much more physically sensitive than usual! Even run-of-the-mill activities like tweezing your eyebrows can feel like torture!
I’d advise you to stay away from waxing, getting a tattoo or piercing, or even having your Calgel manicure scraped off! Leave your 6 inch heels in the closet, boo! Bust ‘em out when you’re feeling better!
7. Be smart about your sanitary items!
Go for all-natural, undyed, unscented cotton products as much as possible. Plenty of pads & tampons are LOADED with chemicals, & pads especially are often made of crazy, evil plastic which doesn’t breathe & can rub you raw! Yow! & honestly, who needs scented sanitary products? You’re not fooling anyone! All these things add up to equal a sad vagina, which none of us want!
Even if you use 100% cotton tampons, you’re still at risk for TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome). If you can stop using tampons completely, you might just find that your period is shorter — sometimes, two days shorter! Tampons are also known to make cramps worse, so if you suffer from hellish ones, consider ditching ‘em.
If you’re not terribly squeamish, you might want to consider a DivaCup or one of its competitors. I’ve never tried one, but the reviews are overwhelmingly positive!
8. Grab a hot water bottle… or a small animal!
Hot water bottles, heating pads & microwavable wheat bags can all be lifesavers around now. Put them on your belly, or lay ‘em across your lower back to help relieve muscle tension. If you can’t find any of these things, pets will do the trick too! It’s not too difficult to coerce Dolly into lying on top of me, or to get Hank to rest his huge head on my stomach! It helps so much, & makes me feel so much better! (Sort of related: Hahahah!)
9. Get dressed up, for at least one day!
Sometimes the very best thing to do when you’re feeling gross is to go in the other direction. If you’ve had it with lolling around in your tracksuit, if you’ve got cabin fever & you’re just O-V-E-R I-T, then it’s time to do something drastic!
Hop in the shower & wash away your grumpiness, then put on your favourite dress & go & DO something! See an art exhibition you’ve been dying to look at, or even go to the supermarket. It doesn’t really matter what you do, so long as you get all dolled up for the occasion. It will help remind you how gorrrrgeous you are, & that the MegaGrumps™ are only temporary!
10. Allow yourself to wallow a bit!
This is the opposite to #9, but sometimes a girl likes to do different things on different days!
Look, let’s face it, this week is the perfect excuse to buy yourself a new pair of sweats & spend some time lying down! It’s totally normal to be much more tired than usual, so if you feel like you need to get some extra sleep, don’t deny yourself! Put some fresh sheets on your bed, grab a book, & crawl between the covers. Get some rest, & you’ll feel so much better!
It’ll all be over soon… !
By the way, this piece on how to make your period lighter might be helpful for some of you!
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Old Age, Wrinkles & The Earlybird Special: Are You Afraid Of Aging?
[ 10 April 2012, 18:33 ]
We’re all getting older; the only difference is how we feel about it. Aging is a topic that has been given plenty of lip service in my life recently. Maybe it’s because I’m almost 30 & most of my friends are, too, but a lot of us seem to be discussing the process. That transition from being a twenty-something to a thirty year old sometimes seems like a big leap.
At the YogaRave the other night, my friend Rachel & I were talking about our impending 30-dom.
“I can’t wait to be 30!”, she exclaimed, & I smiled.
“Me too!”, I replied.
“Oh man, I’m so glad you feel the same way. I just feel like things keep getting better & better with ages,” she said.
I raised the subject on Twitter & Facebook on Thursday morning. When I asked everyone how they felt about aging, the answers were wide & varied. Some women felt trepidation, while others were excited, & some didn’t know how they felt at all!
An hour later, I got up from my desk to brush my teeth. As I stood scrubbing my teeth in the mirror, I noticed something shining on the top of my head. Yes, I had come face-to-face with my first grey hair. I couldn’t stop laughing!
Beatrix Ost & Tziporah Salamon.
When I started writing this article, I thought about sourcing some photos of Anjelica Huston, Helen Mirren, or Meryl Streep: women who are often held up as a symbol of aging with grace. But then I decided not to. Why? Even though I admire them, these women were exceptionally beautiful in their youth. They were & are movie stars! That’s not a realistic depiction of what aging looks like. Most of us will have wrinkles & squint when we read. Most of us will not have Hollywood’s best aesthetician on speed-dial!
The process of aging is never-ending & — I hate to tell you this — it’s happening right now! As you read these words, wrinkles are forming. Parts of you are sagging. Your skin is losing its elasticity. Hey, that’s just the way it goes!
A lot of us have denial about aging. Subconsciously, we think, that will never happen to me! But alas, one day, we realise it already has! We may not feel any older on the inside, but our outsides tell a different story. My father has told me that he often looks in the mirror & thinks, Who’s that grey-headed old bastard? (His words, not mine!)
When you’re 18 years old, you feel indestructible. A few years later, you discover that this is not necessarily the case!
For example, when I turned 25, I discovered that I couldn’t just keep eating the way I always did (read: cake for breakfast) & look the same as I did when I was 21! I did not greet this news with delight or happiness, since the idea of going to the gym made me want to take a big nap. Thankfully, I got over it, & now it is a welcome part of my everyday routine!
It’s not all bad news, though. In fact, I welcome the aging process. One of the superficial reasons I love getting older is that I really believe I look better with every passing year. Why? I take very good care of my body now, & it shows. At 28 years old, I am fitter & stronger than ever. (I also have much more endurance & mental strength as a result!) I drink more water & eat more vegetables, & it makes my skin glow. I don’t get random break-outs anymore, thank god! (This seemed to miraculously stop when I turned 26.) I’ve learned how to do the kind of make-up that really accentuates my features, & I take more risks with my style too, but those risks are backed up by my accumulated knowledge of what flatters my figure!
Yes, you may end up with wrinkles, age spots, or grey hair, but you’re rewarded with a much stronger sense of self, & a better knowledge of your own personal aesthetic. You have years of experience to draw on, & fancy tales to tell. You have a more sharply-honed sense of intuition & much more courage.
This society would have you believe that young, conventionally beautiful women have the most value — & when you’re a pretty, youthful girl, the world mirrors that back to you all the time. One of the advantages of getting older, though, is that you realise beauty is not all there is. (This is also an excellent reason to spend time developing who you are as a person! If you’re someone who relies on their looks, be aware that you can’t do it forever!)
As you get older, you are presented with several choices. You don’t have to lie down & die. Your peers may want to fill their closets with dowdy, shapeless, neutral clothes: you don’t have to. They may want to play bowls & take up knitting: you don’t need to! Aging is as much a mental process as a physical one. All those “well-meaning” people who tell you that it’s time to cut your hair, or that “a woman of your age” shouldn’t do this or that, are just as easy to ignore as they always were!
I also believe that we are free to age DISGRACEFULLY if that’s what pleases us! Anyone who tells you you must go au naturel into your golden years is a pest, & you can feel free to disregard their opinion. It’s very easy to be judgmental & say, “I would NEVER get Botox, surgery, etc.” but look: you might change your mind. I used to be a little bit judgey about surgery too. In my mind, getting a breast reduction was acceptable, but anything else wasn’t — everyone else was just “insecure” & should “get over it.” No! It’s not my place to say you MUST always look the way you did at birth. We colour our hair, we get tattoos, we wear high heels: we are constantly altering our appearance, & it is not bad or good, it simply is. Radical self love is not feeling the need to imprint your opinion on everyone you meet!
If you still feel anxiety about getting older & how your appearance may change, I implore you to spend an hour on Advanced Style, a blog by Ari Seth Cohen. Advanced Style is dedicated to celebrating the highly-evolved & strong personal style of older men & women in New York City. The men & women Ari profiles are so full of life & vigor. If that’s aging, I’m happy to participate!
“Fashion can also be used as means to making a statement — one that has the power to make you think about the world around you. Older people are often made to feel invisible in our society. I love when older women wear color because it is a way of communicating their visibility in the world… Many people ask me if the people I photograph are looking for attention — if they are dressing up because they want people to notice them. Any one of these marvelous ladies and gentleman will tell you that they are dressing up for themselves, because it makes them feel good. As they have gotten older their message has changed. They are no longer saying look at me, but rather, I am here.“ (Ari Seth Cohen)
Rita & Lynn Dell.
Some of our fears about aging aren’t really about getting “old” at all — it’s more about feeling that we haven’t reached this or that milestone, this or that life goal, at a time we’ve deemed “appropriate”.
It’s very easy to look at people we respect & compare ourselves to them. I’m very happy with my life & my career, but my husband & I don’t own a house… & sometimes owning a house seems like a qualifier of adulthood. I look at my friends who own their own places & I’m boggled. I have no idea how they made that happen!
I cannot overstate the importance of looking objectively at your goals & examining them in-depth. Do you want to get married, have a baby or buy a car? Do you want those things because society tells you you should, or because you ACTUALLY want to? I like the idea of owning a house, sure, but it’s not the most important thing in my life. There are a lot of other things I’d like to achieve first. When I take the time to stop & think about that, my anxiety about this so-called milestone dissipates.
You have time. We all have time. Yes, it speeds up, but there is still plenty of it. Don’t spend your life rushing from goal to goal, because the sweetness falls in between.
If you haven’t been published, had a baby, learned to cook a perfect roast chicken or attained your PhD (yet!), that doesn’t make you a failure. In fact, even if you don’t know what to do with your life, you’re not a failure.
“Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.” (Mary Schmich)
Martha Stewart was still working as a stockbroker when she was 30. Things only changed for her when she & her husband moved out into the countryside & began to restore a house! Julia Child didn’t go to cooking school until she was 36, & released her first cookbook when she was 50! (Did you know that before she started cooking, she worked as a government spy?!) Colonel Sanders started KFC when he was 40, & only started franchising when he was 65! Harrison Ford quit acting when he was 30 to go back to carpentry — but his fortunes changed four years later, when he met George Lucas & was cast as Han Solo!
The truth is that not everyone knows what they want to do with their life at a young age, & that only serves to make your journey more fantastic! Actually, even if you love what you’re doing now, that may change in the future! None of us have it all figured out, but if you can learn to appreciate the bumps, blips & detours of life, you will be so happy.
When I opened up the discussion about aging on Facebook, I received a plethora of responses, but this fantastic comment from Mary had to be shared!
“When I was in my teens, I thought 25 was old. When I turned 30 I thought 45 was old. Now here I am, two weeks from 50 and I feel younger than I did at 25 and am thankful for each day because every day gives me the chance to make this world a bit better.. whether it be by smiling really big at the old woman who talks to herself at the grocery store, or by moving an ant off the sidewalk so it doesn’t get squished. I have learned to experience as much of each moment as possible. I, too, have done things I never imagined I would. I learned to ride a motorcycle this year, I took flying lessons last year (8 takeoffs), I ice skated for the first time in my life and didn’t fall. I also fell in love with an incredible man. It doesn’t matter how old we are, what matters is how much life we get out of each moment. Love your philosophy and how you make people look at themselves. It’s all good.” (Mary Palmer)
I am looking forward to being a wicked old lady. I will wear lavender marabou jackets & wild glasses. I will travel the world & write in cafés. I hope I’ll have a hot pink car & share my house with plenty of animals! Maybe I’ll even have a Rad Granny web show (or whatever we’re watching by then)... !
Youth isn’t everything. As Lynn Dell says, “Don’t try & look younger, just look as wonderful as you can!” (I absolutely adore her... & I think you will, too!)
Lovin’ every moment,
Images from Advanced Style. Seriously, go & read it now!
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How To Have A Fabulous, Luxurious Retreat -- & Produce Your Best Work Ever -- Without Leaving Your House!
[ 28 March 2012, 15:53 ]
I always read about retreats with a mixture of lust & envy. Oh, how I would love to do 5 days of yoga on a beach in Mexico, or journey to the mountains of Colorado for a writing camp! Don’t we all want to get away from it all? It sounds dreamy, ideal, like perfection… & yet, I just cannot bring myself to cough up the money. Call me pragmatic, practical or plain old miserly; I just can’t do it!
I know I need a break from time to time — to totally disconnect, get away from it all & tap into my inner self. I know that those are the times when I do my best work… & maybe it is the same for you too. So if you, like me, get major sticker shock whenever you entertain the thought of going on a retreat, don’t despair! I’ve put together a little guide to creating your own dream retreat at home. I hope it helps you create a little slice of heaven!
We all have a project that’s on the back-burner. Maybe it’s (finally) putting together your media kit. Perhaps it’s painting & reorganising your living room, or putting together your book proposal. Are you procrastinating on putting together a travel journal, or a business plan? Maybe you have a piece of furniture which needs major attention, or a whole lot of administrative tasks to accomplish. Whatever it is, make the decision that YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
A lot of us put things off, thinking, ‘I’ll get around to that someday.’ Unfortunately, “someday” never comes. The days march on, & before we know it, it’s almost April & we’ve made no progress. If you want to make something happen, you have to start on it NOW, immediately, today! Don’t put it off any longer!
The only way to make your dreams a reality is to stop talking about what you want to do & actually do it. We can all conjure up a million reasons why now is not the time, but guess what? You are always going to have to live with self-doubt & fear of failure, but both of those things are better than procrastinating on what your heart really desires.
Think about the thing that could change your life most. Then commit to doing it.
The reason we put off these things is because we feel like our days are so jam-packed already. We think that “someday”, when things slow down, we’ll seize the moment & start on our dream project. Realistically, though, life never slows down — & when we’re able to get a break from the daily grind, we’re usually so exhausted that we spend the day in bed!
Life is always going to be crazy, but I want to encourage, cajole & persuade you to take some time for yourself. If you don’t carve out time for yourself, who will? NO ONE! Yes, it might be a bit inconvenient, & you may need to pawn off some of your responsibilities for a week, but it can be done. Chin up, soldier!
Here’s what I would like you to do:
Put all other work on hold for the length of your retreat. This can be difficult, especially if you work for someone else, but it is totally worth it. Wrangle a few days off, let your editor know you won’t be around, &/or schedule your blog posts ahead of time. Make a pact with yourself that you will not do any other kind of work within this time!
Note: You may find that you have lots of genius ideas for all your OTHER projects which occur during this time. Brilliant! Be sure to write them down, but don’t allow yourself to get distracted by them!
Turn on an email auto-responder which goes something like,
Hey there! I’m currently on a retreat while I work on (insert amazing project here). I’m going to be totally out of contact until (insert approximate end date here). I’ll be able to respond to your email then! Thanks so much. Love, (your name).
This will free you from feeling like you need to respond to everything in your inbox, & allow you a much-needed respite from the digital & social grind.
Decline all social invitations during this period. “Oh Gala, you’re so mean!” I know, I know! Watch me crack my whip! But your friends — if they’re real friends — will understand that what you’re doing is important, & they’ll be okay to wait. In fact, you might even inspire them to work on their own magnum opus!
Cover up your television, or if it’ll be used by others in your household during your retreat, make a promise to yourself that you won’t sit in front of it! I really believe that when we’re working on something important, especially something intellectual or artistic, it’s crucial to remove as many external influences as we can. You want this work to represent you, & the best way to do that is to spend plenty of time alone with your thoughts.
Let your partner, friends, family, & Twitter pals know that you’re going to be on a digital retreat for the next x days. If the people you live with know what you’re trying to achieve, you can ask them to support you & encourage you. As for telling your friends, you’ll feel much less tempted to tweet up a storm if everyone knows that you’re not supposed to be doing it!
When I say this, what I really mean is “make life as easy for yourself as possible”. For example, in our house, every night, there is a grand debate over what we’re going to have for dinner. In a perfect world, I’d make it easy for my husband & I by making this decision ahead of time.
So, on a retreat, I’d be planning our meals a week in advance. Maybe I’d stock the fridge with these heat-&-eat salmon meals that I totally LOVE, or perhaps I’d talk my husband into cooking something & freezing a few portions. I know that you have something similar in your life: a decision you have to make every day that you’re totally sick of! Think about what that is, then work out how to streamline it.
When you’re on a retreat, a lot of your choices are made for you. A sample day might go like this: You’re up & ready to go by 8am, your lunch is served at 12pm, you meditate at 3pm, have dinner at 6pm, & go to bed at 10pm. If you can create a schedule & regiment your day in this way, you’ll find getting your work done much easier. Sometimes, working within limitations can be immensely freeing in a way you wouldn’t expect!
You’ll also be able to reserve all your mental energy for your big project, & that’s what we really want.
I think it’s important to be alone with your own thoughts, but I also acknowledge that batting ideas around with someone else has tremendous value. In order to stay focussed & on task, I would strongly advise familiarising yourself with a person who you think can help you during this time. This person might be a psychologist, a life coach, your mother or a business mentor: it doesn’t matter, as long as you get value out of the time you spend together.
If you can’t find any of these people, you might like to enlist a friend to give you a pep talk every couple of days! Let them know that you want to discuss your project with them, & during your retreat, have a few phone-calls with them. Hopefully they will be able to talk you through your stumbling blocks, & guide you into the next phase.
We all work best in a space that is uncluttered, clear & airy. Some of us are lucky enough to live in a home that looks like it should have been featured in Zen Homes & Gardens (does this magazine exist? It should!), but the VAST majority of us, myself included, live in a place that looks like a bomb hit it! You have two choices: you can clean up, or you can go somewhere else that serves your purposes.
Some of us might be tempted to use cleaning as another procrastinatory device — you know who you are! — & if this is the case with you, you might find it’s easier to work in a cafe down the road.
I have to add that sometimes, the simple act of working in a different location can help you produce your best work EVER. There’s something about being somewhere a little unfamiliar that just helps eke out fantastic things. Additionally, you don’t have to contend with the distractions of, say, a sink full of dirty dishes!
Another good option is to rent a space in a co-working office. A lot of them are very flexible & are happy to offer you space per day or per week. This will get out of the house, & surround you with other motivated people — which might be exactly what you need.
Either way, take a couple of days before your retreat officially begins to organise yourself. You don’t want to be running around trying to get materials or resources when you’re supposed to be working. “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail,” as they say!
The truth is that most of us can probably come up with about 3,001 reasons why we need an internet connection at all times. What if there is a Twitter emergency? & what if your favourite blogger posts something that revolutionises your life?!
Harsh reality time: This will not happen. I promise! & if someone does post something brilliant that you can’t live without, guess what? It will still be there in a week’s time! Their post isn’t going anywhere.
Every time I go away on holiday, I’m struck by the fact that I’ve missed ABSOLUTELY NOTHING by not being online. It’s a fantastic way to jolt you back to reality. 99% of what happens on the internet is total nonsense, & deep down, we all know it!
So bite the bullet, & turn off your wifi. Power down your phone. Take the batteries out of your T.V. remote if you have to! It’s a small sacrifice to make, & it will pay dividends. Pinky swear!
Now, the idea of taking a retreat is not to be chained to your computer 24/7 like some kind of prisoner. Feeling cooped up & stuck isn’t going to help you produce anything wonderful!
Allow yourself to get out of the house, or wherever it is you’re working. Go for a bike ride, walk through the park, or meditate on your rooftop. I have personally discovered that working out is an essential part of what keeps me happy, & whenever I don’t get to the gym, I start to feel wretched! Make time for these leisurely pursuits that will allow you to get some fresh air, to stretch your legs & see things from a different point of view.
I have never had a supremely brilliant idea while sitting at my desk. Instead, lightning bolts of inspiration always strike me when I’m out walking. Maybe you have those moments during yoga class or when you’re driving somewhere, thinking about something else. Give yourself permission to have these moments! They could change your work forever.
It’s true! All the theory, thinking & planning in the world won’t make your project happen. You need to get up from your desk, take your eyes off your screen & move your toosh!
Haven’t you put it off long enough? I know I have. (This whole article is to convince myself as much as it is to convince you!) Let’s both decide to take a retreat & make some real magic in our lives. We may not be able to do it this week, but go through your calendar & figure out when you can. Put it in your diary & make it non-negotiable!
I can’t wait to see what you create!
Go get ‘em, tiger!
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How To Survive Mercury Retrograde!
[ 12 March 2012, 08:46 ]
Oh, Mercury retrograde.
You are here. You have arrived on our collective doorsteps in all your messy glory. You are our dreaded but regular house-guest. You stagger in the door, kick over our furniture, leave crumbs all over the couch & hog the bathroom. Then, as quickly as you appeared, you disappear again, leaving us slightly stunned but much better equipped to continue with our own lives!
Okay, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, here we go. The planets are swinging around at all times, & their movements affect us all in different ways. All planets go retrograde, but Mercury’s journey seems to impact people much more than any other. (Even people who “don’t believe in astrology” often “believe” in the crazy aftershocks of Mercury retrograde!)
Why is that? It’s because Mercury rules communication, clear thinking, truth & travel, so when the planet goes retrograde — which means that it looks like it’s going backwards in the sky — all those things go backwards. They start to get ugly & tangle up. Mercury isn’t really going backwards, it’s just hanging out by the sun, but from Earth, that makes it look like it’s in reverse. It typically runs for a couple of weeks, a few times a year.
Check out these dates below & put them in your calendar!
In 2012, Mercury is retrograde from…
March 12th to April 3rd
July 15th to August 7th
November 6th to November 15th
Note: We sometimes start to feel the effects of Mercury retrograde a few days early. It’s nice to give yourself a bit of leeway on either side of the prescribed dates!
What happens when Mercury goes retrograde?
All sorts of things! It’s like everyone you know has suddenly gone mad! You might find yourself getting into bizarre arguments about nothing at all, being unable to finish sentences or barely even able to form a coherent thought. Your computer & other electronic equipment is more likely to go on the fritz. You could experience travel delays, too. Double-check your flights & take a book with you to keep you occupied while you wait for the train! We don’t tend to get all the information we need at this time, so it can be hard to make big decisions & it’s not always the best time to sign a contract, either.
Expect to hear super-loud complaining from your friends who are Gemini or Virgo, since both are ruled by Mercury! Mercury also rules a lot of industries like publishing, writing, editing, advertising, sales, public relations & anything to do with transport, like airlines, the post office & cabs! This means it can be particularly rough for Gemini train conductors & Virgo magazine editors, so be kind to any you know!
I often find that Mercury retrograde makes me want to go into hermit mode. I feel like half my brain is missing so I’m really not that interested in interacting with anyone, plus every conversation seems to go in an unusual, confusing direction. I feel much more irritable & frustrated & things just don’t seem to go how I want them to.
So that’s the bad news. Mercury retrograde can be a total kick in the teeth for those of us who normally pride ourselves on having our karmic shit together! The GOOD news is that Mercury retrograde provides us with lots of beautiful opportunities if we can just tilt our head & squint.
Mercury retrograde wants us to move back spiritually. It is providing us with a chance to re-examine various areas of our life which may need a little more work, so that we can move forward to a bright new dawn. Now, more than ever, the time is right to look at things with clear eyes. Delicious, fresh perspectives are revealed. We often have major breakthroughs — intellectual, emotional or spiritual — during this time.
It’s also a terrific period in which to tie up loose ends. So many of us have unfinished projects… Maybe that door just needs another lick of paint, or you’ll decide to put away your ex-boyfriend’s love letters once & for all. Having said that, this is also a time where it’s very common for old lovers, friends & acquaintances to get in touch! If you hear from someone from your past, get together with them & see what eventuates!
One of the best ways to cope with it — as with anything, really — is to just “go with the flow”. When you fight Mercury retrograde, that’s when life gets really ugly. Just take some time, go slowly, be careful, don’t freak yourself out by expecting to be uber-productive-perfect right now. Be good to yourself & the people around you, now more than ever!
surviving Mercury retrograde!
(Print it off & stick it in your diary or on your wall!)
Be sure not to take things too personally. People will often say offensive things they didn’t mean around this time, because their thinking is clouded & their communication skills are on pause! If your best friend suddenly became the most insensitive person in the world, give her the benefit of the doubt.
Back up your data!
Don’t purchase any big ticket items, because they will often have flaws or issues that you weren’t aware of! Of course, life doesn’t stop just because of wacky planetary movement, so if you absolutely have to get that car, computer or iPhone, TRIPLE-check all the paperwork, & make sure you have a warranty!
Take things with a grain of salt. Everyone is a bit confused, & people are much more inclined to change their mind once Mercury goes direct. Mercury can be a bit of a trickster — could it be that the next few weeks are a big karmic joke?!
Read the small print on any contracts. Ask lots of questions. Again, you can’t put your life on hold just because of some silly planet, but adapt your lifestyle a bit so that things run more smoothly. Communication can be a mess right now, but do your best to get as much information as you can.
Finish things you started a while ago. Home improvement projects? Wardrobe re-organisations? Short stories? Love affairs?! This is an excellent time to tie up loose ends & file things away forever.
Get together with old friends, reminisce & laugh!
Double-check any information you’re given, especially as relates to travel arrangements! During one particularly formidable Mercury retrograde, I actually caught a cab to the wrong airport! Check times, delays, baggage allowances, reservations… everything!
Allow Mercury to nudge you in unusual directions. If you seem to find yourself “back to the future”, don’t just try to wriggle out of it — look at what the universe is trying to show you. What can you learn from this situation? This is a fantastic time to re-examine, accept & move on.
Use the things you’ve discovered in the past to create a dazzling new vision so that you’re ready to blast ahead when Mercury goes direct!
Fingers crossed for the next few weeks, & best of luck to you!
Love & sanity,
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