101 Ways to Stay Creative

Last night I received a message on Tumblr asking for advice on how to stay creative, and I realised how this is a problem for many people (including myself). So I decided to compile this list to refer back to, and to possibly inspire anyone who may actually read it...

1. Read lots of books to enhance your vocabulary.
2. Keep a sketchpad / notebook with you at all times.
3. ...And a camera.
4. Stay up too late.
5. Drink coffee - it makes you happy and gives you energy!
6. Travel.
7. Make mind maps.
8. Create endless amounts of Pinterest boards. Follow Pinterest boards. Become addicted to Pinterest...
9. Listen to alternative music genres - electronica, dark wave, house, ambient, experimental.
10. Make checklists of the things you want to do.
11. Stick pictures of things you love on your bedroom walls.
12. Take photos of everything you feel inspires you.
13. Experiment with different media - watercolour, graphite, oil paint, pastels, collage.
14. Go for a run.
15. Clear your workspace. Or leave it messy - whichever you work best with. But I find I can't work in a cluttered space (mainly because there is no space to actually work).
16. Don't try to impress.
17. Meditate.
18. Research artists / designers.
19. Create a moodboard of something that inspires you.
20. Watch films.
21. Do not rush things!
22. Make the best out of your mistakes, e.g. if you accidentally slip and scribble a line over your very perfect drawing, make something out of the line.
23. Keep a dream diary. Write as soon as you wake up so you don't forget.
24. Break the rules.
25. Doodle.
26. Write a list of things to draw.
27. Don't be a perfectionist.
28. Read non-fiction books on your subject of choice - art, fashion, etc.
29. Have a late night wander with your headphones on.
30. Read magazines.
31. Listen to songs from your childhood. I used to download all Mum's iTunes music onto my iPod and so I was brought up on 80s/90s music like Pixies and The Smiths.
32. Change up your makeup routine. Use colour where you don't normally.
33. Find some DIY projects to do.
34. Press flowers.
35. Be yourself. Don't do anything you don't want to do.
36. Discover alternative fashion trends - seapunk, minimalism, 90s grunge, preppy, bohemian, avant-garde, lolita,  revival of the 60s... There is an extensive list of fashion styles here.
37. Sign up to a local craft class.
38. Go charity shopping.
39. Get away from the internet for a day and see what you can do with your time.
40. Make a playlist for someone.
41. Read poetry.
42. Buy a funky hat.
43. Do something new every day.
44. Look through people's sketchbooks.
45. Go to a festival!
46. Make a list of inspirational quotes.
47. Get a Lomography camera and follow the rules.
48. Grow flowers in your garden.
49. Look at people's workspaces. Use ideas to enhance your own spaces.
50. Dye your hair a quirky colour.
51. Take a half-hour nap to revive your creativity.
52. Complete a 'Wreck This Journal'!
53. Go to the cinema alone.
54. Have a long bath surrounded by candles.
55. Drink green tea, it takes lovely and it's healthy too.
56. Have a 'blind date with a book' - go to your local bookshop and buy the first book you see.
57. Draw something new every day.
58. Visit local art galleries / museums. Sit down and enjoy your time there.
59. Take a drive in the rain.
60. Change your journey routines - get the bus to work if you usually walk, bike to school if you usually get a lift.
61. Say 'yes' to new opportunities and possibilities.
62. Design your dream tattoo, even if you don't go through with it.
63. Click the 'random article' link on Wikipedia until you find something that interests you and read the whole article.
64. Educate yourself about a new culture.
65. Spend a night camping in your back garden - minus a tent.
66. Take up a new hobby - embroidery, gardening, cooking...
67. See your favourite bands live.
68. Go 'people watching' - sit on a bench in town or watch from the window of a cafe.
69. Burn incense.
70. Talk to creative people.
71. Listen to your favourite music.
72. Create a time capsule to open in ten years. Include: a letter to your future self, a doodle inspired by your favourite song, a recent photo of yourself, a quote you feel deeply about and something small from your bedroom.
73. Learn how to lucid dream.
74. Start a blog.
75. Decorate an old jacket with badges and patches.
76. Eat foods you wouldn't normally try.
77. Visit all the places in your town that you haven't been to before.
78. Attend car boot sales. Buy things to decorate your room or workspace with.
79. Go on a long bije ride!
80. Create new words for colours that you see - e.g. 'Palma Violet lilac' or 'Pistachio green' and make a colour book.
81. Find out the Dictonary 'word of the day' and write a poem based on that word.
82. Have the occasional lazy day.
83. Create a scrapbook diary. Include tickets, receipts, wrappers and other things you encounter each day.
84. Throw a party.
85. Stock up on new flavours of herbal tea.
86. Focus on the present.
87. Make a gift for someone you appreciate.
88. Read biographies of people that inspire you.
89. Practice the things you want to be good at.
90. Focus on the positives in life! Write a list of reasons to be happy.
91. Go to Ikea and find something to revamp in a way that represents you.
92. Assume that you can do anything.
93. Get plenty of sleep.
94. Read the '365 Days of Inspiration' book by Lizzie Cornwall - a few ideas on here are taken from there, it's a really cute book full of quotes and ideas.
95. Make a 'dream collage' of all the things you want to achieve. Refer to it whenever you feel like giving up.
96. Use a thesaurus to learn new words to use in everyday situations.
97. Make your own fruit juice.
98. Write down negative thoughts as they enter your head. Then scribble them out.
99. Make new friends and let them share the things they love with you.
100. Smile more.
101. Make some of these tips your new resolutions to stay creative!

I love: ROOKIE

Rookie is a website / annual magazine for teen girls, featuring a multitude of cool stuff including music, dreamy editorials, fiction, diary entries, playlists interviews, and much more (you even get stickers in the Rookie Yearbook Two)!

The fabulous Tavi Gevinson (above) founded the website AGE 12 and has remained the editor in the six years since. Her coolness is laced throughout each post and the whole greatness of Rookie is due to her undying dedication. The fact that she has been able to achieve so much at such a young age, all while juggling school and other commitments makes her one of the people that inspires me the most.

Rookie bases their content around a different theme each month, some of which have included things like enchantment, work, play, paradise, mystery, freedom, drama, mythology... The list goes on.

Here are a few samples of what they feature in both their yearbook and on their website. I can only wish that everything they posted was in print though, as I prefer reading tangible things rather than web pages!

Camp Rookie and Meadham Kirchoff photoshoots by Eleanor Hardwick

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go shoot by Erica Segovia featuring Recollection Vintage clothing

BUY ROOKIE YEARBOOK ONE

BUY ROOKIE YEARBOOK TWO

You won't regret it, these have provided me with hours of entertainment and a ton of enlightenment and inspiration! Rookie Yearbook Three is to be released on October 21st and you will be able to buy it here.

Miranda Skoczek

Miranda Skoczek is a Melbourne-based artist that creates wonderful, bright paintings that feature animals, magical landscapes and all the colours you can imagine.

Her workspace (above) is a visual representation of all her ideas coming together in one space, and is decorated with artist's tools, plants, bohemian-style wall hangings and magazines.

I have fallen in love with Miranda's work as it is uniquely cheerful and exudes an eclectic sense of fascination that we just don't see in everyday life. Hanging a piece of her art on your wall would immediately add excitement to the room while showing off her fab talent.

You can also look around Miranda's colourful apartment thanks to HomeLife and The Design Files!

Miranda's Instagram

Website (under construction)

Sheinside

Fashion brand Sheinside were lovely enough to send me this amazing mint green coat. It's one of my favourite coats and it's perfect for winter as its woolly texture makes it so cosy. It's also a sweet pastel colour that goes with all my light clothes! 

You can buy the coat here for just £27.70, an amazing price for a big winter coat.

I had a friend take some photos of me wearing it a while ago and here are a few of them;

Headband and two piece: both handmade by me

Lipstick: Collection Cosmetics Gothic Glam colour 'Scorned'
Eyeshadow: Elf  baked eyeshadow colour 'Baked Plum'

Photos taken by Cat Downes.

You should also look at some of Sheinside's other items. Here are some of my most recent favourites:

Kenzo lookalike t-shirt, £8.45

Grey winter jumper, £12.60

Striped dress, £10.01

Pink flared skirt, £9.76

Valley of the Dolls

Valley of the Dolls is a novel by American writer, Jacqueline Susann. The title is a complete metaphor; the 'dolls' are not just the perfect women that the story follows, but also the stimulating pills that they cling to with a childish neediness and use with carelessness, like they would a doll. The valley is not literally a low area of land surrounded by mountains, but it represents the way in which once the girls reach the top of the entertainment industry (the mountain), they have nowhere to go but down - into the valley.

I read the book in Turkey in a couple of days, and while it was a large book I didn't get bored of it like my Mum said she did. Instead I found it intriguing and only wanted to read on. Some parts were slow, yes, but they always led up to a dramatic climax within which something fairly unexpected would happen. The book follows the lives of three girls that are trying to survive by surviving by climbing the ladder to fame via performing, modelling and clinging to rich men, so it is inevitable that the book contains glamour tinted with melodramatic occurrences. I usually hate such pettiness and vanity, but Susann did make me want to move to New York and live a life like the girls did (to some extent).

If you buy the 2007 edition with the introduction by Julie Burchill, I will warn you of an extreme spoiler. I read it before reading the book and read each page wondering when the thing she had mentioned would happen. Not the most enjoyable way to read a book!

The end, I will admit, was the worst part of the whole book. The way it ended made me view the characters as spineless and it ruined the whole perception I had held of them beforehand. A sequel would possibly have cleared this up, but one never came!

Despite this, it was a great holiday read. I suppose I read it with focus on how the girls were treated and perceived, as I may consider including the book as part of my English Literature coursework within which I must analyse books from a certain literary critical perspective, and I chose feminism, so that gave me a different insight. But Susann must have done something right; she wrote the book from her own experiences within the industry, selling over 30 million copies, and Valley of the Dolls has since become one of the world's bestsellers of all time. It has become a cult book, way ahead of its time, still inspiring many young women today.

A film adaptation came out in 1967, starring Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke and Sharon Tate as the three girls, Anne, Neely and Jennifer. I am yet to see this but it looks fab and super glam and girly, so I will definitely put it on my 'to watch' list.

Marina and the Diamonds released a song on her Electra Heart album in 2012 dedicated to the book and film. The lyrics relate well to the theme of the novel, an endless cycle of pill-taking and slow downfalls along with the allure of it all that is also felt while reading the book.

Dsquared2 had their Fall / Winter 2014 collection undertake a theme of '#perturbedwonderful,' said to be inspired by Valley of the Dolls and Girl, Interrupted. The evident sixties influence was mixed with a sense of lunacy yet still remained luxe and elegant, as seen in Susann's novel. In the above photo, Cara Delevigne is seen sporting Anne-esque hair as she models a bright pink cape from the collection.

In the Spring 2012 issue of Bullett magazine (released March 14th), an editorial called Valley of the Dolls used the girls' style to portray their models as colourful, girlish glamour queens with impeccable fashion sense. Their pastel beehive hairstyles and dark eye makeup makes them look like they just stepped out of "21".

Parisian fashion blogger Alix has put her own twist on the cult novel / film by incorporating the Louis Vuitton bags she fell in love with and the luxurious backdrops of her hometown into a dreamy fashion editorial. The whole shoot is an opulent representation of how the girls appear to have lived, and Alix looks the epitome of such opulence throughout, wearing a pink fur coat and her hair in a voluminous style.

Size x Reebok Classic "Pastels Pack"

British trainer brand Reebok has teamed up with Size to create this exclusive classic Pastel Pack. The Reebok classic was first designed in 1987, and this fashion conscious collection definitely radiates a 90s feel. I haven't owned a pair of Reeboks since around age 11, so they have since reminded me way too much of despised PE lessons in a sticky lunch hall, however these new releases show that Reebok knows how to bring back that nostalgic vibe in a good way.

Only 500 pairs of each colourway are being made, so they're definitely something to get your hands on while you can. The "Purple Oasis" shoes were released on the 27th July and unsurprisingly, sold out, but there are still some available on eBay for £50 more than the original price.

The "Sea Glass" pair were due for release at the same time, but due to quality control issues, they have been postponed to release in early September, so get ready!

The Workout and the Classic "Sea Glass" shoe with gum soles. I much prefer the Classic silhouette as it has a 'classier' feel. Ha.

While the Sea Glass ones are pretty, I do prefer the Purple Oasis pair due to my undying love for lilac hues, so I'll have to see if I can afford a pair from eBay...

Tattoo Ideas

I turn 18 in ten days and have been considering getting a tattoo done, but I've been stuck on what to get and where for ages. I want something small and cute but still meaningful. Here are some of my favourites from a Pinterest board I made a while ago.

Daisy symbolism;

INNOCENCE - linked to plucking the petals of a daisy and reciting, "he loves me, he loves me not."

"Fresh as a daisy."

A well known saying that reinforces the connotations of purity, as well as cleanliness and youth.

LOVE - the daisy is also a symbol associated with Norse love goddess, Freya, who has been connected to the fairy and spirit worlds in modern mythology due to her ability to travel to the nine cosmic Nordic worlds.

TRANSFORMATION - in the Roman myth of Vertumnus (god of seasons, nature and agriculture) and Belides (a dainty nymph), Vertumnus falls in love with Belides and proceeds to stalk her. Rather than offending Vetrumnus and denying her love for him, Belides transforms into a field of daisies to escape his obsession with her.

I find all this symbolic stuff really interesting, however there's also a vanity side to it - daisies are pretty and I would much like to have one decorate my body. Simple.

Serotonin

Little biology lesson here! I'm not the biggest fan of science but it does interest me, and this stuff is cool.

Serotonin is the neurotransmitter responsible for our feelings of happiness. Too little serotonin = sadness, so topping up our levels of serotonin makes us happy. It is found in caffeine, hence why a cup of coffee boosts our mood for a short period, and some anti-depressants. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are a form of anti-depressant that increases our levels of serotonin by blocking its passage back into the brain so that it remains in the synapse longer, where we can feel its effects.

This tattoo would have significant meaning to me as I suffered from depression for about two years, and recently recovered (in my opinion) due to the anti-depressants I was taking as well as support from friends and family.

This one is just lovely. Flower tattoos might be generic, but they're generic because people want to make themselves look attractive - and what's more attractive than a pretty flower?

Heart

When I was 12 (oh my gosh), a group of friends and I bought some Indian ink and sterilised some sewing needles. For reasons I still cannot work out today, we all decided to give ourselves stick and poke tattoos. I decided mine would be the ever so original love heart, where nobody would see. Halfway through poking a misshapen heart onto my knicker line, one of my friends spilled the whole jar of Indian ink, and we never dared go back to the shop to buy some more. So now I still have a wobbly half heart that looks more like a potato, and I need it fixing. P.S. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! My friend was so scared about hers that she had to bleach it off. Cue crying and lots of 12-year-old drama.

Scoliosis

Another daisy idea...

I think a small daisy chain would look really cute going up my back. I have a long scar running along my spine due to spinal fusion for scoliosis that I had about three years ago. While I'm not self-conscious about my scar whatsoever, I think it would be nice to decorate it in some way that relates to scoliosis.

Daisy chains are not straight, and nor is my spine. I think a daisy chain would make my scar look more appeasing while not looking perfect itself, showing that pretty things don't have to be faultless.

You can probably tell from this post that I'm not a fan of colour tattoos. This may change, but for now I like the simplicity of a black (or white) tattoo and the way it won't interfere with the harmony of what I decide to wear, as wearing clashing colours makes me feel mismatched and off balance. This is why I struggle to dress myself every morning!