Favourite Pins: Part 3

Okay okay. So after 2 instalments this little section has already ceased to be weekly! My brain has been full to bursting and haven't had the space to think about updating this. So you may have notice I have changed the title to "Part" rather than "Week" and from now on will stop starting each one of these with an apology.

So I thought I would try and make this instalment Christmassy, considering it's that time of year, but when I looked through the things I've been pinning recently there wasn't much Christmassy stuff there... So instead this has largely turned into more of a - things you could get me for Christmas collection.

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One: Ring Ring.
Pretty. Would like someone to buy this for me please?

Two: Wrapping.
I try to get a bit creative with my wrapping. Would love to try this out.

Three: Super8.
This summer I have been working with a company called Cine Reportage who make beautiful wedding videos shot on 16mm and Super8 film (here's one I worked on). Not only are the films beautiful but the cameras we shoot on are beautiful too - some are 60 years old. I haven't yet bought one for myself but am on the look out. Love this little turquoise Bauer 88 B from 1954. Going on my list to Father Christmas.

Four: Beautiful Shoes.
My friend Alex and I went into a Russell & Bromley recently, I think as a way of torturing ourselves and making us feel poo about all the beautiful shoes we couldn't afford. I am in love with theses little beauts and, you know, if anyone's got a spare £175 hanging around I wouldn't turn them down! Oh to be able to spend £175 on a pair of shoes.

Five: Christmas Dress.
I always have this idea about getting all dressed up for Christmas, but I never do... If I did though I think this little dress would be perfect. Again slightly out of my price range, but a girl can dream.

Six: Soggy Couple.
Not gunna lie, have been feeling pretty loved up recently. Must be something in the air. Also like the idea of being in the middle of nowhere with the boy. We don't really get much alone time at the moment so this would be bliss.

Bedroom

Favourite Pins: Week 2

Ok. So it has been slightly longer than a week that I posted my last (and first) Fave Pins post. Not the best of starts but in my defence it has been a ridiculously busy week! Lots of essay writing, video editing and forum acting going on. Has been quite productive in fact.

Anyway, this week, as the temperature has dropped, I've been feeling wintery so a lot of these pins have a bit of a wintery, warming tilt.

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One: Log Cabin.
One of these days I want to go and stay in a log cabin, cut off from everything. A kind of hibernation maybe? Just the forrest and a stack of books to occupy me. Not sure where this is, but it makes me think of the cabin where Bon Iver wrote his 'For Emma, Forever Ago' album. (If you don't know the story of this album, check it out). I would probably be a bit scared of getting murdered by some crazy forrest dweller, and nobody being able to hear my screams... but other than that I think it would be pretty blissful.

Two: Cosy Knits.
Gotta love em. I have one that I am living in at the moment thats all soft and snuggly but got my eye out for another one. This photo is from DesignLoveFest which is a Blog I love. The jumper is vintage (of course). The other reason I pinned this is because my hair used to be this colour and I have been thinking about whether to go back to it... It is always about this time of year that I get bored and want to change something, although it did wreck my hair last time.

Three: Honest Collage.
Okay this isn't specifically wintery, but hey - my rules so I can break them. I love this. Again its awkward/quirky wording mixed with collage/illustration. The artist is a guy called David Fullarton. There are some great examples of his work on Altpick. Definitely worth a look.

Four: Shorty Bob.
See pin two - Other option would be to chop it all off (it's quite long at the mo). I love this short wavy bob. Not sure if I could pull it off though... My face is a bit too round.

Five: Prague.
Oh I so want to go to Prague! And I think it would be so cool to see it at Christmas time. Me and the boyf were thinking about going this December. He's got friends that live there who we could stay with, but unfortunately it's not going to work out :( Maybe January.

Six: Cozy Windows.
One of the best things about winter has to be when you can look into peoples windows in the evenings. I love looking into peoples homes (yes, I am nosey). It always looks so cozy and warm inside! Apart from the guy who lives a few doors down and has about 15 samurai swords hanging on his walls. Doesn't have quite the same appeal.

Seven: Uniform.
One of the other things I have been thinking about changing is my wardrobe. Thought I might try just wearing black and white for a bit. So bored of my wardrobe and really struggle to find something I wanna wear, so I thought I might just really pare it down, limit my choice to black and white. I am hoping it might be like having a uniform and would make my mornings easier. Also hoping it would give me a bit of (much needed) sophistication.

Eight: Couple Jumpers.
Getting on this this winter. Sure the boyf will be on board. (Yes, I am aware that this directly contradicts number seven (particularly in terms of the desired sophistication))

Well Then

Bitch

Favourite Pins: Week 1

I am really keen to develop this little blog and to start updating it regularly. I have been trying to think of some features that I could do on a regular basis. I am totally addicted to Pinterest and I thought that it might be nice to do a feature on here of some of my favourite pins from the week. It may end up not being as regular as weekly - but we'll see!!

Here goes!!

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One: Dotty cats. 

I often think cats take themselves too seriously. 

Apparently this is from Cat People Magazine a "bilingual (Engish/Japanese) magazine – Featuring 146 pages of interviews and work by cat-obsessed artists, designers, photographers & writers."  

Two: New Shoes.

These are actually my new shoes. They are lovely proper leather brogues. I bought them from TK Maxx for £30, which I thought was a total bargain. 

Three: Home.

I love typography and text - I use it in a lot of my work and I like collecting things like this on Pinterest. I don't like the really cheesy ones but I thought this was nice. These are the words from a song that I love by Edward and the Magnetic Zeros called 'Home' (funnily enough). I like the simplicity of it. This is actually a print you can buy on Etsy.

Four: I am Fabulous.

This totally reminds me of my Grandma. She is totally fabulous, and I hope I am too when I am her age. This comes from an article on BuzzFeed '23 Senior Citizens who don't give a F*@k'

Five: Windows.

I pinned this because it relates to a project I have been working on about the city (might do a specific post about this at some point...). It reminded me of some photographs that I have taken. Worth checking out the this guy's Tumbler - some beautiful images on there. 

Six: Bed.

Ahhhh This weekend we stayed in a B&B that had the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on. I want a better bed! I've told the boyf that when we finallllllly move in together we are going to invest in a proper, good quality bed. 

Seven; Turtle Knit.

A grandma with a turtle in a knitted outfit. Need I say more?

Eight: Silly Walks. 

Okay - feel free to berate me, but I have never watched any Monty Python. I know, my parents are dreadful people. I pinned this because it is something I do when walking and I'm bored or a bit fed up and it always cheers me up! I love a funny walk! The Monty Python sketch is pretty funny but not as funny as doing a silly walk yourself. 

Junk

Working on a project at the moment about objects/collections/stuff/junk. Southend has some amazing junk shops - definitely recommend a visit. Here are some research photos I took. I might be strange - but for some reason I find them fascinating! I can't believe some of the stuff people have and also how much.

Grandma

This is my Grandma. I was photographing stuff in her house for a project I am working on and I took a few of her too. 

Love and Paper

Tried my hand at paper cutting for an engagement present for my best friend. Pretty pleased with out it turned out...

Anniversary Card

Birthday Card

Helsinki Bus Station

A little while ago I was told to read this article. It's about the 'Helsinki Bus Theory' (read the article to find out more). It is all about creativity and originality and how hard it is, as an artist, to do any thing that is truly original. This is definitely something that I recognise, and for me, the minute I get bogged down in focusing on this rather than the idea itself I feel completely paralysed. Idea-less.

I think it is the same in other areas too - I know that when I was studying Philosophy I felt the same. When writing essays we were always told to come up with something new - a new argument, a new angle. But in attempting to be original, I would spend most of my time trying to find out whether anyone had already had my idea, rather than exploring the idea itself, which I think would have been a lot more fruitful.

The Helsinki Bus Theory suggests that everything you do at first will probably have been done before, but rather than jumping ship and trying to find something that is unique - you need to stick with it to get to the original bit. Or as the article more succinctly puts it: "If you pursue originality too vigorously, you'll never reach it. Sometimes it takes more guts to keep trudging the pre-trodden path, to the originality beyond."

It is an interesting thought. I think the most important thing in all of this is to be authentic. Who gives a shit if someone has already done something similar? If it is what you are interested in and want to explore then do it! And if you do it in your own, idiosyncratic way without worrying whether it resembles someone else's work, then I think the result will probably end up being pretty unique anyway.

Red

Out

Sterile

Ordinary Objects

Island Stories & Nigel Shafran

I went to the V&A in March with my course with the aim of getting inspired. I didn't really attack it with a plan and just wandered aimlessly. I found myself in a little side room that contained a exhibition of photographs - Island Stories: Fifty Years of Photography in Britain.  It was just a temporary thing unfortunately, and I think it is finished now - shame because I would have liked to have gone again. It was a beautiful ensemble of images, spanning 5 decades - charting changes in a gentle and understated way. 

I was particularly drawn to a collection of images by Nigel Shafran - I have included a few below. These images are taken from a series called - Ruth Book, a sequence of photographs taken between June 1992 and Jan 1995, whose main subject is the artist's partner - Ruth. 

I found them really beautiful, and quite moving. I think it is how he focusses on the small and seemingly insignificant and makes us take notice of them. I love the details, like the jars on the shelf in the kitchen - he doesn't frame them out of the image - these small things are important. I think as well they resonate with me because I am really interested in how we see things - how we focus in on certain things and don't notice others - and also how this translates into memory - what we remember from certain moments. Moreover it also links to how we use photographs as an aid for memory, and what we are trying to capture and preserve. 

I could look at these images for hours. 

Dear Book

Collage Project