shark vs the universe
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
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Misplaced Lens Cap
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
blake kathryn
NASA
Sade Olutola
art blog(derogatory)
we're not kids anymore.
Discoholic 🪩
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trying on a metaphor
oozey mess
#extradirty
Claire Keane
@theartofmadeline
Peter Solarz
DEAR READER
Product Placement
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@dollwithasoul
"Just Friends"
She's up till late, thinking about him. He's up till late, thinking about her. He's bouncing from chick to chick. She's too afraid to say whats really real. Her vision is clear, his conciousness cloudy. So they'll just continue this ambiguouship, till one of them caves, or until they are polarised, in either direction by the destiny that fate prescribes.
The Art of Thinking UP
With so much talk about positivity vs negativity, Its worth remembering that everything is perspective. In many given situations, you can focus your attention on the good, or the bad. if you tend to speak the truth or find yourself to be a realist, you’re also at risk of finding yourself talking Down…and by that i mean, sharing the warts and all of a situation, focusing on the bad and falling victim to your own self, rather than disregarding such, and only focusing on whats good.
Whether it be your work, ambitions, love, family, or other circumstances, you have the power to talk yourself UP! sell yourself to yourself. Flaws exist in everything, but you’d never see an advertisement drawing your attention to such…so why draw attention to your own misgivings or flaws? Yes be honest, yes be vulnerable, these are things that make us human afterall, but neither of those have to involve talking down about yourself or your achievements.
The grass will only ever be greener if you water it the right way. Keep throwing shade on your patch or feeding it the wrong stuff, and you’ll forever be fighting a losing battle.
You already have everything it takes to be whatever you want. You just have to learn how to u cover it…
As I sit in Soho Square drinking an iced latte I wonder where the fuck it all went wrong. I just spent nearly £15 on a pack of Sobranie Black Russian cigarettes. I figured if I was gonna take up smoking I might aswell smoke the colour of my dismal future. I have managed to grow such a small amount of self confidence in my 26 years on this planet that I can’t even find the courage to ask someone for a lighter to light one of these posh cancer sticks. You could say that I’d reached a point in my life, like many of my friends, where I am lost and confused. When we are in our teens, cocky and green eyed, we expect to have our shit sorted by the time we are in our late twenties. Turns out that’s not so much a reality. Since hitting 20 I have literally had every job you could possibly imagine, some more glamorous than others. I’ve watched friends get married, have kids, go back to school, change career paths and accomplish great things. I’ve watched people around me collect awards and achieve chart success. Apart from anything else, your late twenties is when shit starts to get real. In our twenties we learn about our ambition, and the reality of a harsh existence in a small industry in which nepotism is alive and well. Of course I’m talking about the entertainment industry. If you haven’t been born, fucked or married into it, then you have about as much chance getting in as you do becoming a 4’10, obese, international supermodel. There are thousands of people hustling everyday in London, but none of these people are satisfied. If you manage to book one job as an actor/dancer/model etc then the excitement is overwhelming for around an hour, then you turn up to set, do what you’re asked, then you go home unemployed. It’s like a drug, and I sometimes wonder if people are, in fact, addicted to the drug of instability and the danger of constantly living in the unknown, more than they are the actual performance art they specialise in. I have a friend of mine who is a beautiful, talented performer who has managed to carve a very successful modelling career for herself, but she is unfulfilled. She feels like her talents are going unnoticed because she is essentially just a human coat hanger, she isn’t allowed to express herself, but in fact, depress herself to be mouldable by her clients. But where can she find the satisfaction she is searching for? In dance? Commercial/backing dancers are nothing more than record industry props. You can enjoy dancing, sure, but how do you feel when you look at your surroundings and realise you are just a piece of moving set. It’s the same with commercial acting. I worked for a short while as an actor in the commercial industry, and while the money is quick and easy, the acting side of things are wooden and controlled. Every single move is monitored by a whole production team on behalf of a client that is paying you to be there to promote a product. A product you might not even like, and you may not even believe in the companies values, but because you have bills to pay, you’ll be the guy that sits on TV and smiles while holding that product. I have another friend of mine who is an incredibly talented performer, and who managed to work in the West End. A lot of people within the industry, would kill to appear on a West End stage, they go to audition after audition, thirsty for the chance at treading the boards. My friend was playing the part of Humpty Dumpty in a show. After years and years of training she gets to run around a stage dressed as an egg, eight shows a week for a year. Now, don’t get me wrong, you may be thinking, what an easy way to make money! But I’m not talking about money, I’m talking about artistic integrity. It’s very rare an unknown performer will go into a lead part in a show, as they will always draft in a talentless celebrity over anyone with real talent, because in this fame obsessed culture, no one wants to see a show without a face they recognise starring in it. We are living in a society now, in which no one is willing to put any money into anyone young and fresh with talent. Lets look at the highest pinnacles of the industry, TV, film and music. These industries have been a well oiled machine, running for over 60 years. We, unfortunately (for some), are around the third generation from when this all began, and if your parents or grandparents weren’t involved before you were born, the chances of you finding success are incredibly slim. Recently I have been looking at people who inspire me, and who I look up to as young, successful individuals, who have something honest to say in their art. I relate to these people, and I believe that I have so much I want to share with the world. I don’t want to be ‘famous’ as such, but I believe that I was put on this earth to make a mark. So how do I, a boy who was born in Essex to a full time mum and pipe-fitter-welder dad, make it against those who have parents as casting directors, producers, agents and successful performers/artists themselves? It’s all genetic lottery, and for this we can’t complain, and for the record, I wouldn’t change my family for the world, but what I am starting to question is artistic identity and measure of success in an industry that is, wholly, like walking into a private family function, unannounced, with no friends at the event. Is it actually possible to break into this industry relying solely on talent? I don’t think so. In my opinion, if you don’t know anyone, then you better be fucking beautiful, but then we return to the genetic lottery again, so blame your parents! I have been lucky and equally unlucky in my artistic career. I have had opportunities that some may envy and I have also had opportunities snatched away from me. I have worked hard, and I have been lazy. I have been positive, and I have been defeatist. I am just a normal person, who is bursting at the seams with creative energy to share. I do believe that my twenties has brought a jack of all trades out of me, and I am hoping that soon the master of one will come to light, I am looking for inspiration and guidance, but truly, what is the next step? How can I get some stranger to believe in me? Who do I have to sleep with to get an audition? What do I even want an audition for? What is the goal? I have numerous questions constantly running through my mind. I have a complicated brain that is constantly asking me, what’s next? I never let myself rest and I always wonder where to go from here, but right now, I feel broken and exhausted. I feel like I have been played and tested for years by an industry that has given me nothing back in return. I feel like I have searched every avenue and explored every forest, but I am finding it hard to see the wood for the trees. One thing I do know, however, is my truth, and my truth is that I am an artist. Whether in work, or out of work, I never stop. I see art in all places and I don’t need a pay cheque or a blue tick to verify that. Your talent shouldn’t be verified by your status in a corrupt and broken industry, and remember, those who you may look at and envy, may not be truthful. As if this industry wasn’t all smoke and mirrors enough, the world of social media has enhanced that tenfold. I recently got asked by someone who is ‘verified’ on twitter if I was interested in also getting a ‘blue tick’ and if so, it would cost me £5k. FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS to be ‘verified’. I think the only thing that would need verifying after I’d sent that cheque would be my sanity. However, apart from shocking me, it deeply disturbed me. This person had spent £5000 on a ‘blue tick’ on twitter because he wanted people to perceive him as successful and established. Now, I have to admit, I am guilty of online ‘fame fraud’, in which in the past I have paid for fake followers, so people perceive you to have a bigger following than you do. This is normal practise, especially in the music industry, where fanbase and image are everything, move aside vocal and writing talent, I wanna see how many twitter followers you have! However, buying followers works out at about £20, so not quite as foolish as £5k (I reassure myself). Still, it disturbs me because it is the ultimate search for reassurance and acceptance, and this kind of search is ultimately a wild goose chase that will have you incredibly unhappy in the end. This story is just a small snippet of how important online presence is to people, and has taught me how we should take everything we see online with a pinch of salt. Comparing yourself with others online is self destructive to the max. It will destroy you as a person and as an artist. I have done it for years, and I think, as a performer it is impossible not to, but as long as you believe in your truth, and in your talent, then you will stay sane. No one can reassure you better than yourself. Just remember that commercial success, online stature and financial gain are not reflective of talent, and the sooner we believe in that, the richer as artists, and more satisfied as individuals, we will become.
Sam Morris
♥♥♥♥
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.
Oscar Wilde (via hungerasylum)
Everything you love is here
Topboy...
After somehow missing the first series and hearing rave reviews about Topboy, i decided to tune into the start of the second series tonight. Ten minutes in, and it was already leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Yet another drama highlighting black/ethnic gang culture in the lower class suburbs of London. When these type of dramas/films first came round with the likes of Kidulthood, it was bringing a gritty reality to the masses, something something never done before….but fast forward a few years, im disheartened and saddened that the production companies still feel the need to further promote the negative stereotypes of ethnic minorities in London. Worst of all, has been the number of black friends, tweeting and facebooking about how excited they are that the new series is starting tonight….
Let me put this into perspective..
A show made to highlight black gang culture - as if we are not already aware of its existence. Representing ethnic minorities in a negative light, using black actors who are clearly not living the stereotypical lifestyle, however are further promoting the negative stereotype of their own people…
Where is the sense?? If you want people to change perceptions and opinions of black people, how about our own people start to refuse such roles? Perhaps then, Production companies would be forced to create shows that actually represent black people in a realistic and positve light…we are not all hoodrats after all
How many more shows do we really need, to show the London gang culture?? We get it already! Its time to open up the narrow minds. Realise what society is tying to indoctrinate you to believe.
Didnt really want to get all preachy…but there it is. Sometimes u jus gotta go there.
Integrity
My complex paradox
I am the crazy, funny, energetic, entertainer. I am the cute, quiet, huggy, lover. I am the edgy, scary, opinionated, argumentative, feisty woman, who dares the brave to cross and the weak to retreat. I am the sad, reflective, depressive, evaluative thinker, large on wisdom, who doesnt suffer fools gladly. I am the considerate, caring, kind, quiet natured empathic creature, with a passion for humanity. I am the hardworking, focused, dedicated, dreamchaser. I am the lazy, whiny adult deliquent, who occasionally allows doubt to creep in. I am the judge and the jury to both my own life and others, guilty of occassionally judging books by their covers. I am the advice offering listener and the selfish speaking gossip. The moralistic blinkered good girl, and the flexible thinking free spirit. I am the modest and shy attention dodger. I am the approval seeking show off. I am the creative individualistic copycat. I am the high heel wearing, short skirt clad, pink lipstick pouting girly girl, who cries when both nails and hearts are broken. I am the make up free, frizzy haired, sneaker wearing, baggy t shirt and hoody armoured tomboy, who glares fear in the face with fire in her eyes. I am the black, the white and the grey. The ying and the yang. I am all of these. I.Am.Me.
Nobody knows
Just unloaded a few skeletons from my closet. Things i just dont discuss. Ever. Feeling overly vulnerable. But also slightly emancipated. The poor person that had to hear it....they didnt see it coming. Im the master of deception. Smiles hide the cracks...
"Lol" always softens the blow at the end of a sentence. So long as the end of a sentence is not followed by a full stop. In which case, the "lol" then becomes sarcastic. Lol.
Nobody said it was easy...
ODance makes me utterly emotional. I have the most volatile relationship with this art form. During training and rehearsal, my body aches, brain cries, and exhaustion is a given. When entering the process to perform a new piece, i am fully aware of all of that, yet i still put myself through the process from which the battle ensues between mind and body. At times i want to give up. And the verge to do so is never far away. It hurts, and im tired, and at times, the task seems mamouth. Your best is never good enough, and surrendering very almost becomes an option…but a greater force always prevails….passion and determination, and the little voice inside you that spurs you on. Despite any sense of negativity, the end result is always worth it. Until you put yourself under pressure, until you have to face new obstacles, you will never truly know what you are capable of. Every achievement made, sets a new standard for yourself, a personal best, another level to exceed. There really are no limits, apart from the ones you set yourself. Im still tired today. Beyond exhausted. But now, my rest is all the sweeter, as i have another achievement under my wing :)
Compassion is not condescension, but a leveling of the playing field, a recognition of yourself in others and an acceptance that their stress is your stress, that their happiness is your own. The gulf between us all is imaginary, born of insecurity and fear.
Stephen Schettini (via bibliophilemartini)
You hate on my success like we don’t have the same 24 hours
Unknown (via andrebright)
Yes.
Be careful what you wish for...
The idea of fulfilment is something I’ve been tossing around for a couple of days now, stemming from a recent conversation with a friend who was recently promoted, and subsequently hates her new position. It was everything she wanted, till she got it….So i was thinking, how much of what we aim for is truly fuelled by our own honest ambitions, and how much is fuelled by the quest for approval? Or to fall in line, to keep up with everyone else? Why is fulfilment generally measured on a grand scale? Perhaps we’re missing our own truth, by being in constant competition with one another. If we all just stopped for a moment and appreciate what we have, people, relationships, family, job whatever, maybe we’d find we already have what we’re all huntng for…
Get into the habit of changing the habit
Dollwithasoul
Once upon a time, i had this friend. The end.
