4 Cool Music Videos

I thought I'd do a post full of not only songs I'm enjoying lately, but songs with pretty cool videos too. They are not super recent but they are just videos I like, and I haven't given much thought to genre or time frame or anything like that. I'm thinking of making music video lists as a semi regular feature because I love discovering music and coming up with playlists and recommendations. It might be nice to have themed posts or just to make jumbled lists of stuff I'm getting into.

Anyway, let's talk about these videos.

Natalia Kills - Saturday Night

Natalia Kills does lots of electric pop, which is one of my main musical weaknesses (as you can probably tell from my own music projects). The synths are strong with this one. This video has a really cool visual narrative. She walks through changing sets and dramatic scenarios going on around her. There's lots of continuous shots which make the whole thing feel a little like an out of body experience. There's also lots of emoting, which I enjoy.

Toro Y Moi - Say That

This song is such a sweet and delicate little jam and it has such a beautifully filmed video. It kinda looks like what I imagine when people people say "go to a beautiful place in your mind". The landscapes! The cuts! The lying down! The furtive dancing! It's very relaxing.

Flyying Colours - Wavygravy

This is a very relaxing video with lots of nice overlapping, washed out colours and a kinda scuzzy, sleepy, beachy sound.

Kero Kero Bonito - Intro Bonito

Kero Kero Bonito are such a fun little band and one of my favourite recent discoveries. I like their lazy pop style (it reminds me a little bit of Bis) and my favourite song is Sick Beat, which is all about how Sarah can beat everyone at video games, and has these lyrics: "It’s often said, I should get some girly hobbies instead, but that thought fills me with dread, I'm not into sewing, baking, dressmaking, not eating, bitching, submitting". I love that. I love them.

Diary: Hug A Totoro

This week has been full of journalling, running for Activities Officer in the SUARTS election, sneezing for two entire days, and going to hospital. I'm trying to keep a certain level of running commentary and thought processes going in my degree show journal and I'm finding that having a paper collection of thoughts and ideas and pictures is quite encouraging. I'm getting lots of stuff down and hope to maintain a consistent pace and up my experimentation. I'm looking at lots of distorted things and ideas about perception. 

The hospital thing is for ongoing heart tests just to see how my heart is coping with being a heart and stuff. I have a family history of various heart issues so it's just something I really wanted to check up on. 

I've also been hugging a Totoro lots.

Beach Girl

Some simple scans here that I made with plait-curled hair.  I like the tendrils of hair on my face, they're so pretty. It has actually been a good while since I've posted scans, so it feels nice and familiar to finally do them again. Sometimes I go a while without doing them because I guess I get over saturated with them at times, but it never takes me too long to come back to them.

I've been thinking about all sorts of methods of the distortion of images lately and I know I've done this exact thing before, but I wanted to try splicing and rearranging my scans again. I'd like to experiment more with this and try some different ways of doing it. Different colour filters and shapes of cut outs and levels of symmetry and so on. The spliced scan in this post is quite serene, I think, and I like that.

My Favourite Details - LFW A/W '15

I've never been to London Fashion Week myself because I don't really understand what's going on, trains are expensive, and I'm nervous about going alone (I'm a big cry baby), but looking through show galleries is really fun and I can do it from the warmth of my own bed whilst casually eating Revels, so let me show you some of my favourite things from this season.

Emilia Wickstead

First of all I absolutely love the muted colour palette across Emilia Wickstead's collection. The smart cuts and creamy colours remind me of Roxy Music, and there was a strong 70s feel running through a lot of shows this season (there are FLARED TROUSERS everywhere). I am very into trouser creases. Trouser creases please me.

Bora Aksu

I love seeing experimentations in sheer fabric and the art deco detail on this dress is incredible. I also am noticing lots of powder blue, and I love the chilled out Gunne Sax style frills on the dress below and the layered translucency of it.

Bora Aksu

Julien Macdonald

More beautiful sheer detail here, and in particular I like the tiny polka dots and sheer polo neck. Lots of intricate detail through layered black is something that keeps cropping up as well. It has endless possibilities, so I can understand.

Le Kilt

Here we have a very schoolgirlish look, with tartans and pleats and high, ribbed socks. I've always loved school uniform detailing as it has a certain level of smartness yet a simultaneous playfulness. Tennis skirts are really popular lately and I need to get some more pleats in my life, I think. I'd quite like a longer pleated skirt, much like the one above to the left, for that Twin Peaks medium-length skirt feel. Good for transitioning weather, too.

Mother of Pearl

The Mother of Pearl collection veers wonderfully into pyjama territory here. I love the ribbon tie and the baby pink. I am very much for blurring the lines between pyjamas and everyday clothing. I won't rest until it's socially acceptable to wear a dressing gown to work.

Orla Kiely

Another pattern I'm noticing all over the place is the glorious grid. A nice way to incorporate computer graphics into your outfit in a reasonably subtle way. Or perhaps one for the maths fans. Plot a graph right on yourself. Just do it.

PPQ

This look is classic and pretty. I love the totally simple black trousers paired with such a cute and gently puffy top. Love that ruff detail and the hair is nice and smart.

Simone Rocha

Again we see sheer materials played with here. I love the top layer of bright white details popping out over a calmer body seen through. And the juxtaposition of the skin of the arms against the covered body of the rest of the dress is nice too. It's a bit of a "I'm a fairy from the forest" look.

All pictures via catwalking.com.

Hair Inspiration: Doll Makers

Okay, call me a huge child (I am), but I still love doll makers and doll dress up games. It all started with the Eastenders one on the BBC website. Dressing up Pat Butcher and Phil Mitchell was the best fun I ever had in any IT lesson. Now though, I prefer the endless choice of dress up games available on Dollz Mania.

I find that looking at and appreciating all sorts of different hair styles encourages me to enjoy my own hair, because when you appreciate and love other people for being diverse it carries the understanding that people's differences are positive. Dolls have very idealised hair, but it comes in lots of different colours and stuff! The hair I've chosen for this post is all some sort of blonde because I'm selfishly mood boarding for my own hair, but you can see all the cool colour variation within all this blonde hair alone. I've also made some doll interpretations of myself because I love making versions of myself. This first one is definitely the most accurate (the hair texture and colour is pretty spot on for me):

from Pinterest Spring/Summer Dressup

from W.I.T.C.H Style Dressup (the clothing options in this one are my favourite)

from Fairy Style Dressup

from Mythical Dressup

Top 5 Original Playstation Style Icons

Okay, so, the Playstation was a beautiful thing in a beautiful time. There are heaps of characters and outfits I could talk about, I'm sure, but here are some favourites I picked out from a few games that had something of an impact on me.

1. Jun Kazama from Tekken 2

Jun was one of my favourite Tekken 2 characters to play as because she had quite a unique, gentle sort of look. She had two outfit options, and I favoured her alternative outfit - the snazzy grey look. Her standard black and white get up was still pretty cute, but I'm a sucker for shorts. Those knee highs look pretty ace too.

2. Selphie Tilmitt from Final Fantasy VIII (in SeeD cadet uniform)

Okay, this could have been one of any number of NPCs wearing the same outfit or the Galbadia/Trabia Garden variations, but we're introduced to Selphie through a nice little piece of FMV which features the uniform really nicely, and she's the only party member we get to see wearing the female version. Various characters wear the proper SeeD uniform as well, but I prefer the cadet uniform, with simpler front detail - just a cute bow instead of weird flappy panels. It's just a really cute uniform, and I totally want one.

3. Sunny Funny from PaRappa The Rapper

Oh Sunny. Cute, completely flat, and not afraid of clashing colours, Sunny Funny is the love interest of a dog in a beanie. Her petals are pretty stylish, and her stripy dress is refreshingly simple, bright, and adorable. Here's a more in depth look at her.

4. Female Black Mage from Final Fantasy Tactics

Black mages look like they might be the most comfortable people ever, all baggy trousers and big coats. They are very tucked in to their outfits, and as a comfy lifestyle advocate I am very happy about that. They also have a nice stripy detail on their hot-air-balloon trousers and a nice shade of blue on the coat. Impressive hair growth here too. Looking good.

5. Mia from Psybadek

This outfit looks quite like something Twist from Spaced would wear (including the pigtails) and for that I love it. I love a good pair of cycling shorts and the white stripes on her sides look cool.

Sneaky Ways To Become A Famous Blogger

Popularity is a pretty elusive and fascinating thing, right? And notorious bloggers pretty much have some combination of unique personality, visually appealing content, and a clear and engaging voice. That's all good, but what about sneaking your way into that notoriety? Here are some top ideas I have had which may or may not work to bring you some kind of attention and love online. Good luck, pals.

My Great Ideas 4 Getting Well Famous:

1. Don't ever diss Craig David. This is important. We love Craig. We respect Craig.
2. Maintain an up to date portfolio of all the cheeses you enjoy. The people love cheese. The people hunger for constant cheese updates.
3. Sonic the Hedgehog fan art is a classic way to get noticed. Try to include at least one Kardashian as well for that timeless Sonic/Kardashian relationship that touches the hearts of many.
4. Wear exceptional socks at every possible opportunity to impress the sock illuminati (they are real and they will notice).
5. This is another fan art tip, but don't underestimate its importance. Include Taylor Swift fan art in every single blog post. No exceptions. Even if it's a blog post about 1940s politics. Just chuck a Swift drawing in there.
6. Take cute pictures of yourself sneezing. It's relatable, amusing, and your readers can set them as phone backgrounds for when they just need to see a sneezy face.
7. Get a sidekick. Just have a parrot, a rat, or a parent on your shoulder at all times.
8. Use heaps of rainbow text in your blog posts to show that you are snazzy as heck.
9. Keep a pet rock and have it write guest posts for you regularly. Rocks are well known for having amazing DIY ideas. People will flock to the rock.
10. Blast Roy Orbison tunes while you write your blog posts. The spirit of Roy will flow through you and you will find yourself imbued with wisdom and heightened creative zest. Hear the Orb, be the Orb.

How To Stop Being Ugly

To really be confident and happy in yourself you have to love yourself at your worst. Be a bit dirty and smelly and tired and whatever and look at yourself in the mirror for like 10 minutes and say this is okay, this is fine, this is good. Give yourself the haircut your think is the ugliest and learn to live with it, learn to be okay. if you can do that you will be so strong. Record yourself and get used to all your annoying mannerisms, study them, become one with them. Know them and be cool with them. They are you, not all the time, but they are you and that's okay.

Trying to be beautiful won't help you as much as trying to be ugly (although I'm not criticising you for trying to be beautiful, that's normal too). When you make yourself ugly you might learn that being ugly is okay, being ugly is good, and then that being ugly is nonsense. Ugly stops meaning anything when it stops mattering. It's like that whole thing about fairies - if you don't believe in them, they don't exist. I don't believe in ugly.

I think the only way to really stop being ugly is to start being okay with being ugly. You're a vessel. A planet in a person shape. Everything about you moves. You can't control everything, but your perceptions are potentially very malleable. Keep funny faces next to your heart.

Diary: Final Fantasy & Feeling Good

Do you ever feel like you have turned into a rock? Sometimes I feel that way. Like really solid and unmoving and sleepy, but more than that. Like the essence of you has somehow become rock-like. I'm not sure what I'm talking about. I just have a foggy feeling right now, and it has cropped up a bunch of times. It's not bad, it's just a thing. Anyway, this week I have obtained delicious brownies, complimentary business cards (courtesy of Harry Bugg Plastic Cards), and some Rilakkuma goodies. It's been nice.

Here's a vlog from Thursday:

Takato Yamamoto's Fairy Tale Art

Here's a dose of art inspiration! I actually stumbled on Takato Yamamoto's work through The Long Hair Community when I saw someone in the forums with a really pretty icon. This turned out to be the Alice in Wonderland piece at the bottom of this post.

What I love about these paintings is a combination of their intricacy, fairy tale style, and muted colour palettes. Just to warn you ahead of a Google search for more of his work, Yamamoto uses a lot of gory, sexual, and bondage imagery. I prefer the more delicate and peaceful or slightly spooky images. My favourites are scenarios depicting dark forests. All of his work has a rich atmosphere, but the woodland scenes are especially captivating and play up elements of enchantment and mystery and darkness.

I have always loved fairy tales because they work on warped logic. Things are not what they seem, and everything can bend into something unexpected. Yamamoto's work captures that spirit with every line.

[EDIT: It has been brought to my attention by commenter 'Disgruntled Lizard' that the piece above is actually by Pixiv member 'Chillalee', a Chinese artist studying in France. The original post can be found here. I'm sorry for the prior misattribution. Let's celebrate Chillalee's work as well.]

Collection Of Moments

Lately I want to climb a mountain and live there forever, or at least sit in a wheat field with a big scarf, and maybe some homemade banana bread or something. There's a beautiful fantasy world inside all our heads, but there's beautiful stuff out here with us. It's different, but it's true. Thinking about it keeps me going, like a machine running on cold milk (with a few cute bubbles sitting on top).

Things that have been good recently: the sun and the snow, the simple shape of a French plait, gimmicky bags and cutesy objects, orange toned lipstick against my pale skin, familiar tactility, and mysterious objects collected by art students.