All The Free Things — Summer Edition

For most of you it’s finally officially summer. But just because you suddenly have a whole bunch of free time on your hands doesn’t mean you also have endless funds in your pockets for summer activities. If you’re like me and always trying to have the most amazing adventures you can on as little as possible, then the research I’m about to share with you might come in handy. Check this list of 25 fun free (and almost free) things to do when you’re stumped for options and want to make the most of your day.

1) Have a picnic — This one’s been around forever, but people rarely take advantage of how simple, yet how fun having picnics can be. Alone or with friends, eating outside on a blanket is always more exciting.

2) Public art project — Playing around at home with paints and pencils has all the makings for a good time, but turn it one notch up by creating ephemeral art with friends outdoors. Make it simple: a giant chalk drawing on the driveway, or a message along the sidewalk. Choose what you want to create together and make it a team effort. Then stand back and marvel at your work.

3) Learn a language — No need to pick up a pricey Rosetta Stone package. All that’s required is a wifi connection and the ability to type into Google “Spanish lessons,” or whichever language you’re interested in learning.

4) Visit your public library — You may not even realize your town has one; it might be hiding away somewhere. Libraries tend to offer programs and events all summer long that might pique your curiosity and keep your engaged.

5) Go for a hike, a walking adventure — No matter where you live, there is someplace you can sufficiently hike. It doesn’t need to be a waterfall hike in Malibu or a mountainous excursion in Aspen. Urban dwellers and small-town inhabiters can find beauty all around them, too. Discover your town by foot and explore the far corners of your neighborhood. Trudge up hilly streets, steps, stairs and anything else you can find in your area that will get your blood pumping and help you see new sights.

6) iPhone scavenger hunt — Have you done a scavenger hunt lately? They’re amazing and so forgotten after we reach junior or high school. Let’s bring them back, but with a modern twist. Create a list of unlikely conquests to check off. Try to find someone who will sing a tune for you, go look for a particular leaf or flower, find a specific styled dress in a storefront window and take photos or shoot video of everything you find. Bags with collected oddities are no longer needed. Simply show the friends you’re competing against all the shots from your adventure. Most items checked off the list wins.

7) Travel the world (through your meals) — Make it a point to learn about a region and create food for which it’s best known. Think: Lily Huffman and her family’s International dinner night. Look up recipes online and help your parents in the kitchen to prepare the meal.

8) Look at the stars — Want to know what exactly you’re gazing at up there? There’s an app for that.

9) Make comic books — Instead of trying to crank out an entire novel over the summer (I’ve read some of Lisi’s fans’ comments and some of you are quite ambitious!) why not tell a complete story using pictures and captions. It’ll force you to refine your plot as well as give you some more drawing practice. Do this alone or collab with friends, then share with family and neighbors.

10) Start a book club — Lisi will tell you, it’s one of the best ways to get to know someone and it’s a whole lot of fun discussing favorite characters with fellow book enthusiasts. Create a club where you all read the Clique series together start to finish, and meet up after each book to talk about what you loved most. Then start a new club to discuss the themes and messages (ok, ok, and the drama) of Pretenders and License to Spill.

11) Be Jackson Pollock (the abstract artist known for his splatter/drip paintings) — In an area large enough to move around and experiment, put down a sheet or canvas and go to town splattering it with paint. Let your inner Pollock shine.

12) Movie date — Plan a movie date with mom or your BFF, but do your research first. There are many $1-3 movie theaters across the country and they’re playing movies you’ve been wanting to see.

13) Make a fort — We are never too old for blanket forts. Make one and feel happy.

14) Have a car dance party — Next time your mom’s driving you somewhere or you’re driving your friends to get lunch, crank up the volume and dance it out from behind the safety of your seatbelt. Make a mix cd or mp3 of your favorite anthems and high energy music right now, and get to dancing.

15) Bubble bath (outside) — This is what happens when your relaxing tub experience meets the kiddie pool outside. Add bubbles and make it 100 times more fun.

16) Create a photo series — Decide on a theme beforehand and, using your smartphone or any camera at your disposal, take photos that will reflect your photography project. Collect photos all summer long and then put them together in a collage, scrapbook, or upload them to a photo blog.

17) Explore nature programs — Check nature centers near you for free community programs and start exploring.

18) Plant a garden — You can get flower bulbs and seeds at the dollar store. Choose flowers that grow well in summer like sunflowers and watch them grow 6′ tall in no time.

19) Form a bike gang — Chart a route beforehand and ask a few friends to regularly meet for bike rides. Tell them there are t-shirts or Members Only jackets involved. They’ll say yes.

20) Make a time capsule — Does anyone do this anymore? It’s another one of those forgotten activities that needs reviving. Grab a large jar, tin box or something similar and place items of meaning to you in it (not too much meaning that you don’t want to give them up, of course). A receipt from a favorite restaurant, a rock from your trip to the beach, a few lines from a poem you loved… Write a note about what’s happening in the world or in your life right now in 2014. Then bury the capsule in the garden or near a tree for some future someone to discover it. You may never find out if your capsule is uncovered, so be prepared to let it go to the universe.

21) Learn origami — Another brilliant Youtube craft activity that will make you very popular at birthdays. No money for a gift? No problem. Bring your friend a couple of beautifully folded origami boxes for rings or to keep treasures in and write a heartfelt birthday note in a handmade card.

22) Host a frozen yogurt sundae party — This one isn’t free but can be done on the cheap. Pick up several toppings and frozen yogurt of your choice, and invite  friends over to create their own frozen yogurt sundaes. This will make everyone so happy that conversation, laughter, and good times will naturally ensue.

23) Start flower bombing — Look for places around you that could use a little color or would do well with some life added to it. What better way to brighten up some empty land than bombing it with wildflower seeds? Try the patches of grass between the sidewalk and street, empty lots, grassy medians, and wherever else you can find. Click through the “flower bombing” link above for a few tips on how to make your own wildflower bombs, and start spreading beauty.

24) Fashion challenge — Flip through a few fashion magazines you have at home or pick up a new issue of your favorite. Choose one or two looks you’d love to rock and then head to a thrift store and recreate them for less. Much less.

25) Make a vision board — I made a brand board with Lisi when I first started working with her to get to know her brand and understand her audience. It was incredibly fun to put together and did the trick. You may not have too much use for a brand, but you might love having your own vision board hung up in your room. Gather every print material of interest you can find: magazines, newspapers, ads, etc. and artfully collage images of things you love, experiences you want for you life, goals you have, and anything else your imagination can muster.

 

This list ends at 25, but the options for fun, (mostly) free things to do in the summer are endless. What activities did I miss? Where else can you adventure for less but get much more? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below. Lisi will return with her usual blah-g post next week. For now, happy summer!

 

xx,

Alisha

Series Strength

Some people love to throw around the adage “less is more” without knowing where that saying actually comes from. We saw it first in a Robert Browning poem called Andrew del Sarto (Called The “Faultless Painter”), which tells the story of the Renaissance artist who possessed great technical skill in his craft, but lacked soul. You know… soul. That elusive aspect… that je ne sais qoui… that infusion of heart from the artist who created the work that hits you in the sweet spot and keeps you coming back for more. If you’re talking about a painting or interior design, I can understand how “less is more” is a popular critique. But if we’re talking about a story filled with the hearts and souls of its characters, more is most definitely more. Ask any fangirl who just finished reading the very last page in one of her favorite author’s recent books. She wants MORE. We can practically go crazy waiting for the next installment of that lit goodness from a writer we love, and it’s heartbreaking when we’ve reached the end of a series. Like saying good bye to an old friend that’s come along with you on your journey; or more accurately, you’ve come along with them on theirs. Either way, you’ve connected with the heart of that story and you want more of it–plain and simple. Don’t believe me? I rest my case. However, I think we’re on the same side of the gavel here so I know you’ll be as excited as I was to check out Barnes & Noble‘s website for License to Spill, the second installment in the Pretenders series, and to see they’ve leaked a little more of the story for her readers to devour. Want the first 24 pages and missed the reveal? Here you go. Want more? Thought so. License to Spill drops June 24th. We’re in the home stretch! Lisi will be back next week with her usual post. We spoke this morning and she said she misses you guys. We’d love to see more of you here on the blah-g. What would you like to see more of each week?

xx,

Alisha

Spring In Your Step

Hello friends. I’m guest blogging today for Lisi who is trapped in the writer’s cave churning out pages for the #DirtyBookClub. She will be back with another fantastic post next week. I really had no idea what I’d be blogging about today, and it’s been particularly difficult to get creatively motivated due to some extreme heat in Southern California. When I say extreme I mean 100 degrees in Los Angeles (it’s not even summer yet!), which might not mean anything to some of you reading this from some unfortunately warmer regions, but most of us in Southern California are total babies when it comes to weather extremes in either direction. Not to be hyperbolic or anything, but it’s not impossible that I’ll perish before the end of this blog post. While I’m here and partially alive, I’ll share with you one trick I like to turn to when I just can’t seem to get the words down on the page or can’t get up and moving. Besides stocking up on popsicles and numerous watermelons, I always make a new playlist each season with songs that still get me out of bed and start my frame of mind off in the right direction. I’ve shared my current Spring into Spring playlist with you today. Some songs are new, some are old, high-speed or lo-fi, but all of them are made for spring, which is traditionally the season to be wilding out anyway (even if wilding out for you only means dancing up a storm in your room; welcome to my life). I hope these songs get you moving and inspire you to create a go-to playlist of your own. Disclaimer: Selena Gomez IS found on this list… because I happen to love her. Really. I do. As Lisi always says: JUDGE.

Ps. This playlist also accompanied my best friend and me on a very mini road trip to Palm Springs last weekend. We stayed just one night and the drive and heat were almost not worth it, except… we got THIS photo out of it. SUCCESS.

 

I hope you like a song or two in there! Happy spring. Lisi will be back next week!

 

xx

Alisha

On My Creative Path

I recently wrote a guest post for Lisi titled #GIRLBOSS. In response to that post, awesome reader Kimberly asked if I’d ever consider writing about my own creative path as a career woman, how I came to work for Lisi, and what my career goals and interests are in the future. Why YES, Kimberly, I certainly will consider writing about that! In fact, I’ll do it now. Great idea.

I suppose I could start by saying since childhood I always wanted to be a writer. I almost wish there was some variation in the mix–astronaut or pro soccer player, perhaps. But no–since six I’ve wanted to write and illustrate children’s books or fantastical epic stories. The subject matter of what I gravitate towards writing has changed over the years but I may someday go back to my roots in what made the child version of myself delirious in wonderment. Since I had a clear idea of where I wanted to end up–which is already a feat if you are choosing a creative path for your life–I was able to declare the “right” major. Eventually anyway. I ended up in the English and Creative Writing department where I got to read all of the books I’d always wanted to. Whatever I now know about writing, I largely have learned from reading other writers’ great works. I have a very long way to go even still and constantly seek out resources on how to hone my craft. The life of any creative person will be that of an autodidact. It’s important and quite necessary in fulfilling your goals as an artist.

During my last year of university, I started a freelance writing services business, writing articles for various magazines and online news sources, providing copywriting and editing for businesses, managing social media communities and executing digital marketing strategies. It was all trial and error and a VERY bumpy road until after I graduated when I could really teach myself the ropes of how to run a profitable business. It took time, but I learned some major life lessons in the process, like my worth as an employee, how to work independently, how to create structure in my life so that I could work from home (and carve time out to keep plugging away on artistic passion projects!), and how to collaboratively work with all different kinds of people. I also learned how to spot a need in the market so that I could constantly teach myself new skills that would keep clients coming back to me time and time again. It was challenging and fun, but a few years into it I heard by word of mouth that the New York Times Bestselling Author Lisi Harrison was looking for editorial help. What a dream that would be! I had to try my chances and see if we were a fit.

I got my resume together and wrote a cover letter specifically for Lisi expressing what the opportunity to work with her would mean to me. I didn’t expect it, but I got a call from her saying we should meet for an in-person chat. I drove down to Lisi’s office that sits right on the Laguna Beach coastline and had an interview with her. She was dressed stylishly, yet effortlessly. I was the schmuck in a black blazer at the beach. She gave me a shot anyway. It’s a tricky thing taking on creative help and working together in the way Lisi would need to work with her assistant, and what seemed to be the most important factors were whether or not our personalities would vibe together, if I had an intuitive understanding of her needs as an employer, if I understood her brand and readers, and if I genuinely cared about her message and product. I’m happy to say that all of those areas checked out, but it wasn’t in the bag there… There were many other strong candidates Lisi had seen and now it came down to a creative assignment we were expected to complete.

Lisi briefed me on an upcoming project (The Dirty Book Club which she is currently writing) and asked that I write up mock descriptions used in developing the setting of a particular scene in 1962.I remember pulling together research for that assignment and hoping or maybe WISHING I’d get the chance to continue working with this author that required such fun and interesting creative help. I was holding my breath, waiting to hear back about who Lisi would choose to bring on board her team. A few days later, I got the news. I could breathe easy as Lisi’s new editorial assistant! I clinked glasses with a friend in celebration of the good news that night. Lisi and I have taken on many projects, sometimes together, sometimes individually, ever since and it’s very easy for me to say she is BY FAR the best boss I will ever have.

Today I view the job as somewhat of an apprenticeship. I am constantly learning from Lisi whether or not she knows or intends to be instructional. As all her readers already know, she’s an amazing role model to girls and women and in many ways I view her as a mentor, succeeding in a field I’d like to be in myself one day. I also get a pretty cool inside look at the day and life of a writer, how a novel comes together, and ALL of the INSANE details that create what you will eventually know as Lisi’s books. They’re really tangible pieces of life and time and effort and tears and sweat all melded together into words on a page. Enjoy it!

The story doesn’t end there since Kimberly also asked about future goals and career interests. It’s difficult to speak on this since, as I mentioned, Lisi is a fantastic boss and I can’t imagine not working closely with her. But of course someday I’ll have to spread my wings even further and tackle new challenges in order to keep growing and developing my career. One thing I’ve learned about choosing a creative path is that “plans” are often not a part of it. There is no linear structure to becoming a successful writer, artist, filmmaker, etc. There’s a lot of daily hard work involved, making it up as you go along, putting yourself out there and being vulnerable to rejection. You also need a lot of luck with a dash of having the right connections. So for now, what I have are many ideas of where I’d like to go. What would bring me the most happiness personally and professionally. If I can somehow marry travel with work, I’d love the opportunity to do so. If I can contribute to the wonderful social work taking place abroad that helps young women and impoverished families, I’ll be there. I’d also feel right at home at a boutique media company in creative direction or in the art department. For now, I am loving working with Lisi and having a hand in the development of her stories. And if I get my schedule together, I can even find time to keep my own writing going (I have several essays and poems forthcoming in print soon!). If you keep your dream close, but sleep very little, you can make it all work. I promise you that much.

For any aspiring writers out there who read this, one lovely thing to remember is that finding your career will be a process that will continuously evolve as you refine your passions. You don’t have to know all the answers today or tomorrow. And if you end up somewhere that doesn’t have you writing, also know you can keep chipping away at your dream in your free time. Many writers have what they call “paycheck work,” or their day job, while they consider their writing to be their “passion work.” That’s the trend for many of my artistic friends in various creative industries, but it is always best to get your day job as close to your heart as can be. That much I’m sure you already know.

I can only remark on my personal experiences and would love to hear about what any aspiring writers out there are doing to further their artistic careers. Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for reading and Lisi will be back next week.

 

xx

Alisha

POP QUIZ

 

And now for the answers to Lisi’s pop culture quiz:

1. Last year’s Billboard Milestone Award

2. Pharrell Williams; Pharrell Williams; CeeLo Green

3. ONE DIRECTION!!!

4. Harry Potter by JK Rowling

5. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin

How’d you do? Report back on Lisi’s comment section and let us know if you dominated this mini quiz. We’ll create more in the future if this one didn’t pose a challenge. Click on the POP! image above to redirect back to Lisi’s blah-g.

#GIRLBOSS

Sophia Amoruso, founder and CEO of Nasty Gal clothing, releases her first book #GIRLBOSS in May

Have you noticed how much flack the word “bossy” has been getting lately in popular culture? “Bossy” has become a word to almost exclusively describe women, or more precisely, women in power, and evidently it is discouraging girls from taking on leadership roles. Who wants to be called bossy? Or take on the negative connotations of being pushy, stubborn, or “too aggressive” that the label communicates? I don’t necessarily disagree with its opposition. But it’s interesting how central the word has become, receiving mention everywhere from books written by women in leadership positions talking about their process (or struggle) of rising to the top, to PSAs featuring celebrity spokeswomen, aiming to urge girls to pursue key positions who might be afraid to take on such a label. Is the word really that scary? The most recent appearance of the anti-bossy movement is the #BanBossy campaign created by Girl Scouts and Lean In. They got a slew of amazing women involved to help spread the word. Check it out below:

Tina Fey’s hilarious book Bossypants, released in 2011

Men are rarely, if ever, described as bossy. Instead, we call them leaders and admire their capabilities to make important decisions for the group and themselves. But why does gender have to come into play here at all? I say, we don’t need to ban the word “bossy” but we do need to use it appropriately, and take the gender out of it altogether.

I suppose if modern culture doesn’t find that possible, then this #BanBossy movement is onto something. But until the label disappears completely, which will take time if it ever does, girls need to remember there are worse things to be called than bossy, so shake it off and keep doing your own thing. If you are strong and capable and interested in leadership roles, the world needs more of you. Period. And as much as I love the idea of Sophia Amoruso’s book title #GIRLBOSS, I’d love it even more if one day there is no distinction. A woman who leads is simply just… the boss.

Tina Fey as Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, being a boss and having it all

6 Incredibly Inspirational Leaders to Know About Right Now

February is Black History Month. I’ve long noticed that very little attention is given to black figures who have greatly impacted history outside of this month, let alone black women who are nowhere close to being household names, yet definitely should be. I’ve compiled a crash course of several historical women I’ve personally been inspired by over the years who are seldom given the recognition they deserve. Needless to say, you won’t find Oprah or Beyoncé on this list; by now they’ve got a proper platform for recognition securely squared away, and rightly deserved. Maybe you’ve read about some of the women who are on this list in school before, or maybe each name will be entirely new to you and you’ll feel inspired to discover other influential women long after February draws to a close.

6). Angela Davis

If you  don’t recognize her name, you might at least recognize her amazing fro. Angela Davis was a nationally prominent counterculture activist and radical in the 1960s and was known for having a close relationship with the Black Panther Party through her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. She has been an activist and writer promoting women’s rights and racial justice while pursuing a career in philosophy and teaching at the University of Santa Cruz and San Francisco University. This short blurb barely scratches the surface of why Angela Davis is such an influential and powerful figure in our history, so check out the documentary The Black Power Mixtape to learn more about her. (Ask your parents first.)

5). Zadie Smith

We cross over the pond to learn about British realist and post-modern novelist, essayist, and short story writer Zadie Smith. She is the kind of writer you kick yourself over for not having discovered her books sooner. Smith has won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2006, among so many other accolades for her writing. Her debut novel White Teeth, which was published when she was just 25 year-old, became an immediate bestseller and was included in Time magazine’s TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005  list. She is now a tenure professor at NYU and has written a few other books that have all been critically praised. And she’s only 38! Amazing.

4). Mae Jemison

Have you ever even heard of Mae Jemison? Don’t worry–it took me a while to discover her, too. I’m glad I did because she’s incredible. Jemison is the first black woman to go into space making her one of the most inspirational and adventurous women to change history. Many of us as kids dream of being an astronaut one day, floating around in a zero gravity chamber, and gazing back at planet Earth from lightyears away. Mae Jemison actually got to do this. Imagine the stories she has from her week-long space journey! She’s also a physician who volunteered with the Peace Corps before later joining NASA. Since then, she’s founded the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, which brings science education to children. I’m floored…

3). Grace Jones

Ps. Smoking is NOT cool. People back then just didn’t know any better.

One of my ultimate favorites on this list is cultural icon Grace Jones. A model, singer, and actress, she broke onto the fashion scene in the 70s and was so ahead of her time that she quickly became the muse for top designers and photographers like Yves Saint Laurent, Claude Montana, and Helmut Newton. She later took over the New Wave music scene and also began appearing in films. She is still a huge influence in the fashion world due to her unique and unprecedented ways of expressing sexuality and style. She was known for her androgynous looks and turned conventional ideas of beauty and sex appeal on their head. To this day, we still do not have many women like her who have influenced style and fashion in such a major way.

2). Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 This woman is an unstoppable force. I first discovered Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie when I came upon her TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story, which “describes how she found her authentic cultural voice and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.” To my knowledge, her presence simply exploded after this TED Talk and she was everywhere. And I don’t just mean on stuffy radio shows and pretentious literary news spots either… A sample from her TEDx message titled “We Should All Be Feminists” can even be heard in Beyoncé’s 2013 self-titled album (so I lied, Beyoncé’s name definitely made a cameo on this list). TED’s blog describes what can be heard in Beyoncé song “***Flawless”:

The song starts out with a sample of Ed McMahon of Star Search, announcing Beyoncé and her friends in the female rap group Girl’s Tyme back in 1992. From there, Beyonce croons — with strong language that will likely be objectionable to some — on the pressure women feel to be perfect and to think of marriage as the main goal of their life. Adichie’s words come in at 1:24, and form a beautiful second verse of the song:

“We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, ‘You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise you will threaten the man.’ Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important. Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support. But why do we teach to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same? We raise girls to see each other as competitors – not for jobs or for accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing, but for the attention of men. We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are. Feminist: the person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.”

Chimamanda Adichie is absolutely someone to keep your eye on, for I easily foresee her contemporary work continuing to hugely impact our social climate.

1). Audre Lorde

One of my favorite quotes of all time.

I learned about Audre Lorde, not surprisingly, in a women’s studies course at university. Sadly enough, I don’t think her name comes up too much unless you’re a student enrolled in such a class, but hopefully that will someday change. She is on my favorites list because she was brilliant novelist and essayist, but mostly because she was an incredibly influential poet in my life. She was daring and provocative and feared no one. Lorde wrote what was in her heart, not what publishers deemed appropriate for publishing based on dated social conventions. She published her first poem while still in high school in Seventeen magazine after being rejected by her own school paper which said her poetry was “much too romantic.” Lorde shattered cultural expectations and was unapologetically outspoken about racism, feminism, homophobia and her identity as a lesbian. She called herself a warrior, and I call her a total BAD-A**. I highly recommend The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde and her autobiography, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name. (Again, ask your parents first!) These women are just a few of the hundreds or even thousands that could have made this list. Are you learning about any inspirational black women in school this month? Who would you have added to this list? Thank for hanging out with me on the blog-o-sphere today. Lisi will return next week with her usual Wednesday blah-g post! xx, Alisha, Office Elf

Printed Matter at LA Art Book Fair 2014

Literacy is making a comeback! Over the weekend I stopped by the LA Art Book Fair at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, an event presented by Printed Matter, Inc. If you haven’t heard of this major literary fair or aren’t too familiar with book fairs overall, it’s a “unique event for artists’ books, art catalogs, monographs, periodicals, and zines presented by over 250 international presses, booksellers, antiquarians, artists, and independent publishers.” Basically what that means is that it’s awesome and you must try to go someday, or visit something similar if at all possible. This year was only the second annual fair here in Los Angeles, but the turn out was HUGE for such a young event in the city. Take a look at the photo below to get an idea of what it looked like.

This room was only one of MANY in the multi-level massive exhibition gallery called the Ooga Booga space. If you are a book lover–and I’m assuming you love not only Lisi’s addicting page-turners but a few other titles as well–you would absolutely love this event. Especially if you’re the type that doesn’t always want to succumb to the e-book and kindle movement, this book fair reminds us just how special tactile treasures really are. There were so many amazing souvenirs for collectors to take home from vintage records, comic books, photography books, journals, handmade letterpress stationary, bags, paintings, zines, and of course, books. There were also some pretty fantastic stickers to take home like the one found below.

Duh.

The fair housed hundreds of tables from independent publishers from around the world. The two photos below are from Aye Aye Books, a Glasgow-based bookshop and publisher. The girl who ran this table was so incredibly kind, stylish and oh-so Scottish. Really I would have purchased anything she told me to, her accent made each book sound THAT interesting. I walked away with a little book titled “Them” that held three short stories by Francesca Mirabella and came in a handmade envelope with a handwritten message from the author herself. Such a gem.

The next table we stopped at had all kinds of wonderful pieces. Notecards, photography prints, and posters of beautiful gemstones and natural elements. I got to meet the artist, who wore one of those Barmah bush hats, making him look like a legitimate explorer from down undue’. SOLD.

They were also the sellers of Afterzine, which is literally one of my very favorite zines (though it’s pretty substantial, so more like a thin book). Contributions from the likes of notable people such as Alexa Chung and Rookie Mag’s Tavi Gavinson have even been included in past issues. Needles to say, I picked up Issue 3 pictured below.

More zines upon books upon zines!

A super cool magazine featuring girl motorcyclists around Los Angeles.

If reading’s not your thing, then that’s kinda strange, but the book fair’s still got you covered. You could gaze at and often take home creative paintings, photography and collage work, like some pieces seen below.

Book fair VIPs probably put down a pretty penny to take home these original prints of Blondie’s Debbie Harry from way back when.

No money? No problem. There was a makeshift ever-growing area in one corner where people were starting to barter for books. 🙂

Another look at the book fair, just 1/25 of the maze of a layout when the crowd was winding down. Still crazy though!

The best part about this year’s fair was all of the surprising points of creativity that popped up around each corner. If there was space on a wall and it was around eye level, it was filled with art, micro stories, drawings, and funny or thoughtful messages. It wasn’t possible to leave the Ooga Booga space feeling  uninspired. I couldn’t help but feel a little more hopeful than usual for the literary community here in LA on a whole. In fact, it almost felt a little like the cute message tacked up on a wall that’s pictured below.

The LA Art Book Fair is the companion to the NY Art Book Fair that is held every fall and apparently MUCH larger than even ours here in Los Angeles. If you are ever out on either coast in the U.S. sometime in the future, it’s a must-attend event for all bibliophiles out there. I know not everyone can hop a private jet out to NY or LA on a whim and make that happen any time soon, but it’s food for future thought in the meantime. Thank you guys for reading today and letting me share a bit of my excitement that’s spilled over from the weekend with you. And if in your hometowns there are any cool book or zine related events you know of, please pass the info along in the comments section! I’d love to keep discovering similar literary happenings not just in the U.S., but beyond.

As always, Lisi will be back next week after she returns home from Mexico. Stay tuned.

xx

Alisha, Office Elf, over & out

How to get Relationship Ready for Spring

Spring is a time for new beginnings, new crushes and for some, new or perhaps first, relationships. Since we’ve just broken into December, that means you’ve still got PLENTY of time to get yourself relationship ready so you’ll be primed for any romantic opportunity that might come your way. You might think you’re all systems go for a relationship NOW, but be sure the check-list below is in place first and keep yourself on track with it this winter.

1) Don’t be THAT girl. You know the one I’m talking about. The girl who completely devotes all of her time and energy into winning a guy’s attention and affection; the girl who wishes all fall for a boyfriend by Christmas (or Hanukkah). The girl who ditches out on friends the moment a guy comes into view or the girl who stresses every second about each outfit a crush might see her in, what his glance might have meant, whether or not he finds her cute enough, skinny enough, smart enough, funny enough. Don’t let somebody else dictate your desirability or leave you feeling less than enough, and DO NOT spend all day on Tumblr and Facebook trolling for clues about your crush’s true feelings for you or anyone else.

If you’re anywhere between middle school and university right now, odds are you’ve crossed paths with the pressure and desire to get yourself a girlfriend or boyfriend. It’s natural to want to experience love and coupledom at some point, but it’s simply one of those trite truths in life that you will become 100% more attractive to everyone around you the minute you answer only to your own standards of self, and not someone else’s. I’ve personally succumb to this in my life, as I know many others have too, but daydreaming the hours away about your crush, wishing he or she would just finally come to their senses and love you back, and putting all of your focus on him or her is time that could have been spent developing yourself, watching awesome movies, implementing a workout routine, winning gold medals, starting a band, seeing friends, reading Lisi’s books… And BONUS: your future boyfriend will find you exponentially more attractive if you’re someone who has her own interests and priorities in check. It’s like magic, promise. I know, I know–it’s incredibly hard with so much out there telling you what to look like [SPOILER ALERT: EVERYTHING is photoshopped and even plus sized models don’t get to be plus sized anymore], what to care about, how to live your life, how to “get the guy,” etc., but your inner self knows what’s right for you, what your true passions are, and how to keep following them on your personal path. Playing games and fitting an arbitrary mold have nothing to do with that, so live to make yourself proud, first and foremost. Harder said than done, but practice makes (almost) perfect. Onto #2.

2) Now that you’re excelling in NOT being the type of person consumed by being in a relationship, odds are you’ll have a lot more time and energy on your  hands, as well as happiness. Now’s the time to get to work on yourself. What if you don’t know yourself all that well yet and are still figuring it out? Then it’s even more important for you to try out new hobbies, read various kinds of books, listen to music you’d never think you’d like, spend nights in, stay out late, be the best friend you can be to those already in your life. Over the next few months, get some quality ‘you’ time in and take yourself to all the places you’ve been wanting to go but didn’t have a crush to go with. Want to hit that cute bookstore/coffee house for an afternoon? Make it a self date, bring your copy of Pretenders and go. Really been dying to get to a theme park lately? Grab a couple of your best girlfriends and keep it no crushes allowed. Wanting to learn how to paint or make DIY journals? Find a weekend class in your area and make it an art date for the self. Create memories and experiences for yourself and learn what’s important to you. What makes you who you are? What are the things you love most and why?

3) Prep yourself by lowering fairy tale expectations. This doesn’t mean to expect the worst in all situations or to truly not expect anything at all, but to add a dash of realism on the romance front. We all want what those lucky lovers get at the end of movies: to live happily ever after. But the thing about that is, it’s fiction. Somebody, or sometimes many somebodies, sat in a room and wrote a story about two people who overcame odds to find and love each other. And it was born form their collective imaginations, as well as the expectations of their audience who WANT the lovers to have fate on their side. Truth is, it is REALLY difficult for two people to get along over a long period of time no matter how twitterpated they were at the start, especially when normal life comes into play and the excitement of a new relationship wears off. When you do experience a long-term relationship, you might have days of serious doubt, moments of wondering if you’re with the right person or if it’s working, jealousies will arise, bickering and fights over silly stuff you never thought could come between two people who love each other. You may even find out you’re simply too different–or too alike. Your own insecurities also tend to come up when you’re starting a new relationship or are becoming even more intimately bonded. Trust is hard for most and we all carry our own pains and baggage from the lives we’ve led up until the point of our relationship. I don’t want to dash all of your dreams here. There will very well also be moments you share that seem plucked straight from your favorite rom-com, so romantic and so written in the stars, how could fairy tales not be real? But happy endings don’t all look the same and we must be ready and willing to take the great and the not so great, and even the downright  boring. The times when loving your boyfriend or girlfriend is easy, as well as the times when it’s the last thing you can bring yourself to do. We must also keep in mind that sometimes the crush we had our heart set on for so long in school might not have been the best fit for us after all, and maybe it’s best to shift into friend zone. Knowing when to walk away with grace instead of holding onto something that isn’t working or doesn’t make you feel happy and loved is a tough lesson, but one you’ll certainly learn throughout your love experiences. So stay open and consider #3 while you’re still flying solo, and even keep it in mind once you’re attached. Be willing to experience your future relationship in whatever shape and color it develops into, and then see if it works for you and is the kind of love you want. Give yourself and your someday-love the benefit of the doubt, for they too are human and doing the best they can each day, just like you.

4) Get busy moving. This will not only occupy your mind and keep you from drowning in thoughts of unrequited love, it will also keep you healthy and feeling confident throughout the winter holidays that necessitate binging on 5 lbs. of pastries per event. Exercise is essential not only for heart health, but also for your brain. It will help you keep a clear head and be able to see situations more calmly and logically when the hormones of crush-love come pulsating through your body. Of course, becoming or staying active is pretty difficult to do throughout the winter months when cuddling up in pj’s on the couch seems to be more in order. You’ll want to feel healthy and strong come spring when the sun is shining again so my advice is to make a pact with yourself to get your body moving at least 2-3 times per week. If all you can muster is a speed walking session with your grandma, then so be it, but try to get some outdoor ‘play’ time in if at all possible. Bring your dog and a friend on an easy hike and make an afternoon of it, or try dancing like nobody’s watching for 15 minutes straight and get your cardio in without even realizing it.

5) Find what makes you weirdest and let those qualities become what you love most about yourself. We are all so, so weird inside. Really. Some of us are just better at pretending we’re less weird than others. This really is a disservice overall because we forget how amazing our quirky ways really are and sometimes even become ashamed of our unique parts, and try to conform to what is most accepted, or visible, around us. Below is one of my favorite stories ever by Shel Silverstein. It illustrates my point perfectly. 

Wouldn’t it be so much easier, not to mention so much better, to simply find the kind of romantic mate that works best with all of your unique edges that make you YOU? We spend a lot of time dressing ourselves up just to get closer to someone so we can remove our walls one onion layer at a time, and THEN see if our true selves work together. I’m not advocating putting it ALL out there 24/7 and making our personal lives public to the world or letting our issues become everybody else’s problem, but I am saying you will find the right people to crush on, and they will find you in return, if you are doing your best to be your authentic self. Again, also so much harder to accomplish than to suggest. It takes real courage to do this, and it’s going to be a struggle, but each and every one of you are so much stronger than you can imagine, so I know it’s possible for all of you. One day soon, you will see it for yourselves. Each time you practice authenticity of your amazingly wondrous perfect self, you’ll feel a little brighter, a little stronger, a little more able to love another the way you’d like to be loved, and that energy will come back your way ten fold. Promise.

And don’t forget: if by spring no such romantic interest is on the horizon, it doesn’t mean it will never happen for you. It just means your future love might still be masking his blue, and you’ll have to be a little patient until he can catch up with your awesome personal evolution. 😉 In the meantime, you’ve still got this:

As usual, Lisi will be back next week with another amazing post for you. Thanks for stopping by the Office Elf blog and happy holidays to all!

xx

Alisha

Summer Sickness Survival Guide

I can’t say staying home sick is never fun since I recall plenty of grade school sick days filled with popsicles and cartoons while my friends at school were learning about mitochondria and solving for X. But in the summer, there are few boring academic obligations to avoid, and instead you’re missing out on the good times you could be having with your friends out in the sunshine, at the beach, park, or wherever you go to celebrate freedom from class. It’s a total bust. Summertime sickness isn’t great for me either even though I’ve long been out of school. I, very fortunately, get to work from home except for when I meet with Lisi to discuss our on-going projects, so I get to keep my pj’s on all day if I feel like it. This week, I definitely felt like it, as a head cold knocked me down out of nowhere. I’m no stranger to summer sick days and have honed a few methods of coping with not feeling so hot in the heat. Below are five tactics to combat your cold fast so you can get back outside with your friends for the dwindling days of summer. Or in my case, back to my usual fast-paced brain that can handle more than one task at a time.

1. Keep hydrated at all costs! One of the best things you can do for yourself while sick, or even when you’re not, is to drink as much H2O as possible. At least 64 ounces if you can manage it, but that’s pretty difficult, even for me, so do what you can. The water flushes your system of toxins and impurities, which is great for your skin and immune system. If you still happen to find yourself under the weather, like I have, then getting fluids in early will surely help curb the duration of your cold. There are other drinks like VitaminWater Zero and Pedialyte that are packed with Vitamin C, electrolytes and other benefits to get you hydrated and ultimately back on your feet, too, and they have a hint of flavor that might be easier to drink.

2. Zinc it up early. Taking Zinc at the start of a cold has been proven to sometimes lower the duration of an illness by 50%. I have these fantastic Zinc/Vitamin C effervescent tabs I dissolve in water and drink, but you will have to talk to your parents about this one and how much will be right for your age, and which method will be best for your to take.

3. Give your pet a pat. Whether you have a pup, cat, parakeet or chinchilla, make sure you don’t forget that they need their daily dose of love, too. Be sure to pet or play with them throughout the time you are sick. While you’re doing that, you’ll be elevating levels of serotonin and dopamine in your brain, which calm and relax and prime your body for healing mode.

4. Treat yourself right. Your parents have more of a say in this than I do, but when I’m sick, I like to make sure I feel good in my environment by buying lots of treats my sick body wants, such as popsicles and pre-cut fruit bowls, and anything else good for me that doesn’t contain dairy (dairy is terrible for congestion issues, so no milk if you can help it while you’re feeling ill). And if you have the energy left, you may want to combine those good-for-you treats into one like I plan to do for my next head cold.  See: YUM.

5. Make your bed and then lay in it. Another great way to keep your cold at bay is to keep washing your bedding and sheets throughout your sickness, every day if possible. It seems like a hassle, but will help stop the spread of germs that will keep you sick for longer. Also be sure to pay attention to how you are laying in your bed. If you have a sore throat, cough, stuffy nose or chest congestion issues, laying flat on your bed will only worsen your symptoms, so try propping yourself up on a few pillows. Even a slight incline will be better for your than laying completely flat, so as a rule of thumb, be sure your heart is higher than your ankles and you should be good to go. Lastly, and most obviously, REST, REST, REST.  All healing requires extra sleep. It’s no fun, but you really have to take this step seriously. Sleeping a sickness out is one of the fastest ways I’ve seen a person get back to their usual healthy selves. If you have work or summer school and can’t sleep during the day, then make sure you’re getting to bed as early as possible at night. And I mean EARLY–like 9PM early. For any night owls out there, you’ll have to break your usual after-midnight sleeping ritual because going to bed after 12 isn’t going to help your cause. In fact, the hours before midnight are actually twice and sometimes three times more restful and beneficial to you than the hours you sleep after midnight. So get to bed very early, at least while you’re fighting off a cold.

That’s it! Those simple steps will set you en route to good health. If you have any more, please include them in the comments below. I’m still battling my cold and will be checking back to see if any of you have some tried-and-true tips I can try for myself. Thanks for reading and Lisi will be back next week!

xx

Alisha