Creativity

For me creativity, my own creativity, is a very hurtful spot. I know that I carry it in me and sometimes I produce things where later I look back and I cant even believe I made/said/wrote this...

However, often its not that way. And the equation that I figured out is somehow depressing. The happier I am, the less gifted I feel. I play less piano, write less songs or poems.

The I think I should be creative like I used to. Work through a long long evening or just follow the words in my head. And I get really sad because I for a moment think that I might just not be creative as I used to.

But sometimes I get this emotional slap in my face when I think this thought. Fuck you ! I have written maybe 10 essays for my studies in the last 6 months, I am writing a almost 100 page thesis at the moment. I think of short stories in my head and take pictures of random strangers on the train because I think they are interestingly ordinary. I cry sometimes when I see old people alone because I think how they go back into their empty appartement and the color of the walls and their old chair - I can almost smell it. I think of songs I want to sing for my future children about pirates with dangeous hats....

I think living in Berlin I have been influenced by the high amount of showing off. People show how cretive they are everywhere, which believe me I think is fantastic. But again. Isnt creativity in your head just as important: the not writing down, the not drawing it, the not sewing the dress, the not singing the song. I love to have it in my head and I think I should remind myself of this: creativity does not have to start on paper, it starts in your mind.

As a reminder of how creativity can be please watch the amazing video beneath and remember what crazy thoughts you had as a child never realising them, generating them. Just having them without a clue how amazingly beuatiful they are. <3

the Scared is scared from Bianca Giaever on Vimeo.

I am now posting for the first time in weeks again. But thats ok. I dont regret not beeing in front of my computer that often. And when I look back at my blog I am actually pretty happy with what I see. So I guess this business of beeing sometimes more, sometimes less active is working for me. Ok. My reader numbers are not as high as I would have hoped. But I am right now not feeling able to sprint through blogs and leave comments etc so people will 'discover' me. I hope it will just naturally happen :)

So what have I been up to. Spring is around the corner and Amsterdam is lighting up. I am falling in love with the city more and more. Which first of all I did not expect and secondly is scary since I am leaving to move to Berlin in 1 month. Uuuuh I am gonna miss the bikes and the sun reflecting in the water. I truely am. Yesterday I was walking by the zoo Artis which is located very central in Amsterdam. I could see the flamingos and the parrots. And I just stood there listening to a certain song checking them out. 

 

Other than that I went travelling. My lovely boyfriend joined me in Scotland where we had a trip around the country with our tent in the back of the car. Eeeeverybody was going crazy when they heard we were going to camp in Scotland in February. But it was beautiful and I am so happy that we are never afraid to be adventourous season-wise. Because being alone without any other tourists at a lake in the mountains is really priceless.  

I will post a few pictures later today. 

'till then: Much love to you my still-readers. :)

Home is where your hat is at....

Hello dear still-readers,

Today I do not have a lot of time because I have to write my application for something very special. Due to me living in the Netherlands and more or less only talking English or Dutch it has  become pretty difficult to spontaneouly write something in German, my native language. I am therfore planning in more time for my application then I would if it was in English. 

But anyways: I was thinking that one of my favorite movies or maybe more the movie that has influenced me most is free available on youtube. And I just had to present it: today !

The movie is called HOME. HOME is a non-profit movie, available on Youtube. It tells us the story of our planet, our home and how it's stakes have come pretty low in the past few years. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate.

But if we take part in an effort, stand up and understand what we are capable of then the stakes could rise again for us and our children. 

I really advise you to have a look at this movie. I have watched it about 6 times now, first of all because the pictures are beautiful and mindblowing, secondly the message presented is a reality-flash and opens your eyes but also gives you hope when all seems lost. I keep watching this movie to remind me of something. Come along and figure out what it might be,

Love Ricci

Brilliant as can be....

Dear All,

Today I want to post something about a new inspiration of mine. A very talented Lady called Kate is maker of the blog Scathingly Brilliant and this blog has made me very happy every day for the last 3-4 months. Kate apparently is very crazy about the 60's, about Cats and dresses. And yes, she truly does have one of the nicest dress collections I have ever seen. Also she seems to be one of this very natural and unpretentious persons that you just enjoy having around. As I have presented PuglyPixel at the beginning of my post I want to keep the tradition of sharing my sources for ideas but also the motivation to not let go on this blog once in a while.

I was unsure if I could even write about Kate because I have the feeling she is crazily known around the net, too much known to present her as something new, but I decided that I really want to show some of her Illustration work. I have been in love with so many Illustrations in the past but still. This was is very special to me. I love the black and white. The shading, the playfulness of arms and legs. Please have a look at her Etsy page  Flapperdoodle. I selected some of my favorite of her illustrations and posted them beneath. 

I know my last few posts have been a bit too 'easy'. But next week I will post something bigger. I have just been very busy because the new has started and I had to take care of a lot of things. Plus I moved. I now live only 15 km from the Beach. Pictures of this will very soon follow. But for now enjoy flapperdoodle !

Love,

Ricci

Cakes, Pasta and all those wonderful things...

I love cooking and I always want to try new things. I have thought about posting some things I made here but I do not feel ready quite yet. Often the things I make taste pretty good (I would write ’lovely’ but friends and boyfriend are also reading this and I am not quite sure about their judgement J ). Only thing is: The meals do not look really pretty. Or maybe I do not take the time to make them look lovely enough on a plate. But I will get there. Hopefully soon.

Since I have been scrolling the Internet for blogs every day now I come across pages with recipes and with beautiful food photography. This truly is the new way of sharing recipes and so inspiring. The moment I see some of the pictures I want to throw away any New Year resolutions concering calories or money and just go outside and buy tons of ingridents. I would love to just cook for the people around me, just for the sake of creation. But well.... It does not work like that.

For now I thought it would be nice to present some pictures of pages with beautiful food photography and lovely recipes as an inspiration for the future. 

The three blogs I want to present are: What Katie Ate... , What's for Lunch Honey?  and Fleur du Poirier.

All of them are really different. Sometimes I can not resists the recipe and other times I just adore the picture even if I would never try the recipe myself. But in any case, I think the style and atmosphere of all three is just beautiful. On top of that two of them are made by someone from Germany. This makes me really happy because my blog has become very international and U.S.- attracted lately. But I also love my country and the culinary world of it. So I am so happy to present them all. 

Please visit these sites and check them out. I put my favorite recipes of each one beneath and also make little lists of the ingredients you need. But for more instruction go to the beloved links because there is so much more to discover. 

Guten Appetit. Bon Appetito. Enjoy!

Nature's treasures under a magnifying glass

Have you ever sat on the beach and played with the sand, running it through your hands and discovered tiny snail shells? Or little diamonds of glass?

I always liked the fact that a collection of little tiny things, partly grinded up so small, can make a mass of sand. Through a friend I stumbled upon the incredibly pictures by scientist and artist Gary Greenberg. He devoted his life to the magnificent secret of nature’s beauty. His pictures of sand, magnified over 250 times show how beautiful sand actually is and what little treasures make up something everyone has a personal connection to. And this what I love about his art. He also works with fruit and plants and although this idea is not new, I think his work is really beautiful. Therefore: Voila. A nice little assortment of his photographs. For more information just go to sandgrains.com and check it out for yourself.

Love,

Ricci

Hawaiian Sand Grains 

Blue, Orange & Pink Sand Grains

Maui Sand Grains 

Stem of a Leaf

Kiwi and Grape

Today must be productive...

I guess we all know the feeling of having loads of work but instead of working it off get distracted over and over again. What I do often is something I call 'jumping to the next thing'... I do this since I am a little child for cleaning up my room. I just start with something like folding all the clothes on my bed and then the first thing I see I continue with: my eyes come across a old coffee mug? I bring it downstairs to the sink. In the sink I see some dirty plates? I do them. I turn around: there is an empty vase on the table? I go to the next door market buy some flowers & put them in there.... etc. It is fun but only works if you do not have priorities.... Just as unrealistic but even more pretty? The vid I post underneath as a guideline on how to get rid of distractive things temporarily. 

Love, 

Ricci