Seaside Woman.

 













I've been listening to Linda McCartney's Seaside woman on loop. Certain songs seem to speak to you and this one happens to personify my happiness pretty darn well. When happiness is tangible it can seem such an overwhelming, frightening thing because there seems so much more to lose. Its easier to luxuriate in sadness because right there in the darkness with you is hope and possibility. 

I've got an arm wide grin at the moment and I see my life full of opportunities. I've acquired that delicious thing called contentment, a sort of awareness that life is good. Perhaps this mindfulness is present because I have had sadness carve into me and can recognize when to savor the precious moments, I'm just grateful that I'm acknowledging it. I have a gut feeling about 2014 that if I continue to trust my instincts and learn to recognize opportunities I'll tread confidently along my path. 

This week I got two responses from Universities interested in letting me study Occupational Therapy. There are still some hurdles to overcome i.e. scary interviews to try and get through but its a teeny tiny step forward. One university is not a million miles away from Saltburn...so I could be a seaside woman after all! 

I have another something to tell you. Well. Its not really anything yet but it was a little bit of personal growth. I went on a a date. It was terrifying and my thoughts were ten to a dozen but I had that beautiful moment of looking up at someone and feeling like I'd known a stranger all my life. I dare not say anything else on the matter because I don't want to break this fragile feeling of happiness, just that despite my fears and disappointments I trusted my gut instinct and well so far its paid off! Watch this space. 

Pretty things I saw...

Yesterday I went upstairs to grab a hat and fifteen minutes later found myself looking at pit bull type breeds on my local dogs home website?! I honestly don't know how I passed my GCSES when I'm that easily distracted. Anyway, I came across hundreds of dogs needing homes, particularly the ones which are deemed 'dangerous.' I need to move out asap and set myself up so I can finally get my rescue dog, whoever it may be!! 

Until next time, 
Stay strong and surf well
Love 

HappyThankYouMorePlease

 I'm drawing, the music is on and I'm feeling inspired. 

This week my muses are:

Occasionally you watch a film which changes you just a little bit - This is one such film. I loved it with all my heart and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.

(Yes Antonio be smug you picked a good film)!

One of the central themes is fostering and I admit the thought of being a foster parent has caused some deep thinking within me. At twenty three, living with my parents and childless, I hardly seem the ideal candidate but then again...

 One of the refugee youths I've spoken to told me about being fostered and it really has intrigued me. I want to contribute to the world in some way but haven't found my nicche.

 I have energy and creativity so why not fostering?

There are lots of reasons against it but I suppose you only need one good reason to do anything. Hmmmm.

       

Lana Del Rey intrigues me, her sound, her style, the way she articulates herself she's utterly compelling.

 Having heard all of about 15 minutes of her album in my best friend's car, I was enthralled enough to check her out on youtube. I then watched the video to 'National Anthem' and was completely hooked. 

<3 Lana Del Rey

So onto Dogue De Bordeuxs'

Not the most obvious choice for a main character (or to follow Lana Del Rey for that matter) but the dogue de bordeux is my latest muse. I love drawing their expressive faces and am developing a zine/children's book with one as the hero.

Watch this space.

Until next time darlings, stay inspired

Peace, love and all that jazz

<3 

 

The art of blogging

I'm Sophia, I'm twenty three years old and I have blog envy.

I read amazing posts written by other bloggers and get distracted by the infinite number of followers they

have in comparison to mine.

Don't feel sorry for me I'm not fishing for compliments in fact I've deduced that I need to be doing a number of things to up my readership;

a) Post more pictures from my life

b) Get a mascot i.e. a dog

c) Blog more often

All these things are fairly easy to accomplish. However do you really need to see more pictures of me? Do I really need to write something everyday, (believe me I can be inane) and a mascot... OK the mascot I could love- you know how much I aspire to rescue a Dogue De Bordeaux!

I worry endlessly that my writing is artifice that I'm trying too hard or just not interesting enough and then I remember something surfer girl Sanoe Lake once wrote

'Let go of the ego, it robs you of all things.'

This blog brings me much solace and whether its read or not I will continue to write because it makes me feel good.

Live. Love. Surf.

So my bf suggested I write more about what I actually do (aside dreaming of ocean) as a very big part of my life is wrapped up in International Development, inspired largely by Africa. I'm working towards doing a Masters degree in the subject and wish to study the impacts of surf tourism in post conflict Liberia (this isn't as hashed together as it sounds, there's actually a very interesting livelihoods study there).

So below are some photographs from 
'On Yer Bike, cycling for change,'
a campaigning group me and my friend Craig have established to raise awareness on different global issues (we work primarily with the Millennium Development goals).
 Saturday was our maiden voyage and other than being a lot of fun we cycled six hours distributing information on the theme of water aid, from helping those who have shortages to conserving your own.

Every man has the right to decide his destiny
- Bob Marley

Starting in July I'll be a project coordinator for the youth program in the Birmingham Refugee Women's Association. I am so excited to get stuck in as it means I'll be able to really make a difference (hopefully) in my own community. I have lots of ideas and will certainly be using art as a way of helping Birmingham's refugee community express themselves. 
That and the Responding to Conflict Internship starts soon, which will expose me to work in a UK NGO context and how peace building and conflict resolution actually works.

STOKED!

Until next time, mermaids, water babies, and everyone else in between, live well!