Lisa Anne: 2015

Friday, 4 December 2015

"Propaganda"

This artwork "Propaganda" is an acrylic on paper painting. I was inspired for this artwork when I found myself reading up on carrier pigeons and how they have been used for hundreds of years to carry messages - especially during war time. While I was researching this I was also looking into Nazi Germany and the way propaganda and terror were used in the totalitarian state to gain and maintain control. The power and effectiveness of propaganda is very interesting and I found myself doing quite a bit of research on it, not only its use by Gobbles during Nazi control, but in other countries as well during war time, advertisement, political campaigns, protests etc.

The idea of propaganda still being prominent in society was the main inspiration for this artwork. The background is a collage of different propaganda pieces, representing that propaganda is all around as in our everyday lives. The bird on my shoulder is a pigeon representing the sending of massages and how the government and teachers and other forces of influence are singing lies and propaganda into our ears at all times - because it is a representation of propaganda that is is painted grey to blend in and look like a part of the background. In the first artwork I am listening to the bird, showing myself being influenced by the lies I'm being told. The second artwork shows me turning my head away from the bird - representing me no longer listening to what the bird has to say. The bird still rests on my shoulder even though I am not listening to it, representing the constant present of propaganda, that even though we choose not to listen it is still there regardless. The figure (myself) does not have any clothes on, displaying the rawness of the human physic and how vulnerable we as humans can be. That we are often bare against the onslaught of outward influences trying to manipulate us.

I am very proud of this artwork, I enjoy the way is looks and I feel as though it clearly displays the meaning I intended when molding the idea and creating the artwork. I don't often do paintings, especially with acrylic paint, but I did really enjoy this artwork. I plan on doing more pieces like this in the future.

Monday, 30 November 2015

Cairns shopping and a 21st

Spent three days in Cairns with my friend and her family to attend a 21st birthday party, (hence the toga). The three days were incredibly hot and due to my lack of self control I am now very, very broke. This is even more devastating because, excitedly, I am going to Brisbane for two weeks in 8 days. Need to start getting all the shifts at work that I can to repair the damage I did this weekend.

Shoes from Famous Footwear, sunglasses similar here, black crop top - similar here, shorts similar here, stockings from Target , Jewelry from Factorie, colorful dress from Instagram.

Saturday, 21 November 2015

Done and Dusted

I graduated high school two days ago, meaning that my entire 12 years of schooling have finally come to an end. It really hasn't sunk in yet that my childhood has essentially ended and that I'm about to be thrust into adult hood.

The next step in my life right now is to decide what I'm going to do, at least for the next couple of years. I've applied for university and for now I intend to defer for a year to stay at home working for an extra year to save up and get the final hours I need to get my P's and be able to move out the following year and go to uni then - while living in Cairns.

While I have this plan that I know will work for me, it is a little disheartening to see so many of my friends going off to uni or to work, confident in what they want to do. To see so many people I've been schooling with for the past 4 years move away is weird. It's weird to see my life changing so drastically in only a short few months in the upcoming new year. Fingers crossed I won't loose focus and get stuck where I am.

I've begun thinking of what else I can do with my time as a fresh adult and I've singled in on a couple of TAFE courses I can do over the year, which is good and productive of me. That being said I am also thinking of finally doing some of the more creative things I've been wanting to do but never had time for really. Painting and doing more art has been one thing on that list, learning pottery (if that's the correct way to phrase that I'm unsure), write more - story wise or on here either one, do some photography because I have always wanted to be one of those people who are good at photography and also start a YouTube channel and make videos. All these are things that I have been longing to do for a few years and have always pushed aside because "school is more important" and I needed to be completely focused on finishing and now that I have I can do everything - in theory. My creativity is something that I would like spend this upcoming year learning to channel into different things.

Well this is my life conundrum right now. High school and essentially my childhood are done and dusted and now all I have to do is figure out what I'm doing with this next year...and my life.

Friday, 20 November 2015

Formal 2015

My grade 12 formal and graduation have occurred over that last two days and it has been incredibly overwhelming to say the least. An entire chapter of my life is closing, my life as I've known it for the past 12 years has ended. At least these past 12 years have ended with everyone looking stunning

Dress, vintage velvet dress from the 70s - similar dress here, choker Little Patch Creations, plugs Defiant Jewelry, clutch from Target - similar clutch here, shoes from Famous Footwear and stockings from Bras 'N Things

Wednesday, 12 August 2015

PRODUCT REVIEW

I've begun splurging on myself a little bit lately, buying things I normally wouldn't because I'm generally a cheap ass and have a strict opinion on how much something is worth, and how much I should spend on it. But like I said, lately I've been indulging myself. Trying new brands of things that are slightly more expensive. Two of these things have been tea and chocolate. Both things that I really enjoy but don't usually don't spend all that much money on.

This tea (above) has become my favorite thing. It is not caffeinated so I can drink it whenever, and it won't keep me up at night which is amazing. It has a very intense aroma that smells slightly like cinnamon, not so much like caramel which is odd, but it has an intoxicating smell that really took me off guard when I brewed it for the first time. I noticed the other day, (because I've had a cold the past few days and can not smell anything) that without the smell the tea doesn't have a very strong taste, so the smell of the tea plays a huge role in its taste. The taste itself is not overly sweet, but defiantly has a flavor of caramel. The caramel is not overwhelming which is good because I personally don't really like things that are too sweet, but the caramel is still noticeable and quite enjoyable. Overall I really enjoy this tea and I am looking forward to buying some other flavors made by this brand. Defiantly going to repurchase.

This chocolate (above) is also something that I've caved in and bought myself. It is $5 for only 100g which is why before now I hadn't bought it because I can buy other brands with more chocolate for a cheaper price. That being said, I've always been draw to the simple clear packaging and amusing, unique names of the bars. Each different flavor has it's own funny, punny title and I love how witty and interesting they are. The appearance of the chocolate bars were that main thing that drew me in and finally hooked me into buying one. Although, now that I've tried it, it has become my favorite chocolate. It is creamy and flavorsome and has a richer taste than brands like Cadbury. I am defiantly going to buy it again in the future, and I'm excited to taste all the other flavors.

As you can see in the photos I've already opened and tried both the tea and the chocolate because I didn't feel the need to blog about them until after I tried them. The great taste of both of them as well as the beautiful packaging compelled me to make a post about it. The moral of this post is that its okay to indulge yourself sometimes because you may find new things you love. That's all I have to say about this tea and chocolate really, but I may make more of these in the future about any products that really stand out to me so be excited for those I guess. Let me know if there is anything you've recently fallen in love with or that you've tried for the first time, I'd love to know.

Wednesday, 22 July 2015

UPDATE

Update 1: So I've finally gotten my glasses that I've been needing for a few months now. I wore them out and to school for the first time today and it was a lot less climatic than I anticipated. I'm not sure why I thought it would make my day any different or that people would have treated me any different. I think I've come to the conclusion that I accepted people to make as big a deal about them as I did. I felt different wearing them but no one else seemed to feel different seeing me wearing them (which of course they wouldn't when I think about it), although friends and acquaintances(?) commented on them and did the thing where they point out to me that I had glasses on. I could rant forever about this. Moving on!

Update 2: Rain. It has been unusually cold in Australia even in FNQ which has been ridiculous so the whether has been oddly cold and rainy. This makes school unbearable. Because Australian schools are very open so everywhere is wet when it rains. There is no where to go that is not windy or rainy except the over crowded library. Its been horrible. My boots have been ruined, I'm pretty much always having a bad hair day and makeup is defiantly not worth the effort because it'll be immediately washed away. Although at the same time, I really do love this whether.

Update 3: The big exam that decides 50% of my OP for school is coming up in about 6 weeks which is absolutely terrifying. The two practice exams I've done have been a complete bust which destroyed all my confidence and it is terrifying. Enough of that!

Update 4: Gotta take my cat to the vet. She probably has a weird fungi, skin, gross thing that I gotta sort out.

Update 5: Thinking of doing more internet things. Maybe putting more effort into this blog? Maybe doing a YouTube thing? A podcast? Idk, how I would go with that. But maybe it is just another way of me procrastinating from what I should really be focusing on in my life.

I'm not sure what has motivated me to make a stupid generic update post but I've found it very therapeutic to type it all out and evaluate everything to myself. I think its been good and I'm going to do more of these.

Thursday, 2 July 2015

READING PEOPLE

I've always loved to read. Ever since I can remember I've been reading. Being able to become part of another world that is so incredibly different, or startling similar to the one I live in is something that I, and I'm sure many others, find very appealing. Stories can pull from you every emotion you have. They make you feel happiness, amusement, frustration or whatever else and harness it and use it to immerse you further. When I read a book I can get lost in its pages for hours and hours and sometime get trapped for days, unable to put it down until I've finished.

Last year however I found myself reading far less than I used to. I was always on the internet reading webpages and not opening a book. So at the start of this year, as a sort of new years resolution, I made a point to read more books. As a result I'm now rarely without one, even at school I'd have one in my hands to read on the bus journey or between classes. As a result of this a girl in one of my classes, a girl that I know only from the occasional few word conversations, said to me; "Wow, you read a lot. I bet you're great at reading and understanding people...". This comment got me completely off guard. I am not know for being an overly social person, this girl barely knew me except for my name, but her comment was delivered with such conviction that I found myself nodding and agreeing with her.

As a result I have been pondering her statement for over a couple of months now. Does reading help you better understand others? Why? Could it be because through reading you become countless other individuals and have experienced many different points of view? I myself am not sure that reading has improved my skill at understanding people. Perhaps reading does help you understand others, help you empathize and discover their motives. I'm still thinking about this, and I've not yet reached an answer. What do you think?

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

PRACTICAL MAGIC by ALICE HOFFMAN

Title: Practical Magic
Author: Alice Hoffman
From: E bay
Price: $15.11 (with postage)

Today I finished reading this book, and for lack of a better expression, OMG. I absolutely loved this book. The way it is written is interesting in that it switches between the point of view of the characters without making an announcement of the perspective switch and without confusing the reader. There could be three different characters point of view in one chapter without it being muddled or having to make a clear notification of the point of view switch to the reader.
The story is gripping and I couldn't put it down for a good couple of hours sometimes. It isn't an overly long book but the story is still complex and interesting with different story lines all wrapped around and in-twinning with each other. The ending was beautiful and wrapped everything up wonderfully but still left some things to the imagination, which I really enjoyed. I found this book after falling in love with the movie that was based off of it, Practical Magic, 1998 staring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. The book and movie have similar yet very different story lines. The book has many more characters and story lines than the movie and the characters are represented quite differently than in the movie, but what I liked about the book and the movie was because the movie was only loosely based off the book it wasn't a complete failed attempt to replicate it in film. I think that even if I had read the book first I would have loved the movie. The movie and book have separated themselves from each other beautifully and I've found that I can love them both as their own individual thing and don't find myself comparing them at all.

This book really was magical and I highly recommend it to everyone. It has romance, passion, jealously, drama, friendship, love, humor and of course, practical magic.

Thursday, 30 April 2015

NEW IDENTITY?

I'm getting glasses in the next week or so and I'm excited to finally fix the problems with my eyes but there is one thing that concerns me, how will my glasses affect my identity?

I know it's sort of a ridiculous notion, letting something as simple and common as a pair of glasses define me, but what if it does? I consider myself an extrovert (mostly) so I wonder how glasses will make others see me. Will they see me as someone I'm not because of the stereotype of people that wear glasses being shy, quiet people or will they see me as a sort of know-it-all even? Its crazy right? To already be thinking so deeply about how I fit a stereotype of wearing something I don't even have yet.

Lately I've been thinking that an identity is a funny thing. Identity is made out to be something that is given to us by others that defines us to the world, but lately I think it's something else. I think we can create our own identity. It is something we choose, its how we see ourselves not necessarily how other people see us. That is what I think worries me. When I wear my glasses will I let the identity others have made for me influence the identity I've made for myself? Or will I sort of merge them both together? Or will it not matter and I'll be able to just continue as always and not give this new exterior add on any recognition at all? Identity is a funny thing and I'm still young and still changing and my identity is still forming as I grow as a person and experience more and more. I suppose that's how I should see this, as me growing. But my concerns about this will still probably be buzzing around and making a mess in my head for a while or at least until I get my glasses.

Identity huh? I guess I'll eventually figure it out.

Sunday, 19 April 2015

FINAL YEAR OF "CHILDHOOD"

This year is my final year of high school and adulthood is already rising its ugly head over the horizon and asking me, "So, what are you gonna do with your life?" That is the question isn't it. It's the same question I've been asked my whole life. What do I want to be when I grow up?

When I was in kindergarten to about grade three my answer was always "veterinarian". Then from grade four on to roughly grade six it was just "something to do with animals" nothing overly specific. But after that I started to consider other avenues. I found other things I was passionate about and could do relatively well, the main idea that I begun to entertain was writing. So then my answer to the dreaded question about my future 'dream career' was something like "novelist" or "journalist". But that wasn't the end of my search for a practical future goal, because as I grew older I discovered the internet. This endless platform came with countless job/career options such as YouTube, online blogs, news and other story publishing sites as well as online stores to produce and sell my own products. This new platform and its many options only increased my confusion. But the two main ideas that have been circling my mind for years have always been either writing or something along the lines of zoology.

This past few months have been full of pressure from the school and teachers about choosing apath for next year and all the years to follow and from my parents with the "I'll support whatever you want to do but..." statement. Once again I've zoned back in on creative writing, English literature and also on gender studies. But following my previous pattern that will all probably change in the next couple of months, and that will probably be the case for my whole life. I only hope that I don't completely screw up and can find something that I enjoy- or pays the rent- to do for the rest of my life. So if you have read this and have any helpful inputs about future career paths or have any tips for this stress and confusion relating to this topic please leave a comment.

Thursday, 16 April 2015

THE SILVER BOUGH by LISA TUTTLE

Title: The Silver Bough
Author: Lisa Tuttle
Price: $3 - form small book store/stand in Cairns Central

This book is absolutely incredible. It had my complete attention from the very first page and I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. The writing style is beautiful and engaging and the description is well done and creates a clear and whimsical mental image. The story line and the characters are magical and interesting and aren't like any other fantasy novel I've ever read. I highly recommend this book to everyone and I can't wait to read her other works and recommend them to everyone as well.