Pages From My Notebook

So recently, I found the notebook of one of my dreams - think blank pages perfect for recording stuff. I should say that when I get anxious I take comfort and inspiration in blank pages. Initially I thought I would write quotes that have left an impression on me.



It started out that way.

Then, one night in bed, this happened... ... and then, things took on this trend.




There's no telling what will come out when you hover over a blank page.



So, why change now?

I feel like I have definitely made this notebook my own and I love love it. Go after your loves today!

Help Wanted

Vintage Sundays

Everytime I think Bookophilia, I think "LOVE LOVE LOVE- really lives up to its name". Really, they think of everything.

If you are somewhat into books, then you know how they at times pile up and at times you flirt with the idea of getting rid of the already-read, if it's worth it.

Well Bookophilia is seeking to help you solve that with its Vintage Sundays. Vintage Sundays occurs every Sunday between 12:30p.m. - 4:30 p.m. in which Bookophilia facilitates trading of used books on the store's deck. If you happen to be interested, just call ahead to register on Thursday or Friday. Then on Sunday bring along a small display table or ask for one to be provided. Registration costs a mere $500 but pricing of used books is up to the trader. It is still not too late to call for this Sunday, if you do, Happy Trading! Be sure to do your part in promoting the event: tell a neighbour, tell a friend, do your bit to get the crowd out.

Get ready! Get set, for July 20th!

Come Monday July 20th Oprah will be doing it again! For all of 48 hours she will be giving members of Oprah.com the chance for a free book download: Heroic Measures by Jill Ciment. Click here for details on how to become a member. Mark those calendars, set your alarms, clear your USB drives and get ready for the free download.

"Tun yu han mek fashion" - Get Creative!

As a Jamaican child, I grew up hearing the Patois phrase "tun yu han mek fashion", which simply means 'get creative to come up with a solution'. And to many extents, Jamaicans have done just so - clothes, food and hairstyles. But what seems not to be esteemed in our culture is the idea of wearing someone else's old clothes. Family hand-me-downs of course fall into an entirely different category, those are somewhat acceptable. But a stranger's - from foreign places or greener pastures - is just a big no no. Call it pride or superstition - old bruk is old bruk.

Then I came upon Jessica Shroeder's blog - What I Wore and did my mind change! The site blogs pictures of outfits Jessica wore, usually the day before - to work, the park, a date with the boyfriend, on a slow day or some other event. The outfits are usually pretty, sometimes striking but always creative and vintage. That's right vintage! All her ensembles incorporate some vintage piece that she's thrifted, sometimes modified (by her very own sewing hands) and paired with complementary modern pieces from your regular department store such as Target. She details the source of every piece she wears - jewellery, blouse, skirt, dress, shoes, belt, handbag, you name it.

The best part about the site is that the ordinary girl can identify with Jessica, because she is just that, ordinary! A likeable girl with a keen fashion sense but one who will not bend over backwards to slave for the labels machine. She shows how with just a little creativity, mixing up your favourite pieces and a few vintage pieces, you can be fashionable, beautiful and creative. And yes, like us she is often seen in the same pair of sandals. And why not, if you love them? Talk about 'tun yu han mek fashion'!

Travels on a Page: From Jamaica to the World!!!

I was down and out for a bit, but I'm back and itching to go somewhere. So starting July 15, I will be sending a little piece of me/Jamaica travelling on a page across the world. By means of my page, I will be able to touch and travel through places I have been dreaming about.

I will be sending my page via post to bloggers I adore and friends living in these places. When the page is received in the mail, the recipient will then place a stamp and write a line/sentence on the page, then mail it to the next address in line or to the address that is most convenient (which has not yet received it). The person next receiving the page will carry out the same process until the page has been filled. After all the page has been filled the person who fills the very last space will mail the page back to me in Jamaica. If there is a place that the recipient believes is a 'must must see', they may send it to a direct contact in this location on the condition that this contact will mail it directly to the next contact on the list.

If you would like to participate, do send me your mailing address at shoshanasullivan@gmail.com. This DOES NOT have to be your personal address, but it should be an address at which you are sure to receive it via airmail. When you receive the page, feel free to take it to your favourite/a popular site within your country. Take a picture with it there (email me the pic ;-)) then send the page along to the next contact the following working day. And yes, by all means, blog about it.

The Artist is Human Too

"Before you judge me, try hard to love me"
- Childhood, Michael Jackson

I can't judge what I don't understand entirely. What I do understand is that yielding to creative impulses is like walking a tightrope between cathartic satisfaction, public response and even divine approval. It calls for constantly negotiating the burden of artistic compulsion and deciding responsibility. Regardless of what is done and created, the results are often cocktails of speculation and mischaracterisation. Then, there is also the matter of creative frustration. Yes, the artist is human too.