"Feminist Fridays" with Clear The Way

We all know that blogging is super and brings a host of opportunities that you would never have imagined when you first started out, right?

If you're a long-term reader of Fill My Little World or one of my favourite types of reader i.e. the type that goes back to old posts to figure out how all these ramblings came to be, you'll know that it kick-started properly (after older, half-committed attempts) after a period of illness a few years ago. It was my own personal project to focus on the splendid and I didn't realise how fantastic a tool it would be to connect with like-minded individuals.

You'll also have picked up on my interest in voicing opinions but not quite knowing how best to do so to do them justice - as explored here and here - so it is with tremendous excitement that I introduce you today to a blog which is new to me, but probably not new to many of you (on account of its marvellousness) - Clear the Way by Kate.

Kate has managed to find a way of creating a positive space to encounter feminism in an objective way. Each week, Kate asks a question - how do you deal with.....? As I explained to Kate herself when expressing my gratitude that she had cracked this code that had been troubling me, I find it so significant and utterly brilliant how she curates a platform for feminism and related issues to be discussed accessibly and relevantly. It has been a wonderfully enriching experience reading past entries and I'm so happy that we are able to talk about these things that are affecting us daily. Projects like this and Everyday Sexism are steps in breaking down barriers to discussion and give me hope that progress can continue to be made.

Step this way to see my thoughts on how to deal with negativity and disapproval surrounding feminism. Needless to say they don't stop me from trying.

Tweet Pin It Now!

"Morning" on Creative Countryside

So you know when someone, something or a situation gives you freedom to do whatever you want and you initially think "oh my goodness, this is great"? It turns out that that stage doesn't really last that long before you realise that there's so many options you actually don't know what it is you want to do. Kind of like when there are too many ice-cream flavours to choose from in Amorino, or when you don't know which of the two dresses you've tried on and absolutely love to buy so you end up leaving both (anybody else work by that logic too?!). Kind of.

Anyway, Eleanor of Creative Countryside is currently on a holiday (hopefully having a lovely time!) and, in her absence, she has kindly asked whether I would write a post for her blog. Eleanor's blog sees such a lovely variety of posts with incredibly beautiful photos (you know the ones that just make your day shinier? Like that) and thought-provoking musings. She gave me licence to write about ANYTHING I wanted to and, of course, I just couldn't pick, especially when there are so many things I would love to write about on here that I probably will never get a chance to (I didn't realise that house-hunting is such hard work!!). In need of a stimulus, I turned to Eleanor's suggestion of "morning". I jotted down the first thoughts that came to mind.

If you click here, you can have a read of what I came up with. Let me know what you think and go and leave Eleanor some wonderful messages to return to - we all love that post-holiday "yay, I've got letters" feeling!

:)

PS. Seriously, moving is stressful. Send tea!

Tweet Pin It Now!

"Authenticity" and Tori's Tales

Dartington Hall, Devon

Today I have the pleasure of appearing on Tori's Tales to take part in the wonderful Tori's Quotes series. The series is one which I have been following since Tori created it in March this year - it reminds me of the words of wisdom I find on Pinterest on a weekly basis (how great that I have cut that down to weekly now, instead of "hourly"! A round of applause for me!). How funny that we take them at face value most of the time. I very often read those quotations and either identify with them or not straight away, based on gut instinct and natural reactions - I rarely stop to dissect the quotation to figure out if I REALLY agree with it or not. Tori's Quotes is one of the first opportunities that I've taken to really analyse something with reference to my own actual experiences, rather than how I feel about it on a snap judgement level. Which is baffling in itself given that I feel like I analyse (or over-analyse) most things.

The quotation up for discussion this month revolves around the topic of "authenticity" and reads as follows ::

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

       - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm a big advocate of being true to yourself and doing things in the way that works for you, not having to conform to the "norm" and being ready to challenge things that aren't quite right without fear of judgement.

What do you make of that in isolation? And how about if you relate it to blogging?

You can find my full thoughts on the matter here, but here's a snippet:

"Don't be fooled that you need to write in a particular way, or set your posts out in the same style as the other blogs you read....don't be afraid to stand out - nobody is interested in copies or clones. Your mind is capable of producing something incredibly unique if you let yourself." 

Tweet Pin It Now!

Thoughts and revelations inspired by the Nokia Lumia 1520

20 mega pixels is a lot to be carrying around in my handbag, let alone for something sizing up similarly to the length of my face. This has meant that I have wanted to photograph everything with a little itch telling me to do it properly - don't use such a crisp, sharp, beautiful screen to take any old rubbish. So I made a concerted effort to capture little bits of my days in the last couple of weeks that I thought were special, even if mostly for simple reasons. But you know, we're all advocates of the small things here anyway.

As phones go, this is pretty hefty dimensions-wise. I don't think I could fit it comfortably in my pockets without fear of it falling out or getting damaged, and it is slightly too big and thin to hold when taking photos from certain angles etc. However, the huge screen is something which I think I am going to struggle getting used to NOT having. I used to be mesmerised by the colours my iPhone 4 displays but I have been seriously blown away by how stunning the screen on this phone is.

For photography purposes, it is an exciting gadget to be handling and I don't know if it is because it is summer and all my photos seem to feature wonderful, natural light, but I really enjoyed snapping away on this. It has also aided my transition to filming to document, as opposed to just jotting down thoughts in my notebook/iPhone notes. Documenting or wanting to take photos of lots of things can sometimes feel as though you are taking the magic out of the moment, but with a device as thin as this, filming with it or snapping something quickly doesn't feel like as much of a disturbance because it kind of removes the barrier between the real world and camera.

A few more pros :: as a Windows phone, you can easily create/edit/view Office documents; the Nokia Cinemagraph feature is a fun, creative feature; transitions between pages/photos/screens are very smooth; easy to sync with computer; allows import of iTunes

A few more cons :: navigation takes a little getting used to; tricky to hold sometimes on account of its size/thinness; no physical button on front of phone (only sides); editing photos/videos tricky/not as slick as it could be; feeling a little silly using it for the phone feature on the go.

Sometimes things come along which help you out in ways you didn't really imagine. Recently, my corner of the web has been a little quieter and more subdued than it would usually be; it has been in need of a creative re-jig and encouragement. The Nokia Lumia 1520 has propelled the way I document everyday thoughts and images into a format I am finding more meaningful and regardless of whether those videos and photographs will ever make it to the web, it has made me think more carefully about projects I want to pursue and how I present my life. There we have it - a piece of technology which has inadvertently made an impact on my creative efforts. Who'd have thought it?! Nice work, Nokia.

----------------------------

All images except the first in this post (and this one and this one) were captured on the Nokia Lumia 1520. I must say a huge thank you to the team for letting me play.

Tweet Pin It Now!