Fall 2023 Issue / Volume 3
This Issue’s Contents
- Fall 2023 Issue / Volume 3
- This Issue’s Contents
Poem Of The Month
“A Thousand Shades of Blue”
Today I am a thousand shades of blue.
I find myself trapped within the passage of time, as each day bleeds together likes the pages of a book.
But really, what is there to say
About this feeling that I can’t seem to capture?
An abandoned mall, a suburban nightmare,
A jungle, the heat of the sun weighing me down.
And what is there to say
About the flowers that have erupted and bloomed from my heart,
The tremulous branches of trees silhouetted against the white sky?
Even if I disappeared for a day, nothing would change.
But I couldn’t ever disappear knowing that
invisibility is the worst disguise.
Drawing Prompt
Draw An Emotion
One common issue with my art is that my subjects lack emotion. I’ve noticed that when I’m focusing on shading and coloring a character, I usually give them a blank expression. So for this piece, I challenged myself to draw something around an emotion. The emotion that this drawing represents is joy.
Music
Slowdive’s Newest Album: “everything is alive“
In the 90’s, Slowdive became known for the hazy, ethereal sound of their album “Souvlaki,” the most well-known song being “When the Sun Hits.” Their songs, among other artists and albums like “Loveless” by my bloody valentine and “Among My Swan” by Mazzy Star, were part of a rising genre called shoegaze. Shoegaze is a sub-genre of indie and alternative music that often includes dreamy vocals and loud, fuzzy guitar distortion. It originated in the UK in the 1980’s, but quickly spread across the world.
Since the release of “Just For A Day” in 1991, Slowdive has released three albums. In 2019, they released the self-titled album “Slowdive” under the record label Dead Oceans. The band still consists of its original five members; Rachel Goswell, Neil Halstead, Christian Savill, Nick Chaplin, and Simon Scott. Their newest album “everything is alive,” will be released September 1st, but they’ve already released two singles: “kisses“, “skin in the game, and “the slab.” What I like about these three songs is that even though it’s been almost 30 years since the release of “Souvlaki,” the band is still able to capture the same sound and feeling that they were known for in their previous music.
Empowering Activity
Practice Gratitude
There are so many ways your day could go wrong. When something doesn’t go your way, it can be frustrating and even ruin your mood. Sometimes it can feel like the universe is working against you or you’re the unluckiest person in the world. But if you take a step back and think- is that true? No, of course not! If focusing on the negative parts of your day can be so effective in making you upset, just imagine what looking for positive things could do. Challenge yourself to list five new things every day that you are grateful for. Try this out when you’re waking up in the morning, going to bed, or in need of a pick-me-up.
Sustainable Fashion
A Look Styled With Scrambled Vintage
Scrambled Vintage is a small, secondhand fashion business aiming to create affordable, sustainable, and size-inclusive clothing for all. This small business just launched recently, and was actually started by one of the co-editors of S&A Magazine, Audrey Smith!
“I’ve always loved fashion”, Audrey says, “but I started to realize that there were many problems with the current fashion industry, so I started Scrambled Vintage.Buying vintage and secondhand clothes is a great way to help out the planet and spend less money. All of the clothes I sell are curated and photographed by me, too.”
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How Music Affects Your Well-Being
For many people, music is an important aspect of life. It has the ability to guide us through good and bad times and allow us to find meaning within ourselves. Whether you’re listening to music or making it yourself, music can benefit your life in many ways.
- Feeling Understood: As humans, we have a natural instinct to be understood by others, which is why listening to music may allow us to relate to a song’s lyrics. When you feel a connection to a song, you also feel a connection to the artist who created the song, even if it is subconsciously. This often can be reassuring, giving you the comfort that you are not alone in what you have experienced.
- Self-Expression: Whether you’re writing lyrics or playing an instrument, music is a great way to express your feelings and thoughts in a creative way. Music can act as a channel for your emotions and even as a coping mechanism. Even just listening to music can help you process your emotions.
- Stress Reduction: According to a 2018 study by the National Library Of Medicine, listening to music was shown to reduce cortisol levels. (Cortisol is a hormone that often causes stress). Calm, slow-paced music in particular may have greater stress-reducing effects.
- Enhanced Creativity: Music may help you feel more inspired or motivated to make your own creative work. It may also motivate you to create your own music.
- Improved Focus: According to a 2007 study by Stanford Medicine,“Music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory” (Baker). Music may allow you to focus more on a specific task and remember certain information. This can be helpful when studying or completing assignments for school or work.
Although the effects of listening to and making music can vary from person to person, music has been proven to have profound effects on your mental health and well-being overall because of its important role in feeling understood and expressing yourself.
Works Cited
Baker, Mitzi. “Music Moves Brain to Pay Attention, Stanford Study Finds.” News Center, 1 Aug. 2007, med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2007/07/music-moves-brain-to-pay-attention-stanford-study-finds.html.
Thoma, Myriam V., et al. “The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response.” PLOS ONE, vol. 8, no. 8, Public Library of Science, Aug. 2013, p. e70156. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0070156
Spectacular Sunsets
There’s something magical about sunsets. Although they’re really just caused by certain wavelengths of scattered light, the way each color flows together seems so dream-like and serene. As the sun descends below the horizon, it leaves behind a mesmerizing display of colors, transforming the sky into something almost like a painting.
Over the years, I’ve collected so many pictures of different sunsets that I wanted to showcase some of them here. Each sunset seems to be unique, with colors ranging from fiery reds to deep blues and I think their striking variations is what makes them so memorable and beautiful.
Recipe
High-Protein Peanut Butter Apple Slices
This snack is a high protein twist on the classic combination of apples and peanut butter! Not only are these apple slices incredibly easy to make, they’re also the perfect healthy treat!
Ingredients
- 2 apples
- 1 tbsp powdered peanut butter
- 1 scoop of a high quality vanilla protein powder
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- dash of ground cinnamon
- About 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips (optional)
Directions
- Wash your apples and cut them into 1/2 in thick slices. Use a bottle cap or small cookie cutter to punch out the cores.
- Prepare the peanut butter topping by mixing the powdered peanut butter, protein powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Next, mix the milk in until you get a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Using a butterknife, spread the mix onto the apple slices.
- Chop up the dark chocolate and sprinkle on to each slice.
- Store in the fridge for later of enjoy straight away!
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