Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2014 Review

Disclaimer: The Royal Academy does not permit photography in the exhibition, and so none of the photos in this post are mine. All of the photos used have been credited to the correct sources - you can visit the sites by clicking the star in brackets underneath each photo.
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I will forever and always love the Royal Academy Exhibition. It's where my passion for art when I was younger didn't feel stupid anymore - where I felt anyone could be recognised. Even I, this awkward little out-of-place human who felt like I had nothing worthy to say, felt like my voice, here, could somehow be heard. I vowed to enter my work into the exhibition when I was older, and to become a Royal Academician.

And yet I'm still not ready. I still don't feel like what I'm making is good enough, not ingenious enough. So whilst my craft gradually improves and evolves, I still visit the exhibition to see the variety. This year was no different. The rooms were laid out beautifully, the content of high quality.

Yinka Shonibare, Cake Man (*)

On entering the exhibition, Shonibare's 'Cake Man' hits you. It's like dunking your head into a bucket of cold water - a shock at first. Shonibare claims that 'Cake Man is essentially about greed, the burden of carrying wealth and never having enough. Even though it weighs you down, you still want more' (*). It is bright and bold so whilst 'weigh[ing] you down' with a moral message, it doesn't make you feel downtrodden, but more hopeful for the rest of the exhibition. 

I'm only picking out my favourites, because the exhibition moves through a variety of rooms. My next favourite was Flora McLachlan's 'Midsummer' - a beautiful etching. It's something you can dive into - looking at all of the different, beautifully intricate layers of detail. 

Midsummer, Flora McLachlan (*)

It looks like something you would see in a really beautiful children's book - a really wonderful illustration that you would carry with you in your heart to adulthood - for me Quentin Blake's illustrations will stay with me forever. It's a really beautiful fragment of a traditional craft.

What is drawing?, Jenny Smith (*)

Jenny Smith's 'What is Drawing' was another of my favourites. The simplicity of it cleared my brain from all of the business of the exhibition. It was just wonderfully quiet but accomplished in its own way. A wonderful piece.

Blast, Emma Stibbon (*)

Emma Stibbon's 'Blast' was a beautifully refreshing piece. In muted colours, the image still has poignancy and reverence. The piece is a volcanic eruption, and it's bold and beautiful. I love it and, if I had the money, I would buy it. 

Nikisz, Jan Nowak (*)

Again, Nowak's Nikisz is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It's intricate and tiny, but equally beautifully eloquent and soothing. I've paired this picture with Neil Pittaway's 'It's like Picadilly Circus'. Both look almost like graphic drawings - black and white. I love both for their detail - both choose detail over simplicity and execute this decision well. There are layers upon layers, and little stories within each. It's Like Picadilly Circus plays with perspective, to my eye, but due to its almost blurred finish it still seems to flow and ebb like a river of thought. Nikisz is a more traditional image, more basic. I love it and I want to buy it.  

It's like Picadilly Circus, Neil Pittaway (*)

 A coat for my daughter, Eve Gonzalez (*)

Cape, Eve Gonzalez (*)

Eve Gonzalez's textile pieces caught my eye immediately. They reminded me of Grayson Perry's textiles, in that they were bold and the bright colours seemed to contradict the traditionalist clothing style. The cape is still my favourite of the two. I love the leaf detailing between each segment, and the boldness of the design. I also like the way that the design seems to contradict the norm - highlighting the popular culture of our time in a traditionalist garment. 

The Secret, Michael Broad (*)

This little painting caught my eye in the exhibition. It's a story in itself - one of my favourite kind of paintings. It looks, again, like a beautiful children's illustration. The figures seem to blend into the shadows, the creature benevolent and yet other-worldly. The paint is layered onto the canvas roughly, making the image, to my eye, have more character and reverence. The colours, equally, are chosen carefully and contribute to the overall story. Beautiful. 

Bike here and above: Two Nuns, Ron Arad (*)

Now this was really what interested me in the exhibition. This is such an interesting piece of design, truly. It looks like something from a futuristic movie. The teardrop shapes put together make the bike aesthetically appealing, whilst still environmentally efficient. In motion, the design merges and blurs, making the rider look as if they are almost floating. 

After Henry James, Tom Phillips RA (*) 

In the days that remain, Tom Phillips RA (*)

Anything with a quote on it, instantly attracts my eye - I'm a massive fan of typography and words in art and design. My favourite piece of Tom Phillips' was 'In the days that remain' because of its vibrancy. Phillips had taken pieces of canvas in different colours and created words from them. The texture of the paint on the canvas gave the piece a form of blur unless you were up close. It was like a hidden message - and I loved that fact. 

Manifold 9:8, Conrad Shawcross (*)

As an aspiring sculptor, the two next pieces that I picked I loved from the moment I saw them. Shawcross' 'Manifold 9:8' reminded me of one of those science museum water hurricanes; but for me it sums up how I'm feeling right now - my emotions towards change - I'm mixed and feeling complicated. So, for me, I felt a real attachment to this piece. Its size, also, made it the focal point of the room - it stretched almost to the ceiling. Monchaux's 'Volute III' by contrast was one of my favourite pieces because of its smallness - it fit on a little shelf in the room. It's a pleasing form - like an infinity sign but ending just before the curve can be fulfilled. It's a calming sculpture - a beautifully formed little thing.  

Volute III, Paul de Monchaux (*)

Open letter to Michael Gove, Bob and Roberta Smith (*)

Finally, this piece by Bob and Roberta Smith caught my eye. It would be difficult for it not to - it was massive and the room was designed beautifully - with graphic-like columns spanning across the back wall against which this painting was leaning. I agree with everything in this painting - it's something I've wanted to talk about for a while and will be the focal point of my next blog post - so I won't talk about it too much now. A little piece of genius.

So that's it - my review. It was really great this year - and because I went to the private view, quieter. There was a massive variety in the work - in size, content and character. These pieces are just my favourites - I'm sure there are those which I missed or glanced over without really appreciating them. But that's what I love about the exhibition - as an aspiring art student, feeling like whatever contribution you might want to make isn't going to be meaningless is priceless. The Royal Academy celebrates variety and that's really nice to see - whether you're trying to make a political message or just create something you love and want other people to enjoy - you have a chance and this is an invaluable.

Hope you enjoyed this post, I would love to hear what you think about my choices, about the exhibition, or anything else!

My everyday no-makeup makeup look

When I'm rushing out of the house, I need a quick and easy makeup look that is not too over-the-top. This look takes about 10 minutes, and, by using only drugstore products, most of which are under £5, it's not an expensive look either. I don't use powder for this look - to give a natural sheen and try and make my skin look far better than it actually is! If you want to add powder feel free to do so - equally you could build on this look by adding more layers of foundation and heavier eye make-up for a simple evening look. 

The method: 

The tools

So these are the brushes I used - 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (*)

Real Techniques Blush Brush (*)

Eco-tools concealer brush (*)

Model's Own eye brushes - part of a 5 piece set (*)

Step 1: Prep your face

It's always good to keep your lips in good condition - mine chap so easily and using a lip balm before applying lipsticks or other lip products helps to protect them. I was pleasantly surprised with this recent purchase (technically not a purchase - free when I re-purchased my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer) - the Collection 2000 Mardi Gras Lip Balm in Green Apple flavour. Not only does it smell heavenly but it definitely improves the condition of my lips. It's £1.99 from Superdrug (buy here) and really, in my opinion, worth it. 

Priming the face is also important - if you're doing a full day of work or school, your make-up needs to stay put. Again, I was pleasantly surprised with this product. Primers now are so expensive but this one is basically like a moisturiser and only £3.49 from here. Obviously, it's not the best primer ever but if you're on a budget, it'll do. It's also not a matte formula primer, which means that the skin can still look dewy.

Step 2: Foundation 

So, for this look I use two foundations. The 17 sheer moisture foundation was, again, extremely cheap and sadly now discontinued (but you can still buy it on Ebay here). It again makes the face look more dewy, although I would not use it by itself. Use a pea-sized squirt for the cheeks and chin and another squirt for the forehead. Blend in with either the face brush, as I did, or press your fingers together to warm them and then use your fingers to blend in the foundation (warming the fingers makes the foundation go over the face more smoothly and also makes it hold to your face better). 

You could leave this underlayer for a couple of minutes to sink in or add on the next foundation - my favourite drug store foundation in shade 115 - Maybelline's 'Fit Me' foundation (which can be bought here). Again use pea sized amounts and either use the face brush or your fingers as before to blend into the skin.

Step 3: Concealer and eyebrows

 So my favourite concealer is and always has been the Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch brightening concealer (*) - especially for this kind of look - it's light and not such a heavy concealer - good for this kind of dewy look. If you are having a break-out, don't panic - the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (*) is a heavier duty concealer that would still work. Conceal wherever you want using this concealer - including under eyes.

Step 4: Eyebrows, adding blush and highlighting the face

For my eyebrows, I used the brown of this palette - the third colour down. I just quickly brushed it through my brows using an eye brush to define my eyebrows. I tend to have eyebrows that are quite patchy and so just popping a little eyeshadow through the brow evens them out and makes them, to my eye, look far better. This palette is only £3.99 from Superdrug and a really good purchase - I use the highlighter in my tutorial later. You can buy it here - the palette I used was the Midtown Mauve, but there are a variety of colours in different palettes. 

Before highlighting the face, I use a beautiful blush from Collection 2000 and apply with the Real Techniques Blush Brush. The blush is such a beautiful colour (04 Trouble, can be bought here) that it almost acts as a blush and foundation at the same time, especially if used quite liberally. However I prefer for this look to use the highlighter from the palette above (top right). It's a sort of highlighter cream, so it applies really easily, and I just sweep it across my high cheekbones and under the arch of my eyebrow but it works anywhere on the face - including on or around the nose. I then blend in with the foundation brush. 

Step 5: Mascara and eyes

In the pictures I chose to use no eyeshadow. I find I have a love-hate relationship with it and if I don't have the time I just don't bother with it. If I wanted to wear eyeshadow I would follow this method - using the lightest colour of the palette I would use an eyeshadow brush to put it in the corner of my eye. I then use the brown colour (third down) in the corner of my eye and blend from the outside of the eye in. If I was using eyeliner also I would use the No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil in Brown (*) (I don't tend to use black eyeshadow unless I'm doing winged eyeliner as I've got really shaky hands and it always goes astray!). 

To finish the look I use whatever mascara I can get my hands on. At the moment I'm really liking the Revlon Lash Potion Mascara (*) in Blackest Black. 

Step 6: Lips

To finish the look completely I tend to use nude or pale pink lip pens and sticks. They're quick and easy and just make the look a whole lot classier. My favourite at the moment to quickly whip on is the Revlon Colourburst Balm Stain (*) in 001 Honey Douce. It's a really moisturising formula, and can be topped up quickly and easily. It's also a dupe for the Clarins chubby sticks, and really in my opinion it's just as good. It also winds up so there's actually a large amount of lipstick for the price. 

So there we go - that's my quick make-up look. I know that it seems like a long post but really the look only takes about 10 minutes and all of the products used are high-street brands, all of which are extremely cheap. The look can also be built on with other layers of foundation, can be added to with a strong eye look, etc. This is just a really good base, or a stand alone, little effort no-makeup makeup look on its own. Hope you enjoyed this post, would love to hear your opinions.

Techniques to stop panic attacks and calm anxiety

Last year I suffered a period of feeling completely unhappy in my own skin, panicking in social situations I regarded myself to be 'trapped' in. My breathing would become erratic and, as an asthmatic, this made me so uncomfortable that I began to limit when I would go out, and started cancelling on friends more frequently, in some ways isolating myself. 

And then I suddenly had the realisation that unless I made changes, I was never going to achieve what I wanted to achieve. So I turned to simple little steps to calm myself down when I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack. Of course, I'm not an expert, but this is what worked for me and hopefully what will work for you too. I've designed all of the steps to be simple and to not attract too much attention so that you can do them wherever you are - whether it's on the bus or on the train - perhaps in a space where you feel anxious due to lots of people. 

I've made a graphic to show all of the steps - feel free to download the picture and keep it with you! The steps are as follows; 

1).  Inhale and exhale deeply five times. It also helps sometimes, if you are seated, with every breath you take to try and push deeper into the seat. Plant your feet firmly on the floor and make a strong footprint (i.e. have your thighs at 90 degrees to your shins). Push your feet firmly into the ground. 

2).  De-tense all of your muscles. If it helps, scrunch all of them up first - going from your toes upward. Scrunch up your face too - every bit of your body - curl your toes and make your hands into fists. Then, again from the toes upwards, let everything go gradually. You should feel a sort of weightlessness when you finish. If you still feel any areas are tense, just scrunch them up and unscrunch. While doing this, you could again repeat the previous practice of pushing further into the seat and making a stronger footprint with every muscle you de-tense. 

3). Now focus on your hands. There are two options here - or you could do both for about 5 minutes each. The first is to just place your hands in your lap, one on top of the other. The other is to place one hand in your lap and the other, palm down, behind you. Breathe into whatever position you choose - if you want to close your eyes and try and zone out - this is especially effective if you are on the bus and you're anxious due to the other people around you - try and focus on yourself and just breathe - you will get through this! 

4). Alternate nostril breathing. Okay now this is the weird sounding one but, believe me, it works. You should use your thumb and third finger for this exercise. Place your index finger on your forehead or wherever you think is your natural resting position. Press your left nostril first and breathe in deeply through your right nostril. Then swap to press down your right nostril and breathe out deeply through your left nostril. Reverse this to breathe in right and out left. Repeat as many times as necessary. You could again try breathing down into your seat or closing your eyes. Try and enter your own zone and focus entirely on the breathing, not the people around you or the panicking feelings. This little exercise has saved me from some really difficult situations, and I hope it will do the same for you. 

5). Positive thoughts and positive visualisation. These exercises might work temporarily without total control over your mind, but in the long term, it's you who needs to overcome your own problem. Noone else can help you if you can't help yourself - you need to begin the process. Close your eyes if you feel that you can. If you're in a public place and are worried about being noticed, then keep your eyes open and just think. You need to see yourself calming down and overcoming this situation and getting out of it. You are totally capable - you need to calm yourself down. If you need to and physically can get out of the situation, get out of it, take a breather and, if necessary return. You are stronger than you think, believe me. Think of your dreams and ambitions - they are attainable if you can just re-gain control over yourself. Believe in yourself. You can do this!

 Here is the graphic - download it, make it your background, whatever. If you use it on your website, it would be great if you could credit me though - 

Again, I'm not an expert. But I have experienced the awful feeling that you just want to escape. You are not alone in this! If you ever need to chat to me, my door is always open. Approach me via my social networking platforms (see buttons at the side of the page). I hope that this has been a helpful post. 

Beginnings are scary

I have always wanted to begin a blog and truly commit to it, but it's always been 'the wrong time', I've been 'too busy', I've been too stressed, etc. Enough excuses. At eighteen, I am beginning to realise that if you want to get anywhere in this world, you need to commit. So here I am. Committing.

Beginnings are always scary. I'm just finishing school (two days left... help) and I've realised that I'm no longer going to have a safety net. I've got to face the big wide world. I'm going to have student loans to re-pay. I'm going to have to go to banks and actually understand what they are saying (this is a big deal for me - numbers + Carrie = confusion, and the need for lots and lots of cake). I'm going to university and I'm scared I'll arrive and noone will like me. I'm scared! I remember my first day of Secondary school, having been quite a big 'loser' at primary - I was petrified. And now, after 7 years of being at my school, I realise that I had nothing to be afraid of. I made friends with people I didn't even believe would acknowledge my existence. In my own awkward, pubescent, unique way, I thrived. What I'm trying to say is, as much as I'm scared noone will read this blog, that's ok. I'm making a change and I'm committing to something, and I'm proud of myself for that - and in a couple of years time, I'm sure I'll feel happy I did.

A little about me: I personally believe I'm quite socially awkward, and seem to be a weird-people magnet at bus-stops and in town. I doodle a LOT and am currently trying to create my own design business (something I hope you will hear more about through this blog) creating phone-cases, recycled notebooks, etc. I love music you can melt into like Kodaline's 'A Perfect World' or Ed Sheeran's 'Give Me Love'. I love old Disney movies (and actually the new ones, like Princess and the Frog aren't half bad). I also like watching soppy romantic films supposedly 'ironically' and then surreptitiously wiping tears tracks off my face.

Of course, I have ambitions. I hope to become an artist (specifically a sculptor but dabbling in painting too) and a freelance graphic designer. Equally, I want to create my own charity specifically for women fighting for female equality not only in the workplace, but in the home, tackling issues such as consent and pay (again this is something you will hopefully hear more about through my blog). Obviously, this is quite a big goal, but it's my ambition to change the world, even a little.

My plans for the blog are big. *does little nervy excited dance*. I'll be doing beauty, fashion, craft, design and art posts. I'm happy to answer questions and if you tweet me on my blog twitter, I will always answer any questions you have, whether they're personal or you just want to get in contact. From the bottom of my heart, I would love to hear from anyone who spoke to me and I would talk to you like I would a friend.

In all, I'm hoping to post 3 times a week, about anything and everything. If you want a little insight into my world, please follow me on my social media platforms.

Let's do this!