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New layout!
This is the current all-consuming project. Mermaid Mail will go live with it, as well as the Matchboxes. Keep an eye out for it in the next week or so!
Femme Mermaid Self-Interview!
I’ve changed a lot since starting Mermaid Eyes in March, and I decided it was high time to realign my regular readers with not only my past-present-future selves, but also with my thus-evolved goals & dreams for the blog. Some of these questions I borrowed from various nooks & crannies of the web, and some are questions I ask myself to keep focused, and some are questions I made up on the spot simply because they look fun to answer! Feel free to leave me more questions in the comments, and I’ll do my best to answer them for you. Cheers!
What do you consider to be the most beautiful thing in the world?
I would say that the ocean is the most beautiful thing in the world to me because it is raw nature epitomized for human experience. I say that because there is no other nature that you can walk into, stand within it and have it occupy every crevice in your form (essentially wrapping you in nature), and then walk out of. It is not constant, so it has the increased ability to foster a transcendent experience. There are other reasons too; for example, the duality that exists in the fact that our bodies are essentially made up of saltwater, but the saltwater you can find in the ocean will make us sick to our stomachs after a single gulp. It is not us, but it is foreign to us in a raw & primal sense. What about the pulls of the moon on the tide? We as people ebb and flow lunar cycles as well, which is something that is common between us and the sea.
When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a pediatrician, author, or ballerina. These things are significant to me, and actually mesh together to form my love for blogging. Since I wanted to be a doctor, in specific a pediatrician, I wanted to help people who were in my age range and social structure. Since I wanted to be an author, I wanted to write. Ballerinas were of notice to me because they were the first artists I connected with, ever. Thus, here I am: a writer helping people in my social stratosphere though artistic expression. Isn’t that perfect?
What’s your personal fashion direction going to be like for this winter?
I’m finding myself, as I explore minimalism, feel increasingly tied down by clothing. Ideally, by the time mid-winter hits I’ll have perfected my system of living out of three boxes of clothing: one for skirts, one for tops, and one for underwear and tights. That being said, I won’t be dressing like anyone else or for anyone else; long skirts and thrift-store tops are the essence of my style, and the goal in my minimalism efforts is to boil everything down to essence. What is the essence of my desk? Can it be brought out with one item as opposed to eight? Same with wardrobe.
I’ll also be wearing considerably less makeup — probably only pink lipstick and a bit of mascara. That isn’t an anti-makeup statement, but a pro-self-expression one. I have exercised the right to wear heavy makeup as an expressive tool, and now I am exercising the right to wear little makeup as an expressive tool.
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
At 23, I’ll be in the throes of university working on my master’s in journalism. I’ll be running the blog from my dorm room, creating products in my spare time, and just being delightfully busy.
Five years ago, where did you see yourself now?
Even though I was twelve five years ago, this is a good question to ask because I have blown myself out of the water! I never, ever, ever would have guessed I’d be this happy and self-motivated doing anything. I’d never have guessed I’d consider myself this confident and crazy. What I expected was more the high school dream, toned down for junior high eyes: a boyfriend, good grades, a tight-knit group of best friends. While I have two out of three of those things, good grades and best friends are not forefront in my mind when I look back on the past three years.
How you first got involved in with blogging?
I’ve always been fascinated with the Internet, and in sophomore year I became interested in blogging through running a semi-successful Christian blog entitled “A Splash of Color”. However, Gala Darling was the site that taught me about secular blogging and hooked me on flirty, fabulous fashion blogging. I ran a few blogs before I hit on Mermaid Eyes, and I think it was the necessity of having just came out and needing the fresh outlet to exploration that made this site explode when no others of mine have.
What do you want to focus on with your site in the coming season?
Artists, and issues they face. Specifically I want to write about female artists from a spiritual, knowledge-seeking angle. I’m not advertising to the crowd that only does art; I’m advertising the the crowd that lives art and does everyday tasks.
What do you do when you aren’t working on your blog?
…When am I not working on my blog? Mentally, usually this site is forefront in my mind a lot of the time. I suppose when school starts on the 23rd, I’ll feel a bit of pull and focus there. But as is, I don’t like to not be working on my blog! It gives me too much satisfaction.
xoxo, KAYTE
A Little Update and Advice Pertaining to Stomach Issues (August 11, 2011)
photo by Meredith_Farmer on flickr
There is no book update today, except the release date is delayed a bit longer (sad face!!!) because I haven’t been working. There’s no real quality articles today either — just an apology, and a promise for more posting and continuing with plans ASAP! I’ve had the stomach flu; it wavered for a few days then hit full bore yesterday. I’m definitely feeling better now in general — I’ve been eating real food, hooray! – but I’m about to crawl back into bed for the evening and pray for a calmer belly in the AM. In the meantime, I want to give whoever needs it a bit of choice advice on upset stomachs of all kinds.
First, there’s not much that’s going to get rid of your nausea. There’s stuff that will make you more comfortable while you’re nauseous, and you should do all that you can to achieve that, but practically nothing except for good medicine is going to make the icky achy feeling leave you alone. If it bothers you enough, I have nothing against taking medicine!
Second, eat what you want when you want. I had a hamburger for lunch this afternoon because that was what I craved, I hadn’t eaten anything in about a day, and it seemed like it would stay down. It did! Your body will crave what it needs, and if that’s not tea, toast, or applesauce, and if it’s not a regular mealtime, it doesn’t matter as long as the calories and nutrients are staying in your body. If you’re still in the can’t-keep-food-down phase, don’t worry about eating.
Third, DRINK FLUIDS. Even if your body is probably going to reject them, take that risk and keep hydrated. I like gatorade the day after a flu, because it soothes my stomach and is supposed to be better at re-hydrating than a lot of other fluids. (Water, of course, is the best option.)
Fourth, rest. Don’t get out of bed if you don’t need to. SERIOUSLY.
Anyways…
Have a beautiful night, lovely mermaid readers! I’ll return soon.
xoxo, KAYTE
Chapter Launch Delay EXCITEMENT!
First off, I have a bit of wonderful news disguised as slightly annoying news: the launch of F.A.C.E. C1 is going to be VERY slightly delayed, coming out on Monday the 15th of August as opposed to Friday the 12th.
Why? you may be asking. Well, I was writing Sunday, working madly on final touches and editing and throwing in fabulous goodies to go along with the text, and I thought: this is a big deal. This is a massive, massive deal! The chapter I was loving typing away at is truly the first product I have produced. Not only that, but it is also a representative project that has been going on mostly behind the scenes since May.
It’s a big deal, and I want it to be incredible.
Don’t get me wrong; the chapter itself would be incredible whenever it was released. What I’m getting at is that I want it to be a celebration of both my blog and my self, of those who have been readers since the beginning & those who are coming in the future. I want it to be an event. & when I looked at what I was visualizing in my mind, & have been all along, it wasn’t something that could be totally and lovingly finished in the amount of time I had available. Those three extra days are enough to get all of us really edge-of-the-seat excited.
There’s some wonderful stuff coming in the next seven days, starting today (!!!) and I don’t want to rush any of it. That’s why I’m delaying! (Also, the anticipation is blessed as well as blissful.)
I’m off to make some more creative magic. I’ll be checking back in around 6 o’clock AK time (that’s around 10 EST.) You can like the facebook page to keep updated — I post there nearly every time I post here. Peace, goddesses!
xoxo ,KAYTE
Creative Weekend To-Do List — August 4th, 2011
photo by gerougos on flickr
Femme mermaid trivia fact: I take my weekends from Thursday night through Saturday if I can, since I feel ridiculously motivated by Sundays, the prospect of the new week, etc. In honor of my iminent work break, I decided to copycat a fellow fabulous blogger with a new feature. Kaileen Elise runs something called “Creative Weekend To-Do List” and it seems like it’s made for me: to-do lists, plans, creativity, and blogging? PERFECT! Thus, without further adue, I present to you my weekend daydreams for August 4th-6th 2011.
- figure out how I can wear black lipstick (in jest, of course) without looking gothic. It’s a personal challenge!
- wake up with my body’s clock, whatever time that may be
- play with brewing my own tea
- visit art galleries with amazing friends
- put something lovely in the mail
- indulge in early morning chai
- wander the library
- bathe by candlelight
