‍MARIA:

Seeking Refuge with @subliming.jpg

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These days, things are pretty fast-paced. There is a constant need to accomplish that hovers over us like dark clouds, and it is slowly eating our soul away. We might be exaggerating but… you feel us, right?

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“Millennials are growing up highly attuned to the needs of the capital markets. We are encouraged to strategize and scheme to find places, times, and roles where we can be effectively put to work. Efficiency is our existential purpose, and we are a generation of finely honed tools, crafted from embryos to be lean, mean production machine,” a quote from Malcolm Harris in his book Kids These Days.

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Maria is a productivity junkie, and that is okay. But on some days, when she has a to-do list that never ends, it is easy for her to beat herself up for it. This week, Maria’s inspiration is a fuse of creativity and wisdom, one that she seeks refuge in when she finds what she calls her “Type A Personality” too overbearing.

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Tessa Forrest, the designer behind the @subliming.jpg, started creating typography graphics using quotes that she finds meaningful when life got rough for her. The works that came out were part of a creative expression that brings joy to her and till date, more than 400k people are fans of her on Instagram. Her bio says, “Teachings but I’m just the messenger.” We have to admit that with the colours and typography that she is using for each of the quotes, she delivers every message in the way that it should be. It is really telling on how typography can make an impact on the message you are trying to get across.

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“There are different paths in life and we shouldn’t obsess over one instance,” Maria drops us a wisdom bomb at the end of her sharing.  

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YU TING:‍

Self-care with Nina Montagne

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Yu Ting started her segment by telling us how she watches vlogs on Youtube to wind down. “I’m not very good at slowing down or relaxing. Watching other people wind down helps me to wind down,” she admits. We are always encouraging one another to learn in the studio, and Yu Ting is currently learning how to take care of herself.

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Nina Montagne is a Youtuber (and writer) whose content is focused on her vegan lifestyle and methods of self-care. Apart from sharing ridiculously yummy-looking vegan recipes in her videos, she also approaches personal topics - breakups, sex, etc. - by sharing her experience. At times, she also does these therapeutic vlogs where she spends the day taking care of herself and being the most present she can be.

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The way to be responsible for your own being might differ for each person, and maybe we are all on a never-ending journey to learning what is the best way to take care of ourselves. It might sound silly for us to say this, but it really takes conscious effort to understand what you truly need at every given moment.

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With that being said… There were brownies on the table this week and it felt like that was what we truly needed at that given moment, obviously.

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EVELYN:

Blood, Sweat, & Tears behind Parasite (Spoiler Alert)

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Before we get into this, we highly recommend those who have not watched the film Parasite to move away from this part of the blog post.

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This week, Evelyn took a deep dive into the movie Parasite (as she does for most things that intrigues her). Everyone has different ways of appreciating a film which is subjective to what they look out for - plot, cinematography, casting and more. As a process-oriented creative, Evelyn often finds herself pondering over the production of a film especially when she comes across great scenes.

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It is easy to dismiss the work that is put in to make a film when it looks perfectly close to reality. But that is also an indicator of a film that is well-made. We realised that when we found out that the semi-basement flat in the movie was a set built by the production designer with the help of computer graphics. And that was just one out of the many details that we found out about after watching Bong Joon-ho break down the opening scene.

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“When I first watched the movie, I did not pay much attention to the house. Little did I know that everything was designed specifically for the movie,” Evelyn expresses with a tone of respect.

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The collective effort and talent behind film making will never cease to inspire, or at least that is what we feel. All the blood, sweat, and tears involved makes it an experience that we imagine to be exhausting but fulfilling at the same time.

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NELLA:‍

Connecting with BROCKHAMPTON

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A warm welcome to our new member Nella! Her inspirations will add a new flavour to our cup of joe so we are very excited.

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We live in a digital age where everything happens on the internet. According to Nella, the birth of the American boy band BROCKHAMPTON is one of them. Without getting into the nitty-gritty, the band (or collective) had its beginnings in 2009 on a Kanye West fan forum. The 13-person boy band consists of a mix of singers, rappers, producers, graphic designers, and more.

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According to Complex Magazine, “They are coordinated and impulsive. They are a relentless work ethic, constant self-documentation, a series of music videos and skits that engage narrative arcs, and near limitless fan interaction.” But we feel like the word “wholesome” would best describe the creative collective.

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BROCKHAMPTON takes full control of their creative process, from music production, to graphic design and music video production. Everyone in the band brings to the table various expertise and experiences. The magic happens when they bring it all together and form a work of art that truly embodies their shared cultural affinity.

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Their story reminds us of what the internet was set out to be - a place to connect. Some might argue that the internet makes us less connected to one another, but maybe with the right intentions, we just might experience a true connection.