THE ART OF ENGAGEMENT | FIGARO DIGITAL

I can’t believe it has been around two years since I graduated from Nottingham Trent University. I still feel just as small, just as excitable and ever more eager to learn about the new happenings in the industry.

I have since made trips up to Nottingham and to the university to do small talks to current and prospective students, which I absolutely love doing.  Somehow there’s something not quite the same as listening and taking in all the information being thrown at me by lectures and all the gossip of the night before by my fellow x students, now very successful graduates I must add. I also don’t know why I keep referring back to myself as a graduate, now two years and two jobs later..? When does that term grow old or expire? Either way I am pretty sure it is due to my final major project I refer to as ‘my baby’ in casual terms and ‘The Blank Canvas’ on a prof level.

I was actually asked to bring the baby in to show my manager and some of my directors, who were keen to see what I spent a year doing. Not only was I very protective of the hard copy (erm costing like £300) but also the dreaded critism #nohating I am not so good at taking. My trick: smile and nod!

It seems my  idea is of much relevance now more than ever as ‘The Art of Engagement’ article in my monthly read Figaro Digital proves just how the digitalisation of our society is of significant importance to art galleries and museums, which are heavily visual and active in the present moment.

The article focused on how the Tate Modern has made way for digital communications to grow their audience in a very much authentic, authoritative and creative content driving way.  (It is the perfect piece that I could add as an extension of my project in that awful appendix)

Key Points from the article by Jon Fortgang
Museums and art galleries have a head start when it comes to content marketing as a curation and community are any brand key focus when it comes to marketing in 2015.

The Tate has picked up over 2 million social media subscribers in three years

The virtual version of the gallery is just as important as the physical presence

“An online visit is just as valuable to us as a physical visit to the gallery

If they can engage with us physically, we want them to be able to do that online – just as any other experience of shopping, dining etc…

Final word…

Content is grounded in stories, community, interactivity and giving audiences  reason to explore further. Gallery and strategy are inseparably entwined, which means every digital element plays a [art in the bigger picture.

IKEA | BREAKFAST IN BED CAFE

50% of Brits have never had breakfast in bed, 30% of the population would love an afternoon nap, IKEA launch concept eatery to stimulate more breakfasts in bed

I am so so so lucky to be working in the heart of London where all things weird and wonderful take place - that's Shoreditch for you! I came across this amazing concept by IKEA taking place for a few days only that is pretty much something people only dream of doing.

Thumbs up to team of IKEA and Hope and Glory PR for yet another cool concept to break the boundaries of experiential marketing. Who doesn't like a session of playing house in IKEA? Even more so, who doesn't wish they could live in one of the seamlessly designed and perfected rooms just for one night? Not to make you jealous or anything, but I made the most of my hour slot in bed.

As you walk into the pop-up just round the corner of Old Street station, you are welcomed by the staff in what is a very peaceful and minimalist setting. Each guest is asked to choose a pillow type (hilarious), soft goose feather, firm, or memory foam that you can take with you to a bedroom setting of your choice. You are encouraged to hang up your coat and replace it with a the choices of nightgowns to really get comfortable. There were different bed styles, throws, lighting and  side tables all side by side one another along the walls of the space. I obviously wanted the cosiest setting so chose a double bed with a neutral colour pallet.

The staff then ask you to choose a tea and pastry of your choice. At this point I was sold! I wanted it all and didn’t ever want to go  back to work. I could get used to going to a place like this. Forget Starbucks or the Hoxton to chill; IKEA Breakfast in bed could be the new hangout spot.

After stuffing my face with pastries and hot errbal tea, I cosied up with my colleague (just weird, but we felt that this broke any boundaries left in our work friendship) and literally did nothing! After reading the Power Of Now last year by Echartt Toll, I am all for embracing the present moment and not getting thoughts of the past or future clog up my brain so I can live happily I the present moment. Remember, I read this at a verrryyy relaxing time on my yoga retreat last year, but if you are ever in a moment of a over active and heated mind, I would take the time to read a few chapters of the book , to hone you back in.

 There is so much out there in the media at the moment about achieving a  better sleeping, so this pop-up event was well-timed. Here’s a little check list and a few facts that you can share and ensure you are making the most of your much needed sleep:

1

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Your pillow should dictate how you sleep. If you are a back sleeper, a memory foam pillow will mould to your body shape. If you are a front sleeper, keep a pillow under your stomach to ease the pain off your back. Finally if you are a side sleeper like me, then ensure you pillow sits seamlessly under your ear and shoulder. For all others, you have no hope!

2
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Whenever you say you are struggling with insomnia, the first thing everyone says is get lavender oil! Why? Because the essential oils in lavender slowdown your heart rate and blood pressure that help your body relax.

3

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People may say to read a book before bed to help you relax, but read wisely. It is said that sticking to fiction will help you relax more than reading any sort of self-help books as this only aggravate the mind and causes you to think and worry more.

4

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Getting more sleep is the single most powerful performance enhancing things you can do. It consolidates memory, enhances creativity and manages our moods. The health benefits include controlling our appitite, balancing our hormones and encourages cardiovascular health.

Going to bed later reported to increase negative thinking,  neuroses and pessimism.

5
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Your routine 90mins before bed is crucial to your quality sleep. So that means, avoiding Netflix, that ‘one more drink’ you convince yourself you need, the late night snack or just scrolling through Instagram on the Daily Mail.

CULTIVATING SELF-AWARENESS | HH DEUX

PART ONE: HackingHappiness Summit 2015

So....Last night after the event I scurried back to my place to have a peaceful hair wash and snuggled into bed after finding myself very relaxed and at a strange sort of ease after the event.

Starting from the beginning, I was greeted by the rather friendly hotel staff at the  Hoxton, Holborn and made my way to the event space called The Apartment with it's own bar and lounge and two large, homely board rooms. On arrival, the bar staff handed myself and few other early birds our signature house pressed Hubbard and Bell juice before networking and mingling. 

With this type of event, other peoples motivations for attending really fascinates me as it doesn't necessary scream out major networking opportunity nor does it offer any sort of freebie (or one that many people would consider a freebie). A colleague of mine (who may I point out declined my offer to attend) felt it sounded slightly 'preachy' and along the same waves of therapy, which is totally fair. Tapping into people’s emotions especially communicated through a talk format can be quite personal and many would much rather go for a meal, to a bar or just simply have a chilled night in after a days work.

Meditation allows you to get to know yourself better. There is no hiding on the meditation cushion, your anger, boredom and your anxiety is present in that moment and allows you to embrace and overcome that emotion.Butttttt not for me! For myself and the 13 others that attended the talk, it was insightful and educating and actually very enjoyable and applicable to everyone’s very digital lives. The speakers Sebastian Nienaber (founder) and Palma Michel, a mindful leadership advisor did a great job to incorporate interesting facts, examples, interactive activities and key take-always to practice and be aware of in your daily life.

I think that if you are one to practice yoga and meditate, self- awareness may be something that resonates quite well as the two are heavily linked. Many of the attendees were that type of person, however It is unfortunate as a talk of this sort can be so helpful to people who don't realise it.

Self-awareness is about training your attention. Much like you would train your body at the gym using resistance methods to help build muscle, but in this case its training your mind and resisting the attention you give to passing thoughts.

By doing this, you give yourself more to the present moment, allowing you to be open to emotions in that moment keeping your body more relaxed. It will help you to optimise yourself to be your best self at that time. Going to the mental gym is the practise of meditation.

Amongst my own knowledge that that presented by Sebastian and Palma, I am making it my mission to do some sort of mind training every day, which when commuting can be quite easy. It helps break up the day with a moment of calmness before starting your professional day at work. 

Ok, so it all sounds quite deep and spiritual but it was a unique Tuesday and building up to my summer Yoga retreat and new dynamic training program it was the perfect session to keep me motivated and keep my mind on the prize...a life time of happy thoughts!

SKL

HACKING HAPPINESS | THE HOXTON

It's back! and I am glad to say that this year I managed to keep on top of my events, so the I could get involved. Hacking Happiness is a summit that has been developed to target the the growing number of people who are ever more intrigued by the 'self' and how the body functions. The topics include mindfulness, neuroscience, meditation, nutrition and basically all things that affect our day to day bodily functions.

This year Hacking Happiness is working alongside the Hoxton Hotel to bring us a number of talks that delve deeper into the idea of happiness and how to achieve it in today's ever digitalising, over productive world.

I am here currently writing at the newly developed Hoxton Hotel in Holborn, a sister to its original in Hoxton, where the atmosphere is liver than ever for a Tuesday. I am awkwardly sat on a iMac with the screen closer than should ever be and at I height I feel is making me feel overly short. The ergonomics are all wrong, but the interiors are mostly definitely on point!

See below the talks that are happening this year. It's is of a much smaller scale but I am hoping the content and quality will remain the same.

Check in right after the talk, peace!

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Cultivate Self-Awareness

Knowing yourself is at the heart of emotional intelligence and the first step in managing your inner landscape. Session two shows you how to create a life with self-awareness and, invites you to find out "who" instead of "what" you want to be. Together we will explore and introduce techniques how to increase awareness and unlock your true potential.

Boost Your Productivity

Our modern work life environment is dominated by information overload, 24/7 connectivity, multitasking and back-to-back meetings - the ability and space to focus has become increasingly rare. Session three introduces next practices to increase your productivity, de-clutter your life and improve your focus.

Increase Your Creativity

Creativity is a dance between what we know and what we don´t know, and it is through this dance that we make meaning of the world around us, making the unknown knowable, the unconscious conscious and the invisible visible. Session four provides inspiration on how to awaken particular states and qualities of mind that boost your creativity.

You Are What You Eat

Come down to The Hoxton, Holborn and join Hacking Happiness for a mindful breakfast. In the last workshop in our series on Mindfulness at The Hoxton, we will be discussing Mindful Eating…that's the kind of eating which doesn't involve automatically reaching for the biscuit tin, something we're all guilty of.

The session will enable you to walk away with the tools to be more aware of what you're eating, both quantity and quality. It's not a diet, it's about focusing on the diversity of ingredients, their texture and taste, to connect to the food that's nourishing our body, mind and heart. So that when you allow yourself a treat from the biscuit packet that treat stops at one biscuit and NOT the whole packet. Imagine that…

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FANCY IT?

SKL

SQUARE EYES PART TWO

At the start of the year almost as some sort of self-promise, I aimed to read one book a month in addition to my weekly magazines. It was kind of a resolution - one that I knew I could actually maintain. I was constantly exposed to some really amazing titles that I would research and save for months in my endless Amazon basket.

At the end of last year, I took the plunge and for Christmas my Amazon basket was finally cleared on many of my desired reads that were recommended by friends, blogs and magazines.

If you are in need of a bit of me-time but never actively pursue it, now is your time to make that change. Every Sunday, at your desired time, make a hot cup of green tea, wrap up with your blanket and make it your mission to read one chapter- at least.

So, towards the end of last year, I suddenly felt the world of journalism pounding on the idea of feminism 2.0 (that I am all for), it bought with it a whole world of books that stood for empowering woman - a new wave of feminism for the modern world of entrepreneurial, techy, career driven women. I decided to put together a list that is still a work in progress of books to read to continue the momentum that I started towards the end of 2014.

Feel free to join me on my bookathon or wait up for my book reviews.

FYI I am in month 4 in and almost finished on book for.

IT | ALEXA CHUNG

So, I may be year too late for this hype, but if I am going to be completely honest, I was pretty disappointed by this book. I wasn't expecting magic or any sort of life changing experience, purely just a chilled, easy read with a few entertaining facts about the presenter turned London 'it' girl Alexa.

It took me around 3 days, journeys to and from work to read the book filled with far too many pictures and overly large text, that passers by may have thought I was slightly special or just lacked a certain degree of intellect. I should have left it at home...No worries though because I finally get Chung's story and I'm jealous alright! annnd I got a coffee table book to perk up my bed side. Gain!

If you are a fan of Alexa or mad on fashion it is for sure a must read, it's definitely a seen a blog hype, so get on that. 

#GIRLBOSS | SOPHIA AMORUSO

After finishing 'it' rather speedily, I got on to a book I had been dying to read after mass emails received from Nasty Gal and major Instagram promotion. During my time at MyFlashTrash, Nasty Gal was a major competitor or mother brand to look up to, so to follow Sophia's story of success was as good as it gets. 

Whether you know about Sophia Amoruso's brand Nasty Gal or are even interested in that area, it still makes an entertaining and informative read, written in a pretty chilled and engaging way.

I may be completely over and quite frankly fed up by the word 'Girl Boss' but Sophia has achieved the impossible and is someone to look up to for any aspiring entrepreneurs or talented runaways who also started their career with theft! No Judging now.

NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL | LENA DUNHAM

 Next up is the HBO sensation Lena Dunham aka Hannah from the major US series Girls staring and co-directed by Ms Dunham herself. 

After so many magazines raving about the book written by the care-free, young spirited, natural and quirky writer I just had to see what the fuss was about. Annoyingly, this is now the third book about these powerful and independent women that seem to all have a very girly pink cover with hugeeee titles and that really doesn't excite me! On to the content, which is obviously more important, Lena tells her life stories divided into various areas of the growing up process for a young lady, including all the private parts no normal person would really want to disclose...need I say more?

Overall though, I am so glad I read the book and it got me even more excited about the new season of girls just to get a bit more of Hannah/Lena's awkward humour and life. I honestly couldn't put it down and hated it when I arrived at Old Street station because I never felt ready to stop. 

BOSSY PANTS | TINA FEY
Tina fey, known to most Americans for her role on Saturday Night Live, but everyone else remembers or  just give that little 'ohhh yeaaaah' when I remind them of her role in Mean Girls as the teacher miss Norbury but little do they know she wrote the screen play for Mean Girl and Freaky Friday. 

Her book Bossy Pants is comical autobiography written in the style Tina Fey knows best, sarcastic humour. It topped the New York Times best seller list and was a natural want after watching her host the Golden Globes. The book wasn't as easy to read as I thought and makes references to elements of Fey's career I was not familiar with but equally makes for an easy light-hearted read.

&
COMING SOON...

IF YOU HAVE TO CRY GO OUTSIDE | KELLY CUTRONE

GIRL IN A BAND | KIM GORDON
HAUS FRAU | JILL ESSBAUM
BETTER THAN BEFORE | GRETCHEN RUBIN
CHLOE SEVIGNY |  CHLOE SEVIGNY
CLOTHES, MUSIC, BOYS | VIV ALBERTINE
WILD | CHERYL STRAYED
   

PASS ME THE GLASSES

photo: HV and creator of TOTW London

I am proud to say I love reading, mostly on the tube, often in cafe's, at home and almost always on long journeys slash holidays. Now I can't say I get my head stuck into the ultimate must reads, or the ones highest on any sort of book list and they are far from challenging from the mind, but for me its about down time at home or while having a tea away from any sort of humanly drama, which is pretty much all the time. I spend a Monday morning reading Marketing Week and Campaign magazine and now they can take its toll slightly.

I tend to consume a whole lot of content through industry magazines and emails and fashion updates from blogs and magazines. My ultimate go to publication has got to be my open obsession to The Sunday Time Style (thanks to my dear father) that I have been reading from my early teenage years, even if the content was hardly relevant (Mrs Mills as a fucked up agony aunt I just didn't understand). I now collect copy after copy finding it a step harder to dispose of my hoarded collection despite my mommy giving me that not so gentle nudge every weekend. More recently, I have a major girl crush on two world wide obsessions Cara Delevingne and Kendal Jenner, don't ask why because the world has spoken and in my eyes they are just perfect little things, so I have only gone and bought all their most recent covers inc. Love and Dazed and Confused.

My weekly reading regime (and yes it has to be done, because we only have a certain amount of time a day when we are not on our phones scrolling through apps or out at work, drinks or catch ups, gymming or just sleeping. So that just leaves erm... on the train on the way to work and back). Monday's start with my current book Bossy pants by Tina Fey Tuesday's are half for my book and half for flicking through Time Out for the latest pop-up bars and restaurant, exhibitions and just snippets of info. Wednesday is obviously Stylist day (a HUGE deal in my office with 3 girls getting up earlier to get each other a copy in case the other missed out - like I said a big deal!). This usually takes the full journey back with the way there for my current book and just my nerdy excitement to whether I get my copy that week, which has even sometimes resulted in actually picking up a copy from the floor - grime I know. Thursdays are for ES mag and Fridays, well on the way back, they are pretty much a write off after a few drinks.

Keep an eye out for my personal book list for the year, that I will be posting soon.

What are your reading habits?

& CHATARANGA

Photos via. Pinterest

It seems I take after my dad with my obsession for lazy Sundays. It used to be the day to seriously hang after a night out, do nothing but cover my face with my duvet, eat loads of pretty much everything and tell myself over and over again that this time I will NOT drink again. It then became my productive Sunday to clean the flat and bathe like a lady while watching a movie and sipping on a cup of tea. scrap that! Who has time seriously??

After a long week at work and usually a manic Saturday seeing friends or running errands (trips to the bank or returning masses of clothes i've not so accidentally ordered online), I usually attempt to go to the gym on a Sunday morning but miserably fail on many occasions. My Excuse? Sundays are for being lazy and I just NEED to sleep.

Last Sunday, I dragged myself out of bed to make my 10:30 Yoga workshop in Angel. I have been doing Yoga for around 4 years now, not on any sort of professional level what so ever but just a bit of amateur yogarriing to better my posture, flexibility and of course to be able to do all sorts of body stands. Despite the early start, beginning my day with an hour of Yoga gives me that buzz I need or maybe just gets me out of bed and keeps me going for the rest of my day. It really helps to loosen and stretch out muscles I am constantly putting strain on during my weight training sessions and helps to break my disgusting habit of clicking my back to maybe just once a day. Winning!

The Sunday session was mostly focused on stretches and was actually a one off workshop my teacher Erica held to raise money for charity, but on a normal week I like to break up my days by attending a Wednesday session. If you have are yet to latch on to the trend, it is definitely something I would recommend trying at least once.

I went on my very first yoga retreat in Ibiza last year and it honestly was a game changer. I learnt so much about the history of Yoga practices, the art of meditation that even Head Space couldn't help with and finally the way of best practice from my teacher Wendy at her  sanctum space on the island.

It was honestly one of the best decisions I could have made and experiences i've ever had that i've only gone and booked it again for this year and maybe a few extra days to tackle the other side of the island.

ABOVE THE LINE

Looking over the above images gives me such a thrill. There's lots of thick structured shapes that happily fit into the idea of my minimalist work apparel and makes me want to trawl through endless websites and save masses in baskets I probably will never buy. It's not that I don't want it bad enough, it's that I want so much so bad -  I am victim to the online basket syndrome.

I say I don't buy my baskets, but I suck at holding back from my usual hotspots you know the Zara, Asos, &otherstories... I currently have a £320 stuck to Zara a £195 from ASOS and I haven't even got started with 5 pairs of trainers I have at the check out, obviously because you've got to have ones for all sorts of scenarios: training, running, stylish, 2 stylish and make that 3 stylish. Do you know that way?

Moving on now to one of my best friends who has taken a huge leap in life, she left her amazing job at The White Company, her sweet ass pad in Brixton and me of course to travel the bare ground of South America on her own. Amazing as it is and as proud of her as I am, I can't help but envy her boldness to just up and go when our eager generation are so driven by career and success, while she gets to see the world for all its natural beauty. I am just waiting for the right time, we all say, almost like committing to marriage or actually buying a house, but the truth is, it's so simple. There is never going to be a right time in life so just go now or forever hold your peace.

To follow Em's travel blog Around the world in 501's click here

COUNTING THE KGS, RID OF THE £

Via. Pinterest

From a very young age I have always been very active with the typical swimming classes pretty much from birth, dance classes up until the age of 17, starting at the gym at 16, taking on Yoga and Pilates from 18 and so it goes on.

I may have kept this pretty quiet, unless we're good pals and I've gone on about my new found love, but over the past 11 months I have taken it upon myself  to embrace the life of a girl weightlifter and rightly so. For years, weightlifting and the free weights area has been dominated by overly large grunters, secret 'roid' takers and often weedy men finding their way in the free weights playground. However, at my gym in North London the ladies are killing it! Since beginning my weight training last year I have found myself surrounded by a crowd of  'gym friends' as we call ourselves, made up of predominantly women. Now, we don't sit there day after day discussing calories, protein and the gym and post endless 'Instafit' 'fitnotthin' photos, but it may just take up a quarter of our weekly communication...

Together with no cringe intended we are supporting the idea powerful that women can live healthy, self-sufficient lives that are dictated by our own goals actions and aspirations. Enough of me and the fight for the world talk, over the last couple of weeks there have been endless articles to support the idea of women lifting weights published in The Sunday Times Style Magazine, The Stylist and of course the Daily Mail.

With the support of my personal trainer and close friends, I have transformed my life for the better, although my parents would disagree with their 'big booty'd slightly masculine daughter', which is completely not true! I  feel very comfortable despite my weekly complaints and sudden goal changes from skinny to fit and thigh gap to all muscle.

I have come to the conclusion that with the right combination of weightlifting (strength) + cardio (stamina) + Yoga ( flexibility) I WILL be happy!

Visit Sohini's profile on Pinterest.

STREAMLINED

via. Haute Pursuit / Blackistheonlycolour / Zara

It's sad really. Now working in advertising and media, my 'high life' in fashion seems so distant, so it gives me great pleasure to immerse myself in images like the above centred around fine tailoring, structured shapes and dimmed down hues. One thing I have got to get sorted out is my over cropped wardrobe for this season, that is..maybe not so suitable for my agency job and the fact I over-indulge on food pretty much every hour out of eight, revealing more and more of my unwanted midriff

AUTUMNAL

This week in London we have seen the first of Autumn, with colder mornings and bright skies (deceiving) combined with the usual hormonal British weather. Now that all the fashion week fuss is just about over, we can really focus on the here and the now, cause let's be honest - Summer isn't any time soon.Based on poor two days I managed to spend at London fashion Week, it was clear there was a shift in attitudes of the lurkers (the hoverers, bloggers, photographers, fashion fiends or just passerbys that want in on the action). They have embraced the 'don't care' 'blasé' attitude in both their fashion and stance.I'm not complaining! it's the way to be and that's what makes LFW special. It is hard to spot clear cut trends here as every influencer including the designer has their own take on what fashion is and should be like.

This season anything goes double denim, duster coats, wide legs, straight legs, scrappy fringing and turn ups but chunky masculine bluchers are a must.