#i just love how playlists about the same concept can still be so unique depending on who makes it....

[robinmage]

i am weak.

will be updating regularly. pls give me recommendations

[capricores]

hey, love 💓 hope you’re having a good day. I just discovered I have an Aquarius stellium and I don’t really know what it means 🙃

thank you so much angel! aquarius stellium:

“extrovert-passing introverts” // aquarius stelliums are great at being social, and they like connecting with people, but they tend to hate being social at the exact same time, they like isolation/alone time and can have a pretty short fuse for dealing with people (it’s pretty conflicting! they have a love-hate relationship with being social lol, it highly depends on the house of the aquarius stellium in this case)

they tend to have that “social battery”, but it works both ways. they need social interaction for happiness (esp aquarius moon/venus), but they also usually need a day or three to recharge after social interactions/gatherings

despite their very chill, calm exterior i do find they get irritated and frustrated pretty easily, they have a very low tolerance for people’s bs and they aren’t usually great at hiding their annoyance (mostly because they simply don’t care to; in an aquarian’s mind they don’t generally see why they would hide their emotions for your sake)

surprisingly very stubborn! people expect them to be open since they’re an air sign; and mind you, they are very good at listening and understanding new ideas, concepts, ways of thinking/doing things, etc., but it’s pretty rare for aqua dominant people to change their ways/mind; and if they do it has to be on their own terms & feel like it was their own choice/idea

they can have issues when it comes to embracing & accepting their emotions; they tend to intellectualize and try to rationalize everything they feel (this will depend heavily on the individual’s moon though)

tend to be musically and/or artistically inclined, usually the most talented and creative people you’ll ever meet (i find most aquarians use art/music as an outlet; and a huge chunk of aquarius stelliums i’ve “studied” or read for have made their careers in the art fields)

i’ve noticed they tend to stutter a lot when speaking! aquarian dominant people (esp aquarius moons, mercurys) have this habit of speaking before they’ve actually formed the thought/planned out what they were gonna say: so they kinda of just “sjlkfdjdlkf” irl sometimes or take a while to finish their sentence (scattered speaking style)

they don’t like talking about their emotions/feelings unless they can be self-deprecating about it or make a relatable meme/joke out of it

very analytical people and they overthink anything and everything that people say and do (especially with aquarius moon and/or mercury)

they’re quite blunt, they don’t generally sugarcoat things and can be as cutthroat as aries/capricorn are stereotyped to be

on that note, they often just say what’s on their mind at the time and they don’t intend to hurt people, they just don’t often realize the things they’re saying are hurtful/too blunt

aquarians are very, ‘why would i filter myself for someone? i don’t want people to filter to me’, and it can be hard for them to understand some people’s sensitivities in conversation

they really despise copycat or reflector-type individuals; their biggest turn-offs tend to be those who follow the crowd, don’t think for themselves, mold themselves for others, etc

aquarians can take a really, really long time to fall in love i find, as they tend to not care for it and usually just view people in a “friend way”, but once they find “their person” they are 100000% committed and will probably make big steps (from saying “i love you” to straight up moving in together, marriage, etc) very fast

undeveloped they do run a habit of having “hot and cold” relationships; a tendency to become super attached very fast only to flip the switch and detach shortly after, usually after they lose interest or become too comfortable

on the topic of romance again, aquarians also (or at least as i’ve noticed) do not use “i love you” very easily or lightly, even if they DO love you and you’re best friends/in a committed long-term relationship/etc, they don’t use the phrase very often and tend to save it for very select times

again can have a lot of trouble expressing their feelings and emotions so they can be a bit awkward at first and for a while in relationships

again they’re VERY independent and they need alone/recharging time or they’ll get very frustrated and anxious

they get very protective of their creations, ideas and style; so when they feel they’re being imitated; or when their ideas are criticized; they get extremely upset and defensive 

also very humanitarian!! i’ve noticed despite most aquarians being like “oh i hate the world/society/people/etc” they have this constant, inner need to help people/the environment/the world and tend to be really passionate about it (aquarius energy is very “fuck the world!! im gonna still save it tho”)

aquarian stelliums probably had an emo phase and if they managed to escape it they probably still dress like they’re in their emo phase lol

depending on their ascendant/midheaven they likely have a pretty unique sense of style as well; i find those with strong aquarian influence often wear very “stand out”, “in your face” and original outfits; very much the type to constantly be changing their hair colour & makeup styles as well (they like wearing things or having aesthetics that tend to shock others; they secretly enjoy getting reactions out of people)

these individuals are very committed to their work and hobbies, they tend to put those above everything else in their life. a lot of people forget the aquarian connection to saturn; aquarians are usually very committed to their jobs and work very hard when they’re in the work-zone

their friends tend to be a hugely significant part of their life too; aquarius moons/venuses especially tend to talk about their close friends ALL the time and they’re very, very protective of them (so loyal)

aquarius stelliums tend to have lots of acquaintances but only a few select close friends (and even most of those close friends they don’t fully open up to)

usually struggles with intimacy and vulnerability 

they tend to radiate a lot of natural confidence and security in themselves, despite how insecure they may feel inwardly 

not to stereotype, but they do usually tend to be drawn to obscure, occult or controversial things. often the types to have “weird” hobbies, interests or habits

often very into, or open to, things like astrology, conspiracy theories, spirituality, etc! but they do think very rationally and logically, so they like to analyze and pick apart these things at the same time, they don’t just accept and follow these things (they have no issue with picking apart their own passions and interests either, so if you debate an aquarius they probably already know what you’re gonna say lol)

usually have the nagging desire to be known (whether it be famous, or just accepted/loved by many/friends/family/etc); they likely felt misunderstood and abandoned their entire life (namely in childhood) so now they have a huge craving to be in the spotlight; although they hate admitting this

aquarians have the ability to fit in well with many types of people, yet often in childhood they were excluded and/or subjects of bullying i’ve noticed (oftentimes from their own family), which is part of the reason why they frequently grow up lacking a feeling of “belonging” or feel like “outsiders”; they deep down crave to be accepted and embraced/have fans/supporters

aquarius stelliums often struggle with fears of abandonment which contributes more to their isolation habits and independent “i dont need anyone but me and my spotify playlists” nature

they despise being controlled, tied down or told what to do; often if you tell an aquarius not to do something they’ll go out of their way to do it, even if they initially didn’t want to do said thing lol (the house that’s in aquarius will show the area of life in which they “rebel” the most; or are the most uncontrollable/free/independent) 

random note: i also find aquarius stelliums are frequently very awkward around children/don’t usually desire nor want any at all

[xcziel]

get to know me

tagged by @vishcount (thank you!!) and i'll follow her format bc making two posts seems a little much - i'm not that interesting!!

(hilariously, this post shows up as blocked for me bc of the tag 'joker' which? tumblr?????)

Part I

name: i'm an internet old, so i never use my real name online, mainly because it's spelled in a very unique way (thanks mom & dad) - i mean like, if you googled it you could find my home address in a few seconds kind of unique - but also, though i do enjoy the spelling, i actually don't like it very much when it's said out loud? (is it weird that my name written down is 'me', but my name aloud has never felt like 'me'?) always wanted a nickname but never acquired one :/

at any rate, i've had the username xcziel forever and i go by that 😊 (pronounced ex-SEE-zee-el, similar to etc. or ex-SET-er-ah! thanks @xia-xueyi for pointing out that it can be confusing to guess!)

rest behind a cut because it got long!

pronouns: she/her

star sign: i don't ... really *do* astrology? but technically saggitarius

height: 5'4" (162.5cm for the intl folks)

time: 5:43pm but these thing take me forever to type out so ... ???

birthday: playing the 'internet old' card again .. but it floats around american Thanksgiving depending on the year

nationality: american

fave bands/groups/solo artists: lumping these together because i just .. don't really do music much anymore. if you had asked me this back in my 20s i'm sure i would have had all kinds of opinions and things to share, but these days i actually mostly prefer to listen music from when i was a kid. part of it is also that as an old, i prefer to buy my music, even digitally, and i don't really use spotify - which does so much to enable diverse music exploration i admit! but i mostly have earplugs in all the time and music does not work for me as background noise, so...

so i guess my answer would be 70s disco and classic rock and 80s new wave artists? i've never liked any artist's entire discography and prefer greatest hits-type compilations, but i guess duran duran and def leppard and depeche mode would be considered formative? i love new order but specifically late 80s new order, NOT joy division. the only concert t-shirt i've ever worn was the cult? i loved sonic temple but i can't listen to most of it anymore though i still adore love removal machine. i think maybe if you get old enough, for some of us there's TOO MUCH good music and we can't pare it down anymore

song stuck in your head: jamiroquai's canned heat

last movie you watched: re: the above, i re-watched center stage, the 2000 one with zoe saldana and the mandy moore soundtrack, bc it's a happy comfort movie and i just got a digital version

last show you binged: i can't really "binge" very often bc after a couple of hours i need a break, so i guess i'd say the tgcf donghua on netflix since it was short enough to get through all in one go

when you created your blog: in 2012 i stopped lurking so i could post about the avengers movie

the last thing you googled: 5'4" in cm? lol before that it was chinese wrapped street food

other blogs: everything is here! i discovered i compartmentalize about as well as i tag reliably (😓) but i do have several automated ao3feed-tag style sideblogs. and i did, very briefly, have a *winces* hockey sideblog too

why i chose my url: ooh i know i've done this before, sorry if it's repetitive, basically it was the username i picked back when my family first got aol: short, unique combo of letters - 14-year-old me really thought about it! and then it wouldn't let me use anything other than my name. thirty-some-odd years later, trying to come up with a livejournal username that wasn't already taken and getting fed up, i plugged it in and went: good enough!

how many people are you following: like 760-something last i checked? although many, many, many of them are deactivated

how many followers do you have: idk i don't like looking at that stuff, but way fewer than i am following

average hours of sleep: it varies too much day by day, my sleep schedule is too wonky, i have no idea what the average would be

lucky numbers: 7? cliché i know, and again not really buying into it, but somewhere in my hindbrain i like it that my first, middle, and last names all have seven letters

instruments: none. i like singing

what i'm currently wearing: giant black t-shirt and baggy black drawstring shorts, standard sitting around the house gear

dream job: don't have one. if i did it would give me something to be working towards *sigh* this is how you end up in retail for decades, kids! but also, to quote a random post i saw in true tumblr fashion "i simply do not dream of labor"

dream trip: covered this one before but: back to the uk and some railway daytrips, or a really fancy northern cruise, atlantic/pacific either one

fave food: uhhh, don't really have a favorite but i'm almost always in the mood for pizza

top three fictional universe you'd like to live in: none really, if i had to still be me..maybe some kind of actually utopian future? but the pandemic has confirmed for me that i do NOT like living in interesting times, so most fictional story universes are RIGHT out. my favorites to read about like discworld or diana wynne jones' worlds would be way to chaotic for my comfort. possibly diane duane's young wizards universe would be safe enough to be okay?

Part II

last song: watching center stage made me think of my dance playlist so sunrise by simply red

last movielast stream: i don't watch streams or youtube often, so it was the same as you, vish! liu chang's birthday stream was SO enjoyable i screenrecorded the entire thing just so i could play it back (and maybe gif sometime if i ever get the drive to actually do it)

currently reading: well i just finished the translated quan qiu gao kao or global university entrance exam novel, which was sparked purely from catching a single rec post here on tumblr and basically just *falling* into this 166 chapter epic that is *amazing* and not coming up for air until i got to the end, which is typical novel-reading behavior for me (yes i was the kid who read through lunch period and got hassled by people who kept pestering me with "what're you reading" questions and yes i realize probably a lot of you on tumblr were too) plus, the new murderbot novel is out tomorrow!!!!! so that'll be where i end up next!

currently watching: the entire dmbj verse (that i can get my hands on) but ... sporadically and stopping at random different parts because the thing is ... this type of show is not really the kind i enjoy so much? so since it's more for "research" and learning character arcs (and let's be honest: shots of liu sang), etc. it's easy to get distracted by other stuff. i'm also watching the sleuth of the ming dynasty, mr queen, bromance, the expanse, re-watching farscape and stargate sg-1, just finished the falcon and the winter soldier, and then anytime something new and short gets introduced it jumps the queue. there are just. so. many. things. to. watch! (now i have to look into anti-fraud league too!? you all are cruel ...)

what is antipoetry to you: i ... don't really think much about poetry? i know what i prefer is usually the more basic rhymed kind like lewis carroll, emily dickinson, poe, coleridge, etc. so i suppose i don't have much use for classifying non-rhyming verse? i can appreciate stuff like rupi kaur which i guess would qualify? or that william carlos williams plums poem? but it doesn't really stick with me the way lyric-like verse does

currently craving: i never know what exactly this is meant to be in reference to ... hmmm, i would love a new high-concept, high production-quality movie like say, pacific rim, to be released, just for that massive, excited energy that comes with something new that hasn't already got tons of disappointing or conflicting history behind it - that would be so fun!!

other than that, right now, i mostly kinda want some fried fish? but that will have to wait until i go to get my second vaccine shot on wednesday since it's on the way there. i'd also like my internal body parts to settle down and fly right but it's been more than a month and they don't seem inclined :(((( maybe once i'm fully vaxxed i'll think about consulting somebody about it

tagging @foxofninetales @xia-xueyi @momosandlemonsoda @memorydragon @thewindsofsong @elvencantation @mylastbraincql @hesayshesgotboyfriend @aurawolfgirl2000 @smaragdine-galaxy and anyone who wants to! but never feel obligated and if you don't get around to it for like half a year that's totally fine, i am still interested!!!

[scrollthebreakfasttable-blog]

Breakfast with Desi

In today’s social media world, there are two types of art that, in the eyes of many, are oversaturated. In the city of Atlanta a phrase I’ve heard often, and have even used: “throw a rock in any direction and you’ll either hit a photographer or a SoundCloud rapper.” But while I was sitting there, scrolling through her Instagram, I felt nervous, because the woman that was about to sit down with me isn’t just any photographer. I was sitting down with Deseri Rice, one of the best photographers in Atlanta.

To me, Beyonce, Solange, Yara Shahidi, Zendaya, Janelle Monae, Ava DuVernay, Lupita, and Deseri Rice, are top of the list when I think of the phrase Black Girl Magic. Each of these women are trailblazers, visionaries, and undeniable talents. For anyone who ever modeled for Desi, the feeling of being in front of her camera is completely different from other shoots. Normally you’re focused on giving a look, or appearing to follow a certain aesthetic. Desi frees you from that, and is one of the few photographers who truly captures you as you are, as your truest self. After a friendly hug I decided to dive into some questions.

What got you into photography?

I’ve always been into the fashion ads in magazines and editing my profile pics for myspace. It wasn’t until my Intro to Photography class that I discovered it as my passion. After learning the controls I took it and ran with it.

How do you pick your people? Ever turn anybody down that got mad about it?

I feel as if everyone has their own uniqueness about them. It may not be as evident as some but I take it as a challenge. I haven’t really turn anyone away. If it’s not one of my concepts then it’s a paid gig and usually that filters out the ones I’m not creatively connected to. Honestly if my models are passionate about the project and really into it, it always works out. I will say I’ve had a few that aren’t on the same creative plane and I just let that dissolve on its own naturally. But I encourage everyone to find themselves in front of the camera.

Your tag is deseritheartist but every time I hear people talk about you they say “Desi The God”. Why not take that handle?

I’m honored of the title honestly. I don’t mind others calling me that but I rather not call myself a God for personal reasons. I played around with the spelling and still felt uneasy. Also I don’t want others that don’t know me the wrong impression of me calling myself that.

I honestly find this part fascinating. Myself included, ego has always played a major role in the world of entertainment, from the justified confidence of Grammy winners, to has beens like Bow Wow and his lies about private jets. The concept of “fake it ‘till you make it” and showing out for an audience has always seemed extremely important, but from what I can see, faking anything is beyond Desi. She’s real, she’s honest, and she’s kind. That’s a major breath of fresh air, one I think everyone who meets her appreciates. As usual, I start to lose focus after my strawberry pancakes arrive, so I went back to asking questions so I wouldn’t have to do much talking.

At what point in a shoot do you look and go “Oh shit, I did that!”? When do you know you’ve taken the perfect shot?

During photo sessions I get this high feeling like mid session after me and the sitter(s) have warmed up and I just let go. This feeling doesn’t happen every session which doesn’t mean those shots weren’t good but some of my best shots comes from that feeling. It’s like I’ve caught the photo holy ghost lol.That feeling man, I can't explain it. After i see the result from that feeling, that’s always my reaction. I really be in awe sometimes while editing, that’s when it hits me the most.

Top 3 models/celebrities you’d love to shoot?

There’s not many I follow. But i find Kiko Mizuhara, Luka Sabbat, and Kwollem style very intriguing. There’s more but definitely my top three.

Desi laughed when I passed on my idea that a collaboration between herself and Zendaya would probably snatch every wig in existence.

Top 3 magazines you’d love to do a cover shoot for?

There are a few that I’d like to work with like Blanc, MODZIK, and Pause Magazine. I’m actually working on my own, AU COURANT, be on the lookout.

Desi has recently announced that AU COURANT is still in development but a release date has not yet been chosen. Check her social media for updates on that via her instagram @deseritheartist

Cosmo? Essence? Or Vogue?

It would be cool to have a spread in all of these.

For your IG followers, your story is always lit. Seems like you always find the dope events and shows. In Atlanta there’s an event every 10 feet, so what’s your secret to avoiding wackness?

I really love these questions lol I’ve had several people come up to me like “Yo, Des what’s the move?” There’s tons of things to do in Atlanta just gotta be plugged in. If the vibe isn’t right I leave immediately. My secret is follow the DJ’s lol the ones you really like have a following with similar taste and you can never go wrong with the crowd.

One example of this that any follower of Desi’s knows is her friendship with an incredible DJ known as Thrice Groove. Thrice is slowly but surely taking over Atlanta, and Desi has been there to witness the way he dominates a room with his amazing sound.

Top 10 songs on your playlist right now?

Out of a trillion? I flip flop a lot between decades and genres so I revisit a lot like the song just dropped.  Lol in no order.

Blossom Dearie - Ravyn Lenae

Supposed to Say Goodbye - Etta bond & Raf Riley

Pick it Up - Famous Dex

Dam Girl - Frills

Vogue -Full Crate

Mi Gente - J.Balvin & Willy William

Due to Me- Jean Deaux

Distractions I: The opposite sex - Kilo Kish

Hold It Down - Mia Gladstone

Get Money - Michael Da Vinci

Despite my extensive music library I feel a tinge of shame for not recognizing a single name listed, and make a mental note to download every single artist later. Aside from a great photographer’s eye, Desi also has an amazing ear for music, so anything she reccomends is usually dope.

So in today’s social media age, there’s photographers who literally get paid to live with and follow influencers. What’s the dollar amount you’d do that for? Or never ever?

Depends. If i really f with that person’s vision and I have full creative flexibility then I’d do it as long as my living expenses are taken care of. I’ve actually never heard of this.

At this moment I pull of my phone and show her my favorite example, a talented guy out of LA known as Brendan North, who until a few months ago, would follow Logan Paul. With a simple “oh, cool” she goes back to her food.

3 breakfast must haves?

Eggwhite Omelette, all the veggies and pepper jack cheese. Breakfast potatoes with veggies. My mom’s grits with cheese (very particular about my grits)

I laugh a little because while she works her way through her healthy omelette, I’m still waging war on the Colorado Omelette, which is the exact opposite of healthy. If I wanted to I could probably come up with some correlation between her talent, incredible vibe, and responsible eating, but I’d rather pretend there’s unrelated and not give up my Colorado Omelettes.

Last month Desi put on an amazing event called Only On Thursdays. She did one last year that went amazingly well, and this one also did not disappoint. In fact, Breakfast Table has the honor of being one of the vendors. It was the perfect place for artists to represent themselves on an equal, and supportive, playing field.

What is “Only On Thursdays”? Only On Thursday’s originated from me wanted to showcase my work gallery style but also involve the music scene in Atlanta that I want to share with my friends. Also to bring back that portfolio review feel from college. I felt like I lost my creative mojo once I graduated because projects aren’t forced on me anymore. My main goal is bring together everything I love and give local photographers and artist a platform to present their work. Many are scared to take that step. This event is for everyone to get inspired and take that leap. So far I’ve helped maybe 4 artist showcase their talents for the first time and hopefully it doesn’t stop there.

How do you decide what artists to put in your show? I do not do open calls for artist. They are carefully picked by what I believe will flow well with the collection and from whom I gain inspiration. They aren’t super famous artist, they might not have a collection by the time I contact them. Really just your everyday artist coming together for something awesome.

You have this crazy soulful element to your photos, it’s like, you can identify a Desi shot out of a group. So, my last question: Do you realize how dope you are? Lol i’m just me.

I believe with all my heart that someday, Desi herself, and the world, will realize her greatness.

-Amelia

[taz-writes]

25 Writing Questions

@whycanthisnotbeeasier tagged me in this pretty massive tag game, which is pretty cool! Thanks for the attention! Here goes nothing... 

1. Is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

A few of them, for a few reasons! The most obvious is Book 3 in my Feilan series, under the working title Storm and Shadow (it’s edgy I know). Reason being, it just got too damn messy. The end of book 3 is the low point of the whole series in every available subplot--so many things go wrong, a few MASSIVE things happen that are game-changers for book 4, and it’s hands down the most difficult scene I’m going to have to write for this series. When it came down to it, I couldn’t do that. The real end of the story at book 4 wasn’t that clear to me either, which is a major problem. So what I’m doing now is working backwards, a little bit. I’ll return to the Purple Sands once and for all after I’ve tackled book 4 and I know where I’m actually going with this. 

Also, I’ve been delaying work on a few other baby WIPs because they’re just not developed enough to see the light of day yet. But that’s pretty minor. 

2. What work of yours, if any, are you embarrassed about existing?

Uhhhhhh... literally the entirety of the original drafts of books 1 and 2. They’re beautifully-written bullshit. Also there’s some really bad Homestuck fanfiction from six years ago still floating around the Internet somewhere under an old pseudonym of mine. I like to pretend it doesn’t exist. 

3. What order do you write in? Front of book to back? Chronological? Favorite scenes first? Something else?

I like to write front-to-back, which in my case is the same as chronological. I’m a bit of a pants-er, and my outlines often don’t make any sense once I’m actually a few chapters in and I realize that the planned plot point coming next is painfully out of character (or just impossible in general). I tend to use the exciting parts as motivators to get me through when I get writer’s block. 

4. Favorite character you’ve written?

Violet. Hands down, indubitably, Violet Ravenhart. She’s probably the best fictional character I’ve ever created--she has so many layers to her, and she’s so nuanced, and genuine and close to my heart in ways I never expected. I think I’ve done a really great job creating her, and I only hope I can write her as well as she deserves. 

5. Character you were most surprised to end up writing?

Kyrina, I think... she was originally supposed to be something COMPLETELY different than what she’s become. All of my villains used to be really two-dimensional and flat, but Ky’s come the furthest away from there. She used to be an Azula expy? Now she’s just a dumbass. 

6. Something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late / complicated to change now

Part of me wants to say that I’m proud of everything I’ve made, and I do plan to stick to my guns, but there are a lot of aspects of Feilan’s worldbuilding that are incredibly messy. The magic system is the most obvious... if I could go back and change that, and make it significantly less complicated and hard to understand, then I probably would. But the whole thing is built into the structure of the world, and I’m emotionally attached, and besides, it’s unique! It’s definitely got plus sides. 

When it comes to things like that, I’m more likely to retcon or explain the weird thing than erase it altogether. Any dumb trope can work if you write it the right way. 

7. When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

Oh god, I love telling people about my stories. I talk about Being A Writer all the time! I don’t share my work very often, though. 

8. Favorite genre to write

Fantasy!

9. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

I like to take walks, or just go sit alone in places. I draw my spirit and energy in writing from the natural world... when I feel drained and creatively empty, I go to the creek behind my house, or I take a walk around Schenley if I’m at school. It even helps to just sit outside for a while. Nature inspires me. 

10. Write in silence or with background music? Alone or with others?

Depends on the scene! Always alone, though. Other people tend to distract me. I write with background music most of the time, but if I’m working on poetry or the scene is particularly intense then I turn it off. My writing style, especially in emotional moments, is very reliant on the rhythm of the words. Having music in the background interrupts the natural flow. 

11. What aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

DIALOGUE. Dear lord, I used to be so bad at dialogue. I’ve also improved at plotting, but that improvement is... nebulous. 

12. Your weaknesses as an author?

I like tropes, and I also like doing weird stuff. I often like both of these too much, resulting in plots that jump from point to point with little clarity. I’m also a consistent retconner, so my characters’ motivations and goals can change with little to no warning. I’m working on that. 

13. Your strengths as an author?

I’ve been told that my prose has a very strong flow to it, especially in descriptive passages. So for all my faults with the construction of my stories, my actual mechanical writing is consistently excellent. And I’m also a fan of my character concepts, even when I don’t write them out as well as they maybe deserve. 

14. Do you make playlists for your work?

Absolutely! I have spotify playlists for most of my stories and all my main characters. I don’t actually listen to those while I’m writing, I prefer listening to video game music, but making playlists for my writing is a lot of fun. 

15. Why did you start writing?

Because I couldn’t find any books that told stories I wanted to read, so I decided I’d make them myself. I wanted to read stories with characters who dressed like me and thought like me and did amazing things without people questioning it all the time. Also, I wanted stories with fairies who weren’t vapid useless girly-girls. 

16. Are there any characters who haunt you?

Most of them, at some point or another. All of my main characters in Feilan are manifestations of some part of me. I wrote Violet to cope with depression in high school, Dusk came directly from how trapped I felt when my parents wouldn’t listen to anything I said, Sayara is the physical manifestation of righteous fury against the world. So their muses lean pretty hard into me when I start running into those problems again. 

17. If you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

Please use an outline. I know they “cramp your style,” but please, for the love of God, use a freaking outline. And figure out the ending FIRST. 

18. Were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? What were they?

Yes!! Some of those were things I watched more than things I read, but it still counts. I was really into the Redwall books as a kid, and they’re a direct cause of the weird tropiness inherent in my early writing. I think I still favor a lot of cheesy tropes that I learned there--I like to think I write them with more nuance, though. The TV show Avatar was also a MASSIVE influence in how I create stories and characters. I mentioned earlier that Kyrina used to be an Azula expy, but on a larger scale ATLA introduced me to grey morality that works. Zuko’s redemption arc is on a level I strive for to this day. Rick Riordan’s books inspired my character voices, I’ve always liked his humor and his writing showed me that you don’t have to cling so closely to traditional grammar rules to write well. Fullmetal Alchemist was another big influence on my stories’ morality, 

There are probably more, but I don’t remember any right now. 

19. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, etc.?

See: Taz’s greatest flaws as a writer. 

Jokes aside, I like to keep one single print paper outline for each story that I’m working on. I’ll write out notes to myself there, create a chapter-by-chapter outline, and edit things in the outline as I go. They’re a great time capsule of all the things I’ve retconned over the course of my series. Recently I’ve also started using Evernote to track things digitally, but I’m still figuring out how it works. 

20. Do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

Both! Depends on the day. I write when I have the spark and the attention span, and I write for however long it lasts. 

21. What do you think when you read over your older work?

Some of my old work is actually quite good! So I’ll appreciate that for what it is. The parts that are less good I laugh at, and I’ll send excerpts to my friends going “hey look at this ridiculous bullshit I created three years ago isn’t it funny??” 

22. Are there subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

Yeah. There are a lot of uncomfortable things lurking on the periphery of Feilan that I’m super awkward with. Violet’s trans-ness is the main one that comes to mind, because I want to confirm it in canon but there’s really no way she would ever bring it up of her own volition. Sayara’s too stupid to notice anything and definitely wouldn’t be rude enough to ask about it if she did. There’s also, well, the fa Viandre situation. I’ve avoided going into too much detail about the abuse there, but every situation with Dusk and fa Viandre gives me the willies. I write it because I think it’s important, and it’s a powerful arc, but it’s fucked up. 

More generally? Sex scenes are uncomfortable to write in general for me, I don’t mind reading them but writing them is super awkward. Romance in general can be that way sometimes. I just don’t know how to handle it. 

23. Any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

I don’t know if there’s anything obscure, necessarily. I think being a musician helped my writing improve, because I’m very sensitive to what Sounds Good, and with poetry especially it’s become more of an instinct than conscious knowledge. 

24. Have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

I wouldn’t say I’ve ever become an expert on anything in the interest of research, but I’ve become moderately proficient with a few things. I’m in the process of learning everything I can about conlangs so that I can finally give all my made-up words some internal consistency, so that’s cool. I took a couple group fencing lessons. I’m pretty lazy about my research, honestly, and when I don’t already know something I lean towards just making it up from wholecloth. 

25. Copy / paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of.

I knelt by the crack, peering into it, hoping, even as the desperate stillness grew stronger and the silence did not change and time almost seemed to stop.

Cool starlight slid like molten silver through the shimmering gaps in the trees, sinking into the world around me. This cool starlight illuminated everything: the pocks and picks in ancient stone, and the knife-point edges of blades of growing grass, and the dust that had settled upon the little hiding place and the child’s bones it hid. 

-

This is an old excerpt, from my newer draft of book 2. I think I wrote this almost exactly two years ago. I’m rather fond of it, though. This is Feilan’s aesthetic in a nutshell. 

This was an essay at the end, but also a tag game, so... @jade-island-lives @firewritten @thewingwriter @lady-redshield-writes, if yall wanna do this, go for it! No obligation of course. :) Anyone else who sees this and thinks it’s cool, feel free to do it and say I tagged you, too! 

[dylawa]

Having Lived and Loved: The Playlist (Part 3)

Here is Part 3 to my HLAL Playlist description series! The purpose of this post is to put all the important songs in one place, as well as add descriptions for where they fit in, and my reasoning as such. I’ll put it all under a Read More of course.

The series is split up since I can only share five videos per post, so expect more to come, and know you’re entering in media-res if you haven’t read the first post! I will also mention, there will be more songs in the playlist than there are directly mentioned in this series of posts. That is because the playlist will include all songs related to the chapters’ titles, not just the ones that have significance character/story-line wise. Links to all parts and the full playlist are at the bottom of the post!

For this part, we’ll be focusing on character-specific pieces (for members of Comet’s agency, in particular), not just story songs! For obvious reasons, All Might will not be included, but if you really want me to assign a song to him, let me know! In the meantime, strap in!

Comet: “Four” -- Sleeping At Last

Now, as a disclaimer: there are dozens of songs I wish I could assign Comet all in this one post, and maybe I’ll make a separate playlist for that! But for now, we have this one selected piece, and this is for my personal interpretation of Comet-- feel free to assign her whatever song you think fits best for your own version (Psst, in fact, I encourage you to send them to me)!

Bodies fashioned out of dirt and dust For a moment we get to be glorious Ice sculptures adorned in light Sand castles built tall in between the tides Maybe I'm hiding behind metaphor Maybe my heart needs to break to be sure One day I'll wear it all on my sleeve The insignificant with the sacred unique

Now, Ryan O’Neal’s “Atlas: Year Two” project encompasses all personality types on the Enneagram type test (which is more like an astrology type thing than anything actually based in science, similar to the Myers-Briggs test), and this is what a four is described as:

“Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity.

At their Best: inspired and highly creative, they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.

Basic Fear: That they have no identity or personal significance

Basic Desire: To find themselves and their significance (to create an identity).”

Seems Comet-esque to me!

Next, I’ll pick a song for our resident mechanic and armor-tech, Ayane!

Ayane: “Akkala Ancient Laboratory” -- Breath of the Wild

Now, I would like everyone to know, I DID NOT base Ayane’s design off of Purah from Breath of the Wild! That being said, they share... a lot of undeniable similarities. Fan art of all HLAL characters will becoming eventually, but for reference, Ayane is also short (think Gran-Torino height), has white hair, side shaved and tied into a ponytail, and her goggles most definitely give her the same big-eyed look as Purah. Unlike Purah, however, she actually looks her age, crows feet and all. The woman is not young, my friends.

I would be remiss to gloss over the fact that Ayane and Purah also share a similar bubbly and scientific personality, and are constantly working on a new project of some kind (either to the joy or dismay of their acquaintances). It’s for this reason that, instead of seeking out some other technologically-sounding song, I decided one of the laboratory themes from BotW would fit best.

I’m kinda flipping Purah the bird by using the Akkala lab theme instead of Hateno, but it just fits better overall.

Modi-Mutation (Mod): “Natural” -- Imagine Dragons

Not so fun fact about Mod; I... don’t have a name for him yet. So I’m going to fix that right now! Let’s see... Rin Masashi. Rin meaning cold and disciplined, and Masashi meaning, basically (and I mean basically), “leader’s will”. Cool! Moving on.

Mod doesn’t necessarily want to be the Number One Hero, but he’s still clearly passionate about his work, and desires to work alongside only the best of the best. Anything less would slow him down, and prevent him from doing his job properly, in his eyes. Therefore, it’s absolutely necessary to surround himself with competent heroes. Being hired on by Shimuzu, aka The Boss, was equally a dream come true and a skeptical circumstance, given her questionable past, but her power was something Mod could not ignore.

All that being said, he doesn’t have an issue with inexperienced or low power heroes being in the industry itself... he just doesn’t want anything to do with them for himself. Which is almost just as bad as the alternative.

Ichiro: “Intriguing Possibilities” -- The Social Network

First, I’m going to get just a little vulgar here: fuck Mark Zuckerberg. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, this soundtrack slaps, and has the overall aura of “progress at a price,” as well as sounding both technological and other-worldly. The morality and ethical nature of Ichiro’s use of his Quirk is... foggy, at best, depending on your interpretation of what the concept of a human soul-- or, really, any soul-- encompasses. I don’t feel like I did the concept enough justice in WWICB, but I did what I could with what I had, and I hope I explained my thoughts on it well enough to make sense and to make a good, if not valid, point.

Funnily enough, if you think about it, Ichiro’s Quirk is closer to something of a poltergeist than it is to anything technological in nature, but as a result of his upbringing, he was inspired to use his Quirk towards electronics instead of, say, plants, or furniture. The possibility is absolutely there, the only issue is, if the item in question doesn’t have its own form of locomotion or communication... well, that would be a pretty crappy fate, and even a mindless, heartless soul doesn’t deserve that kind of life.

The boy may now be a man of science, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand morality. It may just take him a nudge here or there to remember his own humanity.

And, finally, we move on to the leader of the agency’s operations.

The Boss: “Thirty Three” -- Smashing Pumpkins

Speak to me in a language I can hear Humor me before I have to go Deep in thought I forgive everyone As the cluttered streets greet me once again

I know I can't be late, supper's waiting on the table Tomorrow's just an excuse away So I pull my collar up and face the cold, on my own

Manami Shimizu has lead a tumultuous life. I’ve hinted at it here and there throughout the series, but now I’m going to be spelling it out, mostly because I haven’t seen anyone else comment on it. Practically nothing is known about her childhood, as it’s something she never speaks about, and only marginally more is known about her time as a criminal. The main factor everyone knows, is she became very influential in her sphere of activity, rising the ranks of her own criminal organization to become its leader in short time. This was only stopped when a very young All Might stepped in to handle the reality-ripper/borrower himself.

When Shimizu was offered a second chance, no one expected it, least of all Shimizu herself. After all, second chances were non-existent throughout the course of her life thus far. However, All Might knew her power was valuable, almost as much as her will and her heart, powerful and brave. What was even more surprising than that act of mercy, was the fact that Shimizu took it. So, almost overnight, Shimizu changed from being one of the fastest rising villains Japan had seen, to becoming a hero who knew villains from the inside out almost better than any other, and she dived into the role willingly. She was given her agency after the previous owner retired, and from there, she has created one of the most efficient hero agencies in Japan.

Despite all of this improvement, of course, it makes sense that one cannot always fully leave behind the life they once knew. Even if her actions today translate into nothing that could be related to her old gang, the memories are still there, in the corners of her mind; the things she fought for then, and how they have changed her now.

Ultimately, all she wants, all she has ever wanted, is for life to be better. Even back in the day, that was her ultimate goal; a better life, a happier life. It’s impossible to strive for perfection, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try, even if she has to do so on her own.

And that concludes this third post regarding members of the hero agency we’ve come to know and love! Next post, we’ll go over non-agency characters, some beloved, and some a little less known!

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Full Playlist]

[theparaminds]

If you asked Claud a year ago where their life would lead, their uncertainty would be as strong as the talent they were just beginning to tap into. Yet now, they stand in a position of newfound confidence and self-certainty. It wasn’t an easy task, requiring the output of a thoughtful EP, constant personal reflection and the difficulty of acclimating to newfound environments and individuals. But as hard as it all was, the results have been, simply, magical. 

Claud revealed to themseelf, bit by bit, the unique individuality that was waiting for its moment to shine. They no longer felt compelled to travel in any artistic direction, instead, traveling in one completely their own. By bringing together both bright musicianship and hopeful lyricism, as they’ve always envisioned, they have truly articulated themself musically.

Ultimately, Claud has solved much of their past confusions. Little can take them off course, little can extinguish the creative fire burning brighter than ever. Certain doors are open for the first time, ideas seem endlessly inspiring and passion seems undying with every sunset. The puzzle to their life and art has finally come together, now all that’s left to do is share it with the anxiously excited world. 

Our first question as always is just how’s your day going and how have you been?

My day is good, I had a late start because of a show last night, but honestly, other than that it's good.

A great place to start is the last whirlwind of a year you’ve had which set up and built the foundation for a lot of what’s going on for you now. You’ve talked about a big part of that being moving to New York and going to college for the first time, how did you find the change to influence your artistry and you as an individual?

I went to college as a freshman at Syracuse, and in moving there I was coming from an art school, and before was in Chicago. It felt like a big change and it really did end up being a massive city for me. I got lucky with meeting great friends right away on the first day, ones who I stayed close with me all year. As a place, It was good for the time being.

But also you were recently in LA for a bit, taking in the area and all it encompasses. Within that trip, what was that time like for you and what was the impression it left upon you?

After Syracuse I lived in NY for a bit, then once my friends left for the summer I moved to LA. It was meant to be only temporary and I just wanted to check it out as I have family there, a lot of great friends too. Ultimately, I found a great community here in NY so I decided to move back, I like moving around a lot and didn’t want to settle in one place, yet.

Another large moment that year was dropping your EP, which was the biggest thing in getting the ball rolling. How do you reflect on the project and the experience as a whole? Do you remember the reception you expected and the feeling when it kept growing in audience and acclaim?

That EP is just so special to me. I made it made with my best friend as a friendship project. We started with the song Onetwothree, just about a year ago, it was just a first single and watching people enjoy it was an amazing feeling because we loved it even more so. I put out music before, but nothing I loved as much as the EP’s songs. I guess I believe that if you put a lot of love into something, you’ll get love out of it.

Going from putting those songs you didn't like on SoundCloud at first, then turning to this project which you found peace within, what changed for you and what did you have to find within yourself?

It took a lot of personal changes. Just coming to terms with myself and going by Claud again. My sound as an artist was coming together at the same time, it was a very natural growth. I feel like I’m still growing a lot, but the EP marks a really specific moment in my life.

Looking forward, what are in your mind, the largest and most important milestones you hope to hit and achieve?

I really want to tour a lot and meet a lot of people. And, my biggest goal is to make sure I have people want to hear me play as much as I want to play for them.

If money were no object, where would be your dream location to play a live show?

I really want to go to Asia and Japan specifically. They fell so far away and going for a reason, not just for fun, would be amazing.

As well, what developments do you hope to make artistically and what skills are you looking to hone in your craft?

I want to focus more on my songwriting. I've been with a lot of producers and I want to experiment and play with new concepts. If I want a pop song, I need a pop song with my own voice. It's fun to try more and more ideas and subgenres.

Through this time of personal growth and creation, what artists have you found yourself most inspired by and pulling from?

A lot of the Terrible Records artists I work with. I also love Blood orange and every song on his new album. Super into Super Organisms, gosh so much. I actually just made a Spotify playlist that was only supposed to have 30 songs, but I couldn’t stop adding more and more.

Taking it back to your first time getting into music, how do you compare your current influences to early ones and do you believe it shows part of the growth you’ve been through and are experiencing?

I definitely think the music I listen to has been a big part of my own development, I was weirdly into singer-songwriter music more than anything. Part of it probably came from when I went to an arts boarding school in Northern Michigan in the middle of nowhere. When you’re in a space like that you end up following that style. Because I listened to a lot of singer-songwriter music, I was shaped as a person, but not as an artist. But in college I started listening with a different ear, really expanding what I heard.

Through that beginning time, what were the biggest challenges you had to overcome to get those first songs out and to keep going?

I grew up in a very mainstream area that was difficult to be an individual within. Hive mind type environment in terms of entertainment and creativity. It made sense as to why I didn’t branch out with my early music. I'm just grateful for the friends I met who showed me what I could be.

Beyond music, which is obviously a place of inspiration for artists such as yourself, do you find yourself enjoying or drawing from other artistic mediums?

Honestly, I’m very into movements. It's an art form I love beyond others. It keeps me motivated. I don't love going to the gym, but I’m learning to skateboard and I did gymnastics when younger. I love seeing the body become an art form. I always loved dancing even though I’m shit at it.

Are there motions you find your music to be tailored to or ones you are trying to speak towards?

I really like the way people say that they enjoy my music on long walks and drives. Those everyday movements that I can choreograph with my sound is really beautiful. The production style I like is very rhythmic in a subtle everyday kind of way. It won't catch you off guard but will just fit your movement.

Would you say that’s part of your overall larger goal? To create a soundtrack to people’s ups and downs? Or is there something beyond that?

It changes a lot. Right now, just being present is the most important thing to me, standing my ground. There’s a lot of musicians, but I truly see the value and necessity in myself. And I guess there's not one specific message other than that I'm ‘here’.

Going forward in time to the present day, another thing you did through this last year was touring, as you said. And even currently you’re doing so. In your eyes, how do you compare the live experience to recording and a file, what do you feel towards it?

I love playing live shows. If I can't see my songs translate live then there’s not always worth in putting it out. I don't really get excited about a song until I can see myself perform it live.

Why is that though? Why do you see an importance in creating music that exists in both spaces?

It’s the best way to communicate with people… [Pause]... Oh my God… There’s such a big spider on my wall…

Oh my, are you okay?

Yeah yeah, I’ll be fine. But it’s just about connecting with people and sharing the new form of expression that does not exist in the record.

Through your life and time touring and just as a music fan, what’s been the best shows you’ve been able to see and be a part of?

At my first tour, with Triathalon and The Marias, I only saw 6 shows but every single time they both performed very different, yet inspiring. They just have ‘it’, they know exactly who they are and what they want to express. The confidence motivated me to be the same and to up my game.

You talked early of being inspired by songwriters, which makes sense considering your strong ability with complex lyrics and themes. Where from your life and art, in general, do you draw for your lyrics and ideas?

I just keep a running note in my phone of phrases I hear or think of, so when I sit to write I will begin or find inspiration within them. I recently started looking at my notes from when I was 15, finding out what was 15 year old Claud thinking on February 3rd, or seeing times I was in a relationship and reliving my feelings and thoughts from back then. All those past experiences shape what I say today.

You’re very brave for looking at stuff you did at 15, I could never do that, It’s honestly so terrifying.

[Laughs] I found one recently that said: “Write a song about feeling bubbly and pitch it to the Soda Company”. Like, what soda company was I even thinking about? It just said The Soda Company. Was I planning to call Mr. Coca Cola himself?

Did you find you've changed a lot and always shifted since you were young back then, or do you feel you kept your essence as an individual?

I feel like it depends on who you ask. If you ask my family they'll say I'm the same as always, the same eccentric human who somehow ended up in our family. They often say they bought me in a grocery store [laughs. I think my essence is still there, but I feel but it will keep developing.

What's, ultimately, the biggest mark and legacy with the music you're making that you desire to build and be satisfied in creating?

I don't know, I'm only just at the beginning. But to me, I would say I want to teach people to value their individuality, It was something I felt I wasn't always doing, but now that I am, I want to share the feeling with others, as it’s really amazing. I'm still learning, it's a process, but it's great just to be finally working towards it.

Follow Claud on Instagram and Twitter

Listen on Spotify and Soundcloud

[templified]

Best WordPress Events Themes | Templified

New Post has been published on https://templified.com/best-wordpress-events-themes/

Best WordPress Events Themes

We’ve created another new list, this time it’s WordPress events themes, so if you’re planning an event, whether it’s a birthday bash, album release party, bachelor or bachelorette soiree, you need a theme that has the features and functionality you’re looking for.  These themes in this list are also great for concerts, sporting events, business conferences and more.  With business conferences gaining popularity every day, more and more folks find themselves working to promote and organize those conferences from the ground up.  That means you need a website, but if your expertise is in planning the event, managing the day to day process, creating a website can be a time consuming process.  That’s why a premium WordPress event theme cal help save you time and money.

PresentUp

This is an adorable theme that explores new territory. It’s a glorious and righteous WordPress theme of the sparkling design and it has 47 Lamborghinis in its Lamborghini design account. Or something like that. I really do think that it’s a fun and fresh way to create a web page.  All the demo content is included, the designs are fresh and clean, simple and elegant.  For events, this theme helps you do it up right.

This template offers a wealth of features that make it one of the best events templates out there. It’s got events countdowns, tons of contact forms and more. If you are a voracious WordPress consumer, you may really make use of this template. That’s not just a rhetorical statement.

We are still working on Gathering up enough events themes to build a full collection but in the meantime, we do have some other templates that we highly recommend that could be useful to you and you can find those listed below.  Hopefully, you can found something helpful in this collection.  We’ll be back with more very soon.

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Meeting

Looking for a proper theme to help you announce events, but couldn’t seem to find one? Well, Meeting may just be what you need—and more! Meeting is a WordPress theme that’s designed specifically for events, meetings, meet-ups, summits, workshops, and the like. Created with a professionally written code base, the amazing thing about this is that it is a One-Page theme—which means that depending on the event, you can occasionally change it—so that the people who would visit the “events page” would not be confused. The great thing about this theme is that its visual composer is actually award-winning—which means that you can use over 40 coding elements to create your events page, even if you know nothing about codes!

With the help of Meeting, your imagination would be your limit when it comes to designing and styling your site. With its one-page dynamic menu, you can be sure that providing your followers with information would be easier and more manageable—because you’d be able to provide them with something that won’t need so much attention from them, which could work for you as most people these days have seriously low attention span. An amazing event countdown button is also around—helping you create that much needed sense of importance and urgency that can help make sure people would patronize your events. It also has social icons that make way for easy sharing and promotion of the event; optimized load speed, so that disseminating information would be easy; Tickera integration, which makes ticket-purchasing easy, and even a Google Map interaction that could help people know where the event will be held, how to get there, and the like. Finished with an extremely useful subscribe form + a Twitter and Instagram feed integration, you can be sure that your readers would need to learn more about your business—and your events, too!

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Moments

Whether you’re an engaged couple, an event planner, or a wedding entrepreneur, this theme was designed with you in mind. Moments is a stylish and versatile WordPress blog theme that offers several choices of elegantly designed homepages. It’s highly customizable so you can match it with your or your business’s personality. Its strongest points are the powerful admin interface and the broad collection of layouts and pages. Zero knowledge in coding? No worries. This theme doesn’t require you to have any. In just one click, your site can get the exact same look that you see in the demo. Visitors of your page will benefit from the sleek page transitions, retina ready feature, and interactive infographics. For engaged couples who wish to create wedding websites, Moments come with a Guestbook feature, elegant invitation templates, and a pattern for an RSVP contact form.

Weddings are made more beautiful with attention to detail. The same truth applies to websites. With Moments, you get to choose between multiple header designs and actions, loader icons, and side area types. More prettifying yet useful features include the parallax sections, video background sections, custom fonts, and custom sidebars. This way, you can make a website that’s uniquely yours. The attention-grabbing Fullscreen menu works to assist the visitors in immediately understanding what your page is about. Whether you’re announcing your impending nuptials, selling bridal products, or offering your services to engaged couples, you’ll want to bring attention to your photographs. The Mega Menu makes it easy for your virtual guests to locate your gallery, your slider portfolio, and your blog posts. Maximize your rich blog content and promotions by taking advantage of Moments’ Twitter and Instagram feed widgets, Pinterest Portfolio list layout, and Related Posts functionality. What makes this theme truly ideal for wedding vendors is that it’s SEO Optimized and WooCommerce Integrated which means you can turn your page views to revenues without breaking a sweat.

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GoodLife

Like the name implies, the Good Life WordPress theme offers everything you need to stay happy when creating your online presence. Stop struggling with old or complicated templates that are not only difficult to work with but deliver an end result that is less than stunning. This theme offers modern style, the latest technology in page creation and an incredibly user-friendly backend that lets even people with no development knowledge whatsoever build, organize and edit pages with ease. The Good Life WP theme comes complete with several premade demo pages that represent popular industries online: music, blogging, fashion and sports among others. Next, select your favorite style of header from the three creative designs packaged with this theme. On the intuitive control panel, you can easily make more changes to the existing pages. The Good Life WordPress theme comes packaged with Ajax pagination abilities, video playlist elements and over $140 worth of premium plug-ins.

This is truly a complete package of all the tools you need to build an impressive website. With the Good Life WordPress theme, you get a powerful search engine optimization tool called Rankie, a plug-in that allows you to build quizzes and questionnaires to increase page stickiness and get feedback from your visitors and more. People who do have development experience will appreciate the included PSD files. A live preview is available so you can check out all the great features that make the Good Life WordPress theme an excellent choice for your online presence.

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Mercurial

Mercurial is the simplest way to build your new website fast and easy! With its pre-made custom shortcodes, you will be able to create beautiful typographic effects, insert portfolios, skill bars, clients logos, social sharing icons, awesome sliders, pricing tables, build up incredible team pages, or even add your twitter feed in just seconds. This theme is perfect for freelancers, companies, product presentation, events, photographers, or why not even a non-conformistic bloger. Build up your new site however you like by inserting backgrounds or using just simple page colors, set the page dimensions to fullscreen or leave it to content height size, play with colors or font combinations etc. What are you waiting for? Go on and buy it! This theme will change your conceptions about creating a website.

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Eden

EDEN is powerful WordPress theme, powered by Qode Slder, with it’s responsive fixed height image or full screen image with dissolve or parallax animations to create cool transitions.  For each slide you can actually decide if the header should be light or dark, which is a level of control that’s nice to have.  There are fully customizable headers, mega-menu and more.  This is a retina multi-purpose WordPress theme with a boat-load of amazing features.  Great for a corporate or personal blog, especially one that highlights events and entertainment.  We really like the video section backgrounds too, which are a surprising and fun touch, something to liven your site up.  This theme, like many, is powered by Visual Composer, so you can drag and drop your way to a new layout in a very short amount of time.  That design flexibility is nice when you need a quick change up to your site’s look.

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Sarraty

Sarraty is multi-purpose responsive and retina ready WordPress theme with tons of features and elements to help you build your website in minutes, it’s built the way you love and we promise that you will say “Wow” after purchasing it, the flexibility of the theme will amaze you, with our powerful options panel you can almost turn on or off every feature in the theme and use the features you need to get the most from Sarraty, and the advanced page builder will make you use your creativity to build any page and give it any look you want. you have unlimited ways to build your website. and everything has been optimised well just for you and your customers.

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Massive Dynamic

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[perspectief1]

“Ode to Joy” Movie Review From A Person Living with Narcolepsy with Cataplexy

The blog article “Ode to Joy” Movie Review From A Person Living with Narcolepsy with Cataplexy Read more on: https://www.perspectief.org

Today, the new feature film, Ode to Joy opens in select theaters (in New York and Los Angeles) and releases via video on demand across the United States. Ode to Joy is a movie about a man, Charlie (played by Martin Freeman) navigating romance while living with narcolepsy with cataplexy.

I was not involved in the development or filming of this movie, but I’ve been interested since the film was announced in 2011, based on the This American Life segment “I’m Fallen In Love and I Can’t Get Up.” This past April, I attended a showing of Ode to Joy at the Phoenix Film Festival, with Project Sleep board member, Ed Sweet.

As President & CEO of Project Sleep, seeing the film as soon as possible was important to me. Representations of narcolepsy in film provide valuable insight into public perceptions and understanding of the condition. For many individuals, cinematic depictions of narcolepsy may be their only exposure to the symptoms. Thus, patient-driven organizations like Project Sleep, along with narcolepsy advocates and medical professionals, will all benefit from being aware of movie portrayals and joining the conversation as much as possible.

As a person living with narcolepsy with cataplexy myself, I was nervous to see the film. Generally, I close my eyes when clinicians play videos of cataplexy at conferences. Also, I have a short YouTube playlist of other people’s cataplexy episodes and inevitably, tears stream down my face watching these.

Going into seeing the film for the first time, my burning questions were:

1.) How will the movie depict and describe cataplexy?  2.) How will the movie depict and describe narcolepsy? 3.) How will it depict treatment? 4.) How will it depict the condition’s impact on life?  5.) Will there be resources exemplified during the film or offered at the end? 6.) Will the film help to raise awareness and/or reduce stigma? 7.) Will I find the movie funny?

Here are my responses. WARNING: from this point on, this post contains spoilers.

1.) How will the movie depict and describe cataplexy?

Physical manifestations:  I was curious to see how Martin Freeman might act out cataplexy on camera. Cataplexy is such a unique form of muscle weakness/paralysis that can be so sudden and jerky, even I find it hard to “re-enact” on purpose, even having lived with it for over 14 years now.

The physical manifestations of cataplexy in Ode to Joy ranged from accurate (i.e. a knee-buckling and crumbling inward/downward to the ground) to inaccurate (i.e. rigid plank tumbling backward). I would love to know how Freeman prepared for this role – what examples he studied and what instructions or coaching he received.

Cataplexy descriptions: The film opens with a definition of cataplexy appearing on screen. From here, cataplexy is defined about 5-8 times throughout the film by various characters. These descriptions ranged from accurate (doctor’s description) to inaccurate (with the brother saying multiple times that emotions make his brother “pass out.”) 

The opening definition and film synopsis describe cataplexy as a “rare disorder.” Cataplexy is a symptom of narcolepsy, a neurological condition affecting 1 in 2,000, or about 3 million people worldwide.

Emotional triggers: Charlie’s biggest emotional trigger for his cataplexy is “joy.” So, what is joy? This seemed to include: romantic feelings, witnessing acts of love or kindness, seeing babies and puppies, and thinking fondly of a beloved passed relative.

These triggers both resonated with me and didn’t at the same time. For me, my cataplexy’s triggers are much more situational depending on layers of irony, human connection and communication. For example, I don’t think just any cute puppy would cause me to have cataplexy, but if I saw a cute puppy that was a doppelgänger of my childhood poodle, Clifford, and I tried communicating about this, this might cause cataplexy. 

Romantic feelings is an interesting one. As I describe here, sexual excitement/orgasm triggered my cataplexy before I started treatment, but this was more of the actual “getting busy” – than just thinking about “getting busy.” (Sorry for talking about my sex life, mom!)

While triggers do vary from person to person, this paper describes the most common triggers as: laughing excitedly, making a sharp minded remark, telling a joke, and before reaching the punchline of a joke. I mention this because there were a couple scenes involving “witty banter” that felt like big cataplexy triggers to me, yet Charlie had none. I’ll be curious if others notice these scenes!

Avoiding cataplexy: Throughout the movie, we watch Charlie try to self-regulate his thoughts to avoid “joy.” His tactics included listening to serious music (resonated), thinking of tragic world events (resonated less), and putting thumbtacks in his shoes on a date (ouch! nope!). However, there is a lot of truth to the concept of trying to self-regulate thoughts and emotions to avoid cataplexy.

Toward the beginning of the movie, we follow Charlie on a walk to work, watching him attempt to keep himself “in check” emotionally. The almost video game-like quality of this scene felt extremely accurate to me as a snapshot of what it is like to navigate space on the verge of severe cataplexy. In my memoir, I described a similar experience: 

“I walked slowly along the concrete sidewalk toward the hotel, the weakness was strong and close, waiting to push the ‘release’ button and drop me. 

I kept my head down, walking through the hotel lobby and into the elevator. On the ride to the 10th floor, we were silent. When the elevator stopped, I existed first and focused my gaze on the crimson red carpet. When I turned the corner onto the final stretch to our rooms, I reached into my purse for my key card, thinking ‘I’m almost there! I made it!’

The small satisfaction flipped the switch. I collapsed with my torso over my legs.” –Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy (pg.  146)

Consciousness during cataplexy: Due to some of the cataplexy depictions and descriptions, I believe viewers will get the impression that emotions cause Charlie to fall asleep or “pass out.”

Remaining consciousness during cataplexy is a key factor that helps doctors distinguish cataplexy from other falling-type episodes like seizures or fainting. During a full-body episode of cataplexy, the individual is still conscious and aware of their surroundings, even if unable to move or speak for a few seconds up to a few minutes.

I do think that, by the audience getting the impression that Charlie is falling asleep or passing out during cataplexy, this makes cataplexy seem more light-hearted than the real-life experience.  For me, remaining consciousness in a paralyzed body is part of what makes full-body cataplexy so terrifying. The scene from my memoir above continues to describe this:

“I wasn’t sure I was okay, but I wanted to tell them I was ‘there.’ I couldn’t breathe well in this hunched position. I tried inhaling deeper but even this was out of my control. Could I suffocate?

Experiencing life through a pinhole of consciousness alone, without any physicality to back it up, I was so far  from myself and wondered which shore I was closer to — life or death?”  – Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy (pg.  146)

2.) How will the movie depict and describe narcolepsy?

I believe narcolepsy is mentioned once or twice in Ode to Joy, but I don’t think it’s explained that cataplexy is one of five major symptoms of narcolepsy— and that the other symptoms include: excessive daytime sleepiness, hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and disrupted nighttime sleep. 

The Basic Symptoms of Narcolepsy Explained!

Watch this video on YouTube.

The film’s focus on cataplexy appears to be a “poetic license” departure from reality. One cannot have cataplexy without having narcolepsy (except in extremely rare cases of cataplexy secondary to other very serious neurological conditions like Niemann-Pick type C and Prader Willi Syndrome). Interestingly, individuals can have a form of narcolepsy that does NOT include cataplexy, this is called “type 2 narcolepsy without cataplexy.”

3.) How will it depict treatment?

One medication is mentioned early in the film, but Charlie expresses having intolerable side effects. I got the impression he was not using traditional treatment options, instead opting for unconventional strategies (like the thumbtacks, ouch!). I would’ve loved to see Charlie move toward more optimal management during the film, perhaps inspired by his love for Francesca… Perhaps realizing that accepting help is a form of bravery, not weakness.

It is important for viewers to know that there is no cure for narcolepsy, but treatment options are available today and can reduce symptoms of narcolepsy with cataplexy. Treatment for symptom management varies widely by person and it can take a long time to find an optimal combination.

4.) How will it depict the condition’s impact on life? 

Almost everything we learn about Charlie’s motivations seems tied to avoiding joy to avoid cataplexy — from his choice of profession to his monotone wardrobe. Audiences will get the impression that cataplexy severely impacts Charlie’s life. (See more on this point in the stigma section below.)

The exploration of cataplexy’s impact on Charlie’s relationships was one of the more intriguing aspects of Ode to Joy for me. These dynamics stood out: 

In the hospital, when Charlie and Francesca finally talk about his cataplexy, Francesca laughs and Charlie replies twice to say, “It’s serious.” I wanted Francesca to take his condition seriously, yet this awkward imperfect interaction did speak true to my experience of getting inappropriate responses (usually people laugh more upon learning I have narcolepsy, not so much when learning about my cataplexy, although occasionally someone jokes that they will “be careful not to be too funny.” I smile and nod, since at least the person is listening, which I appreciate.)

Charlie’s brother, Cooper, seems to look out for him throughout to film, and I loved this dynamic. I smiled during the scene when the doctor tells Francesca that Charlie has a “serious condition,” and Cooper interjects something like, “some might call it a cute character quirk” to spin the news more positively. Also, the scene toward the end when Cooper described kids laughing. This was heart-felt moment that had me in tears (before the cataplexy tumbling over railing sequence that left me scratching my head).

I liked how Charlie’s experience made him empathetic about other people’s illnesses. I think many people with narcolepsy feel that their experience has made them more empathetic and able to talk about “tough stuff.”

5.) Will there be resources exemplified throughout or offered at the end of the movie?

We see Charlie interact with a doctor who seems familiar with his case (hopefully a neurologist or a sleep specialist). I did not notice other resources mentioned or exemplified during the film or offered at the end.

However, Project Sleep’s Ode to Joy webpage lists important resources and we were thrilled to work with the film’s team to add a resource page on the movie’s website (under development).

6.) Will the film help to raise awareness and/or reduce stigma?

Raising awareness: Well, this is a huge question worthy of a post at a later time. My opinion, at this point, is that this film will raise some significant awareness about cataplexy because of the focus on the emotional triggers, something the general public knows so little about. I believe that if I had seen this film back when I was experiencing mysterious “knee buckling with laughter” and “my head falling back during sex,” there might have been just enough accurate aspects included in this film to inspire me to google cataplexy and find “narcolepsy with cataplexy.” 

In the very big picture, if people currently think that narcolepsy = falling asleep while standing or in the middle of a conversation, I think people who see this film may think cataplexy = a version of narcolepsy in which strong emotions lead to falling asleep. Is this an advancement? I’m not sure, time will tell.

Reducing stigma: I do not believe this film will reduce stigma for those living with the condition. Situations vary greatly from person to person, but I think it is safe to say that Charlie’s experience is not “in the middle of a wide range” example, especially with  the current treatments available in the U.S. in 2019. His experience felt more typical of someone navigating cataplexy before finding his diagnosis. 

Also, as I mentioned earlier, almost everything we know about Charlie seems related to avoiding cataplexy.  While this shows that the condition majorly impacts his life, I don’t think we learn enough else about Charlie to help us foster empathy and understanding on a more basic human level. I can explain more about this another time.

7.) Will I find the film funny?

In my opinion, the movie was very funny at certain parts. The supporting actress Melissa Rauch stole the show for me. Basically, because Charlie is getting cataplexy every time he’s around the hot female lead, his brother suggests Charlie try to date someone more…. “pleasant” who doesn’t get him quite so excited, and that is Melissa Rauch’s character, as a “pleasant” lady Charlie tries dating.  To me, she knocks this role out of the park.  

A lot of the other humor revolves around sexual stuff and Charlie avoidance of happiness. The final two depictions of cataplexy in the movie got a lot of laughs in the theater but for whatever reason, those two examples were not funny to me and left me disheartened at the end. 

Looking back, here are the five things I wish Ode to Joy viewers knew about narcolepsy with cataplexy:

1.) Cataplexy is sudden episodes of muscle weakness often triggered by emotions like humor, surprise, or anger. The severity of these episodes vary from a slight knee buckling or neck weakness to falling to the ground for a few seconds to several minutes. During a cataplexy episode, the person remains fully conscious and aware of their surroundings, even if unable to speak or move. 

2.) Importantly, cataplexy is a major symptom of narcolepsy, a chronic neurological condition that involves other symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness – that can result in difficulty focusing and maintaining alertness, along with sleep paralysis and confusing hallucinations when falling asleep or waking up.  And some people have a form of narcolepsy without cataplexy.

3.) Treatments are available and can reduce symptoms of cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness. Approaches to treatment vary by person and it can take a while to find an optimal combination. 

4.) Narcolepsy can be hard to detect but help is out there. If you think that you or a loved one may be experiencing symptoms of narcolepsy with cataplexy, please consult a board-certified sleep specialist. Locate a AASM Accredited Sleep Center.

5.) Charlie is not alone! People living with narcolepsy are everywhere, as the condition affects 1 in 2000 people, including about 200,000 Americans and 3 million people worldwide, including many children.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Your voice matters!

In conclusion , I found Ode to Joy an interesting mixture of funny and heartfelt, accurate and inaccurate. I am so curious to hear what you think! Also, please remember that opinions may vary widely in our community and that is okay and to be expected. Other disease communities have faced similar situations, the cystic fibrosis community faced this recently with the film Five Feet Apart. Let’s try to remember we are all on the same team and that everyone’s thoughts and feelings are valid. Your opinions matter. Your experience matters. Please join the conversation and share your story!

While Project Sleep was not involved in the development or filming of Ode to Joy, we have been busy preparing resources to help the community talk about the film and raise awareness surrounding the release. Check out Project Sleep’s Ode to Joy resource page here. Also, Project Sleep was able to connect with the film’s team over the past few weeks and collaborate on an awareness effort. I cannot wait to share this with you soon, stay tuned!

from Julie Flygare http://julieflygare.com/ode-to-joy-movie-review-from-a-person-living-with-narcolepsy-with-cataplexy/

from https://www.perspectief.org/ode-to-joy-movie-review-from-a-person-living-with-narcolepsy-with-cataplexy/

[weddingaaha]

Modern wedding is a show. Interview with the art director of the wedding agency.

Control the wedding process from and to. To be sure that the cake will be served at exactly seven in the evening, and the salute will be at midnight. Gather all the guests at the same table and please everyone with his favorite dish. Plus, pick up a playlist and a dance show, order and deliver flowers, and just in case call a tailor, these are tasks that only professionals in the wedding world can solve. And not one or two people, but a team.

Roman Alekseev, art director of the wedding agency Chenonceau, the event host told the wedding portal about what he sees a modern wedding, what exactly the organizers cannot save on and what ways the organizers have for their clients.

History of success

The history of the wedding agency "Chenonceau" began with the opening of the eponymous hotel and restaurant in the center of Moscow, where the agency's office is now located. Our establishment was very popular for holding weddings, and after some time we had the idea to expand and organize turnkey weddings not only in Chenonceau, but throughout Moscow, the Moscow Region and even abroad.

The name of Chenonceau was not chosen by chance. All because a luxurious castle with that name, one of the most romantic places on earth, is located not far from Paris. And Paris, as you know, is a city of love.

The team of "Chenonceau" positive, perky and very cohesive. This is a real family, each member of which is a professional in their field. Here, everyone knows what and when to do to make any holiday unforgettable. The Chenonceaux team is creative, talented and very responsive people, working with whom is not only comfortable, but also very pleasant and interesting.

There are no such institutions that would teach the art of organizing weddings. To be honest, it seems to me that it is important to “burn” with this matter and constantly evolve in this direction. The best way to do this is to learn from those who can be safely called a professional. It is important to practice, not theory and, of course, a great desire to translate the dreams of the newlyweds into reality.

About modern wedding

In my opinion, a modern wedding is more likely to be called a wedding show, as each couple tries to surprise the guests with something, come up with something unexpected. Therefore, today a wedding is not just a feast with toasts and contests, as it was before, but often a real concert venue with a change of artists and decorations. But with all the scope of modern weddings, each of them is still primarily a family, happy and very touching event.

Is it possible to play a fun wedding for "pennies"? Perhaps absolutely everything! Simply, there are things that can not be saved. But in general, for any budget you can organize a wedding, and professional organizers are able to do it so that a small budget does not affect the quality of the celebration.

All the newlyweds are trying to make their celebration colorful and unforgettable. And what could be more memorable than the touching ceremony on the islands or a magnificent celebration in the old castle of Prague? Moreover, modern lovers are trying to get away from the traditional Russian wedding with its ransom and toastmaster, and where else could it be done better than in an exotic country.

Any wedding is a very touching and exciting event. Probably you can not single out the most touching wedding. At each celebration there are moments when not only the family and friends of the young, but the organizers who held more than one wedding can not hold back tears of joy.

Newlyweds Tips

Advice to readers is  one - to sleep before the wedding, and on the day of the celebration just relax and have fun.

The main thing for the wedding is the mood, and it is created by the presenter, so it’s definitely not worth saving on this position. And of course, it is important to remember such a joyful and unique event forever, so a good photographer, able to capture the most vivid and colorful moments, is also an important part of a wedding celebration. Do not forget about the music, because it enhances emotions and makes them brighter. Therefore, saving on music also should not be.

What is missing Russian newlyweds? Probably, understanding that feelings and reciprocity are more important for relationships than fashion trends and the opinions of others about you as a couple, and the wedding atmosphere itself, not contests and strict timing. Although such newlyweds are rare, most couples, of course, are happy, people in love, for whom a wedding is a fairy tale that we help them to translate into reality.

About the nuances of the profession

My working day begins simply - checking email, scheduled calls to clients, meetings, if planned, and then the solution of various current issues.

The whole process of the wedding day is controlled by the personal manager of the event (it is also called the wedding manager) and its team, which includes coordinators, decorators, technical staff, etc. But, of course, the main control is exercised by the event manager, since it is he or she who is with the young from the beginning to the end of the preparation and holding of the event, and knows exactly how their wedding party should be held.

No one is immune from force majeure. The main thing in this case is not to panic, but to soberly assess the situation and understand what is necessary and can be done to correct the prevailing circumstances. Humor always helps! Whatever happens, you always need to get out of the predicament with a smile on your face.

The season is considered the summer and the beginning of autumn - this is the most popular time for weddings. But this does not mean that weddings do not happen in winter or spring. Work continues always.

Cooperation with the newlyweds

The main thing in this case, personal communication. Undoubtedly, in advance you should see a portfolio, photo or video materials, but the most important thing is that you should be comfortable with the person who will be on your holiday.

First you need to hear the basic wishes of the newlyweds. And considering them to start working. Well, then, the choice of the concept of celebration, the selection of the site, the choice of lead, design and so on. The main thing is for young people to have a sense of confidence in the organizers. This is very important and helps to solve many issues.

There is always a basis, a certain core from which an individual scenario is subsequently made, depending on the wishes and ideas of the newlyweds.

The wedding organizer is subject to all spheres. Of course, everything is within reason. But the phrase "the impossible is possible" in this question. From experience I can say that professional organizers are able in the shortest time to translate into reality even the most bizarre wishes of young people, for example, order a fire engine instead of a limousine, deliver a wedding cake by helicopter or register a marriage under water.

Blitz

Love is…?

This desire to give joy to your loved one. This is self-sacrifice for the happiness of another. Love is what makes people happy, so this is the meaning of our life.

What will be your wedding in 2256?

Honestly, I have no idea. But I hope that people will still believe in love. And no matter how our world would change in the future, I hope that the wedding celebration will remain the most touching and tender event in the life of each couple in love.

Why can you entrust the organization of the wedding?

When there is more than one year of work in the sphere of organizing holidays, thousands of weddings held, and kind words of gratitude from customers, what else is needed to confirm professionalism. And besides, we love our work very much and we give it our all 100 percent!

Let’s create a beautiful wedding of your dreams together

Phone: + 91 9940662455

Website: https://www.weddingaaha.com

E-mail: weddingaaha@gmail.com

wedding Planners in Chennai – Devaraj Ramasubramanian

[thebandcampdiaries]

Zama Rripa - American Soul

Zama Rripa is a talented artist and songwriter currently based in Miami, Florida. His sound could be described as a prolific and passionate blend of Americana, root-rock and more, going for a really unique and charismatic approach. Recently, he set out to complete the works on a new project, a release titled “American Soul”. This project will actually see the light of day later this month, and people will be able to enjoy the nuances and the details of this remarkable release!

To me, Americana is a really timeless music genre. It is really all about carrying the fire and sharing powerful stories, sometimes even going back decades. It’s always amazing to see that the style and edge that has turned Americana into one of the most pivotal art forms of the century is actually still alive and well, with many new performers retracing the steps of some of the best artists in the industry, while adding a very new and innovative spin to it. This i most definitely the case of Zama Rripa, an artist who is definitely inspired by some of the truest icons of the genre, even though he has developed a sound that is very much his own. Zama is a realy mercurial artist, a person who has the ability to experiment with various genres and ideas, making for a unique, diverse and forward-thinking feel. He has the power of innovating music, while maintaining his sound fresh and familiar at the same time. When you listen to the should featured on the artist’s most recent release, “American Soul”, you might actually immediately feel a connection between Zama and some of the most inspiring songwriters on the scene, from Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney, down to modern acts like Fleet Foxes or even Bon Iver, only to mention a few. For Zama, the possibilities are truly endless.

“American Soul” is a very remarkable release, because this project allows the incredible edge of rock music to meld in with the intimacy of roots music, going for a very particular and one-of-a-kind sound. In terms of production, “American Soul” certainly hits the mark with a fantastic and clear tone. The record feels refreshingly crisp and intelligible and it is polished but never overproduced. This is quite important to me, because I’m always a fan of albums and songs that sound really pristine, yet not too over-cooked in the studio. This way, you can still experience the human element in the music, as opposed to some stock studio trickery! In this case, this release definitely has got plenty of warmth and personality!

“American Soul” is actually going to be released on October 26th, 2018, just a few days away! Stay tuned, and do not miss out on this remarkable release, as well as other content from this talented and passionate artist. If you enjoy the work of legendary artists such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Fleetwood Mac or The Beatles, Zama Ripa’s new music is definitely going to be right up your alley!

https://iamzamarripa.com/music/

We also had the chance to chat to the artist - Keep reading to lear more!

I love how you manage to render your tracks so personal and organic. Does the melody come first, or do you focus on the beat the most?

Answer: Depends from song-to-song. Some of the songs come melody first, in the head. “Forever Sung” is one of those songs. “Live and Let Live” came from a guitar jam with the beat. I had the lyrical concept for the song laying around and it seemed to fit. “Live Your Thing” I had a lyrical concept, and picked up the guitar and the little intro Stonesey-like guitar riff came out, with the concept in mind, and the song built around that. “Left Behind” came out at once, sitting there with the guitar and just letting the words and riffs and chords go-where-they-may—the characters in the song appeared. “Live Your Thing” was written in an hour. “Left Behind” in 2 hours. Some songs take weeks, and the great majority of the song ideas I’ve had have never grown into full songs. But I keep everything.  I always write down or record any and all little ideas, whether melodies, lyrics, concepts, riffs, chords, or what-have-you and then then fill them in while walking or driving, or going to sleep on them, before revelations come out. Sometimes things will come to your head out of nowhere. I try and keep the antennae up in perpetuity. Like I said though, of course, some ideas come to fruition sooner than others -- I’ve got thousands of initial ideas still refusing to reveal themselves. It gives me great anxiety. But I don’t push. Just carry on. But those un-realized ideas do haunt.

Do you perform live? If so, do you feel more comfortable on a stage or within the walls of the recording studio?

Answer: I do perform live. I came up street-busking. I played in handful of bands over the years, mostly in Los Angeles, CA, USA. But I love the street. It’s anonymous, it’s alive, tuned-in, and you never know what will happen or who you’ll meet. I have a deep-seated need for both performing and writing. I’m always inclined toward the intensity of both, to get it out and express it. It’s cathartic and alive—that’s the destination, with the hope of peace, following, which is rare, but that’s the goal. I always say it’s the pursuit of grace, mercy, and joy, and truth. Most of the time you don’t know where it is, but you know it when you hear it and feel it. I think the freedom and hope and possibilities come from the process, and the faith and discipline to follow the process day-in day-out. I had an inkling, a glimpse, but I couldn’t grasp it for so long. And it’s hard to hold once you do grasp it. But it’s the only way. And really, most importantly, of course, at the core, it’s love we’re after. And to get it, you’ve got to stand where the fire is. Always. Stand where the fire is. That’s the only way to live – to be alive. Stand where the fire is.

If you could only pick one song to make a “first impression” on a new listener, which song would you pick and why?

Answer: “Live Your Thing” – first, there’s no other way to live, it’s the only mechanism which allow the pursuit and hope of realizing happiness and tapping joy. All of the songs are about that in some way or another, but perhaps this one says it most palatably. It’s tough, though. I love to rock, and I love the more vocal harmony songs. I love it all, and at some point want to do it all. Much of the “American Soul” record material was different, as it was more concept-driven, so the sonics may seem to serve as the vehicle. Also, this record was recorded somewhat primitively and on-the-fly -- I worked with musicians coming from very diverse backgrounds, over a period of two months, in multiple studios, and I was not trying to stamp the record with a definitive “sound.” We just recorded it song-by-song, with what we had available at the time and how we felt at the time. I will re-visit all of these songs at some point with just the guitar and harmonica and foot drums to see where they go. I’m not sure any song is ever finished. Just like old stories from the good ‘ole days, they change or diminish or more commonly, become wildly embellished over time. If you’re interested, there’s back-stories on all of the songs here: https://iamzamarripa.com/music/

What does it take to be “innovative” in music?

Answer: For me, not trying to be “innovative” and following the very muse that makes you want to say something in the first place, wherever it takes. I think the door to anything must always be open. Following down every path of every road and back again, if you have that luxury as far as the economics of time allows. Focusing on finding the truth of what you are expressing, boxing it on its ears, turning it on its head and attacking it from every angle – owning your art. Living in your art. Being your art. Life as art. That said, there are so many great artists who were explicitly trying to be innovative and succeeded wildly. But I would say, not just for the sake of it, but because those artists had elemental, primal truths to speak, with the conviction and seemingly other-worldly mandate to do so.

Any upcoming release or tour your way?

Answer: The release is the album “American Soul” and there is a tour starting in the Southeastern US this winter, which will hopefully expand through summer.

Anywhere online where curious fans can listen to your music and find out more about you?

Answer: Thank you for asking. Below are some links. They’re all works-in-progress. The goal is to keep growing and building. The ultimate goal though is to make this world a better place. As I always say, we gotta love each other as intensely as possible, every day, all the time. We should strive for grace and mercy and truth and beauty in all our actions. This is the only way – the proper code of human conduct. We’re not perfect – we’re human – we’re never going to be perfect. But we have to try – we have to seek perfection. Every day we gotta get up and ask: “What’s today?” and respond: “An opportunity to be awesome.” And we have to let the music play, eternally. We’re here to serve each other. I’m trying to serve as best I can.

“American Soul” releases October 26, at all digital stores including:

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1438916290?ls=1&app=itunes

AppleMusic: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1438916290

Zama Rripa website: http://iamzamarripa.com/

Zama Rripa “American Soul” Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7aXUgLZJOw&list=PLkj6LpPL3Ig2-tr8QiN3ObsolocooULni

Zama Rripa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zama.rripa7/

Zama Rripa Facebook Music Page: https://www.facebook.com/zamarripamusic/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Zama Rripa Twitter: https://twitter.com/jpzamarripa7?lang=en

[connorrenwick]

Where I Work: Bill Hilgendorf and Jason Horvath of Uhuru Design

Multidisciplinary studio Uhuru Design, co-founded by Bill Hilgendorf and Jason Horvath in 2004, specializes in custom furniture design with a focus on sustainability. The duo comes from different worlds but found common ground while earning their Bachelor’s degrees in Fine Arts in 2002. Along the way, they’ve expanded to include full-service interior design for residential, commercial, and hospitality projects, all while designing unique furniture, some of which has landed in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian and the Brooklyn Museum. While they have a showroom in TriBeCa, the brand calls Brooklyn’s Red Hook home, a place that continues to offer inspiration. In this month’s Where I Work, the pair gives us insight into their individual work styles and creative processes. Take a look.

What is your typical work style?

Bill: My work schedule is pretty consistent, after I get my kids to school, I like to check email and have my morning coffee at home before coming into the office. It gives me a chance to have some uninterrupted time and think about the day and what I want to get accomplished. I’m usually in the office from 10-7. I like to concept ideas on my own and find inspiration for new collections as I walk the streets of Red Hook, but also really like the collaborative aspect of our open studio. I feel like the best ideas come out when people put there heads together as a team.

Jason: I have never been a 9-5 type of person – which is one of the main reasons I wanted to be in business for myself. I generally need peace and quiet to focus at home when I want to be creative and then come into the office for meetings with our team or clients.

What’s your studio/work environment like?

Bill: I definitely feel more productive when things are organized. I like to be in tune with what is going on in the office, but when I need to focus I often will put on headphones. I do have a habit of having 100 windows open on my computer though…

Jason: We have an open studio space – lots of dogs and music around. Our belief is that work should be fun and accessible – but have locations available where people can step aside to focus or have serious phone calls.

How is your space organized/arranged?

Bill: We work in a 4500 square ft open office, which also includes our photo studio and a full kitchen and lounge. We have different pods for the different departments of the company – operations, production design, project management, account management and art department. Our studio sits right on the edge of the water in Red Hook, so I have a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the bay from where I sit. It is very special to have this relationship to the water and I never take that for granted. I also have a small 10X10 ft studio in our workshop across the hall, if I need to have a private meeting or just go somewhere to not work on an idea or focus I retreat to that space.

Jason: When I’m in the office I work side-by-side with my co-founder Bill. We don’t have a private space – although sometimes I think it could be nice.

How long have you been in this space? Where did you work before that?

Bill: We have been in this space for almost 3 years. It is an old brick and timber warehouse from the 1850s. We had our studio and workshop just down the street for a decade before we moved here. It was in an old industrial building that housed a company that repaired huge marine diesel engines. The scale of the tools were amazing, and it was a really special space. That building got sold when we moved and is now the East Coast headquarters for Tesla Motors, complete with a showroom and service facility. I live across the street and it is still weird to see that building all lit up at night.

Jason: We have been in our current office for 3 years and before that we were in a building just down the street for 10 years. Our old building got turned into a Tesla dealership – times are changing!

If you could change something about your workspace, what would it be?

Bill: More doughnuts. No, I think the most critical thing right now is to finish up our conference room. It’s always a work in progress.

Jason: We are in the process of developing more private spaces for telephone and conference. We spend a lot of time in group meetings and they can get a bit loud and disruptive to the rest of the office.

Is there an office pet?

Bill: There is a revolving door of pets in the office, employees are welcome to bring their dogs as long as they’re not too distracting. The first dog was Jason’s dog Rasta (seen here on our Tack bench). The youngest dog was Stella, a 12 week old Australian Shepherd (seen here on our DK chair).

Jason: There are a few! Two Pitbulls (mine), a Frenchie and a Dachshund.

Do you require music in the background? If so, who are some favorites?

Bill: The music is always on in the workshop. We are pretty democratic about it, but our namesake, Black Uhuru is always a standard.

Jason: We love music – current summer playlist is anything reggae and Future Islands’ new album.

How do you record ideas?

Bill: I use a combination of Notes on my Mac, a Rollbahn with grid paper and Sketchup.

Jason: I have an active sketchbook and Moleskine – but I still tend to grab whatever scrap paper is around and I’m well known for stealing pens and pencils off people’s desks.

Do you have an inspiration board? What’s on it right now?

Bill: This is my most recent inspiration board from this past winter. A couple different concepts for new collections. The one in the center won out. I also have an object-based mood board lining my desk.

Jason: I don’t.

What is your creative process and/or creative workflow like? Does it change every project or do you keep it the same?

Bill: It really depends on the project. If I am working on a new collection, I like to start with a simple inspiration, usually something very tangible and specific. From there I do connecting and figure out how the inspiration could be translated into a functional piece of furniture. Then I make selections to work up a full drawing set where things begin to get engineered. This usually involves getting into the workshop to flush out details or forms and finishes before the designs are finalized.

Jason: I’m constantly sketching ideas and concepts for no particular project. When I’m on a project I generally pull from those ideas I’ve already been thinking about for some time. From the outside in I think the perception about my process is that it happens very quickly while the opposite is actually true.

What kind of art/design/objects might you have scattered about the space?

Bill: We don’t have a ton of art around the office, mostly photo prints of nature and objects that have served as inspiration for collections we have done. Most people know I’m often scavenging weird objects around Red Hook, and I love this pile of barge rope from the waterfront. It has been a key “installation” in our office, as well as inspired us to create the Weather Rope wall piece.

Jason: We are surrounded by prototypes, models and bits of pieces of materials and samples – they feel like mini sculptures all over the office.

Are there tools and/or machinery in your space?

Bill: We have a Makerbot 3D printer, but it got relegated to my studio, because the noise was driving people crazy when it was running. Across the hall though, we have a full wood and metal fabrication shop, including this CNC machine that is pretty cool.

Jason: We have a full wood and metal prototype shop attached to our office. It was our main production space for years – and now that we moved that down to Pennsylvania it is our creative playground. It always feels great to be able to get into the studio and get our hands dirty working with a new material or process.

What tool(s) do you most enjoy using in the design process?

Bill: I honestly mostly like to design with a Pigma 01 micron pen and my sketchbook and Sketchup. Our style is very minimal, if it doesn’t work in Sketchup it is probably not Uhuru aesthetic anyway….

Jason: I love metal working – welding especially. It’s a very immediate process to understand scale and proportion when we are prototyping.

Let’s talk about how you’re wired. Tell us about your tech arsenal/devices.

Bill: I am firmly Apple-based. I have a MacBook Air that travels with me everyday and an iMac at the office for design work, and of course my iPhone.

Jason: iPhone and MacBook Pro. I like my tech to be mobile. Sometimes it is difficult to work on a small screen but I think it is a worth while trade off for mobility.

What design software do you use, if any, and for what?

Bill: We use Rhino and Autocad the most of our drawing sets, with Keyshot for rendering new ideas, but we are in the midst of an office wide shift to Solidworks which is very exciting from a design standpoint.

Jason: I use Illustrator and Photoshop for combining hand sketches/renderings/graphics to express ideas to our design team.

Coney Island Cyclone Lounger

Is there a favorite project/piece you’ve worked on?

Bill: The Coney Island line is still one of the projects that I am the most proud of. The Cyclone Lounger is above.

Jason: Vice Media’s offices were a huge project for us and led us into selling product in the Workplace market.

Do you feel like you’ve “made it”? What has made you feel like you’ve become successful? At what moment/circumstances? Or what will it take to get there?

Bill: We definitely have some good projects under our belts and I feel like our aesthetic is pretty established, but I still feel like there is a lot to learn. We have been around for 13 years now, so it makes sense that people know of our work, but I am still surprised when I travel outside of NY and so many people know Uhuru.

Jason: Fundamentally I believe the small victories are the best so from the very beginning I’ve felt successful as we grew. Success is a perception and I’m so happy and grateful with the team we have grown and the work we have created.

Fold

Fold

Fold process

Tell us about a current project you’re working on. What was the inspiration behind it?

Bill: We just launched the Fold collection, it is something I have been working on for the last year. The original inspiration was metal strapping from pallets that gets flattened in the street by cars.

What’s on your desk right now?

See below.

Bill’s bed

Do you have anything in your home that you’ve designed/created?

Bill: I have a lot of furniture that I have designed in my apartment, mostly prototypes and client rejects, but I did get a chance to design the perfect bed (above) for our small bedroom. It is oak and powder coated steel, and has 6 large storage drawers under it. Also I just completed building a cabin (below) in the Catskills for my family. It’s a little unconventional in that it is actually an addition to an old barn, but it has been the most comprehensive project I’ve worked on, and a really amazing process and extremely rewarding.

Bill’s cabin

Jason: My home is in the same building as our studio and I built it and almost everything in it from scratch. I think it is very important as a designer to live amongst your objects and design.

via http://design-milk.com/

from WordPress https://connorrenwickblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/where-i-work-bill-hilgendorf-and-jason-horvath-of-uhuru-design/

[templified]

Best WordPress Events Themes | Templified

New Post has been published on https://templified.com/best-wordpress-events-themes/

Best WordPress Events Themes

We’ve created another new list, this time it’s WordPress events themes, so if you’re planning an event, whether it’s a birthday bash, album release party, bachelor or bachelorette soiree, you need a theme that has the features and functionality you’re looking for.  These themes in this list are also great for concerts, sporting events, business conferences and more.  With business conferences gaining popularity every day, more and more folks find themselves working to promote and organize those conferences from the ground up.  That means you need a website, but if your expertise is in planning the event, managing the day to day process, creating a website can be a time consuming process.  That’s why a premium WordPress event theme cal help save you time and money.

PresentUp

This is an adorable theme that explores new territory. It’s a glorious and righteous WordPress theme of the sparkling design and it has 47 Lamborghinis in its Lamborghini design account. Or something like that. I really do think that it’s a fun and fresh way to create a web page.  All the demo content is included, the designs are fresh and clean, simple and elegant.  For events, this theme helps you do it up right.

This template offers a wealth of features that make it one of the best events templates out there. It’s got events countdowns, tons of contact forms and more. If you are a voracious WordPress consumer, you may really make use of this template. That’s not just a rhetorical statement.

We are still working on Gathering up enough events themes to build a full collection but in the meantime, we do have some other templates that we highly recommend that could be useful to you and you can find those listed below.  Hopefully, you can found something helpful in this collection.  We’ll be back with more very soon.

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Meeting

Looking for a proper theme to help you announce events, but couldn’t seem to find one? Well, Meeting may just be what you need—and more! Meeting is a WordPress theme that’s designed specifically for events, meetings, meet-ups, summits, workshops, and the like. Created with a professionally written code base, the amazing thing about this is that it is a One-Page theme—which means that depending on the event, you can occasionally change it—so that the people who would visit the “events page” would not be confused. The great thing about this theme is that its visual composer is actually award-winning—which means that you can use over 40 coding elements to create your events page, even if you know nothing about codes!

With the help of Meeting, your imagination would be your limit when it comes to designing and styling your site. With its one-page dynamic menu, you can be sure that providing your followers with information would be easier and more manageable—because you’d be able to provide them with something that won’t need so much attention from them, which could work for you as most people these days have seriously low attention span. An amazing event countdown button is also around—helping you create that much needed sense of importance and urgency that can help make sure people would patronize your events. It also has social icons that make way for easy sharing and promotion of the event; optimized load speed, so that disseminating information would be easy; Tickera integration, which makes ticket-purchasing easy, and even a Google Map interaction that could help people know where the event will be held, how to get there, and the like. Finished with an extremely useful subscribe form + a Twitter and Instagram feed integration, you can be sure that your readers would need to learn more about your business—and your events, too!

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Moments

Whether you’re an engaged couple, an event planner, or a wedding entrepreneur, this theme was designed with you in mind. Moments is a stylish and versatile WordPress blog theme that offers several choices of elegantly designed homepages. It’s highly customizable so you can match it with your or your business’s personality. Its strongest points are the powerful admin interface and the broad collection of layouts and pages. Zero knowledge in coding? No worries. This theme doesn’t require you to have any. In just one click, your site can get the exact same look that you see in the demo. Visitors of your page will benefit from the sleek page transitions, retina ready feature, and interactive infographics. For engaged couples who wish to create wedding websites, Moments come with a Guestbook feature, elegant invitation templates, and a pattern for an RSVP contact form.

Weddings are made more beautiful with attention to detail. The same truth applies to websites. With Moments, you get to choose between multiple header designs and actions, loader icons, and side area types. More prettifying yet useful features include the parallax sections, video background sections, custom fonts, and custom sidebars. This way, you can make a website that’s uniquely yours. The attention-grabbing Fullscreen menu works to assist the visitors in immediately understanding what your page is about. Whether you’re announcing your impending nuptials, selling bridal products, or offering your services to engaged couples, you’ll want to bring attention to your photographs. The Mega Menu makes it easy for your virtual guests to locate your gallery, your slider portfolio, and your blog posts. Maximize your rich blog content and promotions by taking advantage of Moments’ Twitter and Instagram feed widgets, Pinterest Portfolio list layout, and Related Posts functionality. What makes this theme truly ideal for wedding vendors is that it’s SEO Optimized and WooCommerce Integrated which means you can turn your page views to revenues without breaking a sweat.

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GoodLife

Like the name implies, the Good Life WordPress theme offers everything you need to stay happy when creating your online presence. Stop struggling with old or complicated templates that are not only difficult to work with but deliver an end result that is less than stunning. This theme offers modern style, the latest technology in page creation and an incredibly user-friendly backend that lets even people with no development knowledge whatsoever build, organize and edit pages with ease. The Good Life WP theme comes complete with several premade demo pages that represent popular industries online: music, blogging, fashion and sports among others. Next, select your favorite style of header from the three creative designs packaged with this theme. On the intuitive control panel, you can easily make more changes to the existing pages. The Good Life WordPress theme comes packaged with Ajax pagination abilities, video playlist elements and over $140 worth of premium plug-ins.

This is truly a complete package of all the tools you need to build an impressive website. With the Good Life WordPress theme, you get a powerful search engine optimization tool called Rankie, a plug-in that allows you to build quizzes and questionnaires to increase page stickiness and get feedback from your visitors and more. People who do have development experience will appreciate the included PSD files. A live preview is available so you can check out all the great features that make the Good Life WordPress theme an excellent choice for your online presence.

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Mercurial

Mercurial is the simplest way to build your new website fast and easy! With its pre-made custom shortcodes, you will be able to create beautiful typographic effects, insert portfolios, skill bars, clients logos, social sharing icons, awesome sliders, pricing tables, build up incredible team pages, or even add your twitter feed in just seconds. This theme is perfect for freelancers, companies, product presentation, events, photographers, or why not even a non-conformistic bloger. Build up your new site however you like by inserting backgrounds or using just simple page colors, set the page dimensions to fullscreen or leave it to content height size, play with colors or font combinations etc. What are you waiting for? Go on and buy it! This theme will change your conceptions about creating a website.

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Eden

EDEN is powerful WordPress theme, powered by Qode Slder, with it’s responsive fixed height image or full screen image with dissolve or parallax animations to create cool transitions.  For each slide you can actually decide if the header should be light or dark, which is a level of control that’s nice to have.  There are fully customizable headers, mega-menu and more.  This is a retina multi-purpose WordPress theme with a boat-load of amazing features.  Great for a corporate or personal blog, especially one that highlights events and entertainment.  We really like the video section backgrounds too, which are a surprising and fun touch, something to liven your site up.  This theme, like many, is powered by Visual Composer, so you can drag and drop your way to a new layout in a very short amount of time.  That design flexibility is nice when you need a quick change up to your site’s look.

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Sarraty

Sarraty is multi-purpose responsive and retina ready WordPress theme with tons of features and elements to help you build your website in minutes, it’s built the way you love and we promise that you will say “Wow” after purchasing it, the flexibility of the theme will amaze you, with our powerful options panel you can almost turn on or off every feature in the theme and use the features you need to get the most from Sarraty, and the advanced page builder will make you use your creativity to build any page and give it any look you want. you have unlimited ways to build your website. and everything has been optimised well just for you and your customers.

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Massive Dynamic

The Massive Dynamic theme for WordPress websites steals the show as an one-page site builder with features and its many strong, modern and creative components. The administrative backend of this theme offers even the newest non-coder the chance to to develop and restructure professional and polished websites with ease. Massive Dynamic comes packed with multiple addons to help. Revolution Slider and Master Slider allow for gorgeous graphic and video slideshows on any page of the website. Add to Any and other addons all joined to create among the most user friendly interfaces around. Settings can be changed by more than seventy customized shortcodes, add elements such as animated icons with only an easy copy and paste.

The fully receptive and responsive sites created with the Massive Dynamic WP theme appear polished and professional on any screen. No present components of sharp site design were forgotten. Visitors will marvel at the remarkable technology displayed in the most aesthetically pleasing format. Content will convert easily when showcased on such an impressive platform. Huge Dynamic is fully incorporated with Notification Center, which unites e-commerce solutions, portfolio management and new blog posts, and the load-time-friendly Progressive Image Loading to show just what a visitor desires every time.

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e-Event

E-event WordPress theme is the perfect design choice for individuals or groups who want to spread the news about their personal or professional events. This is highly recommended for those who wish to conduct e-seminars, book debuts and even online parties. Whether your event will be held in the virtual world or in the real world, you’ll love the huge counter, which reminds participants how many days, hours, minutes and seconds the next big event is due. This way, no one will miss their chance to join in. The events are filterable so virtual guests can easily sort through them and find specific activities that interest them. This theme also includes an upcoming events carousel so subscribers will know in advance which dates they should mark on their calendars. If that isn’t enough, E-event also provides you with an events schedule in table form. You get to choose between two great table designs. This comes complete with pertinent info like the name of the event, the date, the time, the host, and the venue. E-event also includes a section where you can introduce the facilitators. For this section, you have four different designs to choose from.

One of this theme’s most outstanding features is the online RSVP form. This way, you can easily anticipate the number of participants for each event. E-event enables you to create informative pricing tables while letting you choose from three excellent designs. Another super cool feature is that E-event lets virtual visitors buy event tickets directly from your website. To avoid wasting your time and theirs, it’s instantly indicated whether tickets are already sold out. Show potential participants just how fun your events can be by using the Gallery and the Blog. The eye-catching layout is extremely responsive so you have an assurance that your site is accessible through multiple gadgets and the quality of the images and videos of your events are preserved.

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