If you are a cafe lover, you’ll have to stop by Vancouver’s most aesthetic warehouse cafe – La Forêt. Here’s why:
Exclusive Lavender Latte
No matter how many times I’ve been to La Forêt, I always get their Lavender Latte. Apart from the dried lavender sprinkled on the latte, every sip of the milk is filled with rich lavender taste and scent. I really like how the sweetness is perfectly balanced along with the milk while the lavender flavor is still evidently present in this drink. The relaxing aroma of lavender and its calming effect can relieve my stress every single time.
Aesthetic Interior and Cozy Atmosphere
cr: Hidden Gems Vancouver
La Forêt mainly makes use of natural lighting when it’s sunny and turns on their fairy lights and warm wall lights at night. This makes the whole atmosphere of the cafe really relaxing and chill for a late night catching-up session with your old friends.
cr: Hidden Gems Vancouver
There are also plenty of seats and tables available in this big warehouse cafe. Plants are placed in the middle of the cafe to add some greenery to the wooden and concrete architecture, which mixes a sense of nature with modernity. One problem I have with spending my time here is that I can’t find any power outlets in this cafe. Since my old laptop dies in less than an hour, I can’t really do work in here. I guess this cafe really wants us to provide us a relaxing space to enjoy our time here instead of having customers cramming their exam notes while sipping their coffee.
As a communication major student that has a great interest in coming up with ideas to promote various activities or brands, I really enjoyed the marketing campaign activity that our guest speakers asked us to participate in. We were asked to hold up cards with the marketing campaign names on them and flip over them to show the picture of this campaign when a student asks about it. One of the campaigns that I was most amazed about was the blood donation campaign where brands and signs drop the letters A, B, and O to raise awareness towards the lack of blood available and encourage people to donate blood. After this activity, I realize that marketing doesn’t limit to ads, but also all forms of creative ideas that are immersive in our daily lives. Inspired by this activity and the “Pokemon as Transmedia Storytelling” reading, I came up with the idea of incorporating cafe music recommendations along with my dessert and cafe reviews. Apart from using images and texts to show and describe the taste of different cakes and drinks, adding relaxing lofi cafe music to my blog posts can bring a more aesthetic and immersive cafe experience to my readers, thus reinforces my blog concept as a virtual online cafe. As Jenkins suggests, “Transmedia storytelling is the ideal aesthetic form for an era of collective intelligence. ” I should make good use of the various forms of medium available to market my blog.
There you are, just trying to mind your own business, and then your own body has to go and betray you like this? Rude.
And just like that, it hits you like a semi-truck on the highway. Everything sucks. You’re bloated, breaking out, and incredibly emotionally distraught when it comes to the most minuscule of matters. mmHMM. You know how it is. You wanna laugh and cry and scream until you go numb and nothing can hurt you anymore.
Not to forget about the inherent NEED to eat everything in the world until you either:
(A) Feel even worse (because that’s possible, apparently),
OR
(B) Remember that you shouldn’t be putting all of this garbage into your body, so you slow it down until you remember that you can do whatever the heck you want and subsequently reopen that bag of chips.
We don’t judge around here.
So, to celebrate moon day here’s a mix that’ll reciprocate every sad, angry, and apocalyptic feeling that you’ve got boiling up in you right now. May you eat all of the chocolate that your heart desires.
Other than the Pokémon reading for this week, the other readings were inaccessible. Therefore, I took it upon myself to research a little on the notion of ‘transmedia’. According to Terry Heick (2019), transmedia is defined as “a narrative that extends beyond multiple media forms that also plays to the strength those forms” (para. 1). Based on this definition and in the context of the process post prompt’s question on implementing “more transmedia integration,” my plan is simply to be active in my online presence when it comes to my blog.
To do so, not only do I post at least once a week for my regular blogposts outside of PUB 101, but I also share posts in respect to the blogposts in my social media account. The channel I am currently using is Instagram. Through Instagram, especially with the algorithm now, people won’t necessarily see all the posts I would share. This may seem like a negative, but as a benefit, it allows me to share as many posts as I want without it being a nuisance to my audience.
The reason why Instagram remains my medium for transmedia storytelling is because my blog is mainly focused on images. Other than Instagram, photographs are not exactly the focus for other media sites. Pinterest can work, except I can be more active in Instagram than Pinterest since I am already an active member in my personal accounts.
In addition, the reading: “Pokemon as Transmedia Storytelling,” says that transmedia “does not simply disperse information: it provides a set of roles and goals which readers can assume as they enact aspects of the story through their everyday life” (para. 7). In relation to my choice of Instagram is that part of its worth is the notion of being able to keep track—and sometimes in real-time—of other people’s lives. By immediately sharing new posts in the Instagram account, it tells my audience that I have a new blog post on my website—if they wish to view it.
Let’s get something straight. Indian food is delicious and the Indian food in London is not different. Dishoom has some of the best I’ve ever had. I will however, add a disclaimer: I’ve never been to India so I have never experienced the food there. But Dishoom was… wow. Not only is the food incredible, but the design of the restaurant was beautiful, much like the majority of the restaurants in London.
It was like stepping into an Irani cafe in 1960s Bombay. The walls and the pillars were lined with mirrors which contrasted the dark mahogany. I remember portraits and other forms of Bombay art lining the walls and down the stairs.
Dishoom Covent Garden | Photo by Dishoom
We decided to dine at Dishoom on Mother’s Day in the UK which meant that every restaurant had a huge queue and this was no different. We queued outside for two hours and I don’t regret a second of it. There was a lady handing out free glasses of chai whilst we waited. Once you get inside the restaurant, they take you downstairs to the bar so you can order drinks whilst you wait to be seated.
We ended up sitting by a window so we can watch the Londoners and tourists go by as we enjoyed our meal. The menu a simple sheet with food on one side and drinks on the other.
For our appetizer, we ordered the chilli chicken which was a small plate of sticky and sweet chicken. It was garlic-y and ginger-y and it comes with a wedge of lemon to add some acidity to the dish.
There were three chutneys to enjoy with your meal and I don’t know what they were but, they were delicious. Some were sweet and some were tangy which added another level of flavour when paired with a dish. This is priced at £6.20.
8/10
Chilli Chicken and Chutneys
The next dish was from the grills section of the menu and it is the dish that everyone says you have to eat when you go to London: Chicken Tikka. Something that I love about grilled Indian meats is the charring. It adds bitterness to the flavour profile and enhances all of the lovely spices used. 8/10
The black bowl of red curry is the Chicken Ruby, the highlight of our lunch. It was this tomato-based (makhani sauce) that had cardomom, coriander, and cumin notes to the flavour. The chicken was tender and just pulled apart. Whilst it was amazing paired with fragrant basmati rice, there is nothing that can compare with the Chicken Ruby with garlic naan. 10/10
Now, I’ve had a lot of garlic naan in my life but none of them hold a candle to this one. Like I said, I have a soft spot for food that is nicely charred and this naan is no exception. The bread had crispy edges and a soft centre creating a dynamic of texture. The garlic was so aromatic and the coriander flakes added freshness to help cut through off of the intense flavour. 9/10
The Chicken Ruby is priced at £10.90 and the garlic naan is priced at £3.50.
Chicken Ruby, Chicken Tikka, Garlic Naan
Dishoom is a place with great ambiance, service, and food. This place is a must when you visit London. The best thing is that there are several locations across London so you don’t have to go out of your way to eat here. But as I said, this is some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had.
Ethan James Green started in the fashion industry as a model, starring in campaigns like Calvin Klein. With the aid of photographer mentor, David Armstrong, Green swapped modeling for photography.
Self-portrait
Quickly, photography thrusted Green into portraits displaying looks of candor, simplicity, while exploring sexual and gender identity.
Portraits of queer youth, for Wall Street Journal
Green’s distinct photographic vision articulates an aristocratic sensibility that resonates with the work with famed photographer, Diane Arbus (below is an example of Arbus’ image and examples of Green’s street portraits to show you the influence Arbus has on Green’s style).
Photo by Diane Arbus
Photos by Ethan James Green for Love Magazine
Bringing intimacy and authenticity to fashion. Commonly seen using natural light, Green favours the evenness of diffused light, bringing not only drama through the posing of models, but also fully exposing his viewers to the rawness of his black and white portraits through his subjects.
With his time as a photographer, Green articulated his sense of style through fashion campaigns and look books for the likes of Fendi, Helmut Lang and Alexander McQueen.
Ethan James Green for Fendi
Ethan James Green for Helmut Lang
Ethan James Green for Alexander McQueen
Becoming even more prolific, Green is commissioned to photograph for top tier fashion magazines, such as Vogue, W Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Dazed, and countless others.
(Left to right) First & second images: American Vogue // Third & fourth images: Dazed Magazine // Fifth & sixth images: W Magazine // Seventh & eighth images: Wall Street Journal
I think Green’s been so successful in such a short amount of time, is because his imagery is classic. There is such authenticity in his images that really captures a human being’s persona. Similar to documentary styled photography, it resonates with human emotion–like you can see the subject without a facade.
The combination between his simple style, the fashion and the model’s energy, there are narratives his photos that cannot be replicated. Probably explains the reason why Green has become a favourite in photographing celebrities, personalities, and politicians.
(Left to right) First image: Joaquin Phoenix for Vanity Fair // Second image: Megan Thee Stallion for i-D Magazine // Third image: Cynthia Erivo for American Vogue // Fourth image: Mayor Pete Buttigieg for American Vogue // Fifth image: Ashton Sanders for Another Man Magazine // Sixth image: RuPaul for Interview Magazine
The saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” is the best explanation I have regarding Green’s photographs. Even with posed images, they hold greats amount of emotion–truly capturing a narrative in each photograph he takes.
Here are some behind the scenes video clips of some of his photoshoots:
To view more of his work, check out his Instagram: @ethanjamesgreen.
Art helps add personality and style into a room. We can find different pieces of art in a lot of different stores. Rather than buying the generic art we find in many stores, you can actually make your own. There are many art studios around the city where even beginners with no skills can create beautiful pieces of art. While you get an art piece that is personal, you also get a great experience in a creative class. These classes are great for both groups and individuals. I know we all love deals, so below I listed three classes around the city that are currently listed on Groupon. Groupon is a website that offers deals on products, services, and activities around the city. I would recommend checking out the website to see if there are other deals you might also enjoy. IF you try one of these classes, or have been to another art class before, join the conversation in the comments below and let me now what you think! Please keep in mind, that the Groupon deals are available at the time this post is written, and may be expired if you read it at a later date. Check out Groupon here for other deals.
The Original Paint Nite
Currently on Groupon, you can get up to 32% off vouchers for the event for one, two, and four people. The Original Paint Nite is hosted at various places around Vancouver. The upcoming paint events this month are located at the Best Western Plus Sands Hotel. The event is a two hour long paint night, guided by a talented artists and all supplies are provided. The Original Paint Nite is the perfect place for you and some friends to go connect, be creative, and make some arty. Alcoholic beverages are available for purchase on site for you to consume and have fun while painting. Visit them here
Chu Chu
Chu Chu is a studio located in Downtown Vancouver where you can go and experience a fluid pour painting class. Deals on Groupon are currently uo to 44% off, however, the listed price does not include materials, so please note that you will also have to pay an additional $14 for the canvas, drip tray, and painting supplies. Pour painting is unique in that art is created by pouring different colours of paint to create patterns. In this class, you will learn all the techniques to creatively pour paint on a blank canvas. The instructor will also teach you the basics of colour theory. The studio is owned by Serena Chu who also makes handcrafted arts, where she sells in her pottery studio.Visit them here
Monika’s Art Boutique-Studio and Gallery
Monika’s Studio is a boutique gallery and a working art studio located in North Vancouver. The boutique hosts over 30 artists and designers from around the country, and their unique pieces are sold. The items are perfect for gifts or for collecting art. The working studios fit for art programs, and workshops. On Groupon, there is currently a deal starting at 50% off, and there is a promotion for one, two, or four people. The price includes one canvas per person, and the paint and brushes. Monika envisions the studio to be the perfect shared place for creative artists to come together. Visit them here.
After seeing a lot of YouTubers or Instagrammers getting their content removed due to copyright infringement, I got really scared because I don’t have a lot of knowledge referring to copyright laws. What is correct to take from others and what is not?
I have been using other people’s content to maximize mine, but I am always careful about citing or referring to the page that I got the information from. I still try to create most of my content or inspire my content from others without copying their work.
I use others’ work to illustrate some of my posts or I use them as evidence.
I want to think that my audience is people with interest in makeup or are getting interested in makeup, and do not have any experience. Although I have really interesting data from my audience.
I have people from the other side of the globe reading my content and I have a male audience.
That has to lead me to create a website that is easier to read and highly visual. Adding YouTube tutorials and aiding from other websites
Los Angeles was the kind of place where everybody was from somewhere else and nobody really droppped anchor. It was a transient place. People drawn by the dream, people running from the nightmare. –Michael Connelly
Imagining you are walking on the Sunset Boulevard with palm tree and a breeze, feeling the warm sunshine and charming of Los Angeles. In this city, you can always find something fresh, different, and interesting after your exploring. Los Angeles is enthusiastic and passionate, it is also well-known as the historical city of the movie, if you are a crazy fan of Hollywood, just come and feel this culture! This week, I made a lovely LA travel guide list for introducing my favorite LA landmark sights. Now! follow me to this wonderful place in America and start this beautiful trip with me! when summer suns were glowing, you could not help but recall the cherished memory in Los Angeles.
Tips: Using Airbnb to book the hotel or BNB is really convenient and money-saving, besides, LA is much drier than Vancouver, water supplements are necessary. Moreover, because public transportation is not very developed in LA, so car rental travel is my relatively recommended choice!
Griffith Observatory
Astronomy and stars, past and today, everything exhibited in Griffith Observatory is about the mystical sky. As the most famous landmark in LA, which located right across from the Hollywood Hills and offer a great place to see the English letters “Hollywood” on the Hollywood Hills clearly when you standing on the top of the Griffith Observatory. I suggested that it is better for tourists to achieve here in the afternoon, parking cars would be more easily, and you can see different views between noon and night, sunset scene of the Griffith Observatory is very beautiful, and you can capture amazing sunsets in many places in this park. In addition, the night view is so romantic at night, you can look at the high-rise buildings and enjoy the bustling city night scene at the observatory, the lights of the Los Angeles’ family at night are like the twinkling Milky Way galaxy. Griffith Observatory offers three different planetarium shows each day, it is not free and you need to pay for tickets, but it is really worth to see.
Address: 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027 USA
Salvation Mountain
Salvation Mountain is a hillside visionary environment created by Leonard Knight in the California desert area, which favored by most instagrammers and tourists around the world, wearing your most beautiful cloth and photographing here, notice that this mountain is in the desert, photos sometimes are misleading, it is really hot!
Address: Beal Rd, Calipatria, CA 92233, United States
The Getty Center
The Getty Center, one of the most famous cultural and artistic center with rich collecting art in this world, and impressive modern design. The museum also offers spectacular views of Los Angeles on clear days. Recent travelers loved the museum for its value and beauty, One thing is really awesome, the museum of such a magnificent art in the Getty Center actually does not need tickets, only the parking fee-15 dollars without time limitations. Additionally, this museum can be regarded as a heaven for arts-lovers, here they will find Renaissance paintings, royal french furniture, 20th-century, modern photography, baroque sculptures and more, I was really lucky to see an exhibition of Egyptian culture, I am literally a big fan of archeology so it was really exciting and unforgotten for me.
Address: 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049, United States
Hollywood Universal Studios
Hollywood Universal Studios- the amazing themed amusement park with a variety of exciting and entertaining facilities that attract billions of people come and play every year, every tourist can not miss such a wonderful place and enjoy a sense of joy in LA!
I really like the”City Tour”, which is a car cruise about 45 to 60 minutes. Here you can see a lot of Hollywood scenes and techniques details, including the world’s largest set studio built by Spielberg as a consultant. One of the most impressive scenes is the Bates Motel, the man chasing our car with a knife. Moreover, the Walking dead and Mummy are also my favorites, you can only experience them in LA.
Disneyland Park & Disney California Adventure Park
As the oldest Disneyland in this world which built-in 1955, it has become the classical theme parks in the world and has been hailed as the happiest place on earth. You can see the first Disney castle in LA, it is not big or exquisite than other places, but it is priceless for Disney fans. By thie way, never miss the firework show at night!
Silly Symphony Swings
Moving to the adventure park, the Paradise Pier area included ‘Mickey’s Fun Wheel Ferris’ and ‘California Screamin’ is considered as the landmarks of California Disneyland, It is also the place where the fountain of water shows the world of color at night. Mickey’s Fun Wheel Ferris is not the same as an ordinary Ferris wheel, the baskets above are divided into two types: rocking and fixed, you can choose it by yourself, I chose the rocking one and almost spit out on it, I will never forget this feeling!
Hollywood walk of fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame has been recognized as a cultural and historical landmark by LA, no doubt that it is the must-see for visitors. In addition to more than 2,000-star medals with Hollywood celebrity names, there is also the famous TCL Chinese Theatre and the Oscar venue Dolby Theatre. To be honest, I actually hesitated to come here, because the online review is really bad. I heard that there are a lot of cosplayers who are forced to take photos and ask for money, but you know, how can I miss this place when I come to LA, I try my best to avoid them, the whole street was a little bit chaotic. I came to some street shop and bought some souvenirs for my family, overall it was an interesting experience, but I suggested that do not visit here alone.
Beverly hills
The name of Beverly Hills has long been known, It has the title of “the most prestigious residential area in the world” which represents wealth and fame. I have to say that this is my dream and I am a big fan of TV show-the real housewife of Beverly Hills, standing on the street will make you feel the charm of the world’s top luxury capital. After that, we went to the nearby Rodeo Drive, which is dominated by famous shops. It contains all the most expensive stores in Southern California, and each famous store has its own unique architectural style. All the famous jewelry and costumes are found here in the most gorgeous exhibition halls There is a saying here: “Don’t ask how much money, if you ask, which means you can’t afford it.”
Santa monica beach
Santa Monica is a famous seaside resort and one of the most lively places in Los Angeles evening, it is especially popular with local residents and tourists. The beautiful sea view is also favored by Hollywood directors, thus the pier frequently appears among major Hollywood movies. It’s already five o’clock in the afternoon when I arrive at Santa Monica Beach. I have enough time to step on the sand at the beach, played with water and take a leisurely ride to enjoy the scenery. In such a sunset, I forgot where it is and forgot what I was going to do later. There were only the boundless quiet and deep-sea level in the eyes, and the gradual sinking halo and the golden glow that was dyed in gold and red.
People cut themselves off from their ties of the old life when they come to Los Angeles. They are looking for a place where they can be free, where they can do things they couldn’t do anywhere else. –Tom Bradley
This week I thought I would try something different.
I have created a playlist that of some songs I’ve been listening to on my commute to school and wanted to share. Just like my taste in music, this playlist is a little all over the place, but I think that’s what keeps things interesting.
I’ve always loved indie music that you don’t hear everywhere, so I hope that I can introduce you to some new songs and artists that you will like as well
While you can listen to this playlist anywhere you go, I have found these songs to be especially impactful when I’m on the road.
And I have to admit that this playlist is a little melancholic, but play it when you’re on your way to that early morning lecture, looking out the window of the bus as if you’re in one of those teen movies. Trust me.
If you have any song recommendations, I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
Vancouver is known in the entertainment industry as “Hollywood North” with movies and shows being filmed around the city all year long. Vancouver has been used as a back drop for scenes in many different films, and Daily Hive listed 27 programs filming in Vancouver this past October alone. Although sometimes production adds effects to make our city look different, most of the times, you can easily identify Vancouver on the big screen. Vancouver has played many other cities, countries, and worlds in film. You can actually watch this YouTube Video to see many of the places that Vancouver has been turned into. I assume many of us want to place ourselves into the cinematic universe of our favorite programs, and interact with our favorite characters. While the characters may not be there, we can still in a way, insert ourselves into film by visiting the sets they took place in. Some of us have gone on, or have heard of tours at big studios, such as Universal Studios, or Warner Brothers. We can easily access location used as filming sites for hundreds of movies, right in our own city. Below is a short list of popular filming locations around Downtown Vancouver that are used for many movies and shows. If you want to be updated in real time where things are being filmed around the city, I would recommend checking out the twitter page, What’s Filming. The photos used are taken by bloggers, Tiia and Satu, at Fangirl Quest, check them out for more details on film sets.
SEAWALL
The Vancouver Seawall is the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront biking and water trail that stretches 28km, and passes some of Vancouver’s signature locations, including Stanley Park, Vancouver Convention Centr, and English Bay. Since the path crosses very different environment settings, like a forest, a beach, and the city, you can see the Seawall featured in hundred of films. Some of the films featured here includes The 100 (pictured), Planet of Apes, Fifty Shades of Grey, Godzilla, and The Twilight Saga movies.
CHINATOWN
Chinatown has a lot of historic buildings, great as a unique set for films. Some blockbuster movies, and popular television shows filmed here include X-Men: The Last Stand, Supernatural, The X-Files, The Killing, Lucifer (pictured), Falling Skies, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, and Deadpool. The most notable scene in my opinion would be Deadpool’s iconic scene on the Georgia Viaduct, which is filmed by Chinatown.
FALSE CREEK/BC PLACE
The view at False Creek of Science World and BC place has been widely used as backdrops in several movies and shows. The buildings and area creates the perfect scene for any science fiction programs. One of the most notable use of BC Place is in The CW’s show, The Flash, where the building is “Star Laboratory”. Other films that have been shot here includes Fantastic Four, Smallville, Two for The Money, Paycheck, The X-Files, and Air Bud.
ART GALLERY/ROBSON SQUARE
The Vancouver Art Gallery in Downtown Vancouver is a unique historic building that has been used as a set for many movies. The Robson Square area as a whole, has also been widely used. Some of the films shot here include Arrow (pictured), The 4400, Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed, X-MEn: The Last Stand, and The Interview. In “The Interview”, the controversial Seth Rogan movie, Robson Square Plaza was used a presidential palace in North Korea. Further, the Museum doubled as the museum where everything comes alive after dark, featured in the popular movie, Night at the Museum.
VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Vancouver Public Library in Downtown is structurally a very distinctive and unique building that you can easily recognize on the big screen. The building is great blend of historic yet modern, allowing networks to use it for many different kinds of scenes. Some of the films shot here include Supergirl (pictured), The Dead Zone, Battle in Seattle, This Means War, and Battlestar Galactica.
Who doesn’t love cheese? Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is often crowned as a must-go food place in Seattle, located in the renowned Pike Place Market, the shop is always crowded with people from all over the world. Everyone’s reason here is clear, he/she including me would like to taste the best cheese! From Beecher’s official website, they have also stated that “The enzyme source in our “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese and all of our cheeses is microbial rennet, which is vegetarian and gluten-free!” Therefore, vegetarians can also eat without ease!
Beecher’s Seattle location serves grilled sandwiches, soups, and their signature mac & cheese (which is claimed as “world’s best”!), visitors could also buy different kinds of cheese and related products as food souvenirs. My friend I only wanted to have some instant good food so we had got the “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese and Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
GRILLED SANDWICHES: Grilled Cheese --- $7.99 USD
MAC & CHEESE: "World's Best" --- $6.49 USD - 8oz
You could watch their cheesemakers at work! So many cheeses, and some gigantic machines are here.
The Mac & Cheese is really, really delicious, you can feel the whole sauce is made mainly by cheese and there’s no dilution by many other ingredients like milk or water.
We even dipped our sandwich into the remaining cheese sauce and god, it’s definitely a hidden way to enjoy their food!
"Handcrafted and grilled to order with American artisan cheeses on locally produced, whole wheat bread."
This is definitely a moment of truth… <3
The sandwich tastes good too, you can see it’s perfectly toasted. However, the taste of the cheese here is milder while compared with that in the mac & cheese. So, it might be better to eat the sandwich before the m&c if you plan to purchase both.
Transmedia integration refers to when multiple channels of media are used to tell different elements and information of a story, which are all coordinated for an entertaining and complex experience (Kevinbrittenylauren, 2013). Various forms of media can be integrated into my blog posts to enhance the overall reading experience for my audience. As my blog continues to grow, I will start integrating social media platforms, and other websites into my blog.
Of all social media platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Snapchat, I think integrating content from Instagram and Youtube would make the most sense for my blog. Personally, I think using photos and videos in a post will make the content more engaging and interesting for readers. Since I write a lot about businesses around the city, and what theses business have to offer, it would be beneficial for readers to visually see what I am talking about. Embedding photos and videos directly from company’s official social media pages will allow readers to quickly access the company’s information to gain a better understanding of the business. Inserting links to other websites offers readers a direct passage to another channel of media where they can access more elements of my blog post. Although integrating businesses social media pages are useful, I also plan to create my own social media pages for the website. Having an Instagram and YouTube for the website will provide the opportunity to reach more audience. I can also tailor the content of each channel to be unique in its own aspects while still relating to the overall purpose of the website. For example, on Instagram I can posts photos of businesses I recommend, and on YouTube, I can create entertaining videos of my experiences with the businesses. The content is all independent on their own, but contributing to a wider story. YouTube and Instagram are also my social media of choice because these are the website I personally use most and am comfortable with. I feel that it would be harder for me to create a community on Facebook and Twitter because the engagement on these sites are beginning to decline.
In addition to incorporating social media posts, another channel I plan on adding to my website are direct link to product pages for my recommendations where readers can easily view and purchase the products and/or services and I am discussing. One factor I must be consider with integrating shopping links into my website, is that I want my blogs and writings to remain and appear authentic to readers, and that my posts are not sponsored nor ads paid by the companies. If I incorporate links, I will also work to be transparent when/if links are affiliate links.
References
Kevinbrittenylauren.wordpress.com. (2013). “Pokemon as transmedia storytelling. Retrieved from: https://kevinbrittenylauren.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/pokemon-as-transmedia-storytelling/
A song about not giving up on someone, even if that someone has given up on you, Closure talks about fighting for that someone in your life. People come and go, and if we don’t fight for the people we want in our lives, we’ll have no one that we actually care about.
Say that it’s okay I know that it isn’t Say you need space That is your decision Say it to my face Tell me how I’m tripping This is something real I’m what you’ve been missing
At this point in my life, I can without a doubt say that I’ve lost people that I fought for. When we lose the people we thought cared about us, it becomes easy to lose yourself in negative thoughts, but this song reminds us of why we care. We fought for a reason and we loved for a reason. We cared about them and if we didn’t fight for that love, it just meant that wasn’t genuine love. To have fought and lost is better to just let things go without trying. Even in defeat, there is still victory.
Though this song can be interpreted as holding onto a feeling, I truly believe there is something deeper than that behind this. If people don’t reciprocate the same feeling back to us, then that’s one thing, but not letting go without a fight for the people you love and cherishing your relationship with them is another. Obviously we have to pick our battles here, but I think this song beautifully expresses how we should at least attempt to hold onto the things we hold dear.
Below are some Gifs that inspired my art and styling this month. I admire the use of bold colours (specifically a large amount of primary colours), the abstract patterns, and the strong energy of the models.
