#working hard to provide us the best instagram aesthetic. like he stepped out of a pinterest moodboard

[hyunpic]

hynjinnnn instagram update: 🥀 [oasis - supersonic 🎵]

[lunaathorne]

Out of curiosity can I ask WHY some sectors of Bollywood tumblr don’t like Katrina Kaif? She seems cool so I’m just wondering

This needs to be answered in some detail and I shall do so. You’ve woken the dragon.

I’m assuming you are new to Bollywood; in which case: here’s the rundown- Katrina Kaif is an Indo-British actress, one of Bollywood’s most easily recognisable faces, highest paid actresses and one with a higher success ratio than many contemporaries. She is hailed as one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful Bollywood actress of the still active crop.Why do people hate her? To answer that, I’ll divide the people who are against Katrina into some broad categories:

1. “She is beautiful but that’s it”

There are many who feel Katrina represents the Eurocentric standards of beauty with her fair complexion and British accent (I quote from one of her own films “Silky hair, milky skin- she’s like a walking-talking vanilla ice cream”). In most of her films, it is her aesthetic than her acting abilities that is celebrated because- there can be no other way to put this- she is absolutely, ridiculously beautiful. Fitoor, where Katrina played Estella Havisham was like a two hour photoshoot of Kat, a sort of tribute to her beauty where the cameraman seemed to be enamored by her (reportedly, although it is a rumour, Rekha, the original choice for Miss Havisham, walked out because she felt Katrina was looking too beautiful, overshadowing her…..sounds ridiculous but the fact that such a rumour should spread shows the public image of Katrina’s presentation in films, as the art rather than the artist). Shobaa De called her “as beautiful as an English rose…and just as dull”.

Why is this bothering? Well, there are thousands of amazing, dark skinned aspiring Indian actresses who are still shamed for their complexion and denied major movie roles. Where Katrina is held as the ideal of beauty, people like Radhika Apte and Huma Qureshi are treated looks-wise with some disdain.  It’s an Ashara Dayne- Elia Martell case.What is ironical is that in no way is this Katrina’s fault. What people twist into her flaw is really a revelation of our sick mentality where till this day we worship peachy complexions and turn our noses down on anything less than porcelain-pale. Also, pretty much all our so-called “desi” stars have endorsed fairness creams, often through advertisements that target dark people as pitiful creatures. So, as Abhay Deol rightly called them out, it’s not the biracial Katrina herself per se, but the societal standards that have brought about this sad state of affairs.

2. “She piggybanks on others”

Ah, a classic. Since her debutante days, Katrina did largely minor roles in male-dominated films (mostly Salman or Akshay) the mindset is that she has attained her success because of them. To an extent I agree that Salman did serve as her godfather for her earlier career but??? to reduce her to Salman’s charity project is unfair, unjust and demeaning. And Katrina cannot win, no matter what she does. She was great in Namastey London? Well, she was just playing herself. (How criminal that an Indo-Brit should play an Indo-Brit. Tsk. The times.) She was great in New York? Well, Kabir Khan is her sugar daddy, we been knew. She was great in Raajneeti/ZNMD? But it was a multi-starrer! Tiger Zinda Hai? Ah, she finally scored a hit with a meaty role but….it was SALMAN BHAI who helped her! 

While almost every actress or actor has had a godfather of some sort, Katrina faces the brunt of it because she has scored so many hits, nay, blockbusters.  Instead of appreciating how she holds her own beside them, everything she does is a direct result of their godly manna. Her success is parried down to the Khans, long after she has become her own woman. Cruelly, when she does embark on brave projects with strong roles, the audience roll their eyes and ignore it- refer to when I went to watch Phantom (counter-terrorism drama, one of Kat’s best) at the theatre and one guy, I swear, remarked “it’d be more fun if she took off her clothes”. Also refer to Fitoor where one person, who was clearly unaware of either Great Expectations or the character of Estella, said that Katrina is acting stone-cold towards the hero cause she can’t act at all.

This, coupled with the Barbie doll image, has led to Katrina being projected as a sweet but altogether passive person. She doesn’t do “fiery roles” of empowering acts. She serves Sansa instead of Daenerys. And we all know how that goes. Fun fact: Katrina now is nothing less than the Diana Prince of Bollywood, an action queen through and through and her recent project TZH had her snatch wigs, purses and weaves away from Salman Bhai’s altar. BBC London mentioned her to be the best part of the film, as did most critics. Her role in MBKD had been cited  as one of the most interesting female  roles of 2011. Meanwhile Bollywood Tumblr “sHe cAN onLY dANCe”. 

3.“she is a diva with attitude”

Apparently people have had some bad experiences with Kat who is known to be very private and guarded. Recently a woman in Vancouver insulted her and told her to improve her attitude. There are also several anonymous users on Quora who posted that she is rude at the airport. I have not personally met her but I was lucky enough to interact with some fans who did and they all assured me she was graceful and kind. I do not know if she is rude at airports or in the gym or whatnot; what I do know is that almost all her co-stars said that she is a sheer delight to work with. What I do know is that she provided food and water to paps who were waiting outside her house in the hot sun. What I do know is that I visited a publishing house because I was lucky enough to win some merch signed by her and one of the journalists there, a friend of mine, said that Katrina is one of the most polite stars she’d ever met, dignified, cheerful, guarded yet friendly. In an industry where female stars are thrown into a veritable fighting pit since their debut, she is close to almost all the leading actresses and has an excellent rapport with them. She gets along famously well with every co-star, not easy when you have worked with such a wide variety of them. Just see her Instagram, it’s mostly Kat hyping everybody else.

4. “RANPIKA BROKE UP CAUSE OF HER!” “SALMAN BHAI, LITERAL HUMAN ANGEL WAS DEVASTATED BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T STAY WITH HIM!” “SHE DOESN’T DESERVE SALMAN!” “SHE DOESN’T DESERVE ANYBODY!”

Scum of the Earth. Please do ignore if the anti arguments fall along this line. They are usually the type of stans who lick the star’s shoes clean with their own drooble if needed, act as if they have been privy witness to every detail of their fave’s life, do not understand toxic relationships, calling them ‘cute bantering’, and like to slut shame women for a pastime, while ignoring abusers and criminals at the same time.

5. “She’s undeserving of the success she enjoys, cause she is a pathetic actress”

A very interesting segment of antis had risen during the time Katrina won the prestigious Smita Patil award for her contribution to cinema. Their self-righteous claim was that there were a thousand other deserving actresses who should have won. They fail to see that Katrina’s hard work and investment has paid off, and thus they reduce her to her male colleagues, her beauty, her sex appeal. These antis are of the overall same degree and type as those who still believe Kristen Stewart is a bad actress. Y'know, the ones who sigh in faux-piety and go “he/she’s cancelled” about 50 times a day. These are the ones without perspective, who do not see the point of growth and influence. By that logic, anybody with diligence who lacks a natural-born ability should be a useless liability in society. They should be undeserving appendages, rather than people who deserve credit for their efforts. I quote from one of my Twitter posts I made a while back:

“Katrina didn’t get daunted by obstacles.This babe dared to step into an industry speaking a completely foreign tongue, as Chinese would be to us, & made it on her own. She accepted the challenge & owned it. ….(She) has worked her skin off to achieve the superstardom she enjoys today. The results are that she was the only female star to be mentioned in the National Award winning film Filmistaan, and she enjoys monumental popularity among the younger demographic.“ 

There is a reason Marilyn Monroe, Suchitra Sen are remembered despite them not being the best ability wise. A star is not just born out of talent. A star is also born out of the ability to captivate the minds of the audience, by charm, by persona or elsewise. This is no small feat but  Kat can do that. I do not mean to compare her to  these iconic women, but am making  an analogy. She has screen presence. She is a star. Like it or not, she shines very, very bright. Is it her fault that she is successful? Beautiful? Hardworking? That directors come to her with scripts? What is she supposed to do, reject them? Well boohoo, I have news for you.

Besides, and this is what is most hilarious, Katrina is actually one of the most unproblematic stars of Bollywood, especially amusing when you look at the sheer number of the haters. She went to this talk show and there was this bitchy Never-Have-I-Ever segment of strip and tell where you’d have to roast your colleagues and Katrina chose to start taking off accessories and shoes instead of dragging her co-stars! Problematic! Toxic! Awful!

”……A very important thing that most overlook is that Katrina has on notable occasions spoken up for body positivity & freedom of identity. Her role in Bombay Talkies had her encourage a gender fluid person to accept himself & speak up on transsexuality…..(she ) has always remained supportive of her female colleagues, promoting their films on her own social media, praising them at every opportunity. Feminism. Done right.“

In summary, if you’re looking to criticise, you’ll find flaws in everybody, each and every Bollywood star. Mostly Katrina Kaif but also many others. She has her haters, they are vicious. But, on a better note, it doesn’t affect her. I raise you this superior bit of tea I found from this one cinephile’s Twitter thread:

I may have gotten too passionate and written too much. Forgive me. But also, you have my answer.

[onestowatch]

mazie Is Transforming the World Around Her Into a Surreal Pop Dream [Q&A]

Photo: Daniela Salinas

Like twisting the rotating ends of a kaleidoscope, looking at mazie’s music from an even slightly different perspective unveils a host of varying takeaways. There’s “no friends,” her debut single, written and released at the beginning of quarantine, perfectly unaware of the universal nature her track would soon envelop. Twist a little further and you arrive at “dumb dumb,” an unconventional and surreal pop song written in response to the Capitol Insurrection and the ensuing deluge of memes. Yet, no single twist, turn, or bend of the neck begins to fully encompass mazie, the artist. 

To fully begin to understand mazie’s psychedelic, dreamlike vision perhaps there is no better place to start than her debut EP, the rainbow cassette. Throughout the EP’s eight-track run, the rising artist delivers her idiosyncratic take on pop, one that feels like falling straight down the rabbit hole. Yet, in many ways, it’s an exploration of everything mazie loves about music, including working with her dearest friends. 

Every track is produced by Elie Jay Rizk, mazie’s teenage friend and go-to producer who has always been there to bring every left-field idea of hers to life. In addition, the rainbow cassette contains a newly-realized rendition of her debut single “no friends,” featuring spill tab and Mia Gladstone, who mazie notes as both friends and inspirations. Taken altogether, the rainbow cassette feels like a bold and utterly enjoyable step forward in expanding the world of mazie.  

I had the chance to speak to mazie about writing her debut EP in the midst of a drastic period of change, coming up in the pandemic, and the simple joy of a rent-controlled apartment. 

Ones to Watch: Who is mazie?

mazie: mazie is me! I’m Grace. I’m 21-years-old. I’m originally from Baltimore, Maryland, and I just moved out to LA. I have no idea how to describe myself (laughter).

Let’s start out with the hard-hitting questions. Would you rather be able to speak every language or be able to speak to animals?

Ahhh, dude! That sucks! I think I’d rather speak... this is controversial... I think I would rather be able to speak every single language, because, what if we find out animals are so mean. And they’re talking behind our backs, they’re just roasting us all the time. That would be devastating.

That is my newly realized fear. What if animals are just extremely problematic? Just have to cancel every single one of them.

Exactly. Like, dogs are racist? That sucks.

How would you say you have evolved as a person since your debut single, “no friends?”

Wow, I’m extremely evolved. This last year, everything in my life changed. I dropped out of college. I moved with all of my friends from home out to LA, and I feel like being 21 and being totally financially independent from your family and pursuing music at the same time is really fucking intense. Every day is a struggle trying to be an actual adult, but it’s been awesome.

What’s the hardest part of being a financially independent adult?

That all of your money goes to rent and nobody tells you that.

Welcome to LA.

Yeah, dude, every dollar goes straight to my rent. Cool… cool… cool.

What is the rainbow cassette?

the rainbow cassette is my debut EP. It’s my favorite body of work I’ve ever made. It feels really complete to me, which is fantastic. I haven’t had a strong sense of my artistry until the last two years, and I feel like this EP is exactly what I want to be doing right now, which is a really cool feeling.

the rainbow cassette was written during not only a period of change, you moving from Baltimore to LA, but in the midst of a pandemic. How did the world around you affect this EP?

I think the EP is exactly the world around us for the last two years. We released “no friends” peak quarantine, when nobody had any idea what was going on. And then we made the rest of the EP throughout the whole thing, so I feel like the entire project is centered in this experience, whether we liked it or not.

“dumb dumb” was written in response to the Capitol Insurrection. How do you go about turning such a surreal experience into an even more surreal pop song?

I think the more absurd the better. I feel like every single thing we’ve been experiencing for the last few years has no fucking context at all. Where did this shit come from? How did we get here? This is brutal. So, I think the day that the insurrection happened, we were just like, “Yeah, this makes no sense anymore, so let’s also make a song that makes no sense.”

It’s like when the world’s going mad, what can you do but laugh?

Yes, exactly. Or else you’ll cry, and that’s even worse.

Is there a song on the EP you’re excited or even scared for people to hear?

That was how I felt about “dumb dumb,” because that was the first song I released after eight months, because I was in the process of signing to Good Boy, so we couldn’t release anything. But it ended up being so much better than I could have ever imagined. I’m so excited for people to hear the intro to the EP, because when Elie and I were in the studio last summer we made the intro before whatever else, and we were like “This is it. This is exactly what we want to be going for.” I’m so excited for people to finally hear that; we’ve been sitting on it for so long.

And why were you scared for people to hear “dumb dumb?” Was it the political nature of the track?

Not even. It’s just because it’s a zany song, you know? I feel like I haven’t heard a lot of songs like “dumb dumb,” so I never know if people are going to be receptive of that or if people are going to be like “What is this?”

Speaking on the absurd, surreal nature of not just your music but your overall aesthetic. Where did that originate?

I feel like it came from psychedelics to be honest. Sorry to my parents. It’s definitely psychedelics that really changed my relationship with music, changed my relationship with myself in such a positive way. It’s just who I am today and what the music is today, so yeah, straight-up psychedelics.

Was there a defining moment where you knew music was what you wanted to pursue? 

Yes. I’ve never had a plan B, which is a little crazy now that I think about it. I was singing opera by the time I was ten years old, so either I’m going to go to a conservatory and this is going to be my life or I’m going to be a music therapist or something. But then when I met my producer when I was 15, he tracked my vocals the first or second day I was in the studio, and when he played it back for me, I sobbed hysterically. It was the most mind-blowing experience ever, and I was like “This. This is it. I have to do this for the rest of my life.”

Elie is not only your producer but your teenage friend. What’s it like creating music with someone who has always been there for you but is also growing into adulthood with you?

Oh, I could cry talking about this. It’s the most powerful, incredible experience ever. We love each other so much as people. He is my best friend, and he’s seen me grow up over these last five or six years and we get to make the best music because of our closeness. You can’t fake that intimacy with other people when you’re getting in the room for the first time. He just understands me fundamentally as a person and therefore understands the music so fundamentally. It’s the greatest thing ever.

What do you hope people take away from the rainbow cassette?

I hope that they’re interested. I hope that they feel really good listening to it. I hope they have a lot of fun, because I had so much fun making it and I really enjoying listening to it. I’m a little biased though. Yeah, I just hope people really enjoy themselves, because it’s a bit of an experience.

You’ll be heading out on tour with COIN this fall. What are you most excited for?

I think just doing it, you know? Every single person I talk to about going on the road is like “I could tell you what it’s like but you’re just going to have to go through it and learn for yourself.” I came up in the pandemic, so live shows have not been a thing for me. I’m really, really excited to go play shows and see what it’s like.

Speaking of coming up in the pandemic, did you feel a heightened need to be involved in social media, as it was the only way to connect with fans?

Yes, yes. It required me to be really adept at social media super fast, which is something I think I’ll always be working on especially because content creation is kind of hard. But with Instagram and being able to connect with fans in that way, it provided me purpose when nobody had purpose. It felt like I had a job, like I was doing something constructive. It made me really get on board with social media.

Regarding social media, that’s a very positive outlook, especially during the pandemic where one had to find reasons to get out of bed in the morning.

Exactly. And if that’s an Instagram post, I’ll take it!

If you could have one thing in the world right now, what would it be?

Oh my god. If I could have anything in the world it would be an apartment…

A rent-controlled apartment?

(laughter) I want a rent-controlled apartment. I want to be like Monica from Friends. An apartment in Tokyo! That’s it. That’s the one

Who are your Ones to Watch?

I’m on Good Boy Records and Good Boy is all the homies. They’re literally my best friends. I am so excited for georgee who just put out his song “baby4u.” It’s my favorite song ever right now. And judith, who is about to put out her debut single. Just reppin’ Good Boy because they’re my family. Outside of that, I’m obsessed with my friends. spill tab, Wallice, marinelli. I think they’re all stars. ella jane. Chloe George. Oh my god. The world is not ready for Chloe George.

the rainbow cassette is available everywhere you can stream it.

[pixelsandpins]

I’m on my shit again (a repost due to technical difficulties)

Something Wanting

A Yuri on Ice (Otayuri fanfic)

General, 3k words, part 1/3?

"She seemed taken aback for just a moment, then nodded with resolve before sliding off down the rink again. Spartan advice, but hopefully effective. It had been ten years and seven gold medals since his debut, but he barely felt qualified to pass out any sage wisdom on the matter. And yet Victor always sent the junior skaters to him, hoping they'd glean something useful they couldn't get from their own coach."

The Ice Tiger of Russia has cut a swathe through the skating world a mile wide in the decade since his senior debut. The ice has been good to him, but there are still things it can't bring him. Balance. Clarity. Companionship. Despite being enveloped in a small family he can call his, there's something missing. Something he can't scratch. When an old flame appears, the feelings boil over, and he can't hold onto his life as is, anymore.

"Mr. Plisetsky!" a little knot formed in the bottom of Yuri's stomach every time someone called his name like that, but he tried his best not to let it show.

You're a role model now, Yuratchka. The young ones look up to you . He could almost hear the old man in his head. Was that voice Yakov or Victor, though? It didn't matter. They had both chastised him about equal at this point. Yuri turned to the pale, freckled brunette girl who had slid along the rink to meet him.

"Mr. Plisetsky, I'm competing in my first senior division next week, and Coach Nikiforov-"

"And Nikiforov sent you over to force a pep talk out of me?" She blushed a little and turned her eyes toward her skates.

"I...Coach reminded me that you won gold your first time at the Grand Prix, and I just wanted to know if you had any tips."

"Are you expecting to 1.) qualify all the rounds to make it that far, and 2.) even stand on the podium?

"Ah...no...I just…"

"Well you should! You should always expect that of yourself. Eyes on the prize every time. Nothing short of gold should ever be truly good enough."

She seemed taken aback for just a moment, then nodded with resolve before gliding off down the rink again. Spartan advice, but hopefully effective. It had been ten years and seven gold medals since his debut, but he barely felt qualified to pass out any sage wisdom on the matter. And yet Victor always sent the junior skaters to him, hoping they'd glean something useful they couldn't get from their own coach.

"There's uncle Yurio," said another voice, thick with accent. Another name he shied away from, but at least the person who spoke it had grown on him. It hadn't been easy learning to share Victor. He'd been petulant, childish, unable to understand why he couldn't seem to get ahold of one of the few things he ever really and truly wanted. His anger and intransigence almost ruined him.

He'd had a moment of crystal clarity, though, when they all stood together on the podium a couple years later. Pork cutlet bowl wasn't going away. Not yet, at least. By the time he joined them at the altar as a groomsman, he'd come to think of Yuuri as...not a brother...but something between friend and family. Someone he'd feel the absence of in his life. Not that he'd ever admit to any of that in hundred years.

Of course, the best thing Yuuri ever did was provide the means of creating the singular best creature in all of existence. A black haired, gray-eyed three year old clung to his leg, her tiny little arms lifted to him.

"Valya!" Yuri picked up the girl and gave her a squeeze, nuzzling his nose into her tiny little cheek. "And when are you going to win your first gold, huh?"

"I just start skating!" she squealed.

"That is not an excuse, my little piglet. They have five and under competitions."

"Yes, they do, but we're not going to force Valentina to compete, you know that." Yuuri reached them at the edge of the stands. His round form dropped to the bleachers, pink and purple Hello Kitty backpack flopping down between his feet. Valentina had picked it out. He wasn't fat by any means, but the triple hit of retiring, hitting his mid-thirties, and becoming a dad didn't exactly lend itself well to keeping in triple flip condition.

"Valenka! My zolotska," cooed a silver-haired old coot, his skates slicing through the ice. "Come to papa!" Yuri held out the little girl to Victor who clamored over the railing to get to him. He planted a bevy of quick kisses all over her forehead and cheeks, chattering little endearments into her ears. "Here, go back to otousan, papa's gotta take off his skates." Victor deposited her back on the bleacher side, but she ran to Yuri instead of her own father, begging to be picked up again. He obliged as Victor came through the opening in the wall to sit down next to his husband. Victor leaned over for a kiss, and Yuri was quick to shy away. Seeing them affectionate with each other didn't gross him out like it used to, but the disgust had been replaced with a strange dull ache in his chest.

As he gazed out over the rink, he gave a hard glare to a handful of lingering teenagers, mostly girls, waiting to hopefully catch a glimpse of the legendary pair together in the flesh. They knew not to make a scene of themselves in front of their various coaches, though, and they were finally slipping off to the locker room to change.

"Is beef and cabbage okay for dinner?" It took Yuri a moment to realize he was being spoken to, too busy focusing on the retreating forms of the young skaters.

"What was that?"

Yuuri was looking up at him expectantly.

"I'm making beef cabbage rolls for dinner. Was in the mood for something from home. You're coming over, right? It's Thursday."

Right. Thursday. The weekly meal at the Nikiforov-Katsuki's. Those had started when Grandpa died and Yuri was officially all on his own. Come over when we're not traveling, one night a week, at least, for a good meal. You can't live on protein bars and instant soup. Yuri had learned how to cook properly for one in the meantime, but the tradition had held.

"Uh, sure, I like both those things," Yuri replied, taking a moment to play with the aglets of Valentina's cheetah print sneakers (a gift from his own hands).

"I dun like cabbage," she opined.

"Val-chan, you do like cabbage. We just had it last week," Yuuri responded in The Voice.

"But I dun like cabbage, now," Valentina insisted.

"Valentina, we eat the food that's cooked for us," Victor added in his version of The Voice. The little girl tucked her forehead into Yuri's neck in defiance. It was still strange to hear them speak with those tones of firm but gentle command. They weren't just fathers, they were Dads and it was still taking some getting used to.

"Kyabetsu! Kyabetsu!" Valentina had turned around to the idea of cabbage for dinner, and decided to invent a new song for the occasion. She demanded that Yuri march around the living room as part of her vegetable procession, but he'd tuckered out about half-way through.

Now he was sat on the couch, watching her babble in and out between Russian, English, and bits of Japanese. He had half a mind to record it. At the thought of it he was already doing it, tagging both her dads on Instagram. He didn't remember who came up with #borschtcutletbowl (probably Chulanont or his fiancé), but they all used it liberally, now.

Victor joined him on the couch, glass of red wine nestled between two long, pale fingers.

"You want a glass? We've also got half a bottle of vodka left in the freezer."

"I might, in a minute." Yuri leaned back into the burgundy leather sofa and caught a flash of their reflection together in the black of the TV. When Victor turned it on, it disappeared, but the image remained. Ingrained. Burned into the back of his eyes.

Victor had always been stunning. Everyone knew that. But he'd aged into something so fine and elegant it should have been illegal for him to simply exist in the world with other, normal people. Yuri had gained maybe ten centimeters at most coming into adulthood. Either he was destined to be short or all the years of ballet and salchows during his formative years really had stunted his growth. He'd put muscle on that small frame, though, despite attempting to stay trim and waifish for as long as possible. He'd only managed to maintain the "Russian fairy" aesthetic for a little while into his late teens before flowering into "attainable Adonis." The past couple of seasons he'd been working up to "your daughter calls me 'daddy,' too." It was orchestrated to hit its stride this year, and he had to admit a certain level of excitement. The end of his competitive career was creeping up on him, and if he could go out with a bang that'd be ideal.

"You should consider coaching," Victor said, in the middle of a thread of thought.

"Why the f-," Yuri caught himself. No cussing in front of the baby. "Why would I want to do that?"

"You're a multi-medalist, you can competently teach a step sequence, and you're great with the kids."

"Only two of those three things are correct."

"Valentina loves you!" Victor gestured to his daughter who'd now changed her chant to "Niku! Gyuuniku!"

"That's different," Yuri protested.

"The kids at the rink-"

"The kids at the rink are somewhere between desperate and starstruck, hoping to catch even a glimmer of fame or talent by association. They aren't even half the skater you were at that age..or a quarter of the skater I was." Yuri lifted the edge of his eyebrow smugly, but Victor pushed on, ignoring the jab.

"Well. I enjoy it. You're going to have to watch out for my Konstantin, this year. He's coming for your blood."

"So does he want the left or right side of the podium?"

Victor snorted ever so slightly into his wine.

"Don't be so quick to drop your guard," Yuuri called from the kitchen. "You've got some stiff competition coming up to meet you in the next few seasons."

"If I make it that much longer," Yuri added internally.

Valentina jumped up onto the couch, changing the course of the conversation toward when dinner would be ready and if there would be pudding for desert afterward.

"If you eat all your bites." Yuuri appeared, an apron rolled down to his waist, matching glass of wine in his own hand. Looking so domestic, it was easy to forget his post skating career was more lucrative than anyone they knew. A business degree had, indeed been an excellent fallback plan. Yuri only hoped his own post-secondary education would be so useful when the time came.

The Eastern European Cup was relatively new, only a handful of years old, but it was a good way to start the season. One of Victor's students was also competing, but the trip down to Moscow was easy enough it meant the whole family was tagging along.

The only downside to it being in-country was that he couldn't dodge the reporters with a feigned ignorance of their language.

When the microphones and sports journalists came at him on his way into the stadium, he steeled his body and mind for the onslaught. It was Valentina who came to the rescue. Her calls for "Dyadya Yuri" to pick her up destroyed the news teams with a level of cuteness none of them were physically prepared to deal with.

Within an hour, #daddyPlisetsky had overtaken all ice skating related newsfeeds. Yuri knew this because he kept getting tagged in all of them. He had to turn the notifications off on his phone just to concentrate on getting ready for his skate.

He was early, which was nice. He liked showing everyone the thing they were going to have to beat, put the fear of God into them, rustle their jimmies. He was also happy to note that his attempt at producing hyper-masculinity on the ice was effective. Checking his phone after his short program revealed that #daddyPlisetsky had quickly taken a more explicit turn.

"How'd they get so many pictures of your butt so quickly?"

Yuri jumped a little. He hadn't heard the other Yuuri join him at the top of the risers.

"Perverts screencapping the livestream." Yuri tucked his phone into his pocket. "Where's lil' bit?"

"She's down on the floor getting ready to 'help papa with coaching.' If she gets in the way, there're a couple of volunteers down there ready to watch her. I'm not worried."

"Hm…" Without thinking, Yuri pulled out his phone again, expecting his feed to be totally new, somehow, in the two seconds since he last looked at it. That was the worst part of competition. The long amounts of waiting between competitors, programs, and divisions. Yuri let out a soft groan.

"What's up?" Yuuri tapped Yuri with his shoe where they had both propped them up on the backs of the seats in front of them.

"Skate Canada is this weekend, also, and that asshole Leroy is there posting pictures and being gross."

"For someone you still call 'that asshole' after all these years, why do you still follow him?"

"I need to know what the competition is up to."

"He stopped competing two years ago."

"Not just in skating. In life-oh lord. Look at her; she's ready to pop. Why does he reproduce so much?" Yuri quickly flashed the picture of a very pregnant Mrs. Leroy to the other Yuuri who raised his eyebrows, impressed.

"Is that number two or three?" he asked.

"Four."

"Damn. Okay. That's too many. To each his own, but that's too many children in too short a time. I can't even...wooo." Yuri let out a big puff of air, perhaps imagining that many little versions of himself wandering around, clutching at his ankles.

"Everyone's getting married or having babies, right now. It's a little disgusting. "

"It's what people do. Welcome to your mid-twenties."

"I need it to be over. Also people being thirsty on these ass-shots. That needs to end, too. The sooner the better."

"You should've read the things posted on our wedding photos. It could be a whole lot worse."

"Oh, I did…I did. I even posted a few." For a moment, Yuuri went beat red, then sunk back into his seat.

"We're talking about when to look into number 2," he offered after a bit of silence.

"Another little piglet? I love Valentina, but two of you is enough."

"For the second one Victor would be the...uh…"

"Sperm donor?"

"I was going to use a more elegant phrase, but yeah. That's the idea."'

"The only thing worse than an extra piglet running around is a tinier, louder version of that creature."

The creature in question had started hauling up the stairs, Valentina in tow, pulling on the bottom edges of his sharp gray suit. A look of frustration stretched across his face, forming his heart-shaped mouth into weird contortions.

"There was some kind of error, and they've delayed the women's skate by twenty minutes. Irina's getting psyched out." Victor flopped down on Yuri's other side and sent Valentina off to his husband for a bit.

"She's tough. She'll be fine," Yuri mused, patting Valentina on the head as she passed in front of his knees. "Who all's competing? I didn't even look up the women's skate."

"Ahhhh, here." Victor pulled a slightly crumpled piece of paper out of his breast pocket and handed it over.

Yuri scanned the list, looking for names he knew. One, in particular, stopped him.

"There's a competitor from Kazakstan in the junior division. Guess who choreographed his short routine."

Both Victor and Yuuri leaned forward in their seats instantly, waiting to hear the fallout from this revelation. When he didn't say anything, the other Yuuri breathed in a sharp uptick of air.  

"How long has it been since you talked to him?" he asked quickly.

"It's not weird, is it?" Victor chimed in.

"I...is this what old married couples do? Live vicariously through their hot, single friends?"

"Yes," they answer simultaneously. He tsked at them.

"It's not...weird...alright? It's never been weird. We just don't see each other in person all that often, and the few times we do, we're too busy to catch up. And since he decided to drop out for a few seasons, he hasn't had a reason to come abroad. So...whatever. Leave it alone."

Yuri went back to his phone, not really looking at the screen, but trying to keep from looking at the idiots on either side of him. Then he saw it. It was an accident really, he hadn't even gone to Instagram stalk him, yet, which is absolutely the thing that was about to happen.

A picture of him in front of the Eastern European Cup welcome banner with a couple of young skaters.

He was here. He was here somewhere.

Another picture taken literally seconds ago from the bottom of the auditorium near the judges table.

Yuri was on his feet before his brain even knew what he was doing. The mere flutter of the idea that he might get to actually see him in person had sparked jet fuel in his belly, rocketing him down the stairs toward the rink. Around the bend, toward the kiss and cry. Just beyond that to the judges. Here. He was around here somewhere.

Then Yuri saw him. Tall. Dark. Black hair with eyes the color of charcoal. The haircut had barely even changed in all these years.

Yuri called out to him, and the man heard, turning quickly to find Yuri in the crowd. Their eyes locked with each other and the world faded away around them.

How long had it been since he'd seen him in the flesh? So long. Too long.

But here he was.

Otabek Altin.

[romancevsreality-blog]

vanderpump rules, season six, episode fifteen: jax taylor is an irredeemable demon who should be ashamed of himself

The episode opens at Sexy Unique Restaurant, where Sandoval’s arrived early to work on cocktails for TomTom! Both Lisa Vanderpump and I are shocked to learn that he’s a) arrived early anywhere and b) working on something he doesn’t have to be. I have the lowest image of all of the people starring on this show so expecting them ever to go above and beyond is a hard pill to swallow. I mean, I genuinely thought Tom&Tom were going to go to a bunch of cocktail bars and just jack all of those recipes1. Lisa wants to make sure that Tom Sandoval is on his best behavior because Nick Alain2 is coming into town and Lisa doesn’t want anything to get muddled in the process. Lisa wants Tom to know that the designing and organizing and generally knowing how working a job is all on her, and he just needs to stand still and look pretty.

Michelle Branch can tell him a thing or two about that.

Over at The Phoenix, Lala is introducing Stassi to the first black people she’s ever met, Lala’s music producers. One of them is named Blk Elviz, and the other is Sean2, and they’re both very fashionable and aesthetically pleasing. Of course Stassi uses the word “y’all” as soon as she meets them because code switching is real3. Blk Elviz is wearing a leather jacket that I envy so greatly I know that thing was $600. They’re getting ready for Lala’s performing and scouting the space. Stassi’s not concerned about the musical aspect but really creating a vibe and… you know, event planning. What bothers me is that the music producers are kind of just there to be there, and really, they should be asking more questions than Stassi is. What are the acoustics like? Are there going to be sound engineers? If Lala’s performing outside, will the audio be swallowed up?

I should be doing this job. Jusssayin. Stassi only listens to showtunes and reggaeton. Stassi loves Les Miserables, as most white people do.

Stassi and Lala sit down to split a giant pretzel and discuss girls’ night. Stassi’ really trying to listen and communicate with Ariana but Ariana’s not having it. Stassi’s not okay with feeling shamed for calling out bad behavior and feels no need to apologize. I agree with Stassi - she was made uncomfortable by Jeremy, and she told Ariana such, and Ariana doubled down on her anger. I don’t know if anyone else could have expressed that sentiment to Ariana, either. Unfortunately for Stassi, Ariana’s hatred of her makes her blind to the possibility that Stassi could ever be correct or have feelings worth validating.When Stassi says she’s not apologizing, Lala calls her a gangsta bitch.

That’s a little too far, Lala. We’re not going that far today.

Ugh, we’re at The Tomb of Jax Taylor, or Jax and Brittany’s apartment where it immediately starts with them bickering over the couch and to top it all off, Kelsey, Jax’s financial dominatrix - I mean, reiki coach, is coming over, and Brittany’s gotta skedaddle for a bit. Brittany’s a little jealous because Kelsey is not only good looking but she’s providing something to Jax that Brittany not only doesn’t know, she doesn’t even understand what it is. I mean, if I was a little concerned about that, I would take Kelsey aside and, you know, ask her about the process that my boyfriend of two years is making and how she’s helping him. These sessions aren’t just for him, BRITTANY.

I notice at this moment that Jax is wearing a Saturdays are for the Boys shirt. When did this become a thing? According to Know Your Meme it’s from a thing called Barstool Sports. I thought Barstool Sports was the game I played when I was trying to get laid in college and would post up at a bar for a few hours. But no, apparently it’s not even a game! It’s a podcast!

Jax loves Kelsey because she literally breaks him down and rebuilds him. I’m glad Jax is feeling the way he’s made women feel for 500 years. He’s ful of anxiety about the whole idea of the trip. Oh, and apparently someone offered Jax a job.

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No.

Jax Taylor did not get offered a job in Florida. No. He’s like “I get to be around sports all day” It’s apparently a job in hockey doing social media and marketing. I have friends who work for stadiums. No. This is not real. He’s mad that Tom & Tom have an opportunity so he’s going to pull a Ryan Howard and move to Miami. Miami, Ohio, that is, where this job likely is. That somehow makes Jax both Kelly Kapoor and Ryan Howard simultaneous and I don’t think this is what Greg Daniels and Michael Schur wanted.

And even so, why would he take this? I’m sorry, Jax has it made. He’s easily pulling in a mid-range six figures from this show, Instagram ads, and appearances alone. And he wants to give all of that up to live in a swampland and make, what, 60k a year? And even so, the Tampa Bay hockey team is really good. I can’t imagine them hiring a 75 year old who’s never had a job and didn’t go to college to study this. Sorry. I call bullshit.

My friend Celia’s doing reiki treatment right now for chronic pain, and she says it’s really working for her, so I’ll hold my tongue regarding Kelsey and what she does, because I really don’t have any knowledge and experience. What I can say confidently is that Jax is going to try to fuck Kelsey, and Jax will use reiki as an excuse to blame Brittany when he does so. That I’m sure of.

Brittany returns and Jax gushes over Kelsey, of course. He’s like “she’s amazing, my days are better after I see her,” and Brittany wants to help, and Jax immediately starts pitting Kelsey against her. It’s actually effortless. Brittany’s like, “Tell me what she does so I can try to help you,” and Jax is like “she’s just not like you at all in every single way, she makes you look like trash.” The appropriate response would for Jax to explain how Kelsey’s helpful so Brittany can learn, but no. Jax hates Brittany so much at this point and is literally taking every step possible to make her feel like shit. He tells her she’s not patient with him, and Kelsey calls Jax Jayson.

Brittany asks why Jax doesn’t want her to all him Jayson, and Jax is basically like “I’m trying to know Jayson and who I was before I became Jax.” Brittany. He is literally telling you he doesn’t want to be the person you’re dating anymore. He’s going so far as to change his name. Everything with Jax is a fucking transaction. That’s why he’s pitting this woman he’s known for a few weeks against his live-in girlfriend of two years. Does Jax not realize that Kelsey’s mostly being so kind ot him because he’s paying her, not because she actually likes him? And that she’s showering him with positivity and false platitudes like she’s RuPaul? Jax is that guy at the strip club who wastes his entire retirement fund because that’s the only way he can feel good about himself.

At this point the Trump administration should just hire Jax, he’s a member of their tribe of Transactional Relationships.

Jax tells Brittany about this fake madeup job in Tampa. After he’s told Kelsey already. Jax is that friend who gets an idea in his brain and is 100% in on the idea without considering the reality of the situation. He tells Brittany to her face that right now he doesn’t see anything holding him back and there’s nothing there for him - the implication being that being in Los Angeles with her was the problem. He doesn’t want to be Peter Pan anymore… but as soon as Brittany’s like “great, I want you to grow up, too,” Jax gets mad. She’s giving him support and agreeing with his opinion but he doesn’t want that. The minute Brittany agrees reminds Jax that his behavior isn’t just for him, it effects other people. That’s why he’s like, “God, just say yes. Not ‘you’ or ‘me’ or ‘I’ or ‘us’.” He literally tells her not to talk about the way his actions affect her, positively or negatively. She tells him that she has opinions too and she, in fact, doesn’t have to just stand there and say ”sounds good, honey.” Kelsey, who I only hate because she’s enabled and provided a sociopath with the tools he needs to continue his abusive behavior, told Jax that he needs to put himself first because he never does anything for himself. Brittany rolls her eyes at this entire notion, and so do I.

Brittany will never leave this man. She loves him and she truly believes everything she has will go away if she chooses to leave.

Because the producers want to give us an example of a healthy, functioning relationship, we’re over to Scheana’s apartment where she’s hanging out with her true love - her cat. Oh, and Rob’s there and Scheana’s “made food”4. Scheana immediately pretends like she wants what’s best for Brittany and wants her to get her mojo back by fucking a ton of other dudes. Rob, forever the voice of reason and rooted in some sense of reality, reminds Scheana that Brittany has agency and if she doesn’t want to break up with Jax, Scheana can’t force that to happen. Scheana clearly sees herself in Brittany and thinks Brittany’s just afraid of being alone and would rather stay miserable than be alone.

As soon as Scheana starts on this path, Rob is like OKAY LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ONLY REASON I DATE YOU, to get publicity for the app I’m starting! It’s an e-commerce site where divorced people can selll their shit.

I am literally sitting next to my roommate who works in e-commerce and if she wasn’t paitiently working I would ask her on a scale from 1 to Offset cheating on Cardi B how stupid this idea is.

“The Divorce Closet”. Not everything is a business. Isn’t it a crime to sell someone else’s things without their consent? How is this not just Nasty eBay?

Scheana so admires Rob’s work ethic in creating a brand that literally caters to only her. I don’t want to buy Shay’s broken snowboard or your old Indique hair extensions, Scheana. They’re looking at logos, Scheana’s asking about copyrights, and Rob’s like “well, I have majority equity and you’re the face of the company.”

Read: I make all the money and you do nothing. Get this shit in writing, Scheana. He’s fucking you over. But then again, Scheana is so dickmatized and love-blind that it wouldn’t be romantic to go through all the nitty-gritty of contracts and whatnot with Rob. Rob can install a television in seven minutes and he would never screw over Scheana in The Divorce Closet. She’s so distracted by his baby blue eyes and how much she wants to marry him.

I don’t feel bad for Scheana. We’ve seen Scheana’s delusion in action before - remember when she was convinced Shay’s substance problems could be fixed by him just not drinking as much? Or how after one therapy session she thought all of their problems were fixed? Scheana sees these men as her saviors and her biggest enemies. Shay wasn’t perfect but god damn, I don’t think he deserves the on-camera humiliation that Scheana puts him in week after week. It doesn’t reflect poorly on him. It reflects poorly on her.

Lisa Vanderpump is kissing a horse. She’s at the stables riding Prince Tardon, her sexy horse. Brittany arrives and she’s terrified because she hasn’t rode a horse in forever. These are nothing compared to the tiny horses Brittany has on her farm in Kentucky. Brittany brings up the fact that things with Jax aren’t as bad as they had been in the past, and that she’s even planned this trip to Mexico for them. Why? What is the point of this trip? Lisa asks her why she feels the need to make it all better and celebrate him when he’s done nothing but treat her like crap, and it’s an entirely logical question. Why isn’t Brittany torturing Jax more? Brittany thinks Jax just needs to get away. She wants Vacation Jax. Lisa doesn’t understand why Jax is doing reiki and basically calls bullshit. She doesn’t understand why he’s not going to a convetional therapy.

Lisa tells Brittany she needs to look after herself and take care of herself. Lisa doesn’t understand why she puts up with it, doesn’t see anything changing any time soon.

In effect, Lisa is trying to tell Brittany that she won’t lose everything - she won’t be fired from the show - if she decides to break up with Jax.

We’re back at Tom Tom, and Tom Sandoval is wearing one of the ugliest shirts I have ever seen. Lisa, Ken, and The Toms are waiting for Nickel Lane, Lisa’s restaurant designer. They’re putting a fucking pendulum in TomTom. What is he doing? They want it to look like the inside of a clock inside TomTom. I guess TomTom will just be a long metaphor for how fleeting time can truly be, tick-tock, tick-tock. Sandoval has created some cocktail ideas for the restaurant, one including scorpion chili5. Lisa loves them. Tom finally got some sort of approval.

Over at Stassi’s, she and Kristen are packing their bags for Mexico. Kristen has a dearth of sequin tank tops with spaghetti straps. I love that Kristen is the most consistent person on earth in terms of her fashion choices. T-shirts with “romantic” or “funny” phrases, sequin tank tops, jeans. Wash, rinse, repeat. Stassi’s not excited to be rooming with Kristen because she’s a disaster of a person.

Lala got a spray tan, so he’s ready for Mexico.

Jax has a matching shirt and pants, and Ariana is bringing 100 bikinis.

We get a plane/shots/van/hotel montage, and they’re staying in one of my favorite locations I think I’ve seen on reality TV. Poor Peter has to room with James, and I bet he’s mad he agreed to go on this trip. I really don’t know what’s worse - the idea of James Kennedy having a hotel room to himself or being his roommate. All the rooms in the hotel are nice, but Jax and Brittany’s suite is the best one, it even has a private pool. Jax is wearing a NASCAR shirt, he deserves nothing.

We get an entirely unnecessary scene of Katie and Tom gushing over how happy they are in their relationship and how this first year of marriage has been the easiest and most fun time ever. They give a montage of all of the great moments these two have had as a couple who definitely should have gotten married, but it’s okay, they can eat $10 peanuts now.

Jax and Brittany are skinnydipping and shaming Peter and James for not having their own pool. Brittany mentions to Jax that he seems to be in good spirits and in a good mood and he’s like, “yeah, that’s Kelsey.” To the face of his girlfriend who arranged (along with producers) for this trip for his birthday in the suite she set up. God, I fucking hate him.

Are these people not allowed to leave the hotel?

Stassi and Kristen are trying to come to terms about their arrangement and basically having respect for each other’s space and desires. Stassi tries to tell Kristen that after 2 AM if she’s asleep, let her sleep. This is clearly a problem that’s happened before, and Kristen called Stassi selfish for not staying up all night partying for Jax’s birthday. Honestly, when my friends are going to bed and I’m wasted, I’m tucking them into bed and getting Goodnight Moon out. Kristen seems like the type to wake you up by pouring a glass of water on your face and calling you a bitch.

Stassi especially wants Kristen to stay away from their balcony, particularly with tequila.

Sandoval is ironing a shirt and complaining that it’s harder to get ready in Mexico because of the weather. He’s exfoliating, using less pomade, and somehow he adapts. Somehow.

Jax is 95% going to take this job in Florida and is going to tell Tom & Tom tonight. This is Brand New Information to Brittany, who is right to be upset. They’ve had one conversation about it and Jax is like “you knew this, I told you.” If it’s the same conversation we all saw, he told Brittany but there was no discussion about the reality of of it all. It was more of a “this is a cool thing that happened to me today,” and now it’s a real thing. I HATE THIS MAN. Jax doesn’t understand why Brittany wants to stay in LA and Jax immedaitely goes on the defense. Brittany points out that this is not a overnight decision at all, but to Jax it is. He’s making choices about their future without asking her, and he doesn’t see anything wrong with that.

Can you believe?

Jax is so abusive, I really can’t with him. He’s trying to isolate Brittany by doing this. The fact that the first thing that came to mind in terms of reasons to stay in Los Angeles is “we’re not staying for friends, we’re not children.” Who has been the most vocal regarding Brittany breaking up with Jax? Her friends. This is so tragic, bordering on disturbing. He is trying anything he can to make sure that she cannot make choices for herself. He cheats on her and she’s supposed to blindly support him and not say anything or stand up for herself.

Jax honestly needs to get a blow-up doll. Jax is the prime candidate for one of those sex robots. You know how in come countries they castrate pedophiles? Jax Taylor should be forced to never interact with women ever again once he gets his sex robot. We will all be better off.

Jax keeps saying this is his dream and he fully thought Brittany was on board, and Brittany basically is like, “what about my dreams, Jax?’” He never once considered her feelings in all of this, he assumed she would follow him anywhere. He has clearly made up his mind in the way he’s talking to her - there’s no reflection on what she’s saying, he honestly just thinks she’s upset because they’re leaving Los Angeles. Yes, Brittany can be a bartender anywhere, but right now, she’s being a bartender in Los Angeles and she’s okay with that. He thinks she’s going to force him to give up his dream, but he’s never considered hers.

Why does she stay? I really don’t understand why she stays. I really, really don’t. At this point, it’s just sad. I get it, you love the lifestyle he provides. But she can’t grow with him. And honestly, if she’s staying with him after he cheated, she doesn’t get to bring up the fact that he cheated over and over again to win arguments. Jax had done an abundance of awful things that should be thrown in his face, but she told him she forgave him and was trying to move past it. She can’t move past it if she’s continuing to weaponize it.

Ugh, did I just defend Jax?!

For some reason we get a scene of Lisa Vanderpump at Sexy Unique Restaurant, saying hello to Billie Lee and yelling at someone for their not-sexy plating. There are some good bartenders behind the bar for once and they get their time in the spotlight, finally. One is Daddy Bae Adam and the other is WeSley.

You’re probably wondering why I capitalized that S. The response is that it’s not pronounced “Wisley” like you’re used to. The S is emphaised - WeS-ley. Daddy Bae Adam wants to see about moving from barbacking to bartending, and Lisa is immediately skeptical. Lisa’s like, yeah, you’re cute, but can you muddle for five hours straight, because that’s what the Sexy Unique Bartenders are expected to do. I’m not making this up. There one-third of the cocktails on the Sexy Unique Website for Sexy Unique Restaurant have a muddled ingredient. I am now concerned for Ariana’s wrists. No one else’s.

Sorry, though, Lisa. Adam is far too hot to keep behind the bar and not in front of it. Why are you letting Jax, a bag of steroids disguising itself as a person, be one of the faces of your bar? Lisa asks Adam to make her a mojito, and he fucks it up right away. He’s better than Jax ever could be as a bartender, though. We get a loving montage of Jax making bad drinks and not giving a fuck. Who cares if Adam mistakes sweet-and-sour with soda water? Jax once served someone a cocktail with broken glass in place of ice.

How is Jax not in jail.

Back in Mexico Musical Cue: “we don’t need so sleep because the party don’t stop / so put your hands on me and turn me on, turn me on”.

I don’t need to go further into the fact that these lyrics have no relationship to one another, right?

The Mexico group is off to dinner, and they’re talking about the plans they have for the next day. They’re going to a water park! They take shots celebrating Scheana’s divorce because it’s finalized! Scheana’s gushing about Rob again because she has nothing else to talk about except her significant others, and Stassi says she needs to find a new hobby. I agree. Stassi is literally how I am when my friends go on about their significant others for more than I feel appropriate. Rob has infiltrated Stassi’s psyche and she’s even having nightmares about him now.

A former friend of mine in college6 lived in a house with three of her sorority sisters and she happened to be only single one. The fact that her roommates were sleeping not in their house but over at their respective significant others bothered her so deeply that it was all she talked about for three months. Because she couldn’t go to them about this problem, she came to me. Every conversation we had was about how she didn’t feel comfortable with staying in her house alone. To this day, I wonder if she ever talked to them about it. Anyway, the point of all of this is that her complaints began to effect me. I was having nightmares and full of anxiety about her situation. Stassi’s joking, but really - people who lack the awareness that their bombarding the conversation with one topic are the most selfish people on Earth. This girl was a walking red flag.

Jax takes the Toms aside to tell them about his Fake Job opportunity. The Toms are devastated to lose Jax and the band breaking up. Who are they going to hide behind and pretend they’re better than? How are they going to feel better about committing bad behaviors if they don’t have Jax to compare it to? They don’t want Jax to leave because they might have to feel remorseful.

Brittany tells the girls about Jax’s fake job opporunity, and I love that everyone’s skeptical. Kristen’s like “so, it’s real?’ And Katie asks if they subjected him to a spelling test. Remember Jax’s sweater line? Or his fitness app? All the girls are mad that Jax assumed that Brittany’s just going to pack up and move along with her, and Stassi is the first to explode about it. All the girls are telling her he treats her like shit and she doesn’t need to deal with that. Scheana tries to defend Brittany but everyone’s like, wait, weren’t you trying to set her up with the hot new bartender just last week? Shut up.

Jax approaches and Stassi tells him he’s Public Enemy Number One.

He sits back down at the table, and everyone’s like “So, Tampa?” And Jax is like, “Y’all can come visit!” They ask Jax what he’s doing for this Fake Job, and he says “events and social media.”

Okay, Jax. Sure, Jan. I don’t know a single company that would link their events team and social media team. They’re both marketing but very different types of marketing. And no, he is not “in charge of social media”. Jax literally cannot come up with a title for his job because he does not have this job.

Ariana brings up that she really wants to make sure that Brittany can do what she wants out of life, even if she does go with Jax to do this or not. This turns into Jax literally learning what his girlfriend’s life dream is. They’ve been together for two years and he literally cannot recall that Brittany wants to work with children with mental disabilities. She did it in high school, and it’s what she went to fucking school for.

Brittany, why? Why do you do this?! I DON’T UNDERSTAND.

She’s giving him so many chances to be a good boyfriend. She’s literally like, “You know, I’ve told you what I want to do a bunch of times, don’t make a fool of me in front of my friends, just pretend you know what I’m talking about.” And Jax is too dumb to play along and further humiliates her. He doesn’t care about her whatsoever. All he had to say is like “oh yeah, of course I’ve heard you say that.” But he doesn’t. This information he should know, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t even want to.

Lala wins the fucking episode when she reminds Jax that he is no longer single, he’s in a partnership of two years, and he needs to respect her. Jax tells her to shut up, and she loses it in only the way a woman tired of being told to be silent does. She’s fed up and she’s had enough of his blatant disrespect. Lala can’t get any respect from these men and they really do need to stop telling her to shut up when she’s holding them accountable.

Imagine a bunch of people telling you you’re treating someone like shit and to change and your response is to tell them to shut up instead of considering maybe you’re a bad person. Just imagine.

Jax tells Lala she doesn’t know him well enough to speak to him the way she is, and we get to see Lala’s old face and Jax before his hairline decided it was disgusted by him in a montage, where we remember that a) Jax really wanted to fuck Lala and b) Jax diminished and disrespected his relationship with Brittany in order to try to fuck Lala. Lala knows firsthand what a shithead Jax is and is definitely allowed to speak on it.

When Jax tries to shut Lala down, that allows Kristen to rise from the ashes, because if Lala doesn’t know him well enough, Kristen/Katie/Stassi definitely do. Jax tries an ad hominem attack, this one being “Why isn’t Carter here, Kristen? What’s wrong with your relationship?” And Kristen literally is like “... yeah, that has nothing to do with what’s going on here.”

My personal favorite defense is when people are getting held accountable for shitty things they’ve done and their response is “well, you’re not perfect.” No one was ever saying that they were (Especially not Kristen). You don’t have to be perfect to know when someone is being bad. You just need to be a decent person. Jax is the most manipulative and abusive asshole and I hope someone runs him over.

Ariana has a napkin over her head, and Sandoval decides it’s time to jump into the conversation because Jax needs a defender at this time. No, Jax doesn’t, and Sandoval can fuck right off for this. Stassi is telling Jax that she stays quiet whenever she hears the way Jax speaks to Brittany even though she’s not okay with it, and Sandoval tries to tell her that she doesn’t have a leg to stand on because Stassi is Jax’s ex-girlfriend so of course her opinion is biased against Jax. Sandoval, your opinion is biased FOR Jax. He’s acting like losing Jax to Florida is somehow equal to Jax’s awful, abusive behavior. He’s acting like his devastation is equal to the devastation Brittany’s self-esteem is suffering.

Next Week: Watersports, and not the sexy kind. Oh, that Kristen vs. Stassi thing is going to be an actual Thing, apparently. Scheana tells Rob she’s trying to be present and he tells her to shut her phone off (supportive, right?) But no, Scheana discovers Rob basically doesn’t want to hear from her. Lisa is aware of Scheana’s meddling in Jax and Brittany’s relationship, and so is Jax, and Jax is mad that Brittany might actually want better for herself than him. Who woulda thunk it?

Random Assessments from the Desk of Amanda:

Who told Brittany and Jax that robin’s egg blue is a good color for a living room area?

Jax doesn’t want a partner because that would require him to see women as companions. Jax wants a mother and a his buddies.

Scheana apparently only watches her scenes. I love that. She’s awful.

Honestly, the fact that Lisa Vanderpump doesn’t have restaurants called Sous, Dans, Devant, and Derriere is a loss for her. This is a French language joke, brought to you by my tenth grade French teacher and the direction song. 

I really want to go to Mexico.

Brittany hasn’t realized that Jax tired of his shiny new toy and she thinks she can get him to fall in love with her again. And the harder she tries, the less interested he is. I’m not going to say I’ve been in the situation before because I never know who is reading this, but man, I can see Jax’s side. Like, when I’m done with someone, I’m done. And the more they try to make me change my mind, the more done I become. By the end of my last relationship I would be ideal for Donald Trump with how done I was.

Further evidence that this job does not exist: Jax only lies to protect himself.

I can't wait to see The Divorce Closet on Shark Tank.

Bartenders, or if we’re being obnoxious, mixologists, or if we’re being pretentious, “cocktail artists”, are some of the most protective over their intellectual property. Then again, if I made a cocktail with 15 different ingredients that I had to source from the bottom of a gold-plated barrel, I would be too. ↩︎

I had to turn on the subtitles because I spent the last episode like “What kind of name is Nicole Ain?” Or “Nickle Ayn”? ↩︎

Yes, I know Stassi si from New Orleans. We’ve never heard her use “y’all” until now, and honestly, I’m so pro a gender-neutral plural that I think y’all shouldn’t be exclusively for Southern people. SORRRRRRRY. But y’all also can’t tell me she didn’t say this just because she was around black people. ↩︎

Why are people still replating carryout food and pretending they made it?! I know you didn’t do this. ↩︎

I fucking hate spicy cocktails and I judge cocktail bars with them on their menu. Oh god, I’m totally going to get myself into a lot of fucking trouble with my bartender friends SORRY Y’ALL ↩︎

One of the three people on Earth who knows that if we’re ever on the same sidewalk she better cross the fuckin’ street. ↩︎

[jessica-harrison]

Social Media & Website

Cover photo: https://www.whatmobile.net/Opinion/article/5-little-known-social-media-marketing-tips-that-will-take-your-marketing-to-new-heights

Social Media

The world of social media has grown hugely since its introduction to the internet. The first social media platform that was available was a site called Six Degrees in 1997. The boom of social media platform began in the early part of the 2000's introducing platforms like LinkedIn and Myspace. Yes, I know! Remember MySpace!? 

More platforms began to arise, and by 2006 saw the introduction of other well-known platforms like; YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify, Pinterest and Tumblr, to name but a few. (https://smallbiztrends.com/2013/05/the-complete-history-of-social-media-infographic.html#:~:text=The%20first%20recognizable%20social%20media,sensation%20that's%20still%20popular%20today)

In a professional sense, social media's idea is to help promote business and showcase creative content; such as photography, music and fitness, etc. As a sound designer/composer, I'm looking to use the following social platforms; SoundCloud, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SoundCloud is an excellent platform for sharing music, sound files and even podcasts. My current SoundCloud pages have been set-up but are lacking content and my updated branding.

I have researched some great examples of the use of SoundCloud within the field of sound design.

Cinematic Sound Design are a UK based sound design production studio that has created work for major TV and film commercials and share work examples from sound design pieces to musical composition: (https://soundcloud.com/cinematic-sound-design)

Another great use of SoundCloud is by the Tone Benders Podcast team. Timothy Muirhead, Rene Coronado and Teresa Morrow. They regularly host podcasts episodes invaluable to those seeking a career involved in audio editing, field recording, post-production for games, TV and film. They discuss a wide variety of design techniques, game audio, case studies on current and past examples of work within the industry, and so much more! If you are not aware of these podcasts, do so, and make yourself aware now: (https://soundcloud.com/tonebenders-podcast).

 Finally, another excellent source of SoundCloud uses inspiration from A Sound Effect’s podcast series: (https://soundcloud.com/a-sound-effect). A Sound Effect run one of the most popular sites for sound effects/sound design on the internet today.

I am currently planning to prepare a monthly podcast series, where I’ll be talking all things sound/audio/production. The first episode from the podcast I’ll be discussing how creativity has affected artists, musicians, sound designers and composers alike throughout the turmoil of a pandemic driven 2020. Having a warm and inviting presence, (albeit on a podcast) will lend itself well to viewers being able to begin connecting with me, and so I can start genuinely gaining a following. I’ll be using the podcast to talk about software, case studies and cool projects to share with my audience. I’ll also be using SoundCloud to share some creative field recording examples. So, people can hear the wonder and intricacies of creative field recording and sound design before being applied or edited and placed within a project.

YouTube is another excellent platform for posting videos about your kit or hardware and even software tutorials. My current YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCceMTWCvRtkGwUBPQz2sEYA?view_as=subscriber ) lacks some serious content update, and update of the branding imagery.

I’m looking to start planning a series of tutorials/how-to’s to start with field recording and sound design and share some mini-documentaries of projects in progress. Having a ‘behind-the-scenes’ approach to displaying your work will help potential future employers see what goes in all of the hard work before getting to a finished artefact.

My favourite on the list of YouTube Sound Design based channels is, Akash Thakkar ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr1pdADQRWMks2checkZxBA ). He provides some incredibly fun to learn tutorials, but most importantly (for me) is the amount of invaluable career advice on entering the industry.

When approaching the potential use of Instagram, I wanted to find some good examples of how other sound designers/composers have used Instagram. I did come across a fascinating blog article. 

Five sound design Instagram accounts you should follow. Which gives insight into some of the top sound Design related Instagram accounts to follow : (https://dougieevans.com/2018/02/28/5-sound-design-instagram-accounts-you-should-follow/).

Excellent use of sharing work in progress and a ‘behind-the-scenes’ aesthetic, comes from Robert Dudzic (https://www.instagram.com/robertdudzic/ ) excellent sound design work for movies, TV and games and radio.

Finally, we come to LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a professional networking platform. You can connect with like-minded sound designers, but more broadly, you can connect with other production companies, directors, and other organisations that require a sound designer or composer's services. My current LinkedIn profile is basic and has a lot of brand updating that is needed. I will also continue to research the best use of this particular social media platform as I am yet to comprehend its benefits fully.

A LinkedIn profile is more than a small photo of yourself and a job title. The more information you can give about yourself is better for future career employability prospects. Not only that but having an attention-grabbing intro to the profile will make people want to discover more about who you are. Not only this, but having frequent and update to date links of my best work is another factor too bare in mind when sharing content on LinkedIn. Gaining things like client feedback and connecting with groups, are other areas that will improve your Linked reputability.

(https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-muirhead-8643851/?originalSubdomain=ca)

Below are the headers for all of my social media platforms. All with updated branding!!! I'm working hard to get some fabulous material for each of these, and I shall be posting as regularly as possible.

WEBSITE

Below is my current website. I built this within Adobe Dreamweaver CC, but there are several issues with its functionality at present. The email form does not work, the load animation hangs, and there are many discrepancies with the website's metadata. Not to mention the layout could do with a revamp.

While the Dreamweaver method isn't all that difficult when developing a website, I found I was spending too much time getting silly little things to work and not focusing on the website's content. So, I sought other methods to create a website. Beforehand, I did make a collection of websites that gave me inspiration for my website.

https://bashooka.com/inspiration/25-cool-website-designs-using-neon-gradients/

https://www.webfx.com/blog/web-design/dark-websites/

https://speckyboy.com/modern-minimal-web-design/

With my research complete, the next step for me was to sketch out the wireframing. Wireframing the layout makes my job incredibly easier when placing content during the production of the website.

Now there are a wealth of website builders out there. Below is a list of some online website builders that are currently available (https://www.sitebuilderreport.com/best-website-builder#squarespace):

Wix - https://www.wix.com/

Weebly - https://www.weebly.com/

SquareSpace - https://www.squarespace.com/

Webflow - https://webflow.com/

GoDaddy - https://uk.godaddy.com/websites/website-builder

 I made Wix, my choice out of all of the website builders. It just seemed easy to use. It was finally allowing me to concentrate on my content. I started building the website through this template (https://www.wix.com/website-template/view/html/1714?siteId=1070999e-8eb1-4026-bc3a-ff9e8756fe9c&metaSiteId=e5e72348-6183-4b7f-9e4e-d427696f4111&originUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wix.com%2Fwebsite%2Ftemplates%2Fhtml%2Fmusic&tpClick=view_button). This would allow me to get my content loaded and then edit the position and layout after.   

Here is the current status of the new website. Not a bad effort so far, but some I'll need to make some tweaks to fix points where my site breaks (as you can see below). Which will make sure my website is optimised for all viewing devices.

Now here's the final result! My very own first 'professional' website. This method will prove far more effective in uploading and showing my work and other content, instead of partially coding a website. It's fun and doable, but I want to improve other areas of my audio expertise.

The website's ready to go live now. All I need to do is selecting a hosting package and domain and set up search engine optimisation (SEO). 

[kashifcci]

CCI CAMPAIGN

kashifcci     CCI CAMPAIGN 

With our new project we were given the brief of making and helping introduce a fresh new look to the Kingston CCI brand. We were told that this had to include making a Instagram campaign which represented the Kingston art courses in a eclectic and fashionable manner, whilst retaining the uniqueness that is so symbiotic with art courses at the university. We had to create animations in different ways which helped showcase the CCI brand. Pricilla ended up joining the group towards the end of the project so at first it was just myself and Preticha. 

in order to gain a good understanding of the brief and what was required of us I  came up with a PowerPoint presentation to contextualise and bullet point the things we needed to focus on.

The next thing we did is focus on the logo. Branding is one of the most important things for anyone that is trying to promote anything and a logo is normally the frontrunner of the branding. Your logo helps attract your target audience, helps attract potential clients and contributes to your unique selling point. We realised this was one of the most important things we could focus on.We wanted something fresh, something aesthetically pleasing and minimal but with a splash to it that still made it stand out. I went on the internet and began brainstorming. I found several logos that I found inspiring and then brought them into Preticha to find out her opinion.

.After looking at the images I brought in me and Pretchia began brainstorming and sketching out designs. We wanted to create something that was appealing to the eye but not tacky. we understood that our target audience would be in between the ages of 18-30 and we wanted to create something that resonates with them. so we put are self in their shoes ad began to brainstorm and sketch logos and images we think we personally would be captured by.

After this process we were happy with what we came up with. We went home and decided to focus on trying to build are logo using adobe photoshop.

This is the original image I came up with 

I then sent it to Preticha to get her opinion and she stated she thinks its a good start but we definitely need colour and more of eye popping lay out to it.

We decided to go to the library and Pretchia added on to my original image.

Over a period of time me and Preticha went back and fourth with the image and finally settled on one.

After showing are logo to Xavier he explained to us that we needed to include ‘creative and cultural industries’ on it which we hadn't done. So we then went back, re edited the image, made sure that the name of our brand was showing and visible and below is the final outcome after the necessary changes.

I came up with the idea of adding arrows to our final image, I felt like the arrows would be great signifiers on the logo, I felt like it gave the image the impression of direction and security, the idea that cci was leading you to a secure path through the education and career prospects of the course.  

Are next step was storyboarding, based on what we wanted for the video we had to come up with 5 four second videos which were required to have four stories and a ending. We sketched several storyboards showing how we wanted each story to be displayed visually from the beginning to the ending. We started off with our concept of the ‘big bang’ that’s what we wanted to represent cci as a course. We believe that CCI has such a explosion of ideas, people and different art forms, almost like a explosion of creativity. We decided to start off by looking at descriptions and keys visuals of the Big Bang and how we can relate that to the course, we mood boarded how and why we felt like cci was a course with a explosion of ideas.   In my particular case I felt like there was such a multifaceted nature to the cci course and when you are around the students and teachers, specifically when you’re being taught you feel like you’re being provided with almost a explosion of ideas. After much discussion we decided that’s what we wanted our common theme to be for the Instagram campaign animations. We wanted each video to be a explosion of sorts which either transforms the scene or creates new ideas and life.

Our story's included a Big Bang which then creates planets with each planet representing a new idea from the course, a scene in which there’s trash on floor and a cci bang falls out of the sky, when the bang hits the trash the trash then turns into gold. A scene in which there are bored children sitting in a classroom being taught by teacher, the teacher sees they’re visibly bored, goes into his pocket, and brings out a cci bang, he then throws the bang at them in which the children then transform and suddenly are dancing in the classroom enjoying the music. My fourth one was a dirty old coin, then a cci bang happens and then coin is turned into a silver coin which glistens and shines. In context the overall theme is one of transformation, we wanted it to be shown that cci is a course that transforms and changes it students for the better, that cci can bring the best and most creative streak out of the most dullest and non creative situations, and to summarise a course which is filled with new ideas, a creative juices which are ready to explode and change the world around its students. We ended up sketching out are storyboard and then forgetting to take pictures, the lesson we learnt from that is take pictures of EVERYTHING you do straight after you've finished, then email them to yourself! it provides you with a level of security and give you opportunity to display the process you used to get to the final outcome of your work.

After our storyboarding We wanted our video to focus on the idea of the big bang and space, so we created the below image on paint, it was a rough sketch but a outlier of where we wanted to go, I actually brought up using the show Ricky and Morty as  colour scheme inspiration, I felt like the wacky colour of the Ricky and Morty show was interesting and perfect for our video.

The most difficult thing we found with doing this project was the actual creation of the ideas, actually coming up with the ideas was such a beautiful and enjoyable process, Xavier made it incredibly enjoyable for us and me and my partners enjoyed mood boarding and coming up with ideas. We would spend hours just talking about the ideas, discussing what we think could be the best outcome and what we could do to make it better. The starting and preliminary process was so creatively satisfiying. Unfortunately when it came to the actual process of creating those ideas that’s when we hit a break wall. In my experience learning how to use photoshop is such a weird experience and difficult to say the least but after going on YouTube  and watching a few tutorials me and Preticha started to get the hang of it. 

Below is the image taken during the creation of the explosion me and preticha wanted for our animation, me and prethcia worked tirelessly in the library trying to use photoshop, we ended up taking turns because the process was so pedantic, me and Preticha added about 10 layers to create the animation, however I also phased the background into the explosion and the background image was completely separate to the overlaying explosion, at the first the explosion wouldn't combined but after using the magic wand and the help of youtube I ended yo figuring it out. Preticha then added the final layers and we managed to get it moving.

When it came to the day of the deadline the school computer wiped off our remaining animations meaning we didn't have the time to create a whole twenty second video for our deadline. Preticha and Pricilla wanted to changed our idea and then came up with a idea of character watching tv on a screen and then a pop of colours appear. Priclla created some still images on adobe illustrator then we worked together to create the final video using adobe and illustrator me and Pricilla sent drafts back and fourth to each other.

Below is the link to our finial cci video campaign

https://vimeo.com/405899840?activityReferer=1

  I found the process to be tentative, I enjoyed and I found I was really strong and coming up with ideas and initiating them, but when I used Photoshop I found it quite hard at first, after learning layering and the magic wand I found the process to be easier and I'm happy I pushed myself when it came to using the software as I had no clue how to use it before the course, during the end of the process the coronavirus struck! it was very annoying because I'm a care leaver and had no resources at home so it definitely slowed down the process for me.

[mi4012-ivanbabev]

Critical Reflection

As one on my responsibilities as a student in Animation, I was given an individual task to deepen my knowledge and understanding of a concept called Heterotopia. Heterotopia is a concept which we have talked and worked with the past semester. This semester as a project, we had to choose our Heterotopia. Firstly I wanted to choose a boat because It's a floating piece of space and generally because my hometown is on the coast and I already have places where I can gather lots of information about it and talk to people. The reason I didn't choose it is that I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try researching and learning about something that I don't know much a lot. So for my project, I chose Gardens. The idea was to create a place called "Garden in the desert".The idea was simple; it will be a Garden in the middle of the desert. But I wanted to be more exciting than that, so I started researching about It mostly online. I did read fascinating articles about "Persian Gardens" which were also called paradise gardens. I was intrigued by the design and beauty of these Persian gardens and how they were used in a way to create a space of escaping reality. The desert part was to show isolation which gives it more mystery. With using a blog, I learn to not only provide personal opinion but also to document my progress through the semester. It was hard for me to keep up with my blog and expressing myself in a post, but I see the growth the second semester because I did start to express myself by writing longer paragraphs.

I am looking forward to using it next year in a way it is your own space for expression and inspiration. This semester I learned to use a lot of Adobe programs such as InDesign and Photoshop. I struggle with using programs I am more old school type of person I like drawing and creating art on hand not working with applications. Learning the programs was a struggle for me, also with the help of my tutors and working with them consistently helped me a lot with them. Now I have no problem with using InDesign, and my work looks more professional this way. Learning the programs to create Moodboards and Concept art was the newest thing I did and learned to use. This semester I wanted to not only to come up with a better idea but making it more exciting and aesthetically pleasing for the human eye. Therefore we had to choose one of the Michel Foucault six principles, so I decided his 3rd principle which states that juxtapose in a single space several incompatible spatial elements​. That is why  Gardens are a perfect example of how plants from around the planet are juxtaposed. And for me, gardens are exciting places to explore because they are one of the oldest examples of Heterotopia. As Foucault himself stated '….. but perhaps the oldest example of these heterotopias, in the form of contradictory emplacements, is the garden'.(Foucault,1967,p21).The garden that I am looking at is a type called "Hayat" this type of garden focuses more on the aesthetics than the function. What is most important is that in it there are arks and types of fountains. And the floor is covered with gravel. I like the aesthetics of it. 

I liked the idea a big inspiration was Derek Jarman's garden in Dungeness on the Southern coast of England.Since his setting where his garden has more sunlight than rainfall. The environment is bleak and desolate, and I liked that so I incorporated it into my project. The other thing is that despite its desert conditions, he still managed to grow a variety of different plants. So that is where my most inspiration came from.

Analysing shot sequences

The next task the tutors gave us was the" Setting the scene" task which personally helped me a lot with analysing movies. The movie I chose was David Ficher's in my opinions best movie" Fight Club ".At first sight, the film caught my eye not only because of the plot twist but also the fantastic shots and angles the movie had. Therefore analysing was a little bit difficult because of the crazy angles; however, learning to distinguish and recognise angles, and the meaning of them was beneficial for creating my storyboard peace in the end. In a way, when you have that knowledge of film analysing you look at films differently, and you can use that in your peace to make it more unique. The analysis I made was based on my opinion of what the shots meant that I am going to work on it more in the near future. I did use some shots from the shot sequence despite the movie being different than my project. A great example is the beginning of the scene, there is a close up of the lead actor, and I liked the shot, so I incorporated it into my project. 

Designing the Project

The mood board I created helped with explaining my idea to my tutors I created it in Adobe Indesign and is a combination of pictures I gathered from different platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. I tried to make like a magazine page to look more interesting for the people reading it. The inspiration came from a National Geographic magazine I had, and I liked the design. I was going for a more minimalist look because it looks more transparent and understandable for the person looking at it. The landscape I created was more like a mountain area with the help of Photoshop. The only thing I would change is the colours I used I had to go with more warm colours. I made another mood board to describe better the idea of the project I am preparing and also put in information I didn't have in the last one I made. In my Concept Art peace, I didn't put any of my I did put more art from other artists that have the same style as the way I want to make my final piece. The art in it is mostly from Pinterest and Juxtapose. I started in Photoshop because I wanted to try making it in a different program, but the result didn't turn the way I wanted it, so I am sticking to Indesign for these kinds of projects in the future it is the best program for the job.

The final peace

The storyboard I had to prepare for the final project I wanted to have different shots with some meaning to them the storyboard begins with an establishing shot of the garden the idea is to show how isolated it is and to show where the scene will take place. The next shot is an upshot of the garden for the viewer to see it from a lower perspective. Next, a side shot of the fence and then a view of the desert to see the emptiness surrounding it. The next one is just a sneak peek of the garden to make the viewer curious, and then we get to the last shot which is a bird's eye view of the garden and the sun going down like it's a dream. The final shot I designed is a pan shot witch is going to go from the desert to the inside of the garden to create a sense of place. Of course, that is not it. I have lots of sketches I did of the design for the design inspiration was a cartoon called ''Midnight Gospel.''The series inspired some of my drawings of plants and the look of the garden.

In conclusion, I am satisfied with the work I did this semester. I tried to think of an Idea that stands up from the other ones. My problem has always been a distraction and taking time for granted. Not wasting time focusing on research and developing my skills for Animation is the thing I will focus the most next year. What I have learned this year as a whole is that Animation is not an easy thing to do and you have to plan everything carefully because it's a long process that needs time and to be consistent. Next thing I will improve is using programs also it was hard for me using programs, and at one point I wanted to give up, but when you work on it, and you do it daily you can learn fast, and now I know it's not a problem for me anymore. The other thing I did found hard to do is get in the right mindset to do it distractions are everywhere you have to learn to avoid them. This semester I did make some mistakes, but I also learned from them, and in the future, I would make sure they don't happen again. And work on myself more.

[jessicakehoe]

Here’s All the Fashion News You Missed This Week

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★ The finalists are here ★⠀ ⠀ Congratulations to the #lvmhprize2019 finalists! ⠀ ⠀ Kunihiko Morinaga @anrealage_official⠀ Bethany Williams @bethany_williams_london ⠀ Emily Adams Bode @bode ⠀ Hed Mayner @hedmayner ⠀ Kenneth Izedonmwen @kennethize ⠀ Spencer Phipps @phipps.international⠀ Stefan Cooke & Jake Burt @stefan_cooke ⠀ Thebe Magugu @thebemagugu ⠀ ⠀ #lvmhprize

A post shared by LVMHPrize (@lvmhprize) on Mar 27, 2019 at 1:04am PDT

The Finalists for the LVMH Prize Have Been Announced

The future of fashion has arrived. On Wednesday, eight finalists for the most prestigious design competition in the fashion industry, the LVMH Prize, were announced. This year’s finalists were chosen out of an applicant pool of 1,700; the most applications ever received in a single year to date. The list is as follows: Anrealage, Bethany Williams, Bode, Hed Mayner, Kenneth Ize, Phipps, Stefan Cooke and Thebe Magugu. Of the eight designers, a total of four design gender-neutral clothing. The lucky winner will receive a hefty cash prize as well as a year’s worth of mentorship from established designers. Past LVMH prize winners include Proenza Schouler, Marine Serre, and Jacquemus. (The Cut)

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✨⭐���✨

A post shared by Glossier (@glossier) on Mar 8, 2019 at 2:56pm PST

Glossier Poaches an ELLE Editor to Head Up Brand Content

Leah Chernikoff, a digital director at ELLE since 2013, is leaving the magazine biz in favour of Cloud Paint and Boy Brow. The Hearst employee has been hired for the position of Head of Content at beloved ‘no-makeup makup’ millennial beauty brand Glossier. In Silicon Valley parlance, Glossier is considered a ‘unicorn’ start-up, the name for a privately-held company with a valuation of over $1 billion. In an interview with Business of Fashion, Chernikoff characterized the move as a “natural next step,” and confirmed she will take over content for both Glossier and Into the Gloss, though she did not share any details on what the content strategy would involve. Great news for Chernikoff, less great news for the magazine business as a whole. (Business of Fashion)

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Is this the best magazine cover ever? New season design inspo! . . . . #90s #katemoss #theface #katemosstheface #margauxmuse

A post shared by Margaux & The Bright Lights (@margauxandthebrightlights) on Mar 2, 2019 at 10:48am PST

The ‘90s Magazine that Launched Kate Moss’s Career is Being Revived

Nobody knew who Kate Moss was until the toothy-grinned 16-year-old appeared on the cover of The Face in 1990. The edgy British publication was known for bringing youth counterculture to the masses and developed a cult following amongst in-the-know youths around the world. While the magazine folded in 2004, news came this week that Jerry Perkins, the chief executive of media company Wasted Talent, had acquired the title. “I’ve been trying to buy The Facefor the last 15 years,” he told the New York Times. Considering magazines are no longer the bastions of cultural discovery they once were, it’s hard to say whether the new Face will have as strong an impact as its predecessor, however we’re looking forward to seeing what the future holds. The Face’s new website will launch in mid-April and the first print issue will arrive later in the summer. (New York Times)

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March 27th, 2019: Michael Kors Shift Dress

A post shared by AnnaDelveyCourtLooks (@annadelveycourtlooks) on Mar 27, 2019 at 2:03pm PDT

“SoHo Grifter” Anna Delvey is Using A Stylist for Courtroom Appearances

Anna Delvey, the “SoHo Grifter”who left a trail of unpaid hotel bills in downtown Manhattan, made her first appearance in court this week wearing a plunging black Miu Miu dress paired with a thin black choker and sexy librarian glasses. The effect was far chic-er than the schlumpy-yet-expensive outfits she was known for during her time as New York’s most compelling grifter. As it turns out, Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, has retained the services of celebrity stylist Anastasia Walker, whose other clients include Courtney Love, T-Pain and G-Eazy. Walker was hired by Delvey’s lawyer, Todd Spodek, who confirmed to GQ in an e-mail, “It is imperative that Anna dress appropriately for the trial. Anna’s style was a driving force in her business, and life, and it is a part of who she is. I want the jury to see that side of her and enlisted a stylist to assist in slecting [sic] the appropriate outfits for trial.” Paying money to be professionally dressed seems like an insane thing for someone who is charged with swindling banks for over $275,000 to do, but then again, it’s such a crazy move that it might just work. (GQ)

View this post on Instagram

Cool as air. UNIQLO and @alexanderwangny announce a new collection for men and women, featuring amazingly seamless and stretchable AIRism innerwear. See it at https://s.uniqlo.com/2JOcXgE. #uniqloalexanderwang #coolasair #airism

A post shared by UNIQLO Canada (@uniqlocanada) on Mar 28, 2019 at 6:02pm PDT

Uniqlo Announces Second Collaboration with Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang’s line of HeatTech garments for Uniqlo was so well-received that the retailer has decided to continue the partnership. The new collaboration arrives in-stores and online April 11thand consists of sleek underwear constructed with Uniqlo’s signature AIRism fabric, which is meant to provide comfort and support during active workouts. “Working with UNIQLO on the second season of the collaboration, it felt like there was a mutual understanding of not only aesthetics but of each other’s work ethic. It was easier coming together this time around to accomplish a similar goal from various touch-points. Innovation has always been at the forefront of our design and creative process, and functionality serves a huge purpose in the way I and our customers dress. Therefore, through the influence of innovation, technology and functionality, the special AIRism collection was born,” Wang said in a press statement. (Press Release)

The post Here’s All the Fashion News You Missed This Week appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Here’s All the Fashion News You Missed This Week published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[mrmichaelchadler]

Short Films in Focus: Pocket

I have never been a fan of the screen-based thriller genre. Films such as “Open Windows,” “Unfriended,” and “Searching” have never really sold me on the idea of coming into a movie theater and watching a computer screen for 80-90 minutes. I can get that at home. The acting never really works and the gimmick wears thin pretty quickly. I know this style has its admirers, but just cannot bring myself to buy into it.

That is until I saw “Pocket,” a short film that takes the point of view of a smartphone for about 18 minutes. Had it had been a full hour longer, I might have lost my patience with it. But unlike the thrillers, the aesthetic here works because it doesn’t exist for a big payoff. This is life as seen through the eyes (and phone) of an American teenager named Jake (Mace Coronel) who cheats on tests, flirts with a girl he has never met (and waits anxiously for her replies), fights with his mom, tries to pass a driving test, films and posts fights at school and has the same phone addiction many of us have. Like Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade,” this film paints a painfully realistic portrait of the current American teenager and every parent who watches it will want to rush to check their kids’ phones, provided they can pry it out of their hands.

Unlike those aforementioned films, “Pocket” also benefits from not being in real time. It jumps around from day to day with many cuts and blink-and-you-miss-it glimpses into Jake’s life. The style will be hard for some to take and Jake is not exactly a likable protagonist. He whines, has little personality, and has idiotic friends, but it barely matters whether we like Jake or not. “Pocket” is a screen film that depicts, in its own subtle way, how screen addiction affects teenagers who are being raised on the screen and how it prevents someone from becoming a person of substance. They talk a lot, but rarely to each other. One student’s misery is another student’s snarky Instagram meme. And crushes can only be expressed via Snapchat where it goes from friendship to sex to isolation in a matter of minutes. 

Filmmakers Mishka Kornai and Zach Wechter state at the beginning of the film (via text message) that it should be watched on a phone with headphones. I confess I didn’t follow that directive at first. A bit of screen snobbery probably factored into that decision, but I made good on the second viewing and I have to say, it is absolutely the best way to watch the film. Sound is a key element here, as well as the visuals, and I noticed a lot more when I watched it on my phone. “Pocket” isn’t for everyone, but for a brief moment, it made me a believer in this storytelling form. 

Q&A with directors Mishka Kornai and Zach Wechter

How did this film come about?

More of our lives are taking place online and on phones now than ever before. We’ve been fascinated (and affected) by the digital revolution, and had been talking about wanting to make a project that involves our relationship to technology. Our collective, PICKPOCKET developed a unique capture system and storytelling format so we could make films that revolve around smartphones. We originally created the format for a non-fiction series on Facebook Watch called “Love & Longitude,” and it taught us a great deal about mobile storytelling. 

When we decided to embark on our first fiction project in 2017, the first instinct we had was to center our story around a teenager. Focusing on what it’s like for kids who are growing up today with phones in their hands from as early as they can remember felt to us like the right lens through which to examine this stuff. What is it like growing up in a world where anything and everything can be shared or accessed? “Pocket” was our attempt to address that question through the experience of our teenage character, Jake.

Were the "screen thrillers" ("Open Windows," "Unfriended" or "Searching") on your mind when you made it?

Honestly, not really. We love the approach that "Searching" takes, but we’d already shot and edited most of “Pocket” by the time it premiered. Also, all three of those films take place in the context of desktop and laptop computer screens, as opposed to phones, which we think is a significant distinction.

Our smartphones are extensions of our bodies in ways that computers never have been; we have them with us always, we sleep with them right next to us, we bring them in the bathroom, in the car, and on our dates. Unlike computers—which tend to be static in one place or another—our phones are constantly bouncing around between our hands, our beds, tables, bags, and of course, our pockets. This constant presence near our bodies makes for very visceral storytelling, but poses a much more complex challenge to actually capturing and telling that story in ways that feel natural and comprehensible.

What was the production process like? How much was scripted/improvised?

“Pocket” had a complete script, which laid out our stream of consciousness narrative, dialogue, and moments very clearly. On set, we tried to build a complete world for our characters so they were able to have room to play and interact beyond what we had on the page. Certain scenes were added during shooting in order to flesh out specific elements of the narrative. 

The most unconventional aspect of the filmmaking process was the fact that our lead actor, Mace Coronel, was also our lead camera operator, which created a unique dynamic in which we had to balance physical naturalism and effectively capturing our story. Lots of the performance conversations we had with Mace on set was about the blocking of each scene. The way in which people are positioned and holding their phones tells us a lot about how they’re relating to what’s on screen.

What was the casting process like? How did you explain what you needed from the actors?

We had known Mace for many years before we embarked on this project. When it came time to cast for the film and we found out he was a free agent after five years in a television contract, we knew he was the perfect fit. 

Casting was mostly traditional for the other characters, but we also asked actors to send us links to their social media and put increased weight on how these characters would come across in still images—since that’s in large part how they appear in the film.

I imagine teens and parents will have varying reactions to the film. What do you hope people will take away from it?

So far, we’ve been thrilled to see the reactions to the film. Most teens have responded with a sense of surprise and recognition after watching what they feel is the first real accurate depiction of the lives they live on their phones. Parents have reacted strongly as well, often viewing the story as a cautionary tale, a perspective which is valid though not necessarily our intention. Our hope has always been for this film to invite viewers to take a step back, examine their relationship with technology, and draw their own conclusions.

Has the making of the film changed the way you use technology, particularly your phone?

PICKPOCKET is a millennial filmmaking group. We’re right in between Jake’s generation and Generation X and while I think the film has opened our minds to just how addictive the digital world can be, technology is inextricably integrated into our lives. We shot this film on phones and made it to be watched on phones, because like it or not this technology is here to stay.

What's next for you?

While finishing “Pocket,” we started developing several new projects -both narrative and non-fiction- which we’ll be able to announce soon! We’re excited about all the storytelling possibilities in this format, and about all new opportunities created by phones as the new viewing medium. The size of the phone screen, the context of watching out in the world, and the fact that you hold the device in your hand sets it apart from the mediums of the past, like theaters, TV, and computers. With our work at Pickpocket, we’re specifically making content that’s designed to be viewed on these screens.

from All Content https://ift.tt/2F5eQAV

[unifiedsocialblog]

6 Instagram Accounts You Wouldn’t Expect to Be Awesome But Totally Are

We all know the brands. They’re cool, they’re fun—and they never seem to run out of ideas for creative Instagram content.

The reality is that not every brand has a product or service that’s as easily “gram-able” as a company like Airbnb, with their endless supply of gorgeous user-generated travel photos. But that doesn’t mean a security company or a bank can’t also create engaging content that their customers love.

I spent some time searching for unexpectedly great Instagram accounts and found some truly excellent content. Continue reading to find out:

Real strategies that work—from brands with all types of budgets

The type of content any business can post for maximum Instagram engagement

The simple technique a flour company uses to gain followers

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps an adventure photographer used to grow from 0 to 110,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear. Plus we’ll show you how you can use Hootsuite to grow your own following on Instagram and other platforms.

1. King Arthur Flour

You wouldn’t expect a flour company to have over 190,000 Instagram followers, but King Arthur Flour’s social media team knows what they’re doing.

Not only are the photos of delicious baked goods mouth-watering, but many of them are provided by King Arthur Flour customers themselves.

The brand’s Instagram bio encourages their audience to tag their baking pictures with the #kingarthurflour hashtag for a chance to get featured on the brand’s page.

Using a branded hashtag is an effective way to curate user-generated content while building brand awareness. To do this for your brand:

Create a hashtag that embodies your brand (this doesn’t necessarily have to be your company’s name).

Add a line in your bio encouraging your audience to use the hashtag in their relevant content.

Repost the best submitted content and highlight the fact you discovered it with the hashtag.

Make sure you use the hashtag on your own Instagram posts.

We love seeing all your homemade star breads, like this gorgeous version from @peacefulcooking. Keep 'em coming and tag #kingarthurflour to be featured!

A post shared by King Arthur Flour (@kingarthurflour) on Jan 22, 2018 at 6:30am PST

2. Dictionary.com

There are at least 143,000 Instagram users smarter than you. At least that’s how many are following Dictionary.com’s account for their word of the day.

The popular vocabulary site has a simple but effective approach to their Instagram account. Every day they post a word and its definition on a brightly colored background.

While this exact format won’t work for every brand, there are key takeaways that can be applied to most business’s Instagram accounts:

Use text in posts. Whether you’re sharing an inspirational quote or a piece of advice, switch up your Instagram content by including posts that use text. If you’re looking for new tools to help you design visual content for Instagram, Hootsuite integrates right into Adobe’s Creative suite.

Share educational content. It would be hard to find anybody who doesn’t want to be smarter. Like Dictionary.com, make a habit of posting valuable content that boosts your audience’s knowledge on a certain topic.

Work with the format. Instagram was built for quick and easily-digestible content. Don’t try to fit feature-length films or lengthy paragraphs of text into your posts as you most likely won’t be able to keep your audience’s attention.

Today's Word of the Day is quodlibet. #wordoftheday #language #vocabulary

A post shared by Dictionary.com (@dictionarycom) on Jan 24, 2018 at 8:02am PST

3. 3M

If you hear the name 3M and immediately think about tape, it’s time to check out their Instagram account.

3M is a leader in industries “from health care and highway safety to office products and abrasives and adhesives.” In other words, they’re about a lot more than tape.

Their Instagram feed is a carefully curated mix of fascinating science and technology posts, along with more lifestyle-oriented content.

Step inside The Cube & help @donorschoose #SciFest #STEM

A post shared by 3M (@3m) on Apr 15, 2016 at 12:45pm PDT

You can defy expectations like 3M by:

Carefully curating content. Give your audience an interesting mix. For example, if you are a furniture company, you could mix up beautiful interior design photos with content that shows how a couch is made.

Highlighting what defines your brand. 3M is about innovation and science, and they are constantly finding new ways to feature both in their content. Figure out what makes your brand unique, and think of different ways you can highlight these qualities.

Standing behind relevant social justice issues. 3M shares numerous posts featuring their diverse culture and commitment to equality and inclusion. While I don’t recommend trying to tie your brand to every social issue, championing those that you genuinely care about and practice is a great way to differentiate your business.

4. Trader Joe’s

How exciting can a grocery store’s Instagram account be? Just look to Trader Joe’s page to find out.

It’s generally recommended that brands not fill up their Instagram feeds with images solely featuring their products, but that’s exactly what the quirky American grocer does.

This would typically make for a boring account, but Trader Joe’s does it in a creative way that keeps their audience of over 234,000 followers engaged.

Make your product or brand the star of your Instagram by:

Focusing on lifestyle. Show your followers how your product would fit into their life—or the life they want. For Trader Joe’s, this means sharing posts of elaborate charcuterie boards using their products, romantic table settings featuring their wines, and healthy breakfasts fit for world-class athletes.

Know your audience. You need to know who your target audience is and what drives them in order to be able to engage them. For example, Trader Joe’s knows they’re reaching many busy parents, so they create content showing tiny luxuries (such as a glass of uninterrupted wine) that this audience can easily obtain.

Mix up the format. While their Instagram page is full of beautiful photography, Trader Joe’s also incorporates fun videos, clever illustrations, and slide shows. Don’t be afraid to pepper your Instagram account with a mix of formats, as long as your overall aesthetic stays on-brand.

“Shooting Stars”: Interplanetary meteoroids that spark trails of visible light as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. • “Shooting Stars Cookies”: Star-shaped sugar cookies (striped with semi-sweet chocolate, and sprinkled with popping candy crystals) that spark audible excitement as they enter your mouth. #traderjoes #galilejoe #sizzlesparklepop 🇺🇸

A post shared by Trader Joe's (@traderjoes) on Jun 30, 2017 at 5:02pm PDT

5. Sharpie

Sharpie is a big brand with a small product—and their Instagram account brings it to life with incredible creations by employees and fans of the pens. Like King Arthur Flour, Sharpie encourages their audience to share relevant posts with their branded #StartSomething hashtag.

With this hashtag, Sharpie is able to find and share compelling content made with their products. For example, lettering artist Adam Vicarel designed a denim jacket with Sharpie markers and pens. He accompanied his post of the jacket with a story about his struggle to become a professional artist, and Sharpie was able to share his story.

"I’ve worked tirelessly over the past 3 years trying to make what started as just a hobby of lettering into a full-time career. I’m not ashamed to tell you that it has been a bumpy road; I think it’s important to be bold and run face first into what you fear the most. Thanks to #Sharpie, I’m wearing this experience as pride!" -Sharpie Squad artist, @adamvicarel

A post shared by @ sharpie on Jan 15, 2018 at 6:38pm PST

How can your brand follow Sharpie’s steps to creating engaging content?

Share a story. Consider the story your brand is telling. Sharpie’s story is one of creativity without limits, and they share this with their artistic posts and user-generated content. Your customers are an endless source of powerful narratives, you just have to know how to get them to tell them.

Inspire others to use your product or service. Showcase the possibilities of your product and encourage your audience to think outside the box. Sharpie features clothing, shoes, and non-traditional canvases for their markers.

6. TSA

A mere mention of the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can make you sit up straighter. But this traditionally no-nonsense organization uses Instagram to show the lighter side of their business.

While any organization associated with security is liable to have a top-secret vibe, the TSA pulls back the curtain with their personable, behind-the-scenes content.

Besides their humorous Q&A posts, the TSA shares images of confiscated items, interesting (and permitted) luggage, and other snapshots of their day-to-day experiences on the job.

Bor is very excited to inform you that the TSA Instagram account is back in action. Bor is an explosives detection canine at the Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). He’s been known to #BingeScroll through the TSA Instagram account on his breaks. When he’s on the job with his handler, he’s helping keep our transportation systems safe. Good boy, Bor! … TSA trains, and deploys both TSA-led and state and local law enforcement-led canine teams to secure our Nation’s transportation systems through effective explosives detection, visible deterrence, and timely, mobile response to support rail stations, airports, passenger terminals, seaports, surface carriers, and other facilities. … #DogsOfInstagram #TSACanines #WorkingDogs

A post shared by TSA (@tsa) on Jan 23, 2018 at 8:45am PST

If your organization’s Instagram content could use more personality, consider these questions:

What makes your brand unique? The TSA deals with countless travelers (and their interesting luggage) everyday—a goldmine for content.

Is there an internal part of your business you wish others could see? While I wouldn’t recommend this approach if you’re a butcher, the behind-the-scenes content of many organizations makes for great Instagram fodder.

Who are your employees? The TSA often features their own employees on the account, which helps bring a personal touch to a giant organization. Think about your employees and their stories, and consider sharing these on a regular basis.

As Henry van Dyke once said, “If only the best birds sang, the forest would be silent.” Even if your brand isn’t frequently classified as fun or exciting, there are no limits when it comes to creating engaging Instagram content for your customers.

Save time managing your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can schedule and publish photos directly to Instagram, engage your audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles. Try it free today.

Get Started

The post 6 Instagram Accounts You Wouldn’t Expect to Be Awesome But Totally Are appeared first on Hootsuite Social Media Management.

6 Instagram Accounts You Wouldn’t Expect to Be Awesome But Totally Are published first on https://getfblike.tumblr.com/

[bizmediaweb]

6 Instagram Accounts You Wouldn’t Expect to Be Awesome But Totally Are

We all know the brands. They’re cool, they’re fun—and they never seem to run out of ideas for creative Instagram content.

The reality is that not every brand has a product or service that’s as easily “gram-able” as a company like Airbnb, with their endless supply of gorgeous user-generated travel photos. But that doesn’t mean a security company or a bank can’t also create engaging content that their customers love.

I spent some time searching for unexpectedly great Instagram accounts and found some truly excellent content. Continue reading to find out:

Real strategies that work—from brands with all types of budgets

The type of content any business can post for maximum Instagram engagement

The simple technique a flour company uses to gain followers

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps an adventure photographer used to grow from 0 to 110,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear. Plus we’ll show you how you can use Hootsuite to grow your own following on Instagram and other platforms.

1. King Arthur Flour

You wouldn’t expect a flour company to have over 190,000 Instagram followers, but King Arthur Flour’s social media team knows what they’re doing.

Not only are the photos of delicious baked goods mouth-watering, but many of them are provided by King Arthur Flour customers themselves.

The brand’s Instagram bio encourages their audience to tag their baking pictures with the #kingarthurflour hashtag for a chance to get featured on the brand’s page.

Using a branded hashtag is an effective way to curate user-generated content while building brand awareness. To do this for your brand:

Create a hashtag that embodies your brand (this doesn’t necessarily have to be your company’s name).

Add a line in your bio encouraging your audience to use the hashtag in their relevant content.

Repost the best submitted content and highlight the fact you discovered it with the hashtag.

Make sure you use the hashtag on your own Instagram posts.

We love seeing all your homemade star breads, like this gorgeous version from @peacefulcooking. Keep 'em coming and tag #kingarthurflour to be featured!

A post shared by King Arthur Flour (@kingarthurflour) on Jan 22, 2018 at 6:30am PST

2. Dictionary.com

There are at least 143,000 Instagram users smarter than you. At least that’s how many are following Dictionary.com’s account for their word of the day.

The popular vocabulary site has a simple but effective approach to their Instagram account. Every day they post a word and its definition on a brightly colored background.

While this exact format won’t work for every brand, there are key takeaways that can be applied to most business’s Instagram accounts:

Use text in posts. Whether you’re sharing an inspirational quote or a piece of advice, switch up your Instagram content by including posts that use text. If you’re looking for new tools to help you design visual content for Instagram, Hootsuite integrates right into Adobe’s Creative suite.

Share educational content. It would be hard to find anybody who doesn’t want to be smarter. Like Dictionary.com, make a habit of posting valuable content that boosts your audience’s knowledge on a certain topic.

Work with the format. Instagram was built for quick and easily-digestible content. Don’t try to fit feature-length films or lengthy paragraphs of text into your posts as you most likely won’t be able to keep your audience’s attention.

Today's Word of the Day is quodlibet. #wordoftheday #language #vocabulary

A post shared by Dictionary.com (@dictionarycom) on Jan 24, 2018 at 8:02am PST

3. 3M

If you hear the name 3M and immediately think about tape, it’s time to check out their Instagram account.

3M is a leader in industries “from health care and highway safety to office products and abrasives and adhesives.” In other words, they’re about a lot more than tape.

Their Instagram feed is a carefully curated mix of fascinating science and technology posts, along with more lifestyle-oriented content.

Step inside The Cube & help @donorschoose #SciFest #STEM

A post shared by 3M (@3m) on Apr 15, 2016 at 12:45pm PDT

You can defy expectations like 3M by:

Carefully curating content. Give your audience an interesting mix. For example, if you are a furniture company, you could mix up beautiful interior design photos with content that shows how a couch is made.

Highlighting what defines your brand. 3M is about innovation and science, and they are constantly finding new ways to feature both in their content. Figure out what makes your brand unique, and think of different ways you can highlight these qualities.

Standing behind relevant social justice issues. 3M shares numerous posts featuring their diverse culture and commitment to equality and inclusion. While I don’t recommend trying to tie your brand to every social issue, championing those that you genuinely care about and practice is a great way to differentiate your business.

4. Trader Joe’s

How exciting can a grocery store’s Instagram account be? Just look to Trader Joe’s page to find out.

It’s generally recommended that brands not fill up their Instagram feeds with images solely featuring their products, but that’s exactly what the quirky American grocer does.

This would typically make for a boring account, but Trader Joe’s does it in a creative way that keeps their audience of over 234,000 followers engaged.

Make your product or brand the star of your Instagram by:

Focusing on lifestyle. Show your followers how your product would fit into their life—or the life they want. For Trader Joe’s, this means sharing posts of elaborate charcuterie boards using their products, romantic table settings featuring their wines, and healthy breakfasts fit for world-class athletes.

Know your audience. You need to know who your target audience is and what drives them in order to be able to engage them. For example, Trader Joe’s knows they’re reaching many busy parents, so they create content showing tiny luxuries (such as a glass of uninterrupted wine) that this audience can easily obtain.

Mix up the format. While their Instagram page is full of beautiful photography, Trader Joe’s also incorporates fun videos, clever illustrations, and slide shows. Don’t be afraid to pepper your Instagram account with a mix of formats, as long as your overall aesthetic stays on-brand.

“Shooting Stars”: Interplanetary meteoroids that spark trails of visible light as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. • “Shooting Stars Cookies”: Star-shaped sugar cookies (striped with semi-sweet chocolate, and sprinkled with popping candy crystals) that spark audible excitement as they enter your mouth. #traderjoes #galilejoe #sizzlesparklepop 🇺🇸

A post shared by Trader Joe's (@traderjoes) on Jun 30, 2017 at 5:02pm PDT

5. Sharpie

Sharpie is a big brand with a small product—and their Instagram account brings it to life with incredible creations by employees and fans of the pens. Like King Arthur Flour, Sharpie encourages their audience to share relevant posts with their branded #StartSomething hashtag.

With this hashtag, Sharpie is able to find and share compelling content made with their products. For example, lettering artist Adam Vicarel designed a denim jacket with Sharpie markers and pens. He accompanied his post of the jacket with a story about his struggle to become a professional artist, and Sharpie was able to share his story.

"I’ve worked tirelessly over the past 3 years trying to make what started as just a hobby of lettering into a full-time career. I’m not ashamed to tell you that it has been a bumpy road; I think it’s important to be bold and run face first into what you fear the most. Thanks to #Sharpie, I’m wearing this experience as pride!" -Sharpie Squad artist, @adamvicarel

A post shared by @ sharpie on Jan 15, 2018 at 6:38pm PST

How can your brand follow Sharpie’s steps to creating engaging content?

Share a story. Consider the story your brand is telling. Sharpie’s story is one of creativity without limits, and they share this with their artistic posts and user-generated content. Your customers are an endless source of powerful narratives, you just have to know how to get them to tell them.

Inspire others to use your product or service. Showcase the possibilities of your product and encourage your audience to think outside the box. Sharpie features clothing, shoes, and non-traditional canvases for their markers.

6. TSA

A mere mention of the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can make you sit up straighter. But this traditionally no-nonsense organization uses Instagram to show the lighter side of their business.

While any organization associated with security is liable to have a top-secret vibe, the TSA pulls back the curtain with their personable, behind-the-scenes content.

Besides their humorous Q&A posts, the TSA shares images of confiscated items, interesting (and permitted) luggage, and other snapshots of their day-to-day experiences on the job.

Bor is very excited to inform you that the TSA Instagram account is back in action. Bor is an explosives detection canine at the Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). He’s been known to #BingeScroll through the TSA Instagram account on his breaks. When he’s on the job with his handler, he’s helping keep our transportation systems safe. Good boy, Bor! … TSA trains, and deploys both TSA-led and state and local law enforcement-led canine teams to secure our Nation’s transportation systems through effective explosives detection, visible deterrence, and timely, mobile response to support rail stations, airports, passenger terminals, seaports, surface carriers, and other facilities. … #DogsOfInstagram #TSACanines #WorkingDogs

A post shared by TSA (@tsa) on Jan 23, 2018 at 8:45am PST

If your organization’s Instagram content could use more personality, consider these questions:

What makes your brand unique? The TSA deals with countless travelers (and their interesting luggage) everyday—a goldmine for content.

Is there an internal part of your business you wish others could see? While I wouldn’t recommend this approach if you’re a butcher, the behind-the-scenes content of many organizations makes for great Instagram fodder.

Who are your employees? The TSA often features their own employees on the account, which helps bring a personal touch to a giant organization. Think about your employees and their stories, and consider sharing these on a regular basis.

As Henry van Dyke once said, “If only the best birds sang, the forest would be silent.” Even if your brand isn’t frequently classified as fun or exciting, there are no limits when it comes to creating engaging Instagram content for your customers.

Save time managing your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can schedule and publish photos directly to Instagram, engage your audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles. Try it free today.

Get Started

The post 6 Instagram Accounts You Wouldn’t Expect to Be Awesome But Totally Are appeared first on Hootsuite Social Media Management.

6 Instagram Accounts You Wouldn’t Expect to Be Awesome But Totally Are published first on https://themarketingheaven.tumblr.com/

[moorefitness]

Podcast #21 – Ben Carpenter on Making Physique Change Simpler

“I don’t track my macros either, and loads of people are surprised when they hear that because I talk about it all the time. But if you want to do it via the simplest method possible, why would you track more meticulously than you need to?”

Ben Carpenter is an in-demand and immensely popular UK-based personal trainer. He’s well versed in all the geeky stuff we fitness nerds like to talk about on the internet, but I would argue that his special talent lies in the ways he takes that information and breaks it down to advise the regular folks who walk into his gym. In this interview, we did into that.

We also discuss his incredible physical recovery from losing nearly 50lbs, all his hard-earned muscle mass and more, twice(!) after suffering bouts of Crohn’s disease, and most common mistakes he sees with his clients with advice on how you can avoid making them.

Subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher. (Here’s the direct RSS feed URL for other players.)

Listen on Soundcloud. 

Selected links

Alan Aragon vs Gary Taubes – Ben’s video summarizing Gary Taubes debate with Alan Aragon.

Find Ben on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter

Show notes

Ben tore his bicep. – Andy first met Ben at the Epic Fitness Summit by tapping Ben’s recently torn bicep. [1:00]

Ben is a personal trainer. – His focus is on making training and diet information accessible to the general population, with having 11 years of experience working in commercial gyms. [2:20]

The fitness fanatics versus the average person in a commercial gym. – Ben sees a great difference between these two groups of people. He often needs to provide very simple advice for the average person because he will otherwise fail them. [3:00]

Andy is re-writing his email course. – Andy will now provide three levels of the course. First will be a foundation course without unnecessary detail, next will be the experience trainee course, and finally the fitness industry pro course. Ben mentions there are pros to the generic nature of meal plans. [5:00]

Ben talks about classic clients. – Some are eating things like pie every day, with a focus on pre-packaged junk food. [7:15]

Where Ben starts with a classic client. – Ben always meets the client where they are at and uses food recall. He also feels like it is important to establish a relationship so the client does not omit any information. Ben focuses on getting one or two action points, instead of trying to nail too many habits at once. Ben lets the client dictate the pace. [9:30]

Ben’s advice to someone who needs to eat more protein. – Ben would go through foods that they like and get them to eat more of those things if they support the end goal. Ben is building buy-in by having the clients propose what they want to do. [13:30]

How Ben builds buy-in with clients. – Ben’s first step is always to sit down and talk with them to find out what they want. He finds out if the client’s expectations are realistic within the time frame and commitment. It is important to show your passionate as a trainer. [16:45]

Common diet and training mistake Ben sees with clients. – The basics for training do not have a plan at all with no structure. He has seen people jump programs and not see any progress. On the opposite side of the spectrum, they have stuck with the same program for years. From a diet standpoint, it is the basic information as to what foods contain protein instead of giving macros. [21:30]

How Ben tracks progress with clients. – In the example of weight loss, Ben will use skinfold tests and not give body fat percentage. Another common tracking method is weight and waist circumference, which allows the client to do it on their own. Sometimes Ben will use an incentive goal, such as fitting into a certain dress. [25:00] Andy’s personal example. – Since getting back into more regular training, Andy has seen little change on the scale and has seen a great change in waist circumference. [28:00] 

Tracking according to what suits your personality. – Andy discusses using the belt-hole method as an extremely simplified method. Ben mentions he does not personally track macros because why should you put in more effort than is needed if you are getting the results you desire. [30:30]

Online versus real-world tracking. Ben does not see the level of tracking with his real-world clients that are prevalent in the online world. [31:15]

How Ben tore and rehabbed his bicep. – It tore during preacher curls on the fourth set during the eccentric phase. He fully tore the ligament and had surgery 11 days later. After six months, Ben slowly started to increase his training. He also had to change the way he trained because of the injury. Even to this day, he has not fully recovered. [32:30]

How Ben feels today about the injury. – Aesthetically it doesn’t bother him as much, but the decrease in strength does bother him. [36:00]

Why Ben thinks the injury happened. – It still haunted Ben that it was on the fourth set and everything seemed to be going well. He now does not do preacher curls and needs to look the other way when others are doing them and struggling. The injury is still a mystery to Ben and it has lead to pushing himself less in the gym. [38:00]

What makes Ben so handsome? – Ben waxes his torso and does his best to keep his physique at a 10 out of 10. [42:30]

How does Ben train during holidays? – Generally, he tries to keep it the same, but it depends on the equipment that is available. [46:00]

Ben talks about his lifting career. – Ben started with deadlifting 500lbs at an early age and didn’t care about his tiny calves. The calves became a weak point. When Ben was 21 he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and lost 50lbs in three months and wasn’t able to deadlift the smallest amount of weight. [47:50]

Who Ben would punch in the face. – Dave Asprey because Ben disagrees with some of the things he preaches and hates people being scammed. [54:00]

Ben’s wish for the industry. – Ben would like to see the industry become customer interest first and less priority in financial gain. [57:15]

Ben reflects on “Why carbs will make you fat”. – Ben wrote an article in the past that he no longer agrees with. He admits that it is easy to write something that sounds scientific without having a true understanding of the full body of evidence. [59:00]

Ben on Gary Taubes. – Check out the video. Gary said that he would not change his mind if new evidence comes to light. [1:02:00]

Thanks for listening! Andy and Ben

The post Podcast #21 – Ben Carpenter on Making Physique Change Simpler appeared first on RippedBody.com.

[kyliealejandra]

Apple iOS 11 Beta: First Impression

Over the last year at SevenTablets, I’ve learned a lot more about what it takes to make our pocket supercomputers work than I did in my undergraduate app development class. Every mobile app in existence has its own, dedicated team of developers, determined to keep up with iOS, Android and hardware changes at a moment’s notice. Due to how quickly technology evolves, those changes can be massive. And, in the freshly announced iOS 11, they are.

Ever since 2007, I’ve dedicated my technology budget to Apple (and Adobe). Apple is a company I dote on at every opportunity, just like a fanatical grandmother at her grandson’s tee ball game. By default, I’m a daily Mac OS and iOS user. Unlike the majority of the SevenTablets crew, I cringe every time I’m forced to lay eyes on an Android or PC. But, I’m also a graphic designer and harsh critic of user interfaces, so I jumped at the opportunity to test drive the iOS 11 Public Beta.

Here’s what I learned about the platform in the first 24 hours.

iOS 11 Beta Installation

Installing the beta version of this update was a bit more intimidating than I anticipated. Apple recommends backing up your device to iTunes (something I haven’t done in years thanks to iCloud) and archiving said backup to ensure nothing happens to it. Extreme, but I forged on.

First Impressions

When ‘flat’ design started taking over a couple years ago, I was on the fence. Windows 10 was released on July 29th, 2015, and I thought the rectangle-riddled design was heinous. Apple picked up the flat-look, too, but without the puzzle-piece styling. Eventually, I got used to it. I even came to prefer smooth web gradients over embossed icons. But, with the release of iOS 11, Apple took the trend one step further by creating a Tetris-inspired Control Center. I grit my teeth every time I look at it. Stacked styling doesn’t bode well for my obsession with symmetry, but I do enjoy the ultra-wide ‘brightness’ and ‘volume’ sliders.

Based on the new Control Center styling, it feels as though you should be able to move the icons to the places you prefer, just like actual apps, but that doesn’t appear to be an option. Perhaps that kind of customizability would be swaying to Android. You can, however, add, remove and rearrange Control Center shortcuts on the bottom row (where the calculator, flashlight and camera are) by going to Settings, then ‘Control Center.’

Aside from the Control Center, the redesigned locked screen and bolder fonts were the only significant changes I noticed right away.

You Get What You Sign Up For

With beta software, there are always bugs. That’s actually the point… So, I expected to encounter a few hiccups. The first one I noticed happened when I entered my Apple ID password. The keyboard skipped, skipped, skipped a beat before letting me proceed.

After half an hour, my iPhone started to feel warm. At 3:32 pm, Facebook took a nosedive. Attempting to send photos to my mom through the Messages app? Not gonna happen! Jumping into the actual camera roll bypassed this issue, so still no major roadblocks.

Notable Changes in iOS 11

Obviously, iOS 11 is a big update for Apple. While most of it feels familiar (like iOS 10), there are some fantastic improvements. Here are a few of my favorites so far…

Screenshot Enhancements

After taking a screenshot of the new iOS, I noticed something incredible. With iOS 11, you can draw on your screenshots before sending or saving them (this is not a new concept for Android phones). Naturally, I wrote ‘I’m cooler than you.’ and sent the image to my equally Apple-obsessed friend. He responded with the eye-roll emoji then proceeded to inform me that he could download the beta if he wanted to.

Right. (Note: The beta is open to anyone who wants it, though some people have had issues downloading the latest release. You can join the Beta Program here.)

One-handed Keyboard

I’ve heard countless people complain about the size of the iPhone Plus, simply because it’s too hard to type on the over-sized keyboard. With iOS 11, you can activate a smaller keyboard for both left handed and right handed users. To do so, visit the keyboard and hold down the globe (aka the emoji) key. This pulls up a menu with the left, right and normal keyboard options.

Upon selecting the left or the right keyboard icons, the keyboard will shrink and shift toward the selected side. The altered keyboard size is more similar to that of the iPhone 5, making it much easier to reach when typing with one hand. To return to the normal keyboard, simply select the white arrow to the side of the keys.

New and Improved Siri

Siri has been with us since 2011, but she hasn’t changed much since her release. With iOS 11, Siri becomes the virtual assistant she should be. Her voice sounds significantly more human and conversational, and she seems to respond to inquiries much better. When I complimented her updated voice, she replied with “Well, Lacey, over time, we intelligent agents mature and our voices change. It’s perfectly natural.” Before you know it she’ll be behaving like Sonny, for better or worse.

Files App

For the last few years, I’ve struggled with viewing and attaching files from iCloud on my iPhone. The resolution to this issue has finally been resolved. iOS 11’s new ‘files’ app contains all the folders that live on my iCloud. It’s like a piece of the Mac OS has been added to the iPhone–and it’s a dream come true. Within the files app, you can view and markup documents (just like screenshots), share files with AirDrop, send them through messages and email, open them in notes and Twitter, copy them to Instagram and so much more.

The App Drawer for Messages

Apple unveiled apps within messages during the last big software release. I really didn’t use it, or find it very valuable. The new iteration is much more functional, as it provides easier access to Giphy and stickers, and allows you to share music from iTunes, restaurant recommendations from Yelp, and pay your friends through Apple Pay and Venmo. You can also customize your drawer by removing the apps you don’t use and adding more from the Apple App Store for iMessage.

Do Not Disturb for Driving

Shortly after downloading iOS 11, I was asked if I wanted to set up ‘Do Not Disturb’ for driving. I opted in. While driving, the iPhone automatically mutes notifications from text messages, emails, calls and apps. If you do need to check for notifications (best done if you’re the passenger), you simply unlock your phone and select ‘I’m Not Driving’ to view anything that may be waiting for you. Ultimately, this setting is not prohibitive, but it does help you forget about your iPhone while you’re going down the road.

iOS 11 Isn’t Perfect

Though iOS 11 offers several great enhancements, it also features some things I don’t like. The new, bolder fonts feel bulky. The folder app is highly functional, but it doesn’t look like it belongs on a mobile device. Personally, I think iOS 11’s aesthetics took a hit, but I’m hoping, once the bugs are worked out, its outstanding functionality will make up for its lackluster looks.

The Future of iOS 11

iOS 11 is set to be released in the fall, so there’s still plenty of time for Apple’s developers to fix bugs and enhance its design. I’m excited to explore new features, like the peer-to-peer payments mentioned before, the memories feature in Photos and Siri’s translation function.

Overall, I would consider the first 24 hours with iOS 11 a positive experience. Now I just need to experience its more expansive features on my iPad Pro!

Are You Prepared for iOS 11?

Large software updates always present a challenge for existing mobile apps and the developers who maintain them. If your company has an app that needs to be updated to suit iOS 11, you need a mobile developer you can trust. The team at SevenTablets has the experience needed to keep your mobile app working flawlessly on both Android and Apple devices. Conveniently headquartered in Dallas, Texas, SevenTablets provides mobile development in Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago and the great United States. Get in touch with the SevenTablets team today.

The post Apple iOS 11 Beta: First Impression appeared first on SevenTablets.

from SevenTablets http://seventablets.com/blog/ios-11/ from Seven Tablets,Inc https://seventabletsinc.tumblr.com/post/162636801568

[seventabletsinc]

Apple iOS 11 Beta: First Impression

Over the last year at SevenTablets, I’ve learned a lot more about what it takes to make our pocket supercomputers work than I did in my undergraduate app development class. Every mobile app in existence has its own, dedicated team of developers, determined to keep up with iOS, Android and hardware changes at a moment’s notice. Due to how quickly technology evolves, those changes can be massive. And, in the freshly announced iOS 11, they are.

Ever since 2007, I’ve dedicated my technology budget to Apple (and Adobe). Apple is a company I dote on at every opportunity, just like a fanatical grandmother at her grandson’s tee ball game. By default, I’m a daily Mac OS and iOS user. Unlike the majority of the SevenTablets crew, I cringe every time I’m forced to lay eyes on an Android or PC. But, I’m also a graphic designer and harsh critic of user interfaces, so I jumped at the opportunity to test drive the iOS 11 Public Beta.

Here’s what I learned about the platform in the first 24 hours.

iOS 11 Beta Installation

Installing the beta version of this update was a bit more intimidating than I anticipated. Apple recommends backing up your device to iTunes (something I haven’t done in years thanks to iCloud) and archiving said backup to ensure nothing happens to it. Extreme, but I forged on.

First Impressions

When ‘flat’ design started taking over a couple years ago, I was on the fence. Windows 10 was released on July 29th, 2015, and I thought the rectangle-riddled design was heinous. Apple picked up the flat-look, too, but without the puzzle-piece styling. Eventually, I got used to it. I even came to prefer smooth web gradients over embossed icons. But, with the release of iOS 11, Apple took the trend one step further by creating a Tetris-inspired Control Center. I grit my teeth every time I look at it. Stacked styling doesn’t bode well for my obsession with symmetry, but I do enjoy the ultra-wide ‘brightness’ and ‘volume’ sliders.

Based on the new Control Center styling, it feels as though you should be able to move the icons to the places you prefer, just like actual apps, but that doesn’t appear to be an option. Perhaps that kind of customizability would be swaying to Android. You can, however, add, remove and rearrange Control Center shortcuts on the bottom row (where the calculator, flashlight and camera are) by going to Settings, then ‘Control Center.’

Aside from the Control Center, the redesigned locked screen and bolder fonts were the only significant changes I noticed right away.

You Get What You Sign Up For

With beta software, there are always bugs. That’s actually the point… So, I expected to encounter a few hiccups. The first one I noticed happened when I entered my Apple ID password. The keyboard skipped, skipped, skipped a beat before letting me proceed.

After half an hour, my iPhone started to feel warm. At 3:32 pm, Facebook took a nosedive. Attempting to send photos to my mom through the Messages app? Not gonna happen! Jumping into the actual camera roll bypassed this issue, so still no major roadblocks.

Notable Changes in iOS 11

Obviously, iOS 11 is a big update for Apple. While most of it feels familiar (like iOS 10), there are some fantastic improvements. Here are a few of my favorites so far…

Screenshot Enhancements

After taking a screenshot of the new iOS, I noticed something incredible. With iOS 11, you can draw on your screenshots before sending or saving them (this is not a new concept for Android phones). Naturally, I wrote ‘I’m cooler than you.’ and sent the image to my equally Apple-obsessed friend. He responded with the eye-roll emoji then proceeded to inform me that he could download the beta if he wanted to.

Right. (Note: The beta is open to anyone who wants it, though some people have had issues downloading the latest release. You can join the Beta Program here.)

One-handed Keyboard

I’ve heard countless people complain about the size of the iPhone Plus, simply because it’s too hard to type on the over-sized keyboard. With iOS 11, you can activate a smaller keyboard for both left handed and right handed users. To do so, visit the keyboard and hold down the globe (aka the emoji) key. This pulls up a menu with the left, right and normal keyboard options.

Upon selecting the left or the right keyboard icons, the keyboard will shrink and shift toward the selected side. The altered keyboard size is more similar to that of the iPhone 5, making it much easier to reach when typing with one hand. To return to the normal keyboard, simply select the white arrow to the side of the keys.

New and Improved Siri

Siri has been with us since 2011, but she hasn’t changed much since her release. With iOS 11, Siri becomes the virtual assistant she should be. Her voice sounds significantly more human and conversational, and she seems to respond to inquiries much better. When I complimented her updated voice, she replied with “Well, Lacey, over time, we intelligent agents mature and our voices change. It’s perfectly natural.” Before you know it she’ll be behaving like Sonny, for better or worse.

Files App

For the last few years, I’ve struggled with viewing and attaching files from iCloud on my iPhone. The resolution to this issue has finally been resolved. iOS 11’s new ‘files’ app contains all the folders that live on my iCloud. It’s like a piece of the Mac OS has been added to the iPhone–and it’s a dream come true. Within the files app, you can view and markup documents (just like screenshots), share files with AirDrop, send them through messages and email, open them in notes and Twitter, copy them to Instagram and so much more.

The App Drawer for Messages

Apple unveiled apps within messages during the last big software release. I really didn’t use it, or find it very valuable. The new iteration is much more functional, as it provides easier access to Giphy and stickers, and allows you to share music from iTunes, restaurant recommendations from Yelp, and pay your friends through Apple Pay and Venmo. You can also customize your drawer by removing the apps you don’t use and adding more from the Apple App Store for iMessage.

Do Not Disturb for Driving

Shortly after downloading iOS 11, I was asked if I wanted to set up ‘Do Not Disturb’ for driving. I opted in. While driving, the iPhone automatically mutes notifications from text messages, emails, calls and apps. If you do need to check for notifications (best done if you’re the passenger), you simply unlock your phone and select ‘I’m Not Driving’ to view anything that may be waiting for you. Ultimately, this setting is not prohibitive, but it does help you forget about your iPhone while you’re going down the road.

iOS 11 Isn’t Perfect

Though iOS 11 offers several great enhancements, it also features some things I don’t like. The new, bolder fonts feel bulky. The folder app is highly functional, but it doesn’t look like it belongs on a mobile device. Personally, I think iOS 11’s aesthetics took a hit, but I’m hoping, once the bugs are worked out, its outstanding functionality will make up for its lackluster looks.

The Future of iOS 11

iOS 11 is set to be released in the fall, so there’s still plenty of time for Apple’s developers to fix bugs and enhance its design. I’m excited to explore new features, like the peer-to-peer payments mentioned before, the memories feature in Photos and Siri’s translation function.

Overall, I would consider the first 24 hours with iOS 11 a positive experience. Now I just need to experience its more expansive features on my iPad Pro!

Are You Prepared for iOS 11?

Large software updates always present a challenge for existing mobile apps and the developers who maintain them. If your company has an app that needs to be updated to suit iOS 11, you need a mobile developer you can trust. The team at SevenTablets has the experience needed to keep your mobile app working flawlessly on both Android and Apple devices. Conveniently headquartered in Dallas, Texas, SevenTablets provides mobile development in Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago and the great United States. Get in touch with the SevenTablets team today.

The post Apple iOS 11 Beta: First Impression appeared first on SevenTablets.

from SevenTablets http://seventablets.com/blog/ios-11/