Interaction

First off, I apologise for the lack of blogs. Although you might not give a shit, I happen to give a certain amount of them and I've always intended this to be something that isn't a phase. I've been working full time and this means I have limited finger to keyboard opportunities. It also means I haven’t spent any time with Sari (my Dragon Age character). She's probably being mauled by dark spawn as we speak, which is obviously a lie, because nothing happens to characters in a game when the game isn't being played...right...RIGHT?! I am super loving my new job so I feel I can claim some victory points. It is so much fun. Best job I've ever had hands down.

Since starting, people have been so unbelievably nice to me. Hellos in the corridors, always having someone to talk to at lunch, manners and thank yous. I have my own locker, I know nearly everyone by name and I actually feel comfortable in the staff room (staff rooms are usually evil, awkward places where demons swarm). Those little things that have boosted me up and it’s shocked me to an extent because this has never happened to me in any other job. I think that having supportive, friendly people to associate with is an important component in how successful a person is in a job. I've always treated other people with respect and love because that’s how I was raised, how I intend to raise my own children one day and how I think everyone should behave. It isn't hard, and oh yes, it’s free. Kindness to others doesn't cost a single penny (which is fabulous for me because I barely even have that at the moment). All you need to do is gently extract your head from inside your rectum and take an interest in the people around you. Be sociable. Humans aren't solitary creatures by nature, so make sure you interact with people because it’ll relieve loneliness and boredom and it’ll make others feel good too. Just to clear any confusion, by interact, I don’t mean having a lovely conversation with a colleague during a break and then accidentally opening their toilet cubicle door while they are on the toilet because the lock wasn't working. That isn't good interaction (practice what you preach Sarah).

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Relax

I have a question. Are you relaxed? I mean, in your life, do you feel relaxed and free from stress? I am going to go on a hunch and assume that the answer is no. When you live and grow older, the responsibilities you have only really expand. That’s how it’s been for me anyway. The only stress my younger self had to deal with was deciding what I wanted from the ice cream van and now all of a sudden I have to find a bullshit career path and know exactly what I want to do with my life. Thank you very much universe maker but I gratefully decline. I think if life had a difficulty mode, it’d be automatically set to expert and to change it you’d have to fight a hundred bosses, defeat a hundred hordes of zombies and rescue a hundred princesses. That said, I think that making mistakes and encountering obstacles is normal and healthy. Stress comes in many guises. Work, education, family, relationships, children, self-image, health, housework, money, the past, the present and the future. You’re probably able to pluck out a good few of those.

Now I think that the things that make us stressed can also make us happy. I think they can be controlled or changed to become less stressful. That sounds dumb and obvious but I often find myself really upset over things that I know I can control. Instead, I almost always choose to distract myself and go with ignorance. I’ll throw you back to this time last year, when I was stressing over getting my dissertation finished (I became an irritable, miserable Cave Troll). I knew that if I chipped away at it, day by day, i'd get it done but, contrary to my sound logic, I only did it when I wanted to, and was sitting at this same laptop on the night before due date feeling hateful, crying and i'm certain I nearly vomited. I remember feeling dreadful. I learnt my lesson and although I think it’s hard to be pro-active about conquering stress, it's worthwhile. 

Basically, on top of that, I think every Earth-dwelling creature should spend more time relaxing. You are allowed to do it, no matter how busy you are. Life treats humans like droids, like we have unlimited stamina and no emotional response. Knowing the difference in how you feel when you’re stressed and relaxed is really worthwhile acknowledging. Separate work and play. Try taking time out of every day to calm down and relax. Could be relaxing at breakfast before the day starts, on your lunch break, on a drive home or when you’re lying in bed at night. Sounds pointless, maybe boring, but it really isn't. Lie down, sit down, stick on a film, close your eyes and just stop everything (not breathing - counterproductive). I’m a very anxious person and a total stress hoarder and taking time out to actively slow myself down and recognise when I’m relaxed feels great.

I thought I’d mention a few, great techniques that were recommended to me that calm me down. First one, 7-11 breathing. Obvious, yes, I know, but it actually works. If you feel tense, breathe in slowly through your nose for 7 seconds, hold the breath briefly, and then exhale through your mouth for 11 seconds. If you repeat this 5/6 times, or as many times as you need to, you’ll notice that your body slows down because the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated. A bonus to this is you can do it basically anywhere. Another technique is progressive muscular relaxation. This one is odd but fun. It works on the premise that tensing various parts of the body can help you separate and enjoy the feeling of relaxation from that of stress. Sometimes when I’m stressed or nervous I can get an irregular, uncomfortable heartbeat, stiff muscles and my throat can tighten up. Tensing and releasing areas of your body can draw tension away from the problem areas and will, again, slow you down. Give them a go.

I’m not a doctor but I know stress is bad. I also know that relaxation is good. Seeing others stressed makes me stressed so how about you all do me a favour and just relax. ✩

Play More Games

I haven’t spent the past week working or sweating it out at the gym developing muscle in my flabby places. I also haven’t just been sitting, pending, in the same hunched, robotic position at my laptop, fingers over the keys, for five days either. I've been doing something awesome whilst I’m waiting around for the start date of my new job. I've been playing games.

Wait, what’s that? You think that playing games is childish? You think that I’m a bit of a loser? Oh no, unfortunately we've run some tests and the results have come back positive for not giving any shits. Even more unfortunately, I have just rolled a critical hit and you are metaphorically dead. Since the days of being a small human being, I've enjoyed playing games, and I mean right back to the SNES and Nintendo 64. Video games and board games. I honestly think it can develop a person’s mental capabilities because a lot of games require good judgement and skillful tactics. Not only that but it’s so fucking fun. It’s an excellent way to take yourself out of a boring day and a ridiculously satisfying hobby. I’m lucky enough to be friends with a group of the most delicious, free spirited people who love to play and make it unbelievably fun. We get together and it’s like a big, fun orgasm (with some dragons and a few dungeons).

On a solo note, I've begun Dragon Age Origins on PC and am playing as a rogue elf named Sari. I based her look on the ancient Greeks and as a result she’s wearing a questionable bright gold eye shadow. If you haven’t given Dragon Age a go, do. It’s awesome. The character you chose and story line you play through are customisable and I absolutely love that. When it comes to making decisions in the game, I always base Sari’s judgement on my own. Does anybody else do that? I wouldn't kill a man who is overselling food to some poor villagers so Sari wouldn't too. I bet she absolutely fucking hates me.

It's not just console games. My best friend Jordan is the king of table-top gaming and has introduced me to some incredible board games. I feel as though he is a renowned Jedi Master and I am his Padawan. My thanks go out to him, though there is no certainty that it will reach him as he's in constant battle with the Galactic Empire.

Table-top games often allow you to role play a character or group of characters, usually resulting in one player becoming victorious by possessing the most treasure, money, power etc, though in some you may have to play in co-op to win. If you’re not fond of the role-playing part, then a raw competitive nature also plays to advantage (cough cough). Game of Thrones The Board Game, Smash Up, 7 Wonders, Small World, Forbidden Desert and Munchkin are all games I play and love and I urge you to do a little research and give some a go, especially Munchkin as it’s easy to pick up and you get to play as tiny, customisable munchkin people that kill stuff (this video by Geek & Sundry might help you along the way). 

If you've got a sparkling imagination that might feed on epic stories with characters, wars, monsters and dungeons, then try playing a table-top board game. It's a really enjoyable past time and I think you'll have fun (If you don't, leave a comment and you will be given a full refund for the time you spent reading this post). Also it is International TableTop Day on April 5th 2014, so get yourself involved now so you can have fun with tonnes of other awesome people.

Do or do not, there is no try. I love you all. PLAY MORE GAMES.

Pancake Day

Happy March 4^th, Shrove Tuesday and if you are greedy like me, Pancake Day. I’ll be honest, I only realised Pancake day was today because it had been written all over websites I look through when I’m waking up. Something that I feel morally obliged to quickly share before I go into pancakes, is the video circulating around the internet of John Travolta introducing Idina Menzel on stage at The Oscars. She's played Elsa in Disney’s Frozen and Elphaba in Wicked and is hugely talented. The following video made me laugh so, so much and is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen (I spent a good half an hour replaying it which put me in a state of enlightenment). I won’t explain further, the 30 seconds below does itself justice.

The pancake excitement began after I had visited my new job, which went super well and I am thrilled because they’re pushing my start date back even earlier (no sarcasm, I need the money). I had this annoying excitement going on that I get on special occasions like Christmas or Halloween (my favourites). If the occasion means food, then the excitement moves into another league and basically, I'd told myself to be healthier a few days ago because I'm packing on the pounds and today was just a lovely excuse to do precisely not that.

Upon arrival back home, I found my musketeers and three of us got all the stuff we needed for our pancakes. We went for a ‘Traditional pancake mix’ from Betty Crocker, who does the tastiest ready-made icing which I really do recommend if you like to bake (her vanilla butter cream style icing is the best icing I've ever tried). Our treats to go on top were all unhealthy (who’d have thought) and we had syrup, strawberry sauce, lemon juice and ice-creams. One of the musketeers is Canadian, can you guess what he chose? 

Obviously it all went to shit once the pans were heated.  We produced some balls of uncooked batter, some of which we then dropped on the floor (adds flavour). The good ones we managed to make were either misshaped, soggy, burnt or really, really small. My sister Lucy's favourite one was very round, thin and crispy, like a small jellyfish left in the sun too long. Soon after making her small 'pancake' and holding its limp body in one palm, she got really freaked out and unfortunately it is now in a better place (the bin). This one looks like a slice of human brain. I would apologise for the terrible quality of these very dull photos, but an artist is only as good as his tools. 

The finished product was presented on a very expensive, plastic Kung Fu Panda plate that I bought on a whim in a sale. Luckily the pancakes all tasted okay with toppings on and we are now digesting them. It is safe to say that a lot more than one spoonful of sugar helped them go down. I felt really sick after my experience of Pancake Day this year and as I type, I am hoping this is due to my greed and not food poisoning. I hope that we can share many fatter, even more special occasions together. I think I will try and give up watching the John Travolta video for lent. I'd like to thank every single person who has taken the time to read my blog. I'm finding it so therapeutic and enjoyable and the most uplifting thing is hearing that others are enjoying it too. If I could make you all a pancake to show you my appreciation, I still wouldn't. 

Do What You Love

Dan Sexton is an animator. He is also my boyfriend, my best friend and a real life superhero (undisclosed information, keep it to yourselves). In 2012, he founded a YouTube channel called ‘Crunchlins’ (a word we used to call people we didn't like), on which he makes animated, comedy videos. Here's one of my favourite videos, one for the Minecrafters.

I have been with Dan since the first day he began animating, right back to his first video, which was born from hours of work on Paint. In case you weren’t aware, animation is the art of creating constant movement by changing a still image, ever so slightly, a lot of times, to simulate motion. In Dan’s case, these images tend to be those from his favourite video games or original characters that have spawned from his abyss like mind. I started this blog because I wanted something that I could invest effort and creativity in; after university, as I've explained in a previous post, I was left feeling lost. The most frustrating thing was how little focus I had. I'm not a hugely creative person, so I wanted something that had no rules, was free and expressive. From being in this grey zone and witnessing the enjoyment Dan got out of animating, I started to consider how fulfilling it could be to have a personal project to throw myself into. Ergo, welcome to my blog.

You may or may not already know about Crunchlins. If you’re reading this, you may be one of my Facebook or Twitter ‘friends’ who has fallen victim to my furious spamming of news feeds with this unexplained, made-up word (I feel no guilt). Maybe you’re a subscriber, someone Dan has worked with or a close friend. I’m aware it can be hard to read about a topic you have little or no affiliation with, so thank you for getting this far and I hope you enjoy. Both Crunchlins and SarAndBackAgain are places that are open to curious trespassers.

A few days ago, Dan handed in his notice to his daytime job of five years to focus on animation, a move that I'm sure you'll agree takes a certain amount of courage. Although he will be passing into a zone that isn't quite the security he’s used to, he will be in complete control of his career and there is no concern in my mind about his decision because of his relentless drive to succeed. His list of achievements is continually growing. Although he’s working ridiculously hard, I can tell he’s elated and loves what he does. I don’t mean it lightly when I say that I’m proud of him. Isn't it everyone's dream to find a job they love? If Dan was a superhero, I think his superpower would be having the courage to do what he loves and inspiring others to do the same; he has certainly inspired me. The moral of this story is to have the courage to do what makes you happy. This could mean changing your attitude to your existing job, quitting a job you feel nothing but hate for, or taking time to explore a new, more enjoyable career path.  I thought it would be nice to 'interview' Dan so he could tell you a bit more about what he does, to give you some tips if you feel like trying it yourself, and to show you that being brave can reap the rewards.

Why did you choose animation?

"Growing up I always wanted to be a cartoonist, more for comics and I pretty much drew all the time. A friend of mine in school who did some animation got me interested and then I started to do it just for fun, to show my friends."

Any tips for budding animators?

"There is a free 30 day trial of Adobe Flash CS6, that’s the programme I use to animate, so it’s worth getting the trial before you buy the full version, because it’s a daunting programme if you’re new to it. Take your time with animation, you won’t get a cartoon out every day, the production time is a lot longer than many realise. Refine your skills. I like to design my characters on paper first, then practice them, that way you become familiar with them and you can get them onto a computer fast. I recommend starting with a Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet, which is the most basic model and costs around 50 pounds."

What are the hardest parts of the job and have you ever doubted yourself?

"The feedback. I've done animations that have been seen by people who aren't my subscribers and sometimes they can be negative and narrow minded. It used have an effect on me and would demotivate me but you get the positive feedback too, which is so helpful, especially if it’s constructive. The worst comments I've ever been given are ‘Why would somebody even make an animation out of this crap’ which was great as you can imagine, and ‘This video gave me aids’, which I actually found hilarious because the implication was bad, but the person writing it was clearly an absolute dick monkey. Those people are always the ones who come out at the bottom. I only doubt myself when feedback is irrelevant and harsh, but you have to remember that there’s an audience for everything. I love animating so much and there is a genuine market for people who do it, so the doubt never stops me."

What do you love the most about being an animator?

"I love putting out new animations because it’s so satisfying to see it all together, you built it up from scratch, make something non-existent full of sound and colour. I love doing the arty side, so character design, especially recreating my own version of old characters I love. I really enjoy writing with friends, we voice together and the improvisations always make me laugh."

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to become self-employed?

"If you have a passion, keep doing it, don’t be held back by anyone, push your way forward. If it’s something that you can take or leave, maybe you don’t want to actually do it. For me, when I started animating it was the only thing on my mind, so it was easy to work out that I wanted to do it. Focus on the dreams you want to bring into your income and try and find a way that you can achieve them. Discipline yourself. You can’t just say, “I like playing football so I’ll play it in my garden for a few days and then I’ll be pro”, you've got to put in the work and take on board improvements and what people say, especially from others in the industry (note, being told what you’re doing is ‘gay’ is not constructive material for improvement). A year and a half ago, my first animation was two stick figures and since then I've developed my characters so much."

What are your hopes for the future?

"I’m hoping to expand my YouTube channel. I have a new production schedule which is the beginning of that. I’ll have new cartoons up every other Friday. I will continue to make shorts and sketch shows, maybe one day see my cartoons in between shows on TV, it’d be cool to be part of something big, maybe a TV series like Adventure Time or a childhood cartoon brought back."

Are you actually a superhero?

"I need to speak to my lawyer."

You’ll find his animations at http://youtube.com/Crunchlins, have a look, laugh, enjoy and if you’re feeling particularly neighbourly, share some love. Other than the questions I've asked him, he has no idea about the content of this blog post. I love being sneaky. To Dan, this is a big thank you for all the support you give me and keep up the good work. To my readers, I hope you are doing something in life that makes you happy. 

Mind Over Body

I have felt in relative harmony with myself the last few days. I've rode the waves of my mind and as I’m typing this, have received the good news that my new job will be permanent as opposed to fixed term temporary. This means I won’t just be tossed onto the open road after a short ride like a creepy hitchhiker *does celebratory wiggle*. As a result of a busy albeit, chilled few days, I haven’t bothered too much with making myself look like anything other than ordinary. I always make sure I look sort of presentable because it makes me feel neat and in case I happen to bump into Channing Tatum (the internet tells me he lives in London so it could happen, don’t ruin this for me please). Since reaching my twenties, I very rarely entertain negative, hateful feelings towards myself and my appearance, nor spend a great deal of time dwelling on it. I think, as we grow, most of us learn how little importance it has. I have met a lot of people and none of them have heaved upon sight of me so hopefully I don’t look like the evil queen in Snow White upon her transformation to an old beggar woman.

Of course my comfortable attitude towards my appearance isn't bulletproof.  Put into an example, I do wear some very basic make-up to the gym (ridiculous I know), but I have also worn the same, ugly tracksuit bottoms and jumper to work out in for the past two years and I like to think that the two cancel each other out. Likewise, I am guilty of holding the occasional pity party. I usually give myself the pleasure of unwrapping feeling fat or thinking I’m ugly, thoughts of which when I do have, I know to dismiss because they aren't important or true. In my mind I can see hundreds of human heads, male and female, nodding in agreement from an imaginary audience that are reading this and have felt those things too. As I hear this negativity from many people, very regularly, this post is a reminder that being self-depreciating and hating how you look is pointless and unproductive. The excessive importance that is placed on appearance brings nothing but artificial, temporary happiness. You are born into your body and you’re always going to exist in it (claustrophobic thought). If the way you look is something that violates your mind more than you’d like it to then I’d entertain this thought. Based on their physical beauty, the most attractive flowers may be the ones that are picked first and displayed in a glass vase in the middle of a room. They are also the ones that get a week to exist until they wilt, die and rot.

Focusing too much on the way you look is like slowly sawing off your arm (can’t recommend). It’s painful and self-destructive. A cool thought came to me today, and as this blog claims to be a place for cool things, I felt it somewhat appropriate to share. I found myself thinking about how being the owner of a strong mind is invaluable compared to anything else. If you explore your mind and challenge it you’ll find out that it’s a large, expandable sponge that can bring you ridiculous, long term happiness. It let's you wear your kindness, your imagination and your confidence. If you use your mind as your most attractive feature then any insults you give yourself and that others give you about how you look won't have effect because you’ll reach a point where your mind will be like Thor’s hammer. Very powerful and controllable by no-one except you. If you love yourself and your appearance then let’s share a high five, but if you’re in that uncomfortable zone of not quite knowing then remember, mind over matter. I will leave you with a little treat from Tyrion Lannister of Game Of Thrones, who, through being that someone who is constantly ridiculed for how he looks, really knows his shit.

Middle Earth

In case it isn't already obvious enough, I love Middle Earth, the place where The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are set. I’d happily trade in Northampton to live the rest of my days in a hobbit hole with a vegetable patch and some peace and quiet. If you're sitting there thinking, 'Oh how sad', instead of hating on my new, perfect life, come and share some scones and ale with me. It'll be really beautiful I promise. Until the Nazgul come on horseback and I tell them that you may or may not be the owner of a specific ring. I am so eager to see The Hobbit: There and Back Again, part three of the trilogy, which comes out in December this year in the UK. The first two parts were fantastic. Over the past few days I've been searching around for some inspiration for my blog and as I was reading through the March Edition of my Women's Health magazine I found an interview they did with Evangeline Lilly who plays a woodland elf called Tauriel in part 2 and 3 of The Hobbit films. She came across as a very real and free spirited woman and it just made me happy and love her character even more. If like me, you like to know every detail about every actor/actress in your favourite films (keep telling yourself that's a cool thing Sarah) then you should go and read it. Now, I was quite tired a few nights ago and something happened. Hopefully you will enjoy my weird experiments but if you do not, then I highly suggest that you go back to the shadow.