These little messages have made their way to every corner of the internet, and behind them is the lovely Keri Smith. I first found out about her when I got into journaling, and began little guerrilla art projects. Her 100 Ideas were my favorite since the beginning, but there is constantly new things up to inspire. Wish Jar is filled with whimsy little trinkets, inspiring quotes and honest insights. It is where I go to when my mind’s in a rut, blocking amazing ideas from getting through!
More gems from Keri Smith:
What are some of your all time favorite places to go to on the internet?
I’m the kind of girl who is just as happy at home watching bad TV as dancing out all night. The kind of girl who is a neat freak, color codes her class notes and arranges her books according to size; also has the messiest room and is often left wondering where that one sock went.
Like the things I love, my pet peeves are endless, but I don’t think about them often so I couldn’t come up with a good list to share. I have negative thoughts, but don’t manifest them out loud (mostly, at least), because negativity just taints everything with a sort of bad energy that feels heavy and I hate feeling heavy. So I focus on little things that my heart loves, like cake and taking Chimbo (a.k.a the cutest 15 year-old “puppy” you’ll ever see) for a walk around the ghostly streets. It’s March and everyone is still hibernating so everything is still and crisp, perfect.
I’m the kind of girl who will eat an extra serving so as not to be a rude guest. I don’t mind cleaning, as long as there is some loud music blasting for me to dance to. I’m so used to seeing my nails painted that I find it weird when they’re bare — clear polish is my bare minimum! Especially on toenails.
I like neon colors, muted colors, neutral colors. All except all the primary colors together.
I can usually see the two sides of the coin in every argument (though out of pride will not show it at times), which comes across as wishy washy for some people. But if there is one thing I have learnt in my 20 years of life so far, it is that there are no absolutes. Every day I find yet another reason for agreeing with Socrates; “I only know that I know nothing”. Everything we perceive with our senses may not be reality; it is just the way our brain decodes what is real for us to understand. What we see is a result of light hitting surfaces, reflecting in our eyes where that nerve impulse travels through to our brain, where it is translated and transformed into what we understand as an image. When I was little I was the kind of girl who worried about the possibility of my pink being someone else’s green.
I am the kind of girl who is a walking contradiction, who wonders about everything and is fascinated by people. So I find it extremely fitting that I went on to study Psychology — I couldn’t be happier!
What kind of girl are you?
I was 18 and fresh out of high school. Most of my friends went straight to uni, but I was thinking of a gap year in Beijing. I absolutely loved it and stayed for a second year. Here is a brief list of some of the (many!) things I learnt during my time there!
- Language barrier shmarrier — when your life depends on it your brain will spit out words you never thought you knew!
- Cup noodles are not a good permanent dinner replacement.
- Cab drivers are not only full of insight and street smarts, but they are a good source for practicing both listening and speaking.
- Having a day of the week to sort yourself out is key; laundry, kitchen & bathroom cleaning, bill paying.
- True friends will always have your back, no matter how drunk you were.
- That said, finishing two Soju bottles on your own is definitely not a good idea.
- When you buy tickets to see Tiësto, make sure you’re there 3 hours early or risk not even making it to the dancefloor.
- Student life is the life.
- The Great Wall is not so Great after 9 times. If you’re planning on going then get yourself to the old part in ruins; it has not been touched and is beautiful, without all the tourists and vendors around so you can get a nice photo!
- Government censorship.
- An afternoon out at Ritan Park, in the boathouse, with dumplings, is an afternoon well spent.
- Bargain! Anything for sale you can get for less.
- Hou Hai and the surrounding Hutongs are beautiful, even in the freezing winter; bikes are available for rent so you can explore to your heart’s content! One of my favorite places in Beijing.
- Coming home at 8am in last night’s getup while everyone’s grandparents are out doing TaiChi does not make you look very good.
- I want to go back.
So you went on a trip to Greece with your besties and get back home to load up all the photos on Facebook, only to find that you look hideous in most of them, with the exceptions of the ones where your face doesn’t show (like me, minus the Greece trip.) Everything new slightly throws us off, which is why seeing our reflection in the mirror every day can be more comforting to us; we grow accustomed to it and come to accept and even like it (except for those inevitable off days…). Take a picture of us from a completely different angle in a different light and watch as we can’t decide whether or not to tag ourselves in there. Maybe you don’t like your picture taken, or you’re slightly awkward in front of a camera.
Natural beauty
- It is picture day; the entire high school has woken up an hour early just to get their hair right and to practice in front of the mirror. BIG mistake. It was 9th grade and I was one such individual. Once the photographer tilted my head and rotated my body a thousand times, I let my rehearsed smile shine. The result: a fake smile, unruly hair and earrings hanging awkwardly in the wrong directions. The only year I actually looked decent, was the year I didn’t put any effort into it. Be natural, especially when smiling! Think of something funny enough to make you smile but not overly hilarious to make you scrunch your face awkwardly. Tip: A real smile can be seen not only in the mouth but in the eyes.
- Experiment, take self portraits if necessary. Find your best angle and play up to it in photos, but vary enough so that you aren’t pouting with your head tilted slightly at a 30 degree angle, hand on your hip in every single photo. Again, keep it natural and relaxed!
- Posture! No slouching allowed, as it will make your belly pop out, your neck shorter and your boobage saggy. I struggle with this one, mainly because slouching is my natural state of being. I’ve tried to correct it, but I give up way too easily. At least photos are an incentive to be more aware of it!
- Spontaneous photos tend to turn out the best, or at least are good at capturing the moment!
Little touchups
- I’m not one to edit photos on Photoshop, regardless of where my pimple was, mainly because I find it tedious and it makes my computer incredibly laggy. Instead, I propose tackling those little things before the photograph is taken.
- If your skin is slightly oilier than average, a few touchups with those little blotting papers should keep the shine out of your face in photos. I hear great wonders about pressed foundation as well but have never tried it myself! Any other tips to eliminate shine?
- Concealer for panda eyes and little pimples or scars works, but don’t cake it on as this will show even more.
- For a radiant smile make sure you take care of those pearly whites! Same for skin and hair. Personally I think hands well taken care of go a long way in completing a stunning look ;)
- Remember the closer your hands/feet are to the camera the larger they will appear!
The rest depends on your style and whether it lets your personality show through; Knowing how to dress for your shape is always essential, but I don’t believe that wearing patterns is necessarily bad if that is your style. If it works for you then it works, period!
What tricks do you have for looking better in photos?
