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How to live a happy life isn’t rocket science. Being happy shouldn’t be tough & it actually isn’t. Here are 6 absolutely-makes-sense tips to fall back in love with life.
Well really, how do you decide? Can following or flouting rules be premeditated or does it just happen organically? I believe, the beauty of any artwork being subjective, there is really no right or wrong way to do it. What might look superbly outstanding to one, may evoke no emotion at all in the other! But for those just beginning their art journey, this really is a point to consider. In the past, I was never sure as to whether or not I would be sticking wholeheartedly to the guidelines I read in some book about using a certain art medium. However, gradually a system did fall into place. Because I am a self-taught artist, I didn’t have in-depth analysis of different styles and technicalities ingrained in my subconscious to be overridden. I picked and chose the things I liked to learn and so developed a style that might not be technically sound in the traditional sense, but which worked for me. Everyone has their own method of deciding which course to follow before they start painting. Here is the method that works for me and may be helpful in creating your own, if you still haven’t got one. 5 Things to Consider About Rules Before Committing to the Canvas Reason behind your artwork: Is this artwork requested by someone or is it a part of your collection? If it has been commissioned, then how malleable are the guidelines? Surely there is the freedom of your recognized style, but is there much space for experimentation? These are some of the questions that might show the wriggle space available for tweaking the rules about. However, if the end product is meant to be a part of your collection, there would be more space for exploring your creativity. The questions to ask yourself would be whether you are adhering to a specific theme and as such can’t be tangentially different. But, if you simply have an idea and want to explore it, the options become quite varied. Degree of rebellion: If you do want to play around with the rules, how much further away from them are you really willing to digress? What other alleys can you think of to explore? It is a good idea to be clear in your mind about these beforehand, as it might turn out to be quite tricky finding cohesiveness full-on into the painting. After all, disjointed is not what we are usually aiming at in our creations! There might be a couple of different styles visible in the work, but there has to be some sense of cordial interaction between them. Sitting down to paint this, I was torn between creating a realistic work and going geometric. But, then decided to explore both simultaneously. I have tried to go full on figurative keeping the abstract theme intact with geometrical shapes getting the major share of space. From the reactions I have received of this artwork, it has led me to believe that the idea worked. So, you never know 🙂 ! Confidence matters: This is an important one. Because, no matter the options available and degree of leniency of the guidelines, your confidence about being able to communicate through your artwork with equal efficiency is very important. Why do you think flouting certain guidelines and tweaking others would work better for you? And, how do you plan to do those? If you can answer these convincingly, then the results would be apparent in your work. I have always been interested in creating mixed media pieces, but usually the reason was ‘ease of rendition’. And this showed in those artworks! The heart was missing. So, I have decided not to play with it until I am confident enough in this style to bend it according to my whim and fancy. Visualization is the key: As Michelangelo said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Every artist first has a vision of what they want to create and then plod through the technicalities and non-technicalities of the creative process to reach it. If you can visualize yourself achieving the end result and have a rough idea of how to reach it following your own set of rules, then by all means flout them left and right! Put your own spin on the rules and apply what works for you. Time is of essence: If you have the liberty of time, then why not? If you have time enough to redo everything if need be, then it is a good time to experiment. Some days, we just want to dive right in without too much forethought or planning. These occasions have a charm of their own, exploring different avenues as you go. The results can range from fabulous to hideous. But, the point is to give a free rein to your imagination and trying to find what works and what doesn’t. But, are rules and guidelines really limiting to our imagination or does it simply offer discipline to our thoughts to form a cohesive meaning? Maybe, it’s too big a discussion for us to reach any reasonable conclusion satisfactory to all parties involved 🙂 . However, the bottom line is as Atticus said, “When it comes to art, it’s important not to hide the madness.”. Go crazy, explore, do whatever you need to in order to find your own style and what works best for you. After all, every new genre germinated when an artist decided to creatively explore and have fun with the rules! Do you like to stick to the rules and create amazing artwork or do you like to go rogue and explore? Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Don’t we all like things that can be used interestingly in multiple ways than just one obvious one? Well, most of the herbs and spices in our kitchen do exactly that. And I am not even talking in culinary terms, but of major health benefits and overall wellness. This brand new year, I am beginning this series about how to get the best of your kitchen pharmacy. It being winter in this part of the world, I guessed ginger would be the best candidate to start it off on a refreshingly warm note. We use this multi-talented participant of our kitchen as oil, powder, dried-up chunks or fresh juicy knuckles. Gingerol is the main ingredient that gives it anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Ginger oil also acts as a great antifungal ointment. Not bad, right? So, let’s explore how ginger really can help keep our wellness factor up. 7 Benefits of Including Ginger in Your Diet Cough and cold: Among other minerals and nutrients, ginger has magnesium and vitamin C. As we all know, vitamin C comes in quite handy dealing with pesky flu symptoms. Ginger is quite effective in dealing with a few types of respiratory viruses as well. Warming the body from within, it is quite helpful for cough, cold and sore throat symptom improvement. To make this healing tea, take one and half cups of water and add an inch of ginger. Boil and reduce it to about a cup of water. Add half a teaspoon of green tea leaves and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Squirt in a dash of lemon and a dollop of honey. Taking this concoction 2 to 3 times a day will help quickly minimize cough and cold discomfort. However, ginger and honey combo can produce quite a bit of heat in the body. So, moderation is the word if the weather isn’t too cold or there is a medical history of hypertension. Detoxification and Immune system: Ginger is a great source of antioxidants and can be found in most of the easy-to-make detox drinks. Take a bottle full of water and add a few slices of ginger, a couple of mint sprigs, a few berries of your choice and a dollop of honey. Leave it overnight. The next day, you can sip your way to detoxified glory. It gives a boost to our immune system by getting rid of unwanted toxins and cleaning up the lymphatic system. Gingerol, the main component of this herb, is also quite effective in dealing with many types of bacteria. It is good for oral health too. Digestive health: The phenolic compounds found in ginger are a boon to the digestive system. Starting from the mouth, it encourages saliva production, then bile production for better digestion and also helps relieve gastric irritations. Ginger has the ability to relax the smooth muscle lining of our digestive system. This in turn helps movement of food better from stomach all through to the large intestine. The whole thing is actually quite beneficial in easing bloating and constipation symptoms. Helping better breakdown of food and thus absorption in our body, ginger helps us get the most of what we eat. It is also believed to be effective in treating indigestion, reflux symptoms and intestinal ulcers. Ginger has been known since ancient times to be quite helpful in sea, motion and morning sickness and even nausea. Healthy weight management: Ginger improves digestion of fat and it’s better absorption in the body. This translates to fewer unnecessary prompts/indicators for minerals and nutrients in the form of food from our body. Minimizing cravings helps maintain ideal body weight through diet. Helping better breakdown of food and absorption in our body, this medicinal root encourages healthy weight management. Heart health: Ginger has anti-clotting powers and as such is quite helpful in minimizing the risks for heart attack or stroke. Also, it is believed to reduce bad cholesterol in our body that is one of the major factors contributing to heart diseases. There are ongoing studies to prove this, but traditionally they have been quite popularly used for cardiac health, even in Ayurvedic medicine. Gingerol and protease from this herb promote cardiovascular circulation. Diabetes: Diabetics or those at diabetic risk can benefit from this curative rhizome too. It is known to improve insulin sensitivity of our body, thus tackling the problem at it’s root. However, the most important point here is, any change in diabetic medicine regimen should be done by the physician. Taking ginger for diabetes doesn’t mean once can shrug off prescription medications. Ginger does help manage sugar levels in our body, but medication changes should be left to the discretion of your physician. In fact, it would be advisable for diabetic patients to consult their physician before commencing a ginger regimen. There have been researches and studies on the efficacy of ginger in this context, but they are still in their infancy and need more time to be actually conclusive. Even if there aren’t many proven studies, taking ginger helps us avoid other complications related to diabetes. It works towards the overall health of our body and provides protective benefit to kidneys, liver and eyes. Hair: This one doesn’t really require including ginger in your diet, but rather of applying it topically. Though I haven’t personally tried it myself, it is believed to help regrowth of hair in people dealing with hair fall problem. You can apply it directly to the scalp or mix it with olive oil before applying if you have sensitive skin. Keep it on for about half an hour and then shampoo it off. Follow this routine about 2 times per week. Being a natural remedy it might take a while, say about a month, to start showing results. Patience and persistence are the keys here 🙂 . Ginger has beta-carotene, capsaicin, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and copper. Amongst other benefits, it is also believed to reduce risk factors for colorectal, lung, breast
Which spice do you think is in the same ‘healthy’ league as red wine, dark chocolate and berries? Yes, we are talking about cinnamon – a native spice of the lush and sunny Caribbean, South America and Southeast Asia. The tingling flavour and aroma of this bark comes from essential oils that are rich in antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and antioxidant qualities. It is especially rich in the antioxidant flavonoid, which controls various kinds of inflammation in our body expertly. Cinnamon can become your go-to spice for anxiety, depression, irritability symptom control as well as to improve performance and motivation. Use it as scented car freshener to feel comparatively more relaxed even in heavy traffic. Try some soothing cinnamon tea at work to stay focused without being all wound up. This spice can help children too with ADHD symptom control by reducing oxidative stress in the body. Including it in your daily diet or even using it as candles or air freshener can help greatly with mood and stress levels. Let’s explore some other ways to use this super spice for enhancing our general wellbeing. 7 Ways to Use Cinnamon for Health and Beauty Aches and pains: Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties that help lower swelling and inflammation. What it amounts to is that you can use it for natural pain management as in muscle soreness, toothache, menstrual pain and even advanced age-related aches and pains. It’s powder, oil, leaf oil or essential oil can be used to combat varied types of inflammations. Clean and wipe dry your aching tooth. Now, apply a couple drops of cinnamon oil to the affected tooth and it’s neighboring ones. This will tide you over till you visit your dentist. Apply leaf oil or essential oil well diluted with water for muscle and joint soreness, sprains and even arthritic pain. Arthritic pain also responds well to the concoction of a cup of hot water, teaspoon of cinnamon powder and a teaspoon of honey taken regularly. However, be mindful of the fact that this is essentially a very warming brew and might not go well with certain medical conditions like high blood pressure. Cold and flu: The warming quality of this spice that increases blood oxygenation level comes in handy for taking care of cold and flu. It also has effective antibacterial properties that help relieve symptoms of cough, cold, bronchitis, chest congestion and such other respiratory conditions. Mucilage, a water-soluble fiber present in cinnamon works well in soothing a sore throat. Enjoy a hot cup of cinnamon ginger tea to help relieve cold symptoms. Else, take a tablespoon of honey spiked with 1/4th teaspoon of cinnamon powder twice a day for about 3 days (or until symptoms mitigate). This will be helpful in countering a sore throat, clear sinuses or chronic cough. Gut care: In traditional western medicine as well as in Ayurvedic medicine, this tree bark has appeared as a gut-friendly spice. Catechins (an antioxidant) present in cinnamon not only helps with digestion but prevents bloating, constipation, IBS and more. It comes in quite handy especially after a heavy or spicy meal. If you know you are going to have a heavy meal, take 2 tablespoons of honey with a pinch of cinnamon powder beforehand. This will relieve any acidity building up and help digest the meal more comfortably. Else, have a hot cup of cinnamon tea to relieve the discomfort after a generous meal. Foot care: The antibacterial and antifungal properties of cinnamon work well for taking care of your feet. Soak your feet for about 15 minutes in a bath of 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder, 5 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 liter tolerably hot water. This helps take care of foot fungal growth or bacterial infection and also leaves the feet feeling soft and smooth. Skin care: Cinnamon is great for treating acne, eczema and other non-chronic skin issues because of it’s antibacterial qualities. Along with promoting collagen production, as part of a facial scrub, it can make the skin look firmer, nourished as well as more plump and supple. Mix cinnamon powder, olive oil, almond oil and sea salt or brown sugar to make a quick facial scrub. To tackle acne and pimples, apply a 1:4 mixture of cinnamon powder and honey. Leave it overnight before washing off with warm water in the morning. Repeat weekly until needed. To make a cinnamon face mask, mix 1 tablespoon oatmeal, 2 tablespoons banana puree with 1 teaspoon yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder. Not only will it give your skin a natural glow, but also help with rosacea, acne, pimples, and any other kind of facial skin rash. Hair care: This is a great spice for hair care too whether you use it as a scalp scrub or hair mask. To give a clean and rejuvenated makeover to your scalp, mix a teaspoon of coarsely ground cinnamon powder with a hair oil of your choice whether almond, olive oil or coconut oil. Scrub gently in circular motion for 10-15 minutes. Leave it on for 20 minutes to half an hour and then wash off with a mild shampoo. For a refreshing hair mask, mix a teaspoon each of cinnamon powder and honey with a tablespoon of olive or almond oil and a whole egg. Leave it on for about half an hour. Wash it off with your regular shampoo for gorgeously soft tresses. Food for thought (or rather, the brain): Including cinnamon in our daily life can boost our cognitive function and brain health. Oxidative stress on our brain appears as age-related degeneration of brain function where the cells morph and self-destruct. One well-known instance can be Alzheimer’s. Cinnamon has certain properties that can work towards easing the symptoms and impairments to a considerable extent. This spice works in two general ways. One, it activates the neuroprotective proteins to reduce accelerated brain cell damage, thus slowing the disease advancement
The world of art is a wonderful place. Here, you can find negative empowering the positive. Efforts at sidestepping definite forms brings out the best possible rendition! It’s a magical place where the idea of balance takes on innumerable interpretations. In fact, the interplay of positive and negative space is ingeniously manipulated to create intriguingly complex images. We have all seen Rubin’s vase creating optical illusion, right? Negative space, i.e, the space not used by the subject, is as important as the object in focus. It helps guide the viewer’s eyes and attention to the mainstay of a frame. Sometimes, expert modulation of just the negative space can create interestingly well-defined positive spaces. It provides balance without overwhelming the space. Like yin and yang, the central idea is importance of balance. Balance like harmonizing flavors of your favorite recipe or in your attitude to life between sense of humor and gravitas. Let’s dig a bit deeper to identify some interesting ways in which negative space works its magic. 5 Facts About the Power of Negative Space Overcoming pre-knowledge overload: Sometimes what holds us back from capturing the true essence of a subject matter is the overload of existing knowledge about its structure. For many people, this comes forth while trying to paint hands or feet and may be even trees. The pre-knowledge of their shape stops us from truly noticing the play of their positioning, perspective and individuality. In such situations, studying the negative space through and around the positive space helps. Attempting to recreate the space around as accurately as possible, helps bring out the subject matter’s true likeness and feel. Negative spaces have a shape of their own and if expressed properly, can add oodles of interesting perspective to the object in focus. It helps overcome the limitations of pre-knowledge of an object’s shape and dimensions, making it more life-like. Creating just through negative space detailing, tickles the viewer’s imagination with unconventional angles and dimensions. Capturing shape and defining structure: It doesn’t only help better define the composition of an artwork, but positioning of objects in focus too. For instance, the main object in an artwork with more negative space on top generally promotes the idea of weight. Also, more negative space at the bottom in a landscape gives the illusion of distance. It guides and focuses the viewer’s attention on the subject matter. Just like the star performer gets the spacious corner office with amazing views, important objects get more personal negative space. Creatively modulating the space around an object in focus adds to its character and interest value. Optical breathing space: A frame with too many elements of interest fails to communicate as effectively to its viewers as one with enough optical breathing area. Whereas, an empty negative space can speak volumes wielding the powers of minimalism. It can communicate the artwork’s feel or mood, offer play space for the viewer’s own perspective and imagination, as well as create interest through the art of suggestion. Just like a living space with too many elements can work only if expertly handled, similarly an artwork chock full of objects vying for space can work only if handled ingeniously. Here too, the area occupied by one item and it’s interaction with the objects around it, work as the negative space for its neighbors. Balancing a composition: The simplest and most used technique of balancing a composition or the space available to work, is to exploit negative space. We can counteract the horizontal heaviness of the main element with ample vertical empty space or lighter shapes. Also, the same is true for vertically oriented point of focus. Positive space and the work area boundaries shape up abstract negative structure in a frame. Out of focus objects, abstract shapes and empty space peeping through a subject matter offer interest and help balance its heaviness out. It works on a similar principle as an opaque curtain of similar color would feel heavier visually than one with ample cut-work in it. Infusing mystery and interest: Negative space with a specific structure framed within the subject catches viewer’s eyes and generates interest. It ignites the onlooker’s imagination with associations of their own and emotions connected with their personal history and experience. This creates a sense of mystery around an artwork. Using negative space as the subject creates interest, atmosphere and gives an unconventional character to the frame. It is also a great tool to create optical illusion in any work of art. An interesting point to note, silhouette of people or objects against a brightly lit background wouldn’t be considered as essentially negative space. This is so because the silhouettes have a definite shape and are subjects of the composition. Here, the brightly lit background would become the negative space framing and defining the shape of the silhouette. However, it can be an example of two coexisting objects acting as negative space for each other if a defined and interesting portion of the brightly lit space is captured within boundaries of the silhouette. Negative space can say loads without any visual aid modulation, even if it’s an empty space. It can act as the protagonist as well as offer support and focus to the subject. So, no matter which way you decide to employ negative space, it’s importance and indispensability cannot be denied. This is one negative thing that has loads of positive connotations! How do you like to use your negative space? Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Feeling sluggish & moody in the winters can turn a quarter of the year miserable. Use these 19 ideas at NandyzSoulshine.com to beat the winter blues, stay productively motivated and happy. Winter blues quotes & winter blues remedies to minimize winter blues symptoms. #beatthewinterblues #winterblues #happiness #positivity #encouragement
Which is your favorite fruit? Or, is it nuts? If you are trying to find reasons to tuck into them more often, checking out their health benefits would be a good idea. Fruits are nature’s storehouse of many vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Some of these really go a long way in keeping us healthy and kicking. Fruits like blueberries, cranberries, oranges, bananas and pomegranate help keep many ailments at bay. Homemade pomegranate juice without any added sugar can offer you loads of health benefits just with a glass full taken every day. It contains vitamins A, C and E along with powerful antioxidants and loads of important minerals. In fact, pomegranate contains much higher levels of antioxidants than even green tea and many other fruits including oranges. It’s mineral contents like iron, folic acid, potassium, calcium, folate, phosphorus and more help us stay healthy. Also, pomegranate’s anti-inflammatory properties come in real handy while dealing with inflammation of internal organs or blood vessels. It even contains punicic acid that helps boost skin regeneration. So, you can see that not only does pomegranate have quite a few health benefits, it works on counteracting signs of ageing too. Sufficient intake can even help deter diseases like diabetes, osteoarthritis, heart diseases and some types of cancer. Here are a few health benefits of pomegranate and how it’s magic works. So, let’s get exploring! 5 Ways Pomegranate Can Benefit Us Heart and blood health: Pomegranate decreases the level of bad cholesterol retention in our body. This helps minimize the chances of blood flow blockages to the important organs. This in turn reduces the chances of a stroke. It has punicic acid that helps reduce blood pressure. Anti-inflammatory properties help decrease the inflammation of blood vessels and pomegranate also maintains their flexibility. This wonder fruit acts as a natural blood thinner reducing the chances of blood clots. All this translates to reduced heart issues. As a result of enhanced blood flow, we are also better able to exercise and be comparatively less fatigued. Iron and folic acid present in pomegranate work on maintaining a healthy red blood cell count. Immunity improvement and cancer risk reduction: Antioxidants help flush out unwanted toxins from our body. The antioxidants of pomegranate stimulate white blood cells improving our body’s immunity to diseases. It’s antibacterial and anti-microbial properties strengthen our immune system. The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of pomegranate come in handy for urinary tract infection symptom relief. Pomegranate reduces free radicals, which are responsible for many unwanted changes in human body. The natural aromatase inhibitors of this fruit minimize production of the hormone that plays a crucial role in breast cancer development. The anti-carcinogenic effects do not extend to treating but do reduce the risk of cancer development. It presumably even slows down progress of some types of cancer. Digestive health: Pomegranate is very good for digestion. A pinch of dried pomegranate seed powder after a heavy lunch can help our body get the better of it quickly. It’s high fiber content helps regulate bowel movement and are helpful in tackling diarrhea. However, people with chronic constipation issues should consult their physician before starting to take pomegranate juice regularly. This fruit is also good for oral health as it reduces the microbes responsible for dental cavities. It helps with conditions like gingivitis, periodontitis and helps prevent plaque formation. Bone health: The calcium content of this wonder fruit encourages bone health when taken regularly. It helps maintain healthy bone density and minimizes bone damage in osteoarthritis. Pomegranate has anti-inflammatory properties (flavonols) that can reduce bone inflammation and arthritic pain. It inhibits the production of enzymes which damage cartilages leading to osteoarthritis. In short, pomegranate comes in handy from maintaining bone strength to keeping osteoarthritis at bay. Beauty benefits: Reduction of free radicals and harmful toxins in our body can not only ensure better health, but also cosmetic benefits for us. It is the secret to younger-looking healthy skin free from blemishes and premature wrinkles. Pomegranate’s polyphenolic compounds help delay our skin’s ageing process. It helps reduce pigmentation and age spots along with keeping the skin hydrated and moisturized. It’s cell regenerating properties act as the cherry on top. Using a pomegranate juice face pack helps deal with oily skin issues and sun damage. Just apply directly and leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes before washing off with cold water. You can also make a daily detox drink with a bottle of water, handful of pomegranate seeds, 1 teaspoon honey and a few sprigs of mint (optional). Leave the ingredients in the bottle of water overnight and sip it through the next day. Hair too benefits with regular intake of this juice because it strengthens hair follicles. You can use pomegranate oil as hot oil treatment for your hair before shampooing. Pomegranate is a good addition to diet while recuperating after a long illness to regain strength. It also presumably has other benefits like cognitive or memory retention and aphrodisiac. This fruit has been used since Egyptian times as a kitchen medicine to treat many ailments. However, it is never recommended to go off your regular medication just because you are trying natural remedies. It would be a better idea to monitor the progress while on natural treatment and get medications adjusted accordingly. Pomegranate helps us de-stress tackling the unwanted toxic content of our body. Including this fruit in our diet even for it’s antioxidant value can help us in more ways than one. Going back to our roots and trying out nature’s remedies is never a bad idea. Exploring nature’s gifts to us can be healthy and delicious too! Do you like to explore your kitchen pharmacy or is it straight to the chemists? Warning: People with blood pressure and allergy issues or on chronic medication should consult their physician before starting regular pomegranate consumption. Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Resilience develops from realizing some things will be out of our control but still choosing to move towards positivity & focus on what we can. This article on NandyzSoulshine.com will show you how finding happiness can empower your mind, body, & soul to live a more meaningful life. Plus, there’s a free worksheet to help you get more clarity on the sources of happiness in your life.
‘Master Artist Quotes’ series part 2 Inspirational quotes have a way of expressing what we subconsciously know to be true. They guide us in the right direction to reach our full potential. It is quite common with me to suspend creative imagination and start following set rules and patterns while creating. So, I have fallen into the habit of creating a self-motivating arsenal of inspirational thoughts that guides me towards fresh perspectives from time to time. These help me barge ahead through my creative inhibitions, fears and hurdles. Hope all this is making sense and I haven’t started just rambling 🙂 Did you enjoy the previous list of Top 10 Quotes By Masters Inspiring Today’s Artist? If yes, then here are some more to keep your stream of creativity flowing. I would be sharing more with you as I collect a new stash adding to my treasure trove of positivity and inspiration. 7 Inspirational Insights Into Creativity to Guide and Motivate Do you have such other inspirational thoughts to guide and nudge creativity? I am sure there must be, but was this selection helpful to you in any way? Follow my blog with Bloglovin
