art equals happy.

Thanks. :: My life.

Thanks to everyone who left comments on this post. It means a lot to me.

The work load has reduced a lot since then & I am starting to enjoy the summertime already. Or maybe it just feels like summer because the weather has been so hot here. I've been doing a lot of reading and cuddling with my kitty cat while I let my body recover. I've also been blessed to have some really dear friends stay with me this last week which has been a nice distration from sore legs. Oh. and Meredith has been in town. :]
Also been making a dent in my 'watch this' list. Jurrassic Park and Game of Thrones. Very good. haha. Plus there are some really good history programs on BBC iplayer right now. Including one about Harris tweed.

Thanks again, you are the best. kxo

I was feeling done in... couldn't win. :: My Life & Art Journal.

'Had he lived to-day he would still have had machines to fight, but he could at least have seen that a machine can be a good servant – if a bad master.' (Holbrook, 1947)

I've been thinking so much about this. About our reliance on machines. On how much 'screen time' we get everyday, every hour, every week... How I would like to live my life and how I do live it. I guess, doing an essay on William Morris and Socialism and how imporant it is to do 'useful work, not useless toil' (Morris in Holbrook, 1947) will do that to you.

It's been a tough month or so at college. Let's just say that Second Year is kicking my butt.And I lost all of my unpublished photos/videos from 2012 (and some from 2011) in a harddrive failure. Luckily I still have copies of the things I posted online- but there was a lot of blog content and college work that evaporated from exsistence. Just that like. 
Scary.

It's setbacks like this that make it really hard to keep my head above water (Like- it's about 10x harder already because I have to deal with a chronic illness). All of that hard work. Gone. Poof. My body is already giving up on me rather rapidly (too many deadlines), and my brain is really struggling to keep pace. I know healthy, young, happy students who are finding it too much- I really thought I was going to crack!

But, one thing this illness has taught me: I AM STRONG.

I may spend a few days in bed, I may not go to all of the exhibitions, I may have werid routines or have to take a bus instead of walking- but I know I can always do it. Whatever it is- I can do it. Pass A-levels? Sure. Do a 2 year course in 1 year? Alright. Deal with a broken heart/abandonment? Hell yeah. Be a vendor at Renegade? Obviously. Get a degree? LETS DO THIS! 

So this is kind of half a pep-talk and half an 'I'm really sorry about the blog being empty' post. I don't know about you, but hearing someone say 'it's going to be okay' or 'it will all work out' doesn't do anything for me (kind of makes me want to yell into a pillow, haha!)- SEEING someone prove that they can win when they are against a lot of stuff- makes me realise that if they can suck it up and do it, so can I. 

I know a lot of people are doing exams right now, I know it's 'finals week' and there are projects and essays to hand in. YOU CAN DO IT PEOPLE. It's probably going to be hard, but I believe in your strength. And hopefully, you can find something that makes it fun and if it's worth doing that shouldn't be too hard.

Love you.

p.s. Loosing all those photos and videos made me really really sad- but life carries on and new photos are waiting to be taken. Sorry for the delay. <3

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Holbrook, J. (1947) On Art & Socialism. Essays & Lectures by William Morris. London : Purnell and Sons Ltd.

Jammin' with Sam and Jack. :: Ba Illustration & Video.

Here's a little video I did as part of the CHANNEL project. Thanks to everyone who tuned in to watch during my show. :] I know there were some problems with showing the films at certain times- they were having a lot of technical difficulties. Hopefully in the next few weeks all the pre-recorded programs will be online for you to enjoy at your leisure. Without furthur ado...** This is in HD- so that means to see it's full beauty you want to FULL SCREEN this bad boy (and make sure the little 'HD' button is in blue- bottom right)** 

Hear more jams like this here.
Love you, Kimxo

Outfit for the library. :: Clobber

After a heavy week of staring at screens, I took a well-needed study trip to my college library. And here's what I wore:
Top: Hand-me-down from Grandma.
Badge: Handmade by a bristol artist.
Skirt: Thrifted in Yorkshire.
Jeggings: H&M I think.
Shoes: Somewhere on Oxford Street.
Hair tie: A piece of old lace.
Canvas bag: From a William Morris exhibition. 
Books: Camberwell College Library.Want to see what I checked out today? I posted some photos of them on instagram. 

March 2012- Home Movies :: Video & My life.

This is something I've been wanting to do for a while now- I used to take lots of stopframe photos of my life, with the intention of compiling them into a video format- a sort of moving image of my life at that time. But it never got done.
With my new camera, it's a whole lot easier to record moments in this way, and I found myself taking more video than photographs! Which is quite exciting really. [: I'm calling this a 'Home Movie' because- in way, I guess, it is. It's got a very sentimental quality to it. Sort of half documentary, half home video. You'll also see clips of vlogs in here that I've tried making. haha. Enjoy:

** This is in HD- so that means to see it's full beauty you want to FULL SCREEN this bad boy (and make sure the little 'HD' button is in blue- bottom right)** 

and some screen grabs:All footage taken in the month of March 2012. Kimxo

A letter for a friend. :: My Life & Mail.

Meredith did a little post about us being penpals. :] Love it.  (My letter & postcard to her on the left) I love sitting down with quill and ink and penning a letter to a dear friend. Especially if I don't see them very often. In the case of my online pals- it's a fun way to get to know them a bit better, and feel connected in the 'real world'.
(Photo by One Sheepish Girl.)

Ever had a penpal?
Kimxo 

Questions for Love Elycia & You! :: Vlog

Hello everyone! Love, Elycia and I are doing a fun little video series where we ask and answer fun questions! Here are my first questions for Elycia (and YOU too, if you want to play along- just link in the comments to your video responses or answer them with written words. :] Also if you want to ask us questions- feel free!)- enjoy!
 
P.S. I do realise I said 'reading' when you are clearly 'watching' near the begining and another word slip-up near the end. I'm only human. haha. 

Good Moments. :: My Life. & Ghostly Illness.

Things are tough around here. Lots of days in bed. Lots of sleepless nights. A lot of leg pain. A lot of crazy nauseated cravings. And a bit too much feeling faint.
They are really piling the work on thick right now. Doing a BA (Hons) Degree is no laughing matter. A few of the ladies in my class that I really admire for their strength, kindness, goodness of heart and work ethic are crumbling under the pressure (like thinking about getting a form for a deferral!)- so it's no wonder that I completely lost it yesterday. Sickness is not a fun thing to live with. It just makes everything 10x harder. Like- you think it's hard, then something makes it harder.I like to keep things positive on here, but without missing out the imporant downs that make the ups feel so good. So- here's to making the most of those crappy days- getting the tears out and not giving up!

Some things which have been helping me a little bit: PRIORITISE. Sticky notes on the wall. Doing your best. Planning rests. Friends who make Veggie Curry for me. A fresh sketchbook. Fresh Pineapple. Knowing that you aren't going to get everything done perfectly. Spending time on my own to re-coup. And savouring those good moments.

Like (no matter how sore you are, or who you weren't patient enough with, or how greasy your hair is) when there is always a pair of knitting needles and a kitty cat waiting for you to come home to. <3Remember the good moments, Kimxo

Light tests. :: Video & My life.

Life lately has been FILMIMG and DYEING and then resting and then repeating! Like- it's not a bad life, but I just want to draw and knit! haha. Here are some photos of me doing light tests. These are the not-so-embarrasing ones. (OH... and that hanging up... that is a sneek at some new yarn coming to the shop!)Okay. Time to go edit and get sqaure eyes from watching myself say stupid things on camera! Love you! kxo
p.s. these are for college- the Channel project. Yes. It looks like a craft show... because it is! CRAFTING WITH KIM! Are you excited? I'm excited. 

Does anyone use Keek? :: My Life

Hey everyone! Keek is a fun little site (and iphone app!) that lets you record little 36second videos. Kind of like twitter or instagram but with videos! Mine are super silly and usually not that important but fun! Join Keek! Then we can be keekers & make silly videos and things! haha.

I've got more videos than just two now. That screen grab is from a while ago. Anyway. Here are two other little peeks into my video-world right now:I've been doing a lot of filming and grumbling at my editing software. But making nice things. I will share as soon as they are done! If you like sneeks like this- follow me on Instagram- my user is: kimsmithhappy. Thanks to everyone who has added me since the recent andriod addition. :] So much love. kxo