art equals happy.

New shirt from an old favourite shop. :: Style.

Here is a new addition to my wardrobe. I picked it up on one of my fleeting visits to Bristol. There is a great vintage store on Gloucester Road called Repsycho. (see map) When I was in sixth form, I used to ride my scooter there sometimes and it never fails. They also do a market in st. nicks on a saturday... I think. Anyway- I've gotten a lot of my favourite pieces from there. (Like this shirt. And this jacket. and this is taken in the shop...). I'm sure you've all got a favourite shop- just thought I'd share mine. :] Plus, one of my dear friends lives really close- so it's a perfect excuse to hang out in that part of town. Vintage shopping and a cup of tea, what could be better?Usually, I pick up great men's shirts there too. Thought this would be perfect for autumn (especially paired with this brown cord skirt, am I right?). <3

Resting... :: Life.

Hey everyone. I think I overdid it a little bit. Since I've been home from my little adventure in Wales, I've been pretty sick. Been slowly working on important things like college summer reading and making fun products for Renegade & that's been taking all of my energy. Enjoying the quiet.

When it's quiet here, you can keep up with me on instagram (kimsmithhappy) and twitter.

Got exciting things to share soon. Love you. kxo|
(Thanks to Heather for snapping this, candid photos are my favourite.) 

Learning to be alone. :: Art Journal & Sketchbooks

Here are some pages I made when I was 19 and single and living alone in London. Coming to terms with being newly alone and trying to figure out if what I was feeling was loneliness or longing or... independence. I have grown so much since then, but these pages were the first few steps to realising that I like myself and my own company and there is a lot more in life than the search for a 'boyfriend' or whatever.It was an exciting time. I was free to do all the things I didn't have time for, or didn't think my boyfriend would like (when I was in a relationship). It made me realise a lot. I also got to explore new friendships and London. It was such a time of learning to love myself and love what I like. Looking back on it now- I am proud of how I didn't crumple in the face of heartache and illness, but instead took the good things from it and made a beautiful new life for myself.I guess, I'm a bit sentimental at the moment because I've been hanging out in old places with old friends. And, it is beyond time to share these pages. I hope you can take something from these. If you're working through a tough time, know that if you want it to- you can make it better. 
Lots of love,
Kimxo

Hard days night :: Sketchbooks.

A new mug for Dad. :: Drawing.

Jazz works in this cool little ceramic painting place during the summer, and I like to hang out there, painting mugs and things. This was just a fun thing I did for my Dad, because he needed a new one.(this quote is from a Shakesphere play!) I took these photos before it got glazed and fired, but I still think it looks beautiful. It's amazing how different the colours look before it's fired... I'll take photos next time I'm at my parents' house.I try and always put a little heart on the bottom of the mug- like a surprise. :] kimxo

Meet Alonzo. :: Cats and photographs.

When I was on holiday in Devon, I met this sweetie pie. His real name is Alonzo- but I started calling him 'Fonz' and then, we were drawing pictures of him and I accidently wrote 'Alfonzo'. So- he is forever Fonzy in my heart.The sweetest little cuddle bug you ever did meet!

Test Roll. :: Film photographs.

Found an old camera on my shelf that I didn't think I'd ever used before. It was little, light and very simple. It basically has one setting, and it's a manual wind-on with a shutter lock. I was curious to see how it would shoot so I took a test roll. I wasn't sure about focus or light leaks or anything with it- so I tried to take a range of distances and subjects. These are some of my favourite shots. I wound it back every now and again to try and get double exposures (this is totally hit & miss)- and they turned out the best, I think. It naturally takes quite dark shots so that's perfect for doubles. Anyway...(Above might be my all time fav. Look at the red light leak!!!)These were all taken near my parents house, and that's my dad being my 'subject' for me. :] Kimxo

p.s. Double exposures are my jam right now! <3 

This summer, slow down. :: My Life & Photographs

Hey everyone...Are you finding that summer is going by really fast too? Considering that I've had a pretty long summer already- it seems to just be disapearing! How is it August already? Why haven't I read more books yet? Why haven't I started in ernest my summer project?
It's good. I'm the type of person who finds it VERY difficult to have an honest break away from work and stress. I'm a workaholic. Seriously. It's one of the reasons I got ill in the first place- always pushing myself too hard.
So, in a way it's good. It's great that I've been able to let go a little bit and be free and let myself breathe. I'm proud of myself for that. For saying, YES- I'm going to go to Devon for a week. YES- I'm going to visit a friend in Birmingham. YES- I'll come on a mystery road trip this weekend! YES- I'll ride in the back of a van with no seatbelts so we can go fly kites on the beach! YES- I'm having some time to do some art journalling.
After years of teaching myself to say 'no- sorry I can't, I need to stay in and rest(or work)', it feels liberating. Thank you, college, for giving us such a good bunch of time off- we needed it! 

My calendar is still pretty full (of fun!) for August- which is exciting! But in between taking this time off- I've been preparing for Renegade! Sep 15+16! Looking forward to it a lot!

Lets see- what else? Oh, I agree wholeheartedly with Amy on this: Beauty Standards are Stupid. This post too on similar thread. I've been listening to these people, basically on repeat: Amanda Palmer, Ben Folds, OK GO. 

I started using Pinterest properly.  You can see some peeks of my inspirations for a re-brand of Art Equals Happy. It's the begining of something special. 

:] Thanks for letting my catch up. The above photo is a double exposure I created digitally using photos that Jazz took. We were on a windy and sunny ferry. kimxo

Old Sketchbooks, early 2011 :: Drawings

I love going through my old sketchbooks- sometimes the bits and bobs you've overlooked the first time can look fun now or bring back memories. It's the same with Art Journals too- but I guess, with my notebooks/sketchbooks I don't take them as seriously in terms of layout, I'm always making lists, and it's the perfect place to doodle when you are waiting for a bus or lecture to start.Love, Kimxo

The 'Mistakes' :: Film & Photos.

With every roll of film, there are always 'dudd' frames. Sometimes you get a lot of good photographs, sometimes only one or two will be useable. And sometimes, if you're trying something a bit risky or new, you get a whole lot of abstract, but beautiful 'mistakes'. I wanted to share these with you, hopefully to make you feel a little more confident about shooting with film, and also to take that mystery out of it. (I know, sometimes it seems like people post amazing film photos- and that's it! One beautifully shot, perfectly exposed photo after another. But, the truth is, they probably get a lot of shots similar to these too.)Personally, I feel that these have a certain mystery, romance, dreamlike and even a touch of horror about them. And you could never get such organic light leaks from a digital camera. I say embrace the mistakes and have fun! :]Plus, they can be fun images to use for double exposing! Try layering these 'mistake' frames over another image in photoshop, like I did above.kimxo