To Be Poets

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Feminism versus Humanism

For years now I have been calling myself a feminist, believing that women should have the same rights as men, believing that women should be treated the same way men are treated in any form of interaction.

For years now, I have put the focus on women and not men, even developing some kind of hatred towards men, and even feeling some kind of frustration as soon as men behaved as men. It is the word feminist, who strongly focuses on females that made me feel the way I did. I even wrote a blogpost about it a while ago, almost being mean towards men. Was it fair? At that time, it was because I was standing for something. Probably not for feminism however.

See, if feminism is about equal rights both for men and women, then why does it have the word female in it? Does the word live up to its definition? I believe not.

What I truly believe in, is that everybody should be treated in a nice and kind way; in a democratic way, in a way where there is no distinction between race, age or gender. Each individual should be free to express his identity, and be respected for it, but at the same time this identity should include being respectful towards the human kind.

I have come to terms that equality does not exist. If I treat every single person the same way, then this means that individuality does not exist. It means that men, women, children and even plants and products have to be treated the same way. How is that possible when everything and everyone is 'born' differently? What makes someone unique if we treat everybody equally?

Society has forced us to put everybody in different boxes and objectified human beings. There is a guideline on how men and women should behave and should be treated. If this never happened, would feminism even exist?
The funny part of all of this is that the more I have been working on projects that emphasises on women and the female body, the less I believe in such thing called feminism. In the end it is about (self) respect and projecting how you want to be treated.

Today I can proudly say that I'm a humanist, not a feminist. I am a humanist who believes that each individual, despite race, gender or age should be treated in a humane way.

Why your body is a machine

"Your body is not a machine" is a phrase that I've been hearing over time and I just simply cannot agree with this statement. There have been many discussions about how society today treats its body as a machine and that it is not the right way to go as it is simply more than that.

YOU, as a person, are more than a machine. That is a fact that I am sure of. You are consisting of a body and a soul and the intertwined processes.
The body in itself however, consisting of all its elements is just matter. But matter always has to have a form, as Descartes described, so that it serves a certain function.

This is the same for a machine: matter that is put in a certain form so that it serves a certain purpose, a function. But for it to work, it needs soil.
For a body to work, we need soil too. Input and output. You give something, you get something back.
And sometime when it does not do what you want, then there should be some issue with the machine that does disturb certain processes. The only difference is that a machine can be de-montaged to find the issue. However, the body is more complex to be cut open to search for the issue.

If this is the only difference, why shouldn't I perceive the body as a machine, a carrier of a soul?

Imagine if this belief would be applied by everybody; it would mean that there would be more attention to the soul. Because as long as the machine works, it become part of the periphery meaning there is more space for other things.
If all the attention that now goes to the body -including the looks- shifts to the soul, it would mean that the search to who we are and what we want is much shorted than it is now.
And if we find out what our needs are, we will use the body as a medium to fulfil these needs. Just as the car is a medium to get from A to B.

In the end it goes back to one thing: 'your body is a machine!'

Judge a book by its cover

The idea to personalize my notebook came from the fact that it didn't matter what notebook I bought, the cover would never meet my expectation. There would always be something about it that would not be 'me'. 

Yet the content of notebooks -at least mine- have a certain value. Yes, they are work related, but its content that was part of my fascination or stream of thoughts; content that I wanted to inhale or exhale.

I started to crochet my first notebook cover, which was first just something to kill time with. But eventually I loved the texture that it had when I touched it. Besides that, it looks so much nicer than a flat, hard cover -despite the visuals on it.

 

Currently I'm busy with a blue A5 cover which is taking far too long to be finished. But if that means that I have a nice and fluffy cover for the next year, It's completely work it.

Inspiring places: De Eetkaamer

A week ago a came across a cafe/restaurant which I fell in love with the moment I passed by.
Dark wooden walls full of frames, tables that remind me of Piet Hein Eek and non matching chairs everywhere. It gave me this warm homey feeling that I have been searching for in restaurants: down to earth, warm and a wow-effect.

And this was just what I saw from outside the windows.
Once I walked in to have a closer look, there was a little corner with lovely crafty objects that you could buy. In fact, everything in there was for sale, including the chairs and the tables.

As today was my birthday, I decided to have some food and drink there. Usually there's always something not matching when it comes to restaurants. Either the food doesn't match the atmosphere, or the other way round. Here however, it went beyond my expectations. This place stays true to its concept. Biological food, home made cakes, and the most amazing sandwiches.
This is what I call a full experience.

 

This is not where it stops however. Once talking to the super friendly staff, they told me this place was build in a month by a staff of three people! And that's what I like, you can really see the ambition that is put into this back in the place.

If you ever get a chance to visit the Eetkaamer, I promise you will have a great experience.

The adress is: 
Brabantplein 10A
5401 GS Uden
Netherlands

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Beautiful packages

It's not really rocket science that we are easily attracted to beautiful things. When it comes to food, like a beautifully decorated cake, we can barely resist things if they look attractive.

What struck me when buying tea the other day is that Clipper has succeeded big time in staying true to their vision. I associate fair trade and organic with this earthly, flawed design without plastic and with no straight edged lines -but more playful.

Maybe it's the combination of text and drawings and the structure of the box that made me fall in love with it. I'm wondering if the exact same tea would taste as nice as this one if it was in another package.
It's funny, because I never thought I was a sucker for being influenced by the looks of something, but look at me now!

The only disappointing thing is that I expected something more natural once opening the box. It's a pity that the teabag is covered with a shiny paper which contradicts the entire 'natural' concept, but nevertheless, the tea tastes yummy.

 

The odd one

As some of you might know, I have been making my own photo frames for over a year now. (See others HERE and HERE).
Anything that is framed is chosen with care. The images I frame usually strike me in such a way that I can't take my eyes of them. There's something about them that make you want to frame them.

What I absolutely love about the woolen frames is that it is, just like clothing, something that keeps the image warm. The pictures is given warmth because it is special.

On a side note: each frame took 5 hours of work.

I didn't mean to offend you

For years I have been trying to keep my opinions about men for myself. Sometimes I find myself in a situation where I can’t help it but make a nasty comment about men –yes, even when they are around. And that when this huge feeling of guilt comes in, because I didn’t mean to offend those nice guys that I’m hanging out with. I sincerely like them and my comments certainly don’t apply to them.

As long as they don’t make any moves towards me, they are not classified as ‘these men.’

I know I’m going to take a big risk with this post but after reading this post I feel a huge, enormous urge to speak out. If you are reading this and you are a man, this isn't about you. Or at least I didn't mean to offend you.

1. It’s impossible that you don’t have anything on your mind. Aren’t you thinking about the offensive thing that a certain person said to you? Or how your day went? Or what you have to do next week?
How can a brain think NOTHING?

2. Giving hints is our way to see how well you know us. Not understanding them means you don’t understand us meaning that you don’t know the woman you are in relationship with meaning: do you love us at all?
Oh, and this is our way of being polite.

3. We love you this much that we want to involve you in anything in our lives. Asking for your advice on clothing, talking about nail polish or anything as such means that we are very comfortable with you. Take it as a compliment.

4. We don’t want you to be rational when we are being hysterical. We need you to listen and tell us that you are going to shoot that person and that we have the right to feel this way.
Come on, it’s not so hard to play along. We will let you know when it’s time to be rational.

5. WHY IS CRYING SO SCARY FOR YOU? We are not going to kill you I promise.
Our crying is your hitting stuff and screaming to the television.

6. How can you watch cartoons like Southpark at the age of 26? Are you ok or did it go wrong somewhere while you were growing up? We are here to help you if you need to talk about it.

7. We want you to be clear to us and we are definitely not scared of rationality but take our emotions into account too, please?

8. Sometimes we are just pushing to see how far we can go until you break. So we keep crying (yes, it’s our powerful source to blackmailing, but not always!) until we get what we want.

9. Stick to your promises. Note everything down if needed, what is said is out there now and you can’t get away with it anymore. We remember EVERYTHING!

10. In the end we love you and we are trying really hard to understand you to understand if you understand us.  

Repetition is the mother of all learning

Playcount in 2 weeks: 146 times
Normally I'm think kind of person that is addicted to a certain song, or anything for that matter, which takes no longer that a few weeks. And when it comes to music, there's only a limited about of times a day a song can be played because it gets boring.

However this one has exceeded all limits. Maybe it's this catchy, happy tune that gets me in a safe and warm cocoon; almost like it's summer. But I'm also fascinated by its lyrics which basically makes no sense at all. And so does the video actually. I can hardly remember any video that has its lyrics translated so literally in visuals.

All in all it's the simplicity overall that catches me. Considering the addiction, it's this vision that I live by: If you find something good, if you love it and if its good for you, grab it and never let it go.

Obsession

This small obsession of making home made food is getting a little bit out of hand. Some of you might remember that in my previous post about home made food I mentioned that I was done making these kinds of things, but I just couldn't help myself doing it again.
Plus getting to know more and more about what is added to food (additives, E-numbers, etc) we eat scares me to shit! Even if it says that it is biological -which is a marketing technique in my opinion- I don't trust it.
To stop eating is no option I guess, so what's better than having full control of what you eat?!

This time the lucky ingredient is: CRANBERRY.
I'm going to skip all the health blabla and just mention that it is yummy. I find it bitter eating it raw, so just cooking it with a little water and sugar makes it a very nice cranberry compote.

Some of you wonder if I eat all those things that I make myself, but the honest truth is, I love giving it away. There's something about putting care and effort into making a little something for someone you love.

Changing seasons, Changing sounds

Music for me is not only mood related, but also very season related.With this cold, dark, sun-deprived weather, there's noting more soothing than the melancholic sound of good music.
Here are my favourite artists and songs that are getting me through this winter.

Glen Hansard, an artist that I got to know through the movie Once (a must-watch if you haven't).
My favourite song of his at this moment is 'Birds of Sorrow'.

Keaton Henson. A great performer and artist. There's something very odd about him which makes his appearance very interesting. His fragile voice gives me goosebumps. I love listening to this walking outside in the dark in an empty street.
You have to listen to 'Sweetheart what have you done to us'.

Little May. Usually I'm not very fond of female singers but there's something about this band's voice that makes me calm. I love the build up of the instruments and vocals ending up in a climax a several times in the song. Ok, ok, every song has a build-up and a climax, but this one really does it for me. 'Hide' is a very good example of what I'm talking about.

Wise Children. I never get bored of their song 'Absence' because it's so dynamic and changing. I come short of words explaining this, I guess listening to it is the best way to see what I'm talking about.


Do you have favourite songs each season as well? Which artist do you mostly listen to recently?

Self-made is bestmade

Home made, natural food. It all started with reading the labels on jars where ingredients were mentioned that just did not make sense to me. This led to weekly making my own peanut butter, bread and apple sirop which gave me a great pleasure. Not only when making it, but also when eating it. Knowing what ingredients are in a certain product gives me a great peace of mind.

Quinoa seeds

This obsession inspired my gifts for this season. The act of giving is not necessarily buying the most expensive gift. I find it more valuable to spend time and love in the gift rather than buying something just for the sake of it. Eventually I'm not sure if I am going to do this ever again. Spending hours in the kitchen the day before is kind of energy draining. So a better planning would have made all of this less stressful.

Apple syrup

But eventually seeing it transform into something that looks wonderful makes it all worth it. If I would be able to buy this somewhere looking like this, I would buy it. It's cute, it's beautiful, it's healthy and above all, it's yummy.

Stewed pears

Never underestimate

 

I made this illustration a while ago which I'm still kind of proud of. Somehow I expected to be finished in a few hours when I decided to draw, but it eventually took me 2 days to make this. And this is by far nothing compared to the real artists. This process made me appreciate a thousand times more than I ever did.

EKTC

EKTC [ekthessee] is a wearable that empowers you to get out of your cocoon and become that creature you've always wanted it to be.

This piece was made within a week in collaboration with ArtEZ. Starting from a bodily movement, this got translated into a meaning and eventually a shape.
My fascination goes out to the silhouettes the outfit creates while you move which means that it transforms depending on who is wearing it and how it is worn. At the same time this gets supported by the hoodie which has different layers of material.

Maybe it's just me because I been through the late nights, struggles and excitement to get to this result, but every time I watch this, I get great adrenaline rush through my body.

I would love to know your opinion about this. Do you like it? Do you see yourself ever wearing something like this?

No darling, you look just fine!

Nowadays the word diet is almost always associated with weight loss. The word kilos can't be taken positively without combining it with the word loss.
It amazed me how our society is so focused on fatness and weight loss that someone who wants to gain weight is not even taken seriously. Mentioning that one has gained 5 kilos will be put in a negative light instead of giving a compliment. An overweight person who has lost 5 kilos however will be complemented.
What kind of world do we live in? Are we brainwashed or just stupid?

"You don't need to gain, you look just fine"

The facts and numbers tell you that you're not fine whereas your environment tells you that you look completely fine. The biggest dilemma here is who to listen to, facts or people? You have to be really strong to ignore what people say and ignore those voices in your head telling you: 'see, no need!'
You will think 'who am I doing it for' if there's no stimulation from anybody in your surroundings.
It almost becomes something to be ashamed of to be (wanting) to gain weight.

We need to get rid of the image that gaining weight is a bad thing. Even though there are many campaigns for 'skinny diseases', it's simply not enough. Searching for weight-gain advice on the internet is much more difficult (at least for woman; there are plenty of advices for men!) than finding a weight loss website and this simply doesn't make sense. Media needs to put as much focus on gain as they focus on loss.

It's time to balance the world. It's time to re-program our mind. Enough is enough.

Loss is nothing else but change

It's one of those things that you take for granted. You don't realize what it's worth until it's gone. You keep asking yourself what you could have done better for it to stay.
And even though it's replaceable, things will never be the same again. Your firsts will always be the most precious and will emotionally always touch you.

The love affair started in July 2011. I hadn't realized back then that we would be inseparable. For about a period of two entire years it had gone with me through life. Providing me the sounds I needed to hear in every situation one can imagine. It never failed me.
I couldn't imagine a life without it; not even a day without it. I got to be extremely disturbed not having it around me on certain days.

Two years later I need to accept the fact that I will no longer be able to use my beautiful headphones any more. After two years of loyalty it fails to fulfil its purpose.
And even though I am trying to convince myself that another headphone will be just as good as this one, or that it will feel the same, I know that it won't because it hasn't shared anything with me (yet).

RIP my dearest headphone.

Bittersweet venom

You spit you venom right into me
Impurify me
Hypnotize me
Trying to catch me
Blinded to a state where I don't recognize my own me

Fire didn't catch the deepest me
Rejected me
Confused me
Once twice three times
Blinded sights
We both knew it wasn't meant to be


The bittersweet venom
You will never have me

Illusion

Eyes closed
Selective sight
Blaming all those who might

Too blind
To see what is done
To those you left behind

Refusing truth
As well as force
Living in a shell in which you dwell
In a world you call hell

Hiding the rage
I wait for you to see
the true colours of that golden tree

I wait.
Just wait.

It's all about perception

"Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change."
Wayne W. Dyer

 "Dream delivers us to dream, and there is no end to illusion. Life is like a train of moods like a string of beads, and, as we pass through them, they prove to be many colored lenses which paint the world their own hue."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Perception is created and twisted so quickly."
Louis C.K.

Being inspired by Escher I started making this painting expecting it to be finished in two hours. Eventually it was simply going to be blocks stacked on top of each other from which each side would be painted another colour.
Within each step though I was surprised how long it took me to finish. Usually painting is as draining as a day of work which again I underestimated while making this one.
The great fun I had however while making this painting was the different shapes I was each time I looked at it from a different angle. It was almost confusing as I was wondering if I made a mistake in the process.
I guess the lesson that I learned here is to never underestimate a 'simple-looking' piece of work for which it has gone through a long and complex process.