Here’s what I am loving this month…

Watching

I have not been to the theatre for a long time and I LOVE it so much.  So when my sister-in-law and 9 year old niece invited me to go to see Wicked The Musical in Brisbane I jumped at the chance.  It was sensational.  The costumes, the stage, the voices….WOW, WOW, WOW!  It’s so important to do things you love in life and that inspire you creatively.  This production sure was amazing, there is nothing like a live performance to get my creative juices flowing.  I highly recommend this performance.  If you want to go check it out all details can be found here

 

I had the honour of meeting one of my favourite literary hero’s Elizabeth Gilbert this month.  Best known for her memoir “Eat Pray Love” which sold over 10 million copies worldwide and was turned into a movie starring Julia Roberts.  I mean how cool would it be to have Julia Roberts play you on the big screen in your own story, seriously!!  Anyway Liz (as she likes to be called) is a breath of fresh air and a wealth of insight and inspirational genius when it comes to being creative.  She spoke intimately about how important it is to be your true authentic self and show up to your work in a way that makes you feel powerful no matter what anyone else says, even the “inner critics” inside your own head.  She was so raw, honest and grounded and carried a beautiful warmth with her.  Before I saw her I re-watched one of her TED talks on Your Elusive Creative Genius.  One of my all time fav’s.  It’s definitely worth checking out.

Reading

So being a little Liz Gilbert obsessed this month I started reading her book “The Signature Of All Things”.  It has been a while since I have been so deeply engrossed in a work of fiction that has kept me up at nights wondering what will happen to the much beloved main character, Alma Whittaker.  This book is so wonderfully written and the amount of research gone into it is astounding.  I won’t give anything away but if you want a juicy and addictive narrative, characters full of colour and depth and insight into the 19th Century with botany, adventure and discovery thrown in for fun then I highly recommend this read.  And if you are in a book club, this would be a great choice.  You can find out all about Liz Gilbert here

 

One new website and online project I am totally loving at the moment is called sohowfuckedarewe.org  it comes with a **language warming** Yep, there’s plenty of swearing in the sustainable eco-conscious project that two friends  Vanessa and Caro created.  The project encourages you to decrease your carbon footprint, help the environment and support a healthy lifestyle for our planet by becoming an “unfucker”.  I love the way this project is designed; it’s so fresh and simple and yes there’s heaps of f* bombs and swearing (which I happen to love) but it has great easy ideas that you can change in your life today to start living for a cleaner and greener tomorrow.

Eating

One of my absolute favourite things about being back in Australia is going to the Farmers Markets.  And down in Northern NSW they have some of the best I have ever seen.  I have LOVED trying all the organic local produce from this area and so inspired by how many people are actually producing their own foods like kombucha, sour dough breads, fermented products, goats and sheep milk cheeses and yoghurts, raw food cakes and chocolates, sauces and jams, even beer and wine…the list is endless!  Nothing makes me happier then going to these markets and giving my money to the organic farmers who actually plant the seeds, grow and harvest the crops in a way that is not only sustainable for our planet but also incredibly beneficial for the biochemistry of our bodies.  When they show you and talk about their produce there is a little glimmer in their eye, a somewhat ‘proudness’ that would usually be reserved for a Mum or Dad gushing over a childs accolade.  They are so dedicated to what they do and you can feel it as you talk to them and more importantly you can TASTE it in the food.  Grown with LOVE.  I have always been pro-organic ( I even used to work at my local organic farmers market every Sunday morning during my uni days) but it is even more important for me now as the rise of packaged foods and big international chain supermarkets are increasing to support locally made products and local growers now more then ever.  If you are in the Northern NSW region you can check out all the markets here and wherever you are in any part of the world I encourage you to get down to your local farmers or growers markets and see what people are doing in your community!

Using

I LOVE finding awesome companies with super high ethics when it comes to production and design.  I have been a long time fan of Theresa Roth’s company Super Love Tees.  She makes the most gorgeous prints on super cool tees which have such a positive and inspirational vibe!  I have been a fan for ages and love her instagram account and every time I wear any of her gorgeous threads I literally get stopped in the street.  My fav one to wear since being pregnant has been her ‘Grateful Heart’ tee, so comfy it’s like someone giving you a big warm hug!

Listening

This month I have been listening to a lot of Change your Life with Cheryl Richardson’s podcasts.  She is such an honest and warm host and gets right into the core with people asking the big questions thus allowing them to open up and reveal their inner stories and powerful messages.  I love how much you can learn from listening to 2 people having an intimate conversation.  Cheryl has an impressive backlog of guests she has interviewed over the years with so many inspirational people to listen too.  The ones I have personally loved this month are her interviews with Debbie Ford, Bob Fritchie and Andre Dubus.  You can check out all her podcasts (plus the amazing work she is personally doing all over the world) on her website here

 

Exploring

I had the absolute pleasure of working with one of my favourite photographers Rebecca Smith this month doing a pregnancy shoot.  Beccy (as I affectionately call her) is an up and coming master at her craft. It has been beautiful watching her talents soar over the past couple of years and every time I work with her I’m inspired by her easy going nature and positive attitude to her work.  Working with photographers is sometimes really hard but with Bec it is like you engage in a fun conversation with her,  you somehow don’t really do anything except show up (and laugh…lots).  Then when I see the pics I am always amazed at how she managed to make them come alive like she does in what feels to be such a casual encounter hanging out with a good friend.  Below are some of her amazing snaps capturing my pregnancy in the very late stage where you feel anything but glamorous 🙂 You can see more of her work here

Hope some of these will tickle your fancy!  Got any other things you guys are loving or specific things I should check out?  If so leave me a comment below.

Love and Light