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It’s still rock and roll to me

Feb 28th, 2010
by Cynthia Arre.
2 comments

My career as a freelance graphic designer started with an album design project for the hottest rock band in the Philippines in the ’90s. It was a domino effect because through my affiliation with them I met dozens of other musicians who I also eventually ended up designing for.

Being in the center of the rock music scene back then was a wonderful experience. Before I met these rock stars, they were just random people whose music I listened to, who I would see on the stage or on television. When they became my friends, I learned that they were regular people with, well, semi-normal lives.

What fascinated me most about them is the passion they put into everything they create. They’re not afraid to experiment, to break new ground, to be different.

A rock and roll wedding

That is the inspiration behind my latest lens, Have a Rock and Roll Wedding. I wrote it as guide for brides (and grooms) who want to let their creative juices flow wild in planning their big day, while at the same time not forgetting the real reason for the occasion.

It is a celebration of rock music and its freewheeling spirit, and of not always having to conform to a world where strict conventions are sometimes forced upon us. :)

Posted in: Creativity, Graphic Design.
Tagged:

How to break out of a creative rut

Feb 23rd, 2010
by Cynthia Arre.
7 comments

Hello my fellow beachcombers! There are two reasons I haven’t been blogging.

1. I’m busy with real-life work (if only I could Squidoo all the time, I would!)
2.  I felt burnt out, for some reason, and got writer’s block (and I’m not even a writer, lol)

I haven’t even published a lens in weeks, although I have been checking out all the great ones everyone’s churning out. Yesterday I stumbled upon another gem and it was exactly what I needed too!

The Artist’s Way: Morning Pages by Shannon a.k.a. LotusMalas talks about a unique method called “The Morning Pages” that will help you and me get in touch with the fresh and creative aspects of the soul. She writes:

The Morning Pages are the primary tool Julia Cameron engages to move through creative blocks, or to discover our inner creativity and passions. You sit down first thing in the morning and you write 3 pages about anything and everything. Much of our day is spent with a constant stream of anxieties, to-do lists, and replays of yesterday’s activities. When we take the time to sit down and put the swirling chaos of thoughts down on paper, we free our minds up for what is really important to us.

Shannon writes about this technique with passion, you will feel it in her words. In the lens she also shares her own personal experience with creative block and then proceeds to dish out tips and tricks on how to overcome it. Read more about breaking out of a creative rut, the Morning Pages way.

It intrigued me greatly so I employed this technique as soon as I could. And I think it helped because I was able to update three of my other blogs — and once I hit “publish”, this will be the fourth. ;)

(In case you’re interested, the blogs I updated are my personal blog, my funky wedding ideas site, and a local wedding blog I share with the editor of our magazine).

***

Before I found out about the Morning Pages, a book I often consult is Roger van Oech’s A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative. He talks about how creative locks like “The Right Answer”, “Follow the Rules”, or “That’s not logical” can limit your creative thinking, and then proceeds to make us do exercises to unlock our minds. I read it while I was a youngster in the advertising business and up to now I have been applying what I’ve learned from it. (Hmm, I should write a SquidLit about this…)

***

How about you, how do you get rid of writer’s block?

(Intro image is courtesy of stock.xchng)

Posted in: Creativity, Ramblings.
Tagged:

The Art of Vintage Travel

Jan 26th, 2010
by Cynthia Arre.
5 comments

Did you see the 2002 movie “Catch Me If You Can“? I enjoyed the actual movie, yes, but it was the opening title sequence that really made me go WOW. See, I’m a huge fan of retro or vintage art and have idolized the likes of graphic design master Saul Bass for most of my designing life. In case you haven’t seen the title sequence I am talking about, here it is via youtube.

Kuntzel+Deygas Presentation

Kuntzel+Deygas Presentation

Last year, my husband and I had the pleasure of attending a design conference in KL, Malaysia where the designers of the above mentioned title sequence, France-based Kuntzel+Deygas were among the speakers. They did an inspiring presentation of their work process and of their latest projects. Needless to say, I was stricken with awe.

Kuntzel+Deygas autograph session

Kuntzel+Deygas autograph session

(Some people hyperventilate when they meet their movie or rock star idols. I, on the other hand, do the same when I meet my design heroes.)

You can see their delightful illustrations on their website Add A Dog.

Which now brings me to two Squidoo lenses that I came across yesterday.  It was such a coincidence that they were both excellently-crafted lenses featuring vintage travel posters although dedicated to two entirely different aspects of it.

Alps Travel Poster Ideas

Alps Travel Poster Ideas

Alps Travel Poster Ideas: Be Inspired by the Past by WordCustard (or Nicki as most of us here know her) pays tribute to art deco inspired vintage Alps travel posters from the mid-20th century. Here she features a selection of charming retro posters and accompanies them with facts about the golden age of Alpine tourism.

Another lens, Fly TWA by OttoBlotto is a fascinating look back on Trans World Airlines history creatively told through a collection of vintage TWA advertisements and posters, also from the mid-20th century. The posters are organized per country and beside each are tidbits about how each place relates to TWA during  it’s lifespan.

Posted in: Graphic Design, travel.
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Sun, sea, and sand… finally

Jan 21st, 2010
by Cynthia Arre.
6 comments

Sea and Sand

Sea and Sand

It’s been a long time since my husband and I have taken an out-of-town vacation because of (1) pending work and (2) the holiday madness. Thankfully opportunity presented itself the other day via an impromptu road trip, prompting a day and half of rest and relaxation.

The beach we went to is a good 3-4 hours away from the metropolis but the pleasant company of a handful of good friends made the drive seem like no time had passed at all. The place is called Canyon Cove, a beach resort located in Nasugbu, Batangas and it boasts of a large infinity pool and a spectacular white sand beach facing the South China Sea.

A recap of our stay

A recap of our stay

Since the majority of the better-quality beach resorts in our country are located in outlying islands (thus requiring air or ocean travel), Canyon Cove was an ideal choice for us because it is easily accessible. We went on a weekday and because most people were at work, we had the beach to ourselves. Apart from missing our kitty, we enjoyed ourselves and are feeling refreshed from the short vacation.

If you’re thinking about going on holiday sometime in the coming months, why not go to a place where the sun shines all year round? I know I’ve been promoting visits to my country every chance I get but there are wonderful lenses on Squidoo that talk about other beautiful places in the world.

Family Holidays in Tossa de Mar, Spain by Prosperity66

Family Holidays in Tossa de Mar, Spain by Prosperity66

Belgian lensmaster Dom Halet has talked about her family vacations at Spain’s Tossa de Mar and I have to say that I would really like to visit this place sometime in the future. Her stepdad is Spanish and she has spent many holidays in this place so her delightful account is from the point of view of someone very familiar with the place.

Phuket, Thailand is also home to many amazing clear blue water beaches and lensmaster Brian takes us on a virtual tour of them in his lens Phuket Thailand, Travel Guide & Information. He also lists other activities you should not miss out on when traveling in Phuket.

And finally, if you are in the mood to go beach-hopping around the world, LotusPetalYoga has compiled a great list of Beautiful Beaches from Around the World.  She has included gorgeous photos along with some information and on some, her personal experiences while visiting those beaches.

How about you? What places are you planning to visit this year or sometime in the near future? Please feel free to send me links to Travel lenses you’ve made too, I would love to see them.

Posted in: Ramblings, Squidoo.
Tagged: · · ·

My first purple star

Jan 15th, 2010
by Cynthia Arre.
15 comments

My first purple star

My first purple star

I am beyond thrilled to share with you that I received my first ever purple star last night, for  my Turbo Chicken Recipes lens.  I am very pleased about it because it was one of my early lenses, and it was quite possibly the lens that prodded a kind soul to nominate me for the Giant Squid Challenge in the first place.

Turbo Chicken is chicken cooked in what we Filipinos call a Turbo Broiler (which is also known as a Turbo Oven, a Turbo Convection Oven or a Halogen Oven in other parts of the world). The wonderful thing about the turbo broiler is that you can just pop in a whole frozen uncooked chicken in there, leave it cooking for about 45-50 minutes with no need of pre-heating, and it will come out golden brown and crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. (But marinating the chicken for 15 minutes will produce a tastier roast, of course :) ). And because it uses convection heat, it can cook the chicken beautifully even without the addition of oil or butter.

* By the way, the Turbo Broiler can cook anything From Chicken to Cupcakes. Please see my related lens on it too. :)

Chicken Inasal

Chicken Inasal

To celebrate, my husband and I ate Chicken Inasal for lunch today. No, we didn’t cook it in the turbo oven (it’s too much work!), we went to a nearby restaurant that serves this kind of chicken. It is actually a dish that originated in Bacolod, a  Southern province of the Philippines but has become extremely popular here in the Metro.  Chicken parts are marinated in local herbs and spices, skewered on bamboo sticks then grilled over a spit (just like barbeque). It is usually served on banana leaves along with a cup of steamed rice and a sour-spicy-savory dipping sauce that we can “formulate” to suit our taste ourselves. You can see a recipe for it on this blog that talks about how to cook Filipino Food if you’re from overseas. *mmm* Just looking at the photo is making me hungry again!

And in case you want to learn more about our country, Naiza has put together an amazing lens (and it’s a purple star recipient too!) called the Philippines, my home and it’s chock-full of gorgeous photos, information, and links that lead to even more recipe lenses about our cuisine.

Posted in: Purple Star, Squidoo.
Tagged: · ·

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