changes

my, my, has it really been over a year since i last wrote anything on this blog??? 

i mean, i was never a consistent blogger, and i don't think it was ever really my intention to develop this space into anything more than a place to share my thoughts once in a while and store memories for my own future reference. but abandoning Make No Plans for, what, 19 months? that's a whole different level, even for me. 

a lot has changed for me since i last shared anything here. i turned 18, then 19; i graduated school with pretty good results; i spent about eight months working on creative projects with the indigo soul project and the lovely friends i've made through it; i started and finished my first year at the college i've wanted to go to since i was sixteen, and realised it's not the place for me; i started dancing again, then stopped; i started singing again, then stopped; i explored my interests and skills in visual art and design; i made some wonderful friends, and also drifted away from some; i became vegetarian (more on that soon); i picked up yoga again; i lost a LOT of weight (pretty unintentionally O.o); i became passionate about health, wellness and wellbeing; my attitude towards life has changed so much, and i've really grown and learned a lot about myself and the people/world around me. 

i'm sure i'm missing out some key points, but considering how much of a learning curve these past months have been for me i don't think there would be much of a point trying to squeeze everything into a single paragraph. much better to elaborate a bit on them all in separate posts, i think. :) 

as to where i am now, i'm now on break between my second and third semester at college, though as i mentioned earlier, i might not be going back for my next semester. i definitely intend to continue studying design, but now the issue is where. i'm also busy working on a musical! yep, i know right? it's been almost a year in the making, and i've loved every second of it, and now we're just over a week away from the premiere! i'll definitely elaborate more on that in another post, but for now, if you want more information (and if you're interested in coming!), do check out our facebook page! 

and on a more personal level, i feel like i'm in a really good space right now, and it's only getting better! as i mentioned earlier, i've grown and learnt so much since last we met. i've become more confident in myself and my strength and skills, i'm more independent now than i ever was, and i have a much more positive outlook on life than i used to. i am by no means perfect, and as far as i've come i've still got a long way left to go (does the journey of self-discovery even have an end, anyway?). but i feel like i've made some major headway on the path to "finding myself" (or whatever they're calling it these days), and i'm really keen to share that with someone. 

namely, you. 

so, i hope to begin some new things on this blog. i'd like to share my experiences, inspiration, creations, stories and life with you. i'd like to start conversations and learn as much from whoever is reading this as i hope you learn from reading my little ramblings. if everything goes the way i currently want it to, then you can expect plenty of art, food, health and wellness, lifestyle and maybe some style posts. also little stories, recipes, photographs, people that inspire me, things like that. i might even start making little youtube videos and share them here as well, who knows? i'm going to be very careful not to make any promises or definite plans (i mean, with a blog name like that...), but these are all things i'm very keen on doing at the moment and i hope it all pans out. :) 

so! *claps hands together* here's to what i hope will be a very fun, inspiring and interesting journey together on this blog. i'm looking forward to it! 

love, shanita

Art by Shanita Lyn

guess who finally got around to setting up a facebook page for herself...? 

i swear i'm not full of myself. but it seemed like a good way to put my art out there and get people to see it and take interest in it, so why not? :p

so please do take a few moments to check it out, and hit the 'like' button and share it with your friends if you like what you see! thank you so much for your support :)

here are a few samples of the stuff currently on my page...

william moseley wip

lion ballpoint pen sketch

odissi dancer colourpencil illustration

music poster

chocolate chip cookies pencil drawing (yum....)

emma watson minimal pencil sketch.

geometric design. 

so there you have it! just a few samples of my work, which you can find here... have i driven the point home enough yet? :p

Oh hi!

guess who hasn't fallen off the face of the earth?

anyway, i'm back, and hopefully 2014 (happy new year!) will bring with it more frequent blog posts... hopefully, i said. 

so 2013 was a bit of rollercoaster, and though some parts had me less excited than scared, the rest of it was good fun and smooth sailing :)

suffice it to say that i am now safely past my final school exams and have a lot of free time on my hands until college starts later this year, and i have every intention to share my escapades with you here on this blog. (whether i actually manage to do it is another thing entirely...)

so happy 2014, everyone, and here's to a good year filled with health, happiness and abundance! :D

The Black Keys and The Beat Generation

The Black Keys doodle in charcoal. Property of Shanita Lyn. 

not done experimenting just yet. =)

this is a quick doodle of dan auerbach and patrick carney, who, when put together, are better known as the genius band called the black keys. here are some examples of their music... enjoy! 

this one is called howlin' for you:

this one is called tighten up (and is also my ringtone at the moment):

and this last one is called lonely boy:

i personally like the video for that one very much. =)

on another note, last night i had the honour of witnessing (and being the photographer for) a mind-blowing percussion performance called The Beat Generation. like, seriously. i've never witnessed something that insanely brilliant in my life. 

um... i'm trying to think of words to adequately express how amazing/insane/unbelievable/genius/wonderful/brilliant/phenomenal/extraordinary it was but nothing comes to mind. i'm speechless! it was seriously that good. 

but don't take my word for it -- check out The Indigo Soul Sessions facebook page for audio clips, videos and photos to be uploaded soon, and hit the 'like' button to stay updated on upcoming events. trust me -- you won't regret it. =)

Experiments

right. i've finally accepted the fact that i'm never going to be one of those people who updates their blog at least once a week because i'm just far too busy doing other things (read: lazy). =p

anyway!

this past week i've been (un)lucky enough to have the flu, meaning i had to miss my july tests at school and stay home. but i'm not one to sit around and twiddle my thumbs. 

so i wrapped myself up snug in a pink shawl, nicked an old copy of i-D magazine from my dad's collection, and, for the first time, tried my hand at drawing a portrait in ballpoint pen. it didn't turn out that bad, actually. =)

Rihanna, blue ballpoint pen on regular drawing paper. Property of Shanita Lyn. 

i was pretty pleased with the result, though my poor ballpoint pen is just about ready to retire. 

the next day as i rummaged around in my art shelf, i found the set of kiddie markers my sister and i had bought (because they were cheap and there were no less than 24 pretty colours in there). Hoho! thinks me, and so i brought the set to our shop and put them to use making another drawing of rihanna. well, two of them, at least. 

Rihanna drawing in black and grey marker on regular drawing paper. Property of Shanita Lyn. 

my sister says that out of all the drawings i've ever done, in any medium, this is her favourite (daww). =)

i also did some experimenting with oil pastels, coloured pencils and charcoal, but i don't have a photo of that to upload. sorry. maybe some other time. 

though i do have one more doodle to share. i did this one in my 'journal', based on the perks of being a wallflower poster which i saw for the first time that day. =)

written around the outlines in blue are the details of the live webchat the cast had on the 3rd of june. i managed to catch the last few minutes of it. =)

as for my life so far, it's been pretty darn awesome. Indigo has been much more active recently, organising events and such, and, as part of the Indigo family, i get the privilege of tagging along for everything and generally just being a busybody in the guise of a photographer. the Indigo family is growing bigger and bigger as we welcome ever more lovely and talented people into our lives. if you'd like to become a part of it, check out our facebook pages! 

the indigo soul sessions is where the music's at.

indigo lifestyle and fashion boutique is where we hang out.

and the indigo soul project is for all the creative souls out there, whether you're an artist, writer, dancer, musician, educator, chef, designer, jewellery maker, potter, craftsperson, doodler, imagineer, saree enthusiast, or oddball of any sort, like us. we also have a website, in case you wanna be an active member of the family. =)

well then, that's about it for now! see you at the next blue moon. =p