I've followed this advice from the past couple of years, which in turn has proved to be a wonderful journey as I got in touch with different styles of story-telling, the boundless human wisdom, the insufficiency of an isolated mind and life in general. A good book is a savior.
Rationality and destiny do collide sometimes.
Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives.
Not every book connects enough to leave an indelible impression. In this journey, I've come to revere some authors, and their sheer ingenuity drives me nutty sometimes. Paulo Coelho is my infallible hero, when it comes to that. The Alchemist is not merely a book, it is a journey.
The connection. He establishes a rapport with the reader almost effortlessly, and the reader lives the scene through a visceral existence. There is a beautiful intermingling of philosophy, spirituality and existence. The resulting stratum is beautiful.
Life is not linear. He was a hippie, traveled extensively and was into drugs. He engaged in numerous professions; songwriting, actor, journalist and a theater director before embarking on his career as a full-time writer.
Popular opinion. It's not always healthy, or even right. He was committed to a mental institution at the age of 16, only to be released at the age of 20 for his refusal to follow a traditional path. He still chose to question the opinion.
The dream. He dared to envisage a life of happiness and meaning, than living a boring traditional modern life filled with insecurities, false beliefs and hollow establishments. He forged an independent path to satiate his desire for spirituality, and was always up for experimentation. He had always dreamed of becoming a writer. I'm glad he did.
Abundance mentality. He pirates his own books on P2P file networks, and provides free translations of many of his books online. Due to the extensive online presence and free sharing, the sales of his books skyrocketed and he became a world-famous author. Life is not a zero sum game after all.
PS. He and his girlfriend were kidnapped and tortured by a Brazilian commando group; accused of leftism in a dictatorship. He also had many failed relationships, and once shared a single-bed flat in London with his lover, his wife and his wife's lover!
This entry was posted in To learn from life and tagged Alchemist, aleph, Book, Brazil, life of paulo coelho, paulo coelho quotes, Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality, zahir. Bookmark the permalink.
I love Paolo's books too. Thanks for visiting my blog!
Paulo Coelho 's life is an inspiration and so are his books!


ASK THE EXPERT - talkhealth have launched a series of mental wellbeing sessions; teaming up with experts to offer our community the opportunity to post questions monthly. This month's focus was on work/life balance and Jayne Ellis and Teyhou Smyth kindly joined us to give advice on coping with how to best balance your work and life. The clinic is now closed but you can view the questions and answers here.
talkhealth will soon be launching a Mental WellBeing support programme, providing dedicated information, sent to you by email in bite-size chunks. If you would like to register your interest in the Mental WellBeing support programme please fill out our quick expression of interest form here.
Switch to a four-day working week?
Is your Mental Wellbeing affected by what you eat?


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Sovcomflot's Profit Soars as Tanker Market Strengthens
Russian shipping major Sovcomflot (SCF Group) closed the third quarter of this year with a significant increase in net profit year over year, aided by a stronger tanker market.
The company's net profit rose to USD 25.9 million in Q3 2019 from USD 0.3 million seen in the corresponding period a year earlier.
Revenue for the third quarter of this year stood at USD 418.8 million, an improvement of 5.7 percent when compared to a revenue of USD 396.4 million in Q3 2018.
"During the third quarter, the group achieved a steady increase in its operating and financial performance, with a growth in net profit, as the market remained volatile while demonstrating an upswing in conventional tanker rates," Igor Tonkovidov, President and CEO of PAO Sovcomflot, said.
"The group has increased its revenues from offshore services, including the shuttle transportation of crude oil, and from conventional tanker operations."
For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the company posted a net income of USD 116.9 million, returning from a loss of USD 57.5 million suffered in the same nine-month period of 2018.
Revenue for the first nine months of this year grew by 12.7 percent to USD 1.2 billion from USD 1.1 billion reported in the first three months last year.
During the third quarter, SCF Group and Novatek agreed to establish a joint venture which will own and operate a fleet of LNG carriers transporting LNG.
"We are satisfied with the group's performance over the third quarter. Sovcomflot steadily follows through on its strategy of increasing the share of large-scale industrial shipping projects in its portfolio," Sergey Frank, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PAO Sovcomflot, commented.
"During the reporting period, Sovcomflot achieved a major strategic milestone when we agreed with Novatek to establish a new joint venture, SMART LNG. This new JV is envisaged to ensure safe and sustainable shipping solutions for the year-round transportation of LNG produced by Arctic LNG-2 as well as other current and prospective projects of Novatek."
Another operational highlight from the third quarter was a new USD 176 million credit facility agreed between two JV companies belonging to SCF Group and NYK Line and a consortium of three banks.
The facility was used towards refinancing Grand Aniva and Grand Elena, ice-class LNG carriers employed on the Sakhalin-2 project. With this facility, SCF Group pioneered the adoption of the Poseidon Principles, an environmental initiative supported by stakeholders involved with ship finance, that promotes a low carbon future for the global shipping industry.
"During the reporting period SCF Group, in partnership with NYK Line, raised USD 176 million of new debt financing. So far this year, the group has concluded credit facilities amounting to USD 473 million, clearly demonstrating Sovcomflot's ability to access the global debt capital markets, notwithstanding the current volatility experienced within the tanker and finance industries respectively," Nikolay Kolesnikov, Sovcomflot's Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, concluded.
Sovcomflot has a fleet of 147 vessels with a total deadweight of over 12.8 million tons. More than 80 vessels have an ice class.
Tags: earnings, Sovcomflot.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


On-line articles written about Juxtaposed Interiors.
We were tickled pink when Walker Zanger asked if they could use our Rustic Glamour Farmhouse Bathroom images on their website to provide inspiration for others. Thanks Walker Zanger, we LOVE your products!!
In early May 2017 we were featured in HOUZZ for their Kitchen of The Week Series. The article turned out to be very popular amongst the HOUZZ community.
In January 2016 we were featured in Style Magazine for the 2016 Design Trends. It was an honor to be asked to be apart of the magazine's article. We were featured along with many of the top Design Firms in the Sacramento, Rocklin, Roseville, Folsom and Granite Bay areas.
Our rustic bathroom makeover was featured in HOUZZ for one of their "Room of the Day" articles. This article was so popular that it has been published in multiple different languages across the world. It is a gorgeous space and we are so happy we were able to share it with the HOUZZ readers. Thanks again HOUZZ!
We were fortunate to be published in the very popular Home Bunch Blog in their Interior Design Ideas section. Thanks Home Bunch!


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Your Commercial Real Estate Blog
Commercial Real Estate News
Deals & Transactions
Written by Teodora Demian
SendGrid Triples Orange County Office Footprint
March 30, 2018 | Commercial Real Estate News, Leasing, Office| Views: 70
Digital communication platform SendGrid is set to triple its footprint in Orange County, Calif., by relocating its local offices to the heart of the region's fast-growing technology hub at 400 Spectrum Center Drive in Irvine, Calif.
The Colorado-based company signed the lease for its recently inaugurated 22,180-square-foot office at the beginning of the year, Yardi Matrix data reveals. The new space aims to house twice as many employees as its previous office in Orange County, to accommodate the platform's growth plans.
"Recruiting is an essential component of a business like ours and Irvine's strong pool of tech talent was a key factor in our decision to relocate. At the same time, our new space incorporates lots of input and feedback from our existing employees in Orange. With their input, we've designed an amazing workspace that we'll look forward to coming to every day," Pattie Money, chief people officer at SendGrid, said in a statement.
The company's new office in the 21-story Class A+ tower is in tune with its global headquarters in Denver, featuring an open-plan design, floor-to-ceiling windows, pairing rooms, and collaborative workspaces. SendGrid's employees will also benefit from the building's amenities, including an on-site fitness center and a multi-level parking structure with a 3.08-per-1,000-square-foot parking ratio.
Completed in 2017, the 426,000-square-foot high-rise is already 53.5% occupied by a diverse tenant roster that includes software companies, real estate platforms, and financial firms. Noteworthy companies include Cylance, Rigel International, Case.one, and Purplebricks Realty, according to Yardi Matrix data.
The green office building at 400 Spectrum Center Drive is located on a roughly 8-acre site adjacent to the Spectrum Center shops, near Irvine Station. The property provides easy access to Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner route, multiple Metrolink commuter lines, and Orange County Transportation Authority bus routes.
California Irvine
Boston Medical Complex Expansion Project Receives Green Light
Are You a Freelancer from Jacksonville? Bring Your Laptop to These Coffee Shops
About the Author / Teodora Demian
With a background in journalism and copywriting, Teodora joined the CommercialCafé team eager to discover all the secrets of real estate. A true believer in the power of research, she always takes her time trying to find the best angle for a story. In her spare time, Teodora enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, exploring, and taking relaxing hot baths. You can reach her at teodora.demian@yardi.com.
2018 California Office Sales Report—LA, SF on Cooldown, Stability in the Bay Area and Orange County Markets
Study: Top Counties for Opportunity Zone Investment
Top 10 States for LEED Green Building in 2018
Office Building of The Week: Transamerica Pyramid Center – San Francisco
Coworking vs Traditional Office Space, What Is Best for You?
Office Building of the Week: One and Two Renaissance Square, Phoenix
Why Successful CRE Brokers Need Excellent Persuasion and People Skills
CRE Events to Attend in the Second Half of 2019
Definitive Guide to Finding Office Space for Your Small Business or Startup
YARDI NETWORK
Yardi Inc
CommercialCafe
Point2 Homes
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Yardi Matrix


EBA's latest "Biogas and Biomethane Report" reflects the record-high growth in Europe in terms of number of plants and production both for this sector during . "There were 17,240 biogas plants in Europe by the end of 2014. This is a remarkable number, especially when realizing that it represents 18% growth. Also development of biomethane industry shows outstanding results, with 367 plants, 23% increase compare to 2013." proudly announces Dr. Jan Štambaský, EBA President. In fact, the rate of growth has sky rocketed in certain countries, such as the UK, where the number of biogas plants has been doubled in just one year.
A steady increase can be appreciated in the biomethane sector, with 87 new biogas upgrading units commissioned. Germany leads the growth rate, followed by Sweden and the UK. Despite its small size in terms of gas consumption, Sweden has placed itself as the European front runner in biomethane production and especially, the use of biomethane in transport: the country dedicated 78% of its 1,303 GWh production to fuel almost 50,000 vehicles.
Total number of installed biomethane plants in Europe at the end of 2014 (EBA, 2015).
The overall augmentation of the number of biogas and biomethane plants has followed two different scenarios; on the one hand are countries who haven't commissioned any new plants and have seen only minor developments (such as Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary), and on the other are those countries who have increased their biogas market with a substantial number of new biogas installations: the UK, France and Belgium among others. In terms of biogas production, national associations and third-party observers quantify the total amount of electricity produced from biogas at 63.3 TWh, a number that corresponds to the annual consumption of 14.6 million European households.
These numbers reflect a clear development in Europe, showing that the biogas industry is a mature one, capable of withstanding less profitable times while able to successfully seek for opportunities in the meantime. It can be then expected that these positive trends will continue in the short future, while all eyes are set on the policy development expected at an international level as a result of the recent COP21 meeting in Paris. The Biogas Report 2015 is freely available for members at the EBA website's members' area.


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Dr. Gordon Campbell
Dr. Gordon Campbell has been a distinguished leader in the global food retail industry over two decades.
As Managing Director of SPAR International (1994 to end 2015) Gordon Campbell achieved dramatic expansion introducing the global food retail giant to 20 new countries. Under his leadership and influenced by his strong marketing background and strategic management style, SPAR grew into the world's largest chain of independent food retail stores.
Since stepping down as MD he has acted in a new role as Board Advisor, providing strategic advice and leadership to a number of SPAR Country organisations including supporting SPAR China ensuring continued growth and development through a period of senior leadership change.
As a leader, Gordon's focus has been on building strong organisation structures and management teams. Building on this experience, he currently consults with a number of retail, advisory and manufacturing businesses in Europe and the Middle East. His leadership skills received international recognition when he received the Outstanding Leadership Award at the World Retail Congress in 2016.
He became Managing Director of SPAR in 1994. Previously, he was Sales and Marketing Director of BWG Foods Ltd and a Director of SPAR Ireland. He has a PhD in Biochemistry from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
He is a member of the Global Irish Economic Forum, a network of around 350 of the most senior Irish and Irish connected business people around the world who have been recognised by the Irish Government for their high achievements in international business. He is also President of the Ireland Netherlands Business Association.
He is an engaging and experienced speaker on topics as diverse as global retail food trends; leading a growth driven organisation; entry strategies in developing markets; creating a culture of customer service; supply chain collaboration and building sustainable business partnerships. He is also an accomplished chair of executive panels and discussions.
Return to all speakers >
Leading a Growth Driven Organsation
Customer and Employee Engagement
Leading through a Crisis
Building Sustainable Business Partnerships
Global Retail Trends
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Jahkini Bisselink
An inspiring and experienced reseacher and speaker into Gen Z affairs
Daphne Fecheyr-Lippens
An inspiring student of what we call all learn from nature.
Doug Manuel
Doug uses stories, music, and rhythm to boost energy, break down barriers and build connections.
Martin Lindstrom
Martin challenges established thinking and drives business and culture transformation….as seen seen through the lens of the customer.


The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has sent its final report on 21st Century Fox's proposed Sky takeover deal to the UK culture secretary.
Matt Hancock now has until 13th June to make a final decision on the deal. Information on the content and conclusions of the report were not made public.
A Sky independent board committee recently said it had withdrawn its support of the Fox deal after Comcast made an official higher offer, worth around £22 billion.
The CMA said back in January that while it had concerns on such so-called "media plurality" grounds, it did not have concerns in the second area its review has analysed, the combined company's commitment to Britain's broadcasting standards.
"Due to their existing track record in the UK and the range of policies and procedures the companies involved have in place to ensure broadcasting standards are met, we did not find public interest concerns in this regard," the regulator had said in January.
Sky and Fox have offered to legally separate and ringfence Sky News to seal the deal. Sky has also offered to sell Sky News to Walt Disney to help address the CMA's requirements about Sky News' independence from Fox.


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on Sep 19, 19
Share the gift of a better future
Making a difference to protect our planet and all its inhabitants can be difficult and daunting. The Jane Goodall Institute makes this mission for environmental good easier through education and sustainability programmes, and by supporting research and community groups.
Founded by Dr. Jane Goodall in 1991, The Jane Goodall Institute works to inspire people to live sustainably, compassionately, and in harmony with animals, other people, and the environment (otherwise referred to as A.P.E.)
By supporting The Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand through The Good Registry, you will be directly supporting the Roots & Shoots programme in New Zealand and the A.P.E. Fund. Both of these work hand in hand to empower our kiwi youth to get educated and take action in sustainable, kind, and harmonious practices.
Roots & Shoots is a global education programme that aims to empower changemakers to create local sustainable changes that benefit and positively impact A.P.E. Through educational resources and financial grants from the A.P.E. fund, local youth groups are able to actively create a meaningful change for our kiwi environment.
Myrlia Purcell, Support Relations Manager at the Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand, discusses how this youth led programme sets an example for others to create good social and sustainable change.
"It shows people they can make a difference and so they go forward with the confidence of people who know they can accomplish great things."
Donations made through The Good Registry really do contribute to fostering and supporting a unified vision — changing the world, one community at a time.
Myrlia says, "You can achieve a lot with motivation alone, but motivation plus a little bit of funding can go so far."
To find out more about the good mahi the Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand does, the Roots & Shoots programme, and how you can get involved, check out their website here. Or if you would like a simple way to support the Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand and have a positive impact on our environment and its inhabitants, you can do that at The Good Registry.
We have created two simple ways to give and the gift of giving through our website:
Create your own Good Registry for a special event (e.g. a wedding or a birthday) and ask friends to donate to a charity you choose, instead of buying gifts.
Give Good Gift Cards instead of traditional gifts, to enable others to make donations to charities they care about.
You can hear from people who have used Good Registries and Good Gift Cards to help charities like The Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand, on our inspirational Giving Wall.


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Inhabitants of Habero sub-zone engage in soil and water conservation activities
The inhabitants of Habero sub-zone are engaged in soil and water conservation activities with a view to raising agricultural output. Accordingly, they have constructed around 10,000 cubic meters of water catchment walls and over 1,500 Km of terraces.
Keren, 13 February 2013 – The inhabitants of Habero sub-zone are engaged in soil and water conservation activities with a view to raising agricultural output. Accordingly, they have constructed around 10,000 cubic meters of water catchment walls and over 1,500 Km of terraces.
Mr. Mohammed-Seid Ibrahim and Mr. Mohammed Adem, Administrators of Habero-Tselim and Habero-Tsaeda Administrative areas respectively, explained that the popular undertaking which is being conducted three times a week would continue until the onset of the rainy season.
Among the participants, Ms. Fatina Humed, Ms. Fatina Mahmoud, Ms. Fatina Osman, Mr. Mohammed-Ali Suleiman and Mr. Mohammed Mahmoud indicated that the community has already acquired ample experience in this regard, thus giving rise to enrichment of water resources and amelioration of the condition with vegetation.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry's branch in the sub-zone disclosed that a similar campaign is being conducted in Mezret Administrative area.
Anseba region: Ministry accomplishes significant welfare activities
Joint endeavors described vital in enhancing the impact of education in Agordat sub-zone
Asmara College of Education graduates students
Eritrea Haddas 01 February 2023
Eritrea Profile 01 February 2023
Haddas Ertra 01 February 2023


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After our gluttony on the previous evening, we went for a light breakfast of cereal and toast. We were keen to set off fairly promptly, as we had a fairly long stretch planned for the day. Shelagh and Chris Hallaway had a well-planned route to help us back up onto the escarpment without causing us too much pain: from Callum End Rise, we headed SW along Church Road, Leckhampton, before turning left onto the long cul-de-sac leading up to the clump of houses known as "Crippets". A short, steep trek up a bridleway found us back with the reassuring acorn logos of The Cotswold Way.
Looking back over Leckhampton from The Crippets
The day's walk would be dominated by woodland: a) Short Wood with its ancient beeches, on the way to Crickley Hill with its Belted Galloway cattle and its ancient settlement.
b) The Scrubbs, on the descent down from Crickley Hill to the busy roundabout on the A417, with its attendant public house, The Air Balloon. A rare piece of poor time management found us arriving at this point before opening time. We climbed alongside the major road for a few hundred yards, and we realised why so few people were out walking – they were all incarcerated in their "Prisons on the Road"! I have no idea why the A417 was so clogged-up mid-morning in the middle of nowhere.
c) Around the Peak near Birdlip, an old Neolithic camp, and more recently, the site of a radar jammer employed during The Second World War with the aim of protecting Bristol from Luftwaffe attacks . This is an atmospheric spot with limestone cliffs looming out of the woodland. We took a brief detour up the road to Birdlip in search of lunch. We followed the accepted wisdom of walking in single file up the right side of the road (facing oncoming traffic) and yet had to jump up repeatedly onto the narrow earth verge as oncoming driver after oncoming driver drove with aggression and lack of respect for those of us on foot. Having reached the hamlet of Birdlip, we discovered that The Royal George Hotel was totally closed for renovations. There was no attempt to provide a basic service; for example, there was no wench at the door to dispense ale from a ewer. Poor old Birdlip; scouting around, it seemed to have little in the way of public amenities – a nice 'bus shelter……. and the aforementioned hotel. I'm sure that it has its good points but we were in no mood to try and discover them. Once again, we took our life into our own hands and scooted off back down the road to regain the comfort of the CW.
d) Witcombe Wood and Cooper's Hill Wood. Having been thwarted at the only potential watering hole on today's walk (given that The Air Balloon arrived too early in the day), we found a moss-covered wall, sat down, and discovered that we had filched enough for a decent lunch – cheese smuggled away from our meal on the previous evening at The Brown Jug, bananas slipped under the table at breakfast this morning, and some monster bags of crisps procured from The Rising Sun two days beforehand. The weather was wonderful – warm, still, with the sunlight filtered by a canopy of beech: a Laurie Lee moment! Walking on after our improvised meal, we spent the best part of three miles in this woodland, and whilst the sun shone, the play of light and shadow was captivating. But when the sun disappeared, the atmosphere was all too dull murky. Was it my imagination, but do the birds twitter less when the sun isn't shining? One can probably have too much of this sylvan idyll. Do the men of the woods go mad in the same way as the people of the prairies, pining for a point of vantage?
e) Brockworth Wood, Upton Wood, and Buckholt and Rough Wood. These woods tumbled one after another as we descended from Cooper's Hill. But before we continued our woody way, there was a small hiatus: we emerged from Cooper's Hill Wood to open skies at a hamlet beneath the summit of Cooper's Hill itself. The reassuring acorn signs seemed to have deserted us, probably because we had harboured such nasty thoughts about Birdlip. We saw a man toiling, seemingly hacking away at a limestone face to widen the access to his garage. We asked if we were still on The Cotswold Way. He confirmed that we were, and the ensuing conversation lead to Cooper's Hill's claim to fame – the cheese rolling races every Whitsun. Julia had read that these events had been banned due to their propensity to cause serious injury. But our interlocutor, glad of a rest from his terrible toil, proved that she had been misinformed. He produced his smart phone to show us video footage of the 2014 event. "T'crops ud fail if the race didn't take place". The Cotswold Way subsequently took us to the bottom of the field where the cheese-chasing takes place, and then via a despicable climb, we were given the privilege of a view of the same meadow from the top! The thought of rolling anything down that slope seemed suicidally daft; Julia quickly dispelled any ideas of training for next year's ladies' race.
Painswick Hill
Our day spent under a canopy of leaves came to an end at a golf course! Usually I am lukewarm at best when my meandering brings me to tees, greens and fairways. But today, the Painswick Golf Club gave us open vistas and springy turf – a real treat for our eyes and feet. The way over the course brought us up to the hill fort at Painswick Beacon. Our descent into the town of Painswick was slow and tetchy. Through weariness, we abandoned the idea of visiting the rococo gardens. The town was quiet in the late afternoon sun. The delicious homemade lemonade at Oliva's gave us the spur to walk the last 30 metres of the day to Cardynham House, our place of rest for the night.
Wonderful lemonade at Oliva's
On a crossroads within the town, Cardynham House looks well established and indeed dates from 14th-15th century. It has an air of patched-up grandeur. Our room (no. 1 or "Medieval Garden"), looked over the crossroads, and boasted a four-poster bed! In the evening, we visited The Royal Oak, a traditional pub next door to Cardynham House, and enjoyed a beer brewed by Wickwar Brewing Co. We dined at the bistro, at Cardynham House itself. This proved to be an excellent decision! Duck with chilli sauce,wild boar steak; followed by white chocolate and honeycomb ice cream!! We seem to be developing an ethos: if one is to ramble, replenish well!
Our Medieval Garden


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Issue Zero
Digital Spa
Follow @Dazedbeauty
Meet the poet who writes about Kylie Jenner's selfies
TextMadeleine Dunnigan
Ladybeard co-founder and Dazed Beauty Contributing Editor Madeleine Dunnigan talks to Grace Atkinson, the poet who turns selfies into stanzas
Grace Atkinson sees poetry everywhere: in 'the products we buy, the cars we drive, the brands we wear' and, even, in selfies. As the title of her forthcoming collection - Portraits from Kylie Jenner's Instagram - suggests, Grace takes images from the icon's feed and transforms them into lyrical, delicious and sometimes disturbing poetic sound bites – or as Grace puts it: "it's as if the act of writing them has turned them into something almost pornographic."
Each stanza Grace writes is a reflection of a selfie, and Grace chooses to post them on her own Instagram account, but together they make up a single, ever-evolving poem. In that sense, Portraits from Kylie Jenner's Instagram is an ongoing work that mirrors the subject's endless feed and Grace's own obsession with it. Featuring celebrity culture, the female muse, self-surveillance, Grace's work tackles big topics in bite-sized forms, making us rethink the way we look at each other and ourselves, and why we can't stop looking at Kylie Jenner.
Hailing from East London, Grace is studying an MFA in poetry at The Manchester Writing School. She has published work with Draft London and has poetry forthcoming in Poetry Salzburg Review. Here, we spoke with her about her poetic process and the similarities between taking a selfie and writing a poem.
How did you come to writing poetry?
I was drawn in by its immediateness and found it was able to tap into certain semiotics that prose couldn't. Poetry is a story, but shorter. With poetry I can read a whole story in just one bus stop, I can read a whole collection between my mum's flat and the pub. I can read it on an advert on the tube, or flick through it on my phone. It gives instant gratification and, at the same time, can have a slow-burning impact on our thinking and perspective. In the collection I'm working on at the moment, I'm writing about language and art, about relationships and identity, and how it all fits within a contemporary landscape. I am interested in the things that seem menial but make up our lives.
Why did you choose Kylie Jenner as a subject?
Kylie Jenner is on social media every day. I wake and go to sleep to her, I see her more than my pervy neighbour, more than that advert for Clear Blue pregnancy tests.
My friend once explained how Kylie Jenner was the least popular out of the Kardashians until she got her lips done and then, suddenly, she became everybody's favourite. The plainness of that celebrity superficiality sparked an immediate fascination for me, but ironic interest quickly became a very genuine and pleasurable obsession with that Keeping Up world.
Jenner always comes across as most honest on her Instagram – as if she's giving us a genuine insight into her day-to-day life. And that's all I want when I watch this stuff really, and maybe that's why Jenner is so popular in general: she satisfies a very common desire to be a part of a made-up, celebrity world.
Then again, maybe Jenner's popularity comes down to the thing that first caught my attention: her lips. Jenner turned the 'worst' part of her into her moneymaker. She went from the 'deadest one' to the 'fittest one' in two years and now has an empire based around what was once her biggest insecurity. I imagine that's an appeal for a lot of young women. The Kardashian/Jenner craze is a birthmark of this generation. Their popularity says a lot about how young people view the world and view themselves.
What is your writing process – from image to poem?
I think of each stanza like a written reflection of Jenner's selfies. I selected each image based on how they initially captured my attention - what Kylie was wearing or how she was positioned in the photograph. Once I had chosen one, I said what I could see out loud. I often start by observing immediate things, like Jenner's clothing or positioning, and then move on to more obscure surrounding details. I was trying to mimic how we all would study an image.
Can you talk more about your role as a viewer of these images?
I had been thinking about a lot of stuff in my day-to-day life: about surface, flatness and art, about the act of looking, and my own role as a perceiver. I feel very aware of my own gaze when I look at images like this, of what I'm internalising, and what I'm projecting onto the subject in the photo. I was also thinking a lot about selfies. I think our rhetoric towards selfies can often slide into scrutiny more than other photos. I guess it's in the explicitness of the subject's agency, as if the fact that they took the photo themselves gives us permission to analyse their decision to do so. We think they are saying 'I know I look good, so good I want you to see', and we internalise the standard that they are presenting to us as 'good enough to show'. We then project those standards back and pick tiny holes in our own and each other's image. I think these internalisations and projections damage how we treat one another, and restrict perceptions of ourselves and in this sense the process of looking can be violent.
What do you think gets lost in translation between image and poem?
I'm more interested in the similarities between poetry and image rather than the differences, that's why I boxed them up as if they were framed. There is something concise and immediate about both which leaves space for a more instinctual, unconscious language. As a generation, we're obsessed with image, and social media has meant that our mode for communication has become much more visual. It's like we've gone back to painting hieroglyphics on walls. There's this article by John Naughton that asks whether the rise of Snapchat means that image will one day replace language, which I think is far-fetched, but interesting. I guess one main difference is that my hand as 'the artist' is made more visible. We're immune to the artifice of these selfies but, by writing them up, their content becomes seeable again.
What do you mean by 'content seeable again'?
I'm interested in things that encompass the private and the public simultaneously and in some of these descriptions, the act of writing them up has turned them into something explicit, as if this hugely public image becomes almost pornographic. Obviously in things like 'Lying topless and on her front' or 'Her arm is bent at the elbow and her hand holds her breast', but even more in how it forces the reader to trace Jenner's body. Maybe it's about 'watching', as if by writing the image out the reader is not 'looking' at Jenner's body anymore but is 'watching' it instead. We watch Jenner's body and it is as if something that should be private is exposed.
I love your poetry because it offers us snapshots of Kylie Jenner but reimagines her as a kind of lyrical muse. Can you talk about the role of the female muse in contemporary culture?
Kylie Jenner would actually make quite a nice lyrical muse, she could use a lip kit as a flute maybe? The Muses in ancient Greek myth were nine 'goddesses of inspiration', which implies that they aided the creativity of others but were passive in their own right. This resonates with how we use the female image historically and today – in films, adverts, magazines, and all over social media. I wonder how many people actually choose their life insurance based on the visual of a beautiful, young widow dressed in her long black 'widow cape'.
With things like that, it can feel like the purpose of the female figure is to serve. With selfies however, while the image is arguably the same, some of the agency is put back in the hands of the subject, Jenner is the skilled artist of her own image. But this agency becomes complicated in relation to the spectator, who holds agency too. Even further, what happens to Jenner's agency when her image is made into a poem? Did I, by writing it up, become the one arranging Jenner's body? Or do we as readers? I wanted the poem to sit uncomfortably in this tension between the artist and the consumer.
Grace Atkinson is currently working on her debut poetry collection,'Portraits from Kylie Jenner's Instagram'
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