Today's Turnout: 8 November 2008
5 comments Published by Casey-Scott on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 at 11:19 AM
* Vintage blue gingham button-down shirt
* Navy blue pinstriped vest from P.O. Box
* Little gold-plated brooch
* Pale blue cut-off denim shorts
* Vintage leather bag
* Black leather brogues
* Navy blue pinstriped vest from P.O. Box
* Little gold-plated brooch
* Pale blue cut-off denim shorts
* Vintage leather bag
* Black leather brogues
(The gingham pattern and the brooch didn't read incredibly well in the pictures at the top!)
I had such a fabulous time on Saturday. First of all, my mother and I filled in our morning with a divinely delicious breakfast and a spot of thrift-shopping. Perhaps my favourite suburb - or one of - in Brisbane is Paddington: a gorgeous little world filled with zigzagging streets dotted bt gorgeous old-style heritage cottages. The main street in the suburb is fabulous: the cottages lining it have been converted into magical little cafes or boutiques or giftstores. One of my favourite stores there is an old art-deco theatre that had been rundown for a good twenty years, which has now become an enormous, sprawling antiques warehouse. It's simply the perfect place to get lost in! Anyway, I had some fabulous finds thrifting: the blue gingham shirt up above ($4!), that leather bag ($2!), a navy lambswool vest ($4), and the adorable little brooch pinned to my shirt up above ($2).
Anyway, after changing outfits into that little number up above, I met up with my lovely friend Rachel to test a newly christened cupcakerie in my city. The verdict: scrump-diddly-umptious, to quote my good friend Mr R. Dahl. I enjoyed a perfectly saccharine yet divinely fragrant white chocolate mud with rosewater icing, and Ms Rachel savoured a strawberry butterfly cake. Enormous iced mochas with lashings of whipped cream were also guzzled by the both of us!
(Isn't Rachel JUST adorable?!)
Afterwards, we swung by Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art to catch a screening of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, as part of a German Expressionist film festival that is currently running. To finally see this film on the big screen, and with live accompaniment, was magical (I'm sure you'll understand my thrill if you're a silent film afficionado)! All in all, I had a whirlwind of a day: the perfect way to spend a weekend, yes?
And how are you, sugars? Fill me in on ALL - and I mean ALL - the gossip in your lives!
Six Things We Can Learn From Ballet
3 comments Published by Casey-Scott on Thursday, 23 October 2008 at 11:43 PM
Image by Angela-(Adorable picture, right?!)
I'm an intern at a professional ballet company and, while I was there a couple of days ago, I had the pleasure of watching a company of dancers in rehearsal. I sat there entranced and, over the last few days, I've been thinking about all the things that we can learn from ballet.
One Everything in life can be made more fabulous with a pirouette.
Two Class and grace will never date.
Three Practice makes perfect.
Four While it’s great to learn by holding onto the barre, sometimes you have to let go and trust your own balance.
Five An image tells one thousand words.
Six Sometimes the most gorgeous images are also the most painstaking.
We Live In A Beautiful World
3 comments Published by Casey-Scott on Friday, 17 October 2008 at 12:55 PM
Image by David De GrootSo, it basically hit me recently how much my life is about to change in the very near future! School finishes forever in six weeks’ time, and then – in a couple of months – I will more than likely be dashing off to a new city to go to art school!
It’s strange, though. I’ve lived in a handful of cities throughout my life, but I would still consider Brisbane to be my hometown. Perhaps I feel that way because it is the city within which I have felt the most comfortable – sure, we all may have our gripes about it; but it really is such a wonderful city.
I decided to make a list of all the things that I love about this city:
+ The Small Town Feeling: In Brisbane, there is this wonderful feeling that it is just one big and cuddly oversized town. In size, we’re comparable to somewhere like Philadelphia – roughly 1.5million people live here. But, in comparison to any of those cities, Brisbane’s routes as a small town still permeate the city today: our actual “downtown” is formed around one big long street of shops, and the “downtown” or city proper itself is quite separate from the suburbs – not like other cities, where you can’t tell where the city finishes and the suburbs begin. So, in that respect, it’s lovely – Brisbane has a really comfortable vibe to it, one where you feel like you know all of the streets and the shops and the cafes and the suburbs really well.
Another aspect of that small town feeling is the way that the “six degrees of separation” are so evident within everyday life. I honestly don’t believe that I’ve met a person yet who wasn’t connected to someone else that I know through a few people. Everybody seems to know everybody, and you always seem to be running into people that you know.
+ Hidden Gems: Okay, so Brisbane as a city does command a certain level of class and everything. But, at the same time, it’s hardly the most cultured city on earth; but that has never bothered me. Instead, it motivated me to discover all of the city’s secrets – the cafes, the stores, the galleries, and the events that were tucked away. I’m going to miss my favourite place for lunch – a wonderful vegetarian café in a cottage painted in wild colours and filled with mismatched vintage furniture. I’m going to miss my favourite coffee shops: I’ll miss Batavia, the Indian-style teahouse with birdcages hanging from the roof that served chai lattes in big bowls filled with icecream. I’ll also miss the brass-and-wood-adorned (and very New York-esque) coffee house called Aromas that I discovered in the foyer of a glamourous art deco cinema. And very dear to my heart is The Three Monkeys – the warm and mega-atmospheric café that I discovered tucked in the underneath of an enormous old house; with the walls lined with old rugs, and little booths that can be curtained off with shimmering panels of gold netting.
+ The Climate: Brisbane is very blessed with cold-but-not-too-cold winters, and deliciously toasty summers. The climate is quite sub-tropical in that respect, and it means that the city itself has two sides to the lifestyle: in winter, you can dress up and spend time drifting in and out of coffee shops and boutiques and theatres and art galleries. But when the clouds roll away and the sunlight shines through, things are a bit more relaxed and many a day can be spent at the beach or on picnics or doing lovely summery things; and enjoying the longer days and shorter nights!
But what am I looking forward to next year?
→ Being Somewhere Bigger: Yes, I love the small town feeling of Brisbane. But, at the same time, I’m looking forward to enjoying life in a city that isn’t as familiar to me – bigger and faster-paced. I’ve never lived in a city that has felt like a “city” as such, and I’m looking forward to all the nuances that life in the big smoke will bring on! Either of the two cities that I’ll live in are richer and more cultured and more sophisticated cities – I can’t wait!
→ Meeting New People: Having spent ten years in one city before packing up to move to Brisbane, it was a rough learning experience for me; in terms of meeting new people and growing a social life. There’s lots of things that I can see in hindsight and that I know now, and I’m actually really looking forward to thew new personalities that I’ll befriend. A year ago, the thought of moving was scary. Now, it’s wonderfully exciting and I feel so much more empowered from what I’ve learnt.
→ Independence: So, up until now, I’ve lived with my family. They made the shift with me to Brisbane, and – in that respect – moving wasn’t so difficult with that support. But, the idea of being independent and starting life by myself is wonderfully empowering: the sense that, for the first time, I’ll really have to be an adult. That fills me with the most amazing sense of excitement and anticipation!
So there we go – a few of the things that I love about my city, and a few of the things that I’m looking forward to. What do you love about your city?! Are you looking forward to change next year?
It’s strange, though. I’ve lived in a handful of cities throughout my life, but I would still consider Brisbane to be my hometown. Perhaps I feel that way because it is the city within which I have felt the most comfortable – sure, we all may have our gripes about it; but it really is such a wonderful city.
I decided to make a list of all the things that I love about this city:
+ The Small Town Feeling: In Brisbane, there is this wonderful feeling that it is just one big and cuddly oversized town. In size, we’re comparable to somewhere like Philadelphia – roughly 1.5million people live here. But, in comparison to any of those cities, Brisbane’s routes as a small town still permeate the city today: our actual “downtown” is formed around one big long street of shops, and the “downtown” or city proper itself is quite separate from the suburbs – not like other cities, where you can’t tell where the city finishes and the suburbs begin. So, in that respect, it’s lovely – Brisbane has a really comfortable vibe to it, one where you feel like you know all of the streets and the shops and the cafes and the suburbs really well.
Another aspect of that small town feeling is the way that the “six degrees of separation” are so evident within everyday life. I honestly don’t believe that I’ve met a person yet who wasn’t connected to someone else that I know through a few people. Everybody seems to know everybody, and you always seem to be running into people that you know.
+ Hidden Gems: Okay, so Brisbane as a city does command a certain level of class and everything. But, at the same time, it’s hardly the most cultured city on earth; but that has never bothered me. Instead, it motivated me to discover all of the city’s secrets – the cafes, the stores, the galleries, and the events that were tucked away. I’m going to miss my favourite place for lunch – a wonderful vegetarian café in a cottage painted in wild colours and filled with mismatched vintage furniture. I’m going to miss my favourite coffee shops: I’ll miss Batavia, the Indian-style teahouse with birdcages hanging from the roof that served chai lattes in big bowls filled with icecream. I’ll also miss the brass-and-wood-adorned (and very New York-esque) coffee house called Aromas that I discovered in the foyer of a glamourous art deco cinema. And very dear to my heart is The Three Monkeys – the warm and mega-atmospheric café that I discovered tucked in the underneath of an enormous old house; with the walls lined with old rugs, and little booths that can be curtained off with shimmering panels of gold netting.
+ The Climate: Brisbane is very blessed with cold-but-not-too-cold winters, and deliciously toasty summers. The climate is quite sub-tropical in that respect, and it means that the city itself has two sides to the lifestyle: in winter, you can dress up and spend time drifting in and out of coffee shops and boutiques and theatres and art galleries. But when the clouds roll away and the sunlight shines through, things are a bit more relaxed and many a day can be spent at the beach or on picnics or doing lovely summery things; and enjoying the longer days and shorter nights!
But what am I looking forward to next year?
→ Being Somewhere Bigger: Yes, I love the small town feeling of Brisbane. But, at the same time, I’m looking forward to enjoying life in a city that isn’t as familiar to me – bigger and faster-paced. I’ve never lived in a city that has felt like a “city” as such, and I’m looking forward to all the nuances that life in the big smoke will bring on! Either of the two cities that I’ll live in are richer and more cultured and more sophisticated cities – I can’t wait!
→ Meeting New People: Having spent ten years in one city before packing up to move to Brisbane, it was a rough learning experience for me; in terms of meeting new people and growing a social life. There’s lots of things that I can see in hindsight and that I know now, and I’m actually really looking forward to thew new personalities that I’ll befriend. A year ago, the thought of moving was scary. Now, it’s wonderfully exciting and I feel so much more empowered from what I’ve learnt.
→ Independence: So, up until now, I’ve lived with my family. They made the shift with me to Brisbane, and – in that respect – moving wasn’t so difficult with that support. But, the idea of being independent and starting life by myself is wonderfully empowering: the sense that, for the first time, I’ll really have to be an adult. That fills me with the most amazing sense of excitement and anticipation!
So there we go – a few of the things that I love about my city, and a few of the things that I’m looking forward to. What do you love about your city?! Are you looking forward to change next year?
Image by PyzaOhmygoodness. It is five days until my birthday, and I am absolutely excited! On October Sixth, I'll tick over another year: I can't wait! The following Saturday, a few of my favourite people and I will be descending upon this major-cute pancake parlour inside an old cathedral in the city.
So what am I lusting on at the moment? Hmmmmmm:
Lush bath products
Popping a Supernova bath ballistic in the bathtub is like bathing amidst a spectacular fireworks and ticker-tape parade, or soaking in a spectacularly multicoloured cocktail. The paper confetti always gives me the biggest thrill; and the orange, lime and cognac oil make for a magical scented bath. The fluorescent coloured bubbles are the icing on the cakeee.
Creamy Candy bubble bars are absolutely fabulous! The cocoa butter, almond oil, vanilla absolute, and candy flower makes for a bath that's like reclining in a spun whirl of cotton candy. The perfect pick-me-up!
With cocoa butter, almond oil, lavendar, jasmine flowers and chamomile, how much more perfect can Dreamtime bath melts get? And aptly named, too: as soon as you hop into a delicious Dreamtime bath, you feel like floating off with the Sandman. Perfect to set me off for a perfect night's worth of dreams.
Tealeaves
If Chai was a band, I'd be their biggest groupie. Chai tea is honestly the best ever, and I'd love to have some really gorgeous-tasting tealeaves sitting in my cupboard to pluck out of a morning, or when I feel like curling up with a magazine, or just when I feel like a treat. Usually, I drink T2's Chai. Buuuuuut, does anybody have any other recommendations for delicious tasting Chai tealeaves?
Seamonkeys
So, remember those fishy-krilly-thingys that you grew in fluorescent little tanks when you were little? I live in an apartment where I'm not allowed pets (everybody gasp!) and I'm thinking that seamonkeys would make adorable pets; if only for the kitsch factor!
Fragrances
Ooooh, a triple whammy. One, I am absolutely enamoured of Burberry London. The amber, woody, floral scent is just absolutely gorgeous. It just smells so perfectly fresh: whenever I spray it on, I feel like I'm Spring incarnate and that I'm some sort of pixie who should live up in the Faraway Tree!
I also wear YSL's Jazz really often: I loveee the scent of Artemisia and Geranium in it. It's such a classic scent - I feel incredibly elegant wearing in it, and think that it smells divine. My current lust at the moment, however, is Jean Paul Gaultier 2. It's been discontinued in Australia, though, so I'll have to resort to buying online! But the musky, vanilla scent is just indescribably gorgeous! I wanttt!
Peter Alexander pajamas
Sooo, my pajamas are really a collection of mismatched fuzzy pajama pants and oversized t-shirts and jumpers. But Peter Alexander's pajamas make me squeeee. The Spot Lounge Pants look adorable - the sort of thing that I'd image Dr Seuss would wear to bed - and the Naughty top is ridiculously cheeky!
Diana+ Lomography camera
I absolutely love lomo cameras, and the Diana+ would perhaps have to be my favourite. The photographs remind me of being caught in a dream: blurry, brightly coloured, and simply magical. The sort of pictures that it produces are the sort that I'd love to have in a photo album: enchantingly nostalgic, and perfect to reminisce over!
Sarouel Pants
Since seeing Gilda rocking a pair of sarouel pants and selling them on her etsy store, I've really thought that they must be the most adorable pants everrr! Perfect for a bit of Hammer Time?
A Birthday Kiss!
And, let's face it, who wouldn't love a bit of a birthday romance? Wild crushes would have to be the best thing in the world!
So, how about you unicorns! Do any of you have birthdays coming up? What are you lusting on at the moment?
How To Survive Theatre School
2 comments Published by Casey-Scott on Monday, 22 September 2008 at 3:56 PM
Image by lindseyy."I know that you just finished up two years of theatre school, and I’m planning on heading off to study at theatre school next year. I was wondering whether you could give me any advice? I know that it’s going to be challenging, but what should I expect?"
I thought that I’d post up my response!
There’s No Room For Egos
The best piece of advice that I ever received was that “a cast of stars never beats a star cast”. Cheesy, I know – but it’s also so thoroughly true. Theatre is an ensemble effort, and the moment that we start feeding our own egos or trying to satisfy our own agendas is the moment that the artform suffers. Work hard, befriend everyone, and – most importantly - keep it real. Never ditch your own integrity, and never lose your own authenticity as a person!
Make The Most Of Everything
In the theatre industry, the piece of paper that you graduate with at the end of your three or four years study isn’t really all that relative. Sure, it’d be great to go to RADA or Tisch or Juillard or NIDA (and I send an enormous amount of props to you if you’re at one of those schools! :D ), but essentially we sell ourselves on our skills and not on our alma maters. Nobody walks into an audition room, mentions they’ve gone to RADA, and lands a job ad hoc. The reason why those schools have excellent reputations is because of the level of training offered within them, but – at the end of the day – no matter where you are, work hard to make the most of every single learning experience. Ultimately, we sell ourselves through the skills that we bring to the audition room or to our portfolios – don’t sell yourself short by not taking advantage of everything!
Stay Passionate
Honestly, passion is worth more than anything else when you’re studying at theatre school (and I’m sure that the same can be said of art school and fashion school and anything else). Theatre is a time-hungry and effort-hungry practice that requires a loooooooooottttttttt of work. When I was rehearsing for my final production, it wasn’t unusual for me to be rehearsing from 7:30am in the morning until 9:00pm (or later) at night; what with rehearsals having to be slotted around other classes and everything else. The hours – and the amount of work that you’re required to put in – are emotionally, physically, and mentally draining. But as scary as it all sounds, if you have passion, then it is SO worthwhile. Talent isn’t enough: you have to have the passion and the drive to keep yourself going throughout.
Pursue Opportunities
I can’t overstate how important it is to actively pursue opportunities. Apply for awards, internships, workshops, and every other imaginable opportunity (relevant to your aspirations) and allow yourself to have a richly textured experience! Even if opportunities aren’t advertised, never be too scared to ask – an email or letter or phone call or general cheekiness can go an enormously long way. Cockiness is an immediate turnoff for most people, but – trust me – gutsiness isn’t.
Network, Network, Network!
Don’t be scared to network – introduce yourself to people and take an interest in them. Make connections and contacts, and you’ll find it SO easy to discover opportunities. Even so, one day they’ll be your collaborators or your potential employer!
Have Fun!
At the end of the day, if you’re passionate and love what you’re doing, it outweighs the grittiness! The last two years have been the most intensely rewarding experience for me. I’ve heard stories of entire cohorts of people being told in their first classes at other theatre school that they’ll most likely all end up unemployed, or similar horror stories. But my experiences have been nothing like that – I’ve been blessed to have some of the most talented, intelligent, empathetic, encouraging and positive teachers who have helped me to grow so much; and, really, I’m sure that you’ll find the same! Live, laugh, have a sense of humour, and give yourself enough “me”-time to unwind. Nobody can rob you of that amazing adrenalin rush and giddy buzz that you get at curtain call!
So, I know that quiiiite a few of you are at (or went to!) art school or fashion school or ballet school! What're your tips?!
Image by Pink Sherbet(Isn't that picture TOTALLY stunning?)
Woohoooo! Celebrations are in order!
I’ve been incredibly naughty and not updated much (or, to be honest, at all!) over the last few weeks, mainly because I’ve been in the thick of final assessments at theatre school. Buuuuuuuuuttttt, today, I submitted my final theatre assessment; therefore meaning that I’ve finished my theatre major! I am SOOO glad – the last two years have been absolutely amazing, but at the same time I’m really in need of a break.
In the next two weeks, I need to work at making my final film project, and then my film major will be over. And theeeen, for the rest of the year, I only have core subjects left. Therefore meaning that I will have MUCH more time to post on here!
How exciting is that?
