Hello again!

You may remember me saying in the last ebook how extra-special and all-new it was... to which I can only say take a look at this one!! Edited by BSB's new Features Editor, Susie, it's even newer, shinier and more exciting...

Please do take a look, and email susie@britishstylebloggers.org.uk with letters, thoughts, and views!

Alternatively, you can view it HERE in full-page glory! AND I've finally worked out how to turn off the page-turning sound effects! Happy days!

Hoping you enjoy it!

LoveLoveLove

- A -

Hello hello!

Massive congratulations to Watch This Place, winner of October's 11th Blog Of The Month!

If you could email me, amy@britishstylebloggers.org.uk, I'll send you the winner's badge codes, and sort out an ebook interview!

A new poll opens on Monday.

LoveLoveLove

- BSB -

Image Source: http://staywiththehappypeople.xanga.com/

For me, inspiration is all about living in the moment and, in doing so, examining things from a different angle. A lot of my day is filled with routine activities. I wake up at a certain time, take the bus to University, go for a run, take the dog out, cook meals… With routines, it is easy to for me to go through the motions while my mind is elsewhere. On the walk to the bus stop, I might mentally prepare myself for the tasks I need to accomplish in town. While walking the dog, I might start planning tonight’s dinner or think over a conversation that happened earlier in the day. Similarly, on the bus, I might listen to some music on my iPod and “tune out” rather than absorbing the sounds around me.

Now, there are certainly plenty of circumstances in which “tuning out” is a mighty good idea (e.g. crying babies, to avoid conversing with drunk folks on the last buses of the night). However, I often find that I am most inspired when I devote my full attention to the activities at hand, in which I truly live in the moment. I feel most inspired when I focus my attention on what it is that I am actually doing. In a sense, I feel truly “awake” then, because I'm not distracted by anything. Subsequently, I often notice new things about myself and my environment during the process, such as little flowers growing between rocks in a stone wall. At the same time, being committed to living in the moment has helped me to evaluate my passion (or lack of passion) for a particular activity or life direction. It is these moments of awareness that have motivated me to change the direction of my career (multiple times!) and to continue to follow my bliss. Additionally, taking small consistent steps toward a particular goal has made these particular experiences, among others, incredibly less daunting for me. As I focus and relish in each step of the process individually, it seems to take a bit of the pressure off.

However, before I paint a completely rosy portrait of my constant quest for inspiration, I must admit that I am easily stressed and tend to be quite a worrier. To truly “live in the moment” is, for me, a perpetual work in progress, just like me. Yoga, positive affirmations, and amazing friends are some of the things that keep me on track and on the path to follow my bliss.  Yet, I believe that inspiration is, at heart, about finding ways to continuously renew our ownpassion for life, love, and others. Whether this is stopping to notice overlooked details along a daily path, or changing your path altogether, it is something that is certainly not easy, but definitely worth fighting for.

I think inspiration is something that can be in short supply as a blogger; some weeks I seem to have blog posts tumbling out faster than I can type them, other weeks, nothing. I think this is true though for everyone, how often have you tried to start an essay and suddenly been really inspired to do the washing up?! I think the main problem with inspiration is that when you think about it, it seems to vanish into thin air. Whilst this is easy enough to say from behind my computer screen, sometimes you have to take your life into your own hands and do something with it. Instead of procrastinating and trying to list the reasons why you can’t do something, why not try and do something. I normally start with a to-do-list and I’m going to let you in on a secret, I always include one thing that I have completed and one thing I have almost completed. Being able to cross it off your list does mean that you feel you have accomplished something and thus are more likely to complete everything else on your list... positive psychology does work! :)

Many bloggers I know turn to WeHeartIt for a collection of truly beautiful images- searching for ‘inspiration’ brings up over 250 pages of results. Not bad if you are looking for a beautiful picture or two to illustrate your posts with! I also love looking at the beautiful editorials published over at Fashion Gone Rogue, the images are beautiful and I have bookmarked so many editorials. I think this is another great place to just browse through; the gorgeous pictures are like balm for my eyes after a stressful day of lectures and seminars.

For ‘real’ fashion though, I like to look at blogs. Firstly because they are usually more accessible- I am more likely to be able to afford H&M than haute couture and more inspiring. These gorgeous girls show me different ways I can wear my clothes, how to style my hair and do my make-up and best of all offer me an insight into their lives. Bloggers can inspire you to change that bit of your body you have always hated, egg you on when debating whether or not to get your hair cut and best of all, become your friends. I have been lucky enough to meet some amazing bloggers at different events and I think it is amazing that the internet allows you to build relationships with people you have only spoken to via email or Twitter. These girls inspire me because I know that they have bad days too, yet they keep smiling and try again. OK, I may look back in twenty years time and cringe at what I am wearing but I might as well have fun doing it...right?

Do you have any tips to avoid procrastination?

I’ve met two of my best friends in the world on the internet, through blogging, and they’re two of the most inspirational women I’ve ever met. Rachels Charlton and Phipps, of Mon Polkadot Cheri and RachelPhipps.com respectively, are two of the UK’s better known fashion and style bloggers, and both are incredibly inspirational people. Coming from backgrounds which couldn’t really be that much more different, they’ve both achieved remarkable things, and are simply two of the most wonderful people that anyone could ever have the opportunity to meet.

‘Cause She’d Rather Waste Her Life Pretending

Much as Rachel Phipps hates me telling this story, I’m going to do it again, because of how inspiring and incredible it is: when she was fourteen years old, Rachel got bored, and decided to start a fashion magazine. As you do. This is something I’ve told a lot of people in the past when they’ve asked me how I became who I am today, and every time I do, people stop, blink, and ask again. No one quite knows whether to believe me or not – but I assure you, it’s true.

Coming from a world where, as I understand it, people tend to do remarkable things fairly often, Rachel managed to one-up them all, establishing Inside Out Magazine, which then became Lipstick Royalty Magazine, which then became one of the internet’s foremost alternative fashion publications in the space of three years.

When Lipstick Royalty closed last January, by mutual decision of Rachel and myself (her fashion editor), it was in order to lessen the load for our exams, and to make sure that the futures we’ve both been working towards for so long weren’t jeopardised by it.

Since then, Rachel has, of course, gone from strength to strength, making her fashion blog, once ‘Cause I’d Rather Waste My Life Pretending and now RachelPhipps.com, phenomenally successful off the back of her editorial experience with Lipstick Royalty. Her fashion photography, begun for a special issue of Inside Out in collaboration with Channel 4, has gone from good to spectacular in the space of two years, and she’s now a cultural and political writer for many well known online publications.

Fashionable daydreams in glitter and teal

Conversely, Rachel Charlton hasn’t had a very easy time of it, of late, as many of her blog readers will be all too aware. Her blog, once Polkadot Stripes and now Mon Polkadot Cheri, was started in order to give herself hope, and something to keep going for from day to day, and is now a huge success, having practically transformed her life. In the process, it’s also become one of Wikio’s highest rates British Fashion Blogs.

I first met this Rachel when she applied to be an intern at British Style Bloggers in January, and I was blown away by both her passion and her dedication. She’s come a long way in a short space of time, and I’m sure that she won’t mind me telling everyone how incredibly proud I am of her.

September marked a turning point for Rachel; it was more than just a fresh start, and the return to college, and the start of the future she dreams of. It was also the end of the last year, the year of transition, change, and everything that was wrong. I’m praying, now, that this year is a hundred thousand times better for her, and that it makes up for everything in the past.

"It's something unpredictable"

This is my first month as a columnist on British Style Bloggers and although it can be tempting in such instances to look inwards, I didn’t want to be too introspective and blah on about personal experiences.

Everyone is inspired by something different, so I asked some friends – an illustrator and t-shirt maker, four boys from bands, a purveyor of vintage wares, and a platinum blonde tattoo artist – what inspires them.

Dee Dee May, Dalston-based vintage entrepreneur...

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

I love the style in 70s and early 80s films like Badlands, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Paris Texas. And folk, psychedelia and country music from the 60s and 70s like Townes Van Zandt, The Grateful Dead and The Byrds. I’m into Americana, and go to America every chance I get to source vintage, take photos, check out bands and get inspired.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

It was my mum who first inspired me to get into thrifting. My parents lived in Nigeria for a long time and when they came back in the late 70s, they couldn’t believe how throwaway society had become here. We always had charity shop or hand-me-down clothes as kids, all our furniture was second hand, and we even had a beat-up old Lada as our family car. I remember Mum washing sandwich bags and pegging them out to dry, because she couldn’t bear to throw them away. I think people are really getting back into the idea of re-use now, which is brilliant – and good for business too.

WHERE ARE YOU MOST INSPIRED?

I recently went to End of the Road Festival, and came back buzzing with ideas. It was exciting to hear so much new folk, country and blues, and some hugely inspiring old timers too. Lots of the bands were wearing vintage Americana, like plaid shirts, beat-up denims and battered old cowboy boots. There were teepees, flower garlands, banjos, log fires, enchanted woods and hot cider... I think I’m just a hippy at heart. Look out for Dee Dee’s Vintage at some of the festivals next summer.

Dee Dee runs Dee Dee’s Vintage, a roaming stall and eBay shop, selling vintage clothing and accessories from the 50s to the 90s. www.deedeesvintage.com.

Beki Blade, Bournemouth-based tattoo artist…

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Being an artist, I am constantly looking for inspiration and I tend to find it all over the place. I'm nearly always surprised about where it comes from! I can walk down a busy high street and see an old lady in a fantastic cardigan, I stroll past a florist and see an exotic flower with wonderful colour changes. Old peeling wallpaper, run down buildings and decaying architecture - I am always searching for interesting colours and textures, clashing patterns and organic shapes. By being completely open to any influence, I can go anywhere and find something that excites me! I like to look to the past and beyond the obvious. Style-wise, I look to the non-stylish and wonder what I can take and make my own, by searching for the opposite of fashion, I find my look and personal style! I'm currently on a quest for slutty knitwear.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

I'm inspired by the people that I meet everyday. My job involves spending long periods of time talking to people. Anyone that has triumphed over great odds gives me the boost I need to continue doing what I do, no matter how much of a nightmare it becomes. I think about the people that I have connected with when I'm in a creative ditch and they snap me straight out of it!

WHERE ARE YOU MOST INSPIRED?

I am normally most inspired in the bath or on the bus, a bit of quiet time spent in my own head brings out all sorts of strange ideas! I also have great plans when I'm trying to sleep and am supposed to be getting up early!

Beki is head artist at The Businezz tattoo shop, 733 Christchurch Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth, BH7 6AQ - 01202 392022.

Rich Smith, from Bristol-based band The Lasting Days...

WHAT AND WHO INSPIRES YOU?

It feels like these two questions could be one and the same to me. All my songs are pretty much about my friends past and present - so although I look up to other musicians, and can love their music, I don't find that I look to them for inspiration - influence leads to emulation. It is human experience that inspires emotion and creates its narrative.

WHERE ARE YOU MOST INSPIRED?

Normally in a cold flat in Bristol, at night, in the winter, and with a bottle of red wine.

Hear The Lasting Days on MySpace www.myspace.com/lastingdays and download their new album ‘October, Looking South’ from Amazon.

Naomi Dawson, Hampshire-based illustrator and graphic designer...

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

So many things inspire me but mainly collections of things. Groups of colours, textures and imagery is not only lovely to look at, it also gets me excited about the next thing I want to research and collect.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

I love to see people's individual taste through the way they dress and the things they have in their homes. It can say so much about someone. You can start to feel like you know them before you have even uttered a word in conversation.

WHERE ARE YOU MOST INSPIRED?

I get most inspired in two places. One is charity shops, I simply can't get enough of them. You find the most amazing finds. The other is when I’m at home sorting though my things. I have many weird and wonderful things at home and I love looking and cherishing them.

See Naomi’s work at www.no-me.co.uk and buy her t-shirts at www.mysoti.com.

The Standards, London-based rock band: Neil Winspear - Vocals/Guitar; Scott Pragnell - Drums/Vocals; Mark Ness - Bass/Vocals...

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Neil: Inspiration comes when least expected so I suppose 'absolute nothing' inspires me, though that 'nothing' is still something, I just can't put my finger on it.

Scott: The voices in my head...

Mark: Music, style, fashion, art, life.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

Neil: Everyone, whether they're a good or bad influence, it all goes in and comes out again eventually. It's just better out than in.

Scott: All the clever buggers who have written the songs that fill our shelves or hard drives, as it now seems. I don’t know about you but I’d rather be on a shelf than a hard drive.

Mark: Great musicians past and present.

WHERE ARE YOU MOST INSPIRED?

Neil: I get a lot of inspiration whilst sleeping, sometimes songs come fully formed suggesting my brain never shuts up. Otherwise lots of ideas have came to me on holidays. When you don't have to face the world a little calm can work wonders to filter all the aforementioned into something useable. Right, back to bed.

Scott: Whilst walking or on the bus.

Mark: On a long train journey looking out of the window on a rainy day.

Hear The Standards on their Facebook or MySpace pages:

www.facebook.com/TheStandards

www.myspace.com/thestandardsmusic

The new single 'Like a Heart Attack' is out on 1^st November to download from iTunes.

Someone or something that gives you ideas for doing something. Inspiration. That is (a part of) the dictionary definition of inspiration.

It's 8am. I have my notebook - that I carry around with me just in case "inspiration" should strike - in front of me. Open to a fresh, clean, blank page. Nothing. I write the word in the middle of the page: INSPIRATION. And then wait for it to strike as I sip my coffee.

Nothing.

So I wait some more.

Still nothing.

For anyone who knows me, they will know that it is not often that I am stuck for words. So I think about that phrase that every writer - and non-writer - has heard a million times: write what you know.

So. What do I know?

I am constantly inspired by images, words, information, the internet, bloggers, magazines, newspapers. The one thing that many of these have in common is women. Women are a constant inspiration to me.

Women who are struggling against oppressive governments (in Iran, for example), women who are struggling against traditional beliefs (arranged marriages, maybe), women who are struggling to find equality in the workplace (even today), women who are struggling to juggle the the pressures of motherhood and a job.

Today I am going to tell you about how women like these have inspired me to reach out to other women in the blogging community and to create a collaborative that I hope you might become a part of.

Next Friday - 29 October - is Wear It Pink day in the UK. The culmination of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I have decided to create a Bloggers' Challenge: to "Wear It Pink" and to help raise awareness of and funds for the vital research into treatment and a cure for breast cancer. We will all post photo of ourselves in our pink outfits - what else would we do? We're fashion bloggers!

Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK. As a result, it is likely that most - if not all - the people reading this will know someone who has been affected by the disease. I have. The research undertaken by the breast cancer charities in the UK is vital and the money raised goes a long way to facilitating this research.

I hope that as many bloggers as possible will get involved, so if you would like to become a part of this next Friday, or would like to make a donation, leave a comment here and I'll get in touch.

Let's all, look pretty in pink!!

I have a tendency to live a life of almost ridiculous contrast.  I can be one of the most pedantic, over-organised people on Earth, yet have a dangerous obsession with leaving very important tasks until the last minute.  I love early nights, but always end up staying up far to late...  You get the picture.  So it would only seem natural that for me, inspiration comes from a truly bizarre variety of places.  I think that the best example of this comes in the shape of exactly who I feel inspires me the most.

Probably the biggest source of brilliance in my life are the people that I come into contact with every day.  My family and friends are, perhaps rather obviously, the starting point for this.  I come from an unconventional, large extended family whose fascinating, complex lives - both as individuals and as part of a unit - have shown me so much about how to live my own.  Meanwhile friends, from the kids I shared the sandpit with as preschoolers to the housemates who bring you tea and give you a hug when an essay deadline is looming have taught me so much that there is no doubt in my mind that I'd be an uncontrollable social non-conformist without them.

Working for a high-street bank in a provincial town in South West England is hardly the front line of finance (nor is it the front line of anything else, in all honesty), but in many ways I feel that I have learned more there than I did during the course of my twenty-thousand pound university education.  I am the youngest member of a small, tight-knit team and every day my colleagues teach me something new.  Whether it's the merits of Zumba dance classes or making sure I 'train' my boyfriend to help me around the house, I constantly feel like their experiences are helping to inspire change for the better in my life.

But all this is not to say that I am only inspired by what is right in front of my face.  The lives of those in the public eye provide constant inspiration too.  Yes, of course I mean the obvious ones like Aung San Suu Kyi, Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela.  And it would take too long for me to list the other figures in politics, journalism, business, science and the arts that I admire and respect.  But what about Paris Hilton?  An unlikely choice, I know.  Rest assured, I am by no means suggesting that her entire way of life is one to be aspired to and emulated, but no-one could deny that she is a shrewd businesswoman, with an eye for an opportunity.  Another favourite of mine is Shakira.  Unique beauty and mesmerising hips aside, her commitment to philanthropy is incredible, having started her own charitable foundation aged just 18, using the profits of an early album.  As something of an optimist, I always strive to see the good in people before their flaws, and the more success I have with this, the more one finds inspiration can be drawn from almost anyone and anything

Finally, I suppose it would be foolish of me not to mention the impact that this very column has on my existence.  My work for British Style brings me into to contact with a fabulously dynamic team of people who work together so well, despite having only the wonders of modern technology - rather than face-to-face communication - to help them interact.  Their knowledge, sense of purpose and of course, sense of style never fails to amaze me.  If I am struggling with a piece, or looking for ideas for my own, inferior, infant blog,a few clicks through these pages, or those of a British Style member's personal site always opens my eyes to the possibilities.  I cannot recommend their work highly enough.

1. When I read fashion blogs, I think that the biggest draw for me to add them to my Reader is the inclusion of their thought processes that went into and came out of their outfit choices. Their inspiration. Much the better if they have a "concept"; a story they're telling themselves (and their audiences) with their clothing. Well, no. The biggest draw is when what they say is interesting. "Fashion as communication" is what convinced me of the validity of fashion blogging the minute I discovered it - I want to know what people think they're saying with how they look., and how their interpretation differs from mine.. and I don't think I'm alone in this. Right? 2. The interesting thing about personal use of "the internet" is that it made globalisation happen in the most interesting way - everybody has access to everybody else's stereotypes and shorthands. Everybody is going to see their own personal hurts trampled all over by people who either truly know no better, or by people who truly value their right to unchecked speech over the toll that pain and frustration takes on other people. 3. And just like EVERYTHING, this is reflected in the world of fashion (blogging)! It's pretty probable that, you being discerning readers, you have come across bloggers (or, "people") talking about "appropriation" (I put this in quoties because I want to examine the meaning a little, not because I don't believe in the concept). Then again.. the internet is a big place! Maybe you've missed it. Appropriation vs Inspiration is ages old and evident in every creative channel that I can think of - you've probably been outraged at an example of it yoursef. Were you unimpressed when a budget clothing chain used images found on DeviantART and tweaked to decorate their t-shirts (link lost, bummer)? They pinched ('appropriated') the artist's work. Did you shake your head over Nick Simmons' alleged use of Bleach panels in his comic Incarnate? He copied ('appropriated') (allegedly) Kubo Noriaki's panels. Have you been involved in a debate about knock-off designer goods in highstreet chains or on markets? Stealing ('appropriation') of trademarks. Or have you read Susie Bubble, Native Appropriations, or Threadbared's entries (or featuring of other peoples' writings) on the subject? You should. They're excellent. Each of these thoughtful bloggers have opened conversation on cultural appropriation, and this is one of the most problematic issues, in my opinion, in visual arts. Particularly (or maybe only particularly visibly) in fashion. Fashion runs on trends, and trends run on a never-ending supply of inspirations and changes and experimentation - those inspirations are often cyclical, of course, but they're never identical the second time around. The sixties minidresses weren't the same as flapper dresses. The early nineties Lois Lane business suits were wide-shouldered, thin-hipped and had intricately cut lapels, but were longer below the waist and lacked the peplums than 1940s women's dress jackets enjoyed. Of course, simple creativity is involved, but finding the next thing 'before it happens' is also talked about a lot. Some people invent, and some interpret. That's cool. But sometimes the things that designers or people getting dressed use for inspiration are things from cultures that they are not a part of. Sometimes, an aspect of a culture one is not a part of has taken on a semiotic meaning which the designer or dresser would also like to express. Try the number of couture designers who have referenced "the homeless" in their runway shows and commentary surrounding actual homeless people in the online style industry; "effortless cool", "i don't care but I look great anyway", "the romance of the imagined vagrant's lifestyle". I am sure you can think of a time when, in fashion, an ethnic identity or nationality was visually referenced in order to.. less say something than give a flavour. The number of "paint a model darker" (or not) photoshoots that have been swimming around recently, f'rex. This style shorthand is easy to do - people interested in fashion are probably people who process visuals quickly and it's easy to forget, if you aren't someone to whom an image or garment means a great personal deal, that using an image or garment that is so far out of your personal life experience that it stands for an ideal to you -

- rather than making you think about the middle-parts of that semiotic equation, and the modern-day people living modern-day lives who are caught up in that image or garment's context.. that there are people who have more rights to some images than others, and they aren't abstract or too far away to matter. They're right here, in your internet(s, eatin' ur cheezburgerz?), and they matter. You wouldn't say "that's so gay", would you? Because you have gay acquaintances whom that hurts. Because people who overhear you could be hurt. Because you care about people, so you learn, and you think. Don't you? I'm gonna go ahead and suggest that we try really hard not to appropriate, when we're looking for inspiration.

Once again I was stumped when I heard this month’s theme was inspiration. Obviously we’re all inspired; by different things and at different times in our lives, but I just couldn’t draw on anything which I truly had a connection with – that made me feel immediately ready to face the world. As with most bloggers, I figured this was just another brief case of writers block and decided to chill out, stick some music on and hope to god that I’d think of something. And so it struck me. That one thing that somehow manages to inspire even the most insignificant of actions was music. What do I do if I’m feeling stressed, tired or anxious? Stick on the old I-tunes. What if I’m struggling to keep up a pace at the gym? Whip the Mp3 player out. And at the end of the day when I’m just too tired to even think about tomorrow? Radio 1 sees me through. It made me realise how important music is to my life, and without it I doubt I’d be inspired to do very much at all. So, I’ve decided to put together a little playlist of all those artists, songs and albums that I turn to in times of need...who knows – maybe they’ll inspire you too?!

To write essays to... Friendly Fires (Self Titled Album)

To walk to... X + Y: Coldplay (Album)

To run to...Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen (Single, and believe me the temptation to sing along is overwhelming)

To cry to... Wild Horses: Natasha Beddingfield (Single)

To chill to... Fenech Soler (Self Titled Album)

To laugh to... F.U. :Cee-lo Green (Single)

To drive to... Move on up [extended version]: Curtis Mayfield (Single)

To confess my undying love to... Because of the times: Kings of Leon (Album)

To get my gameface on to... Good girl gone bad: Rihanna (Album)

To dance to... Oh My Gosh: Usher (Single)

To be my favourite song forever and always... Sleeping Satellite: Tamsin Archer (Single)

So there's the soundtrack to my life. Random, wrong, but so very, very me. Enjoy!