I spent this morning watching a live stream of a conversation with Def Jam Recordings founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin presented by the New York Public Library and facilitated by Paul Holdengraber the library’s Director of Public Programs. They were there to chat about 25 years of Def Jam and to support the release of book, Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label. Holdengraber praised the impressive tome – a comprehensive history of the label – as “utterly magnificent” and “absolutely outstanding” before adding that he believed the book to be “produced in the most exquisite way… the level of passion… the power of the writers.”

Rick and Russell were introduced to the sold out audience using seven words of their own choosing. Russell offered a haiku: Def Jam showed me power of faith. Rick chose: Rick Rubin is a fan of music—both introductions simple and humble, yet powerful; an apt reflection of both men who have “led the way in transforming hip hop culture from a projects-based art form to a popular phenomenon.”

Proceedings kicked off with (a shoeless) Rick Rubin requesting that they begin in a certain way – he asked that everyone in attendance, including himself and Russell, close their eyes for 3 minutes and focus on breathing – inhaling and exhaling, to focus on the breath – a meditation of sorts. He said that the goal of this exercise was to bring everyone together and to give thanks, to create a space in the room for something new. After the 3 minutes silence was up, there was a big collective breath and stretching, Russell asking the audience “isn’t that much better than angel dust?” continuing by explaining how Rick was the first person he ever meditated with adding, “20 minutes twice a day makes you high as hell.” Rick enlightened that, “there’s a power when a big group meditate together.” They have both been meditation practitioners for well over a decade. You can read Russell’s thoughts on meditation here: Why I Meditate.

“Music is one of the most transformative things in terms of happiness… it awakens,” Russell commented, “…it’s powerful, it brings you to the present – like music…meditation is to see the world unfolding in miracles.” Holdengraber admitted he struggled with the exercise and even “peeked” a few times opening his eyes. “The more difficult it is for you, the more you need it,” Rick advised. Russell adding, “Creative people need to be awake.”

Holdengraber ushered the conversation into gear referencing Rick’s high school yearbook quote which read: I want to be loud. I want to be heard. I don’t want to be one of the herd. From there Rick and Russell describe their first experiences of hip hop. Rick recalling his first ever experience was at a reggae club called Negril the “first place I found that you could find hip hop live anywhere… [it was] a whole different world I hadn’t seen before… it moved to The Roxy when it got bigger… there the first night 50 of us were in The Roxy… slowly each week more people came and more people came, it happened organically… the whole scene rooted in word of mouth – I got swept up in it.” Rick noted that Russell was already “in it” with his first experience of hip hop around 1976 at 125^th Street – Charles’ Gallery – on Tuesday nights via DJ Eddie Cheeba—“he was playing music that wasn’t on the radio” says Russell, “The Hip hop explosion was people that didn’t want to join the mainstream…that weren’t accepted.”

To Rick hip hop is and was “about street culture…the closest parallel is punk rock… not being educated in music but really, really just loving the music… to me Def Jam was an outgrowth of punk rock expressed through black music.” Rick himself played in a punk rock band called Hose that went on to record Def Jam’s release #1, 45rpm 7 inch vinyl single that came in a brown paper bag.

Both are surprised that music ended up being their job. “It didn’t matter if I slept on the floor in Rick’s dorm for the rest of my life,” Russell pointed out – Rick’s dormitory at NYU where he studied philosophy and later switched to film and television because “all my friends were in it and it felt more fun” became Def Jam’s first home. Rick describing it as a “9 foot by 12 foot cinder block room… with a full p.a. system.”  Eventually boxes of 1,000 of records would be shipped in and out of the dorm as Def Jam grew.

The chat continued winding its way through Def Jams colourful history punctuated with audio snippets of important jams – LL Cool J’s I Need A Beat, Public Enemy’s Fight The Power and more – in the Def music back catalog and Rick and Russell’s insight and thoughts about each. Russell described Rick – who produced the early Def Jam recordings – as a “musical genius.”  “Def Jam was about purity in intention… our inexperience and innocence let us make music that went beyond the norm,” Rick said.

Also covered in the hour and a half long conversation was their decade’s long friendship – the two met according to Russell through mutual friend DJ Jazzy Jay; according to Rubin after a show Graffiti Rock at a loft party – which Rick cited as playing a big part for them going their own (business) ways in 1988 when Rick left Def Jam. “Our friendship was so strong… our business grew very big very fast and I don’t think that either of us knew how to handle this… to protect our friendship… because of our love for each other it would be better for us to do things separately.” They both went on to have highly successful careers – Rubin went on to produce albums for heavier rock acts such as Slayer, Danzig, Masters of Reality and more as well as artists that run the gamut of the entire musical spectrum from Johnny Cash to Neil Diamond to Green Day. And, Russell went on to become one of hip hop’s most influential entrepreneurs with clothing lines, television shows, magazines etc.

As the conversation winded down with talk of how the music industry is currently going? Rick explained “I just focus on music and help artists make the best possible music …our job is to make great art… the focus has always been purely on the art and luckily everything has worked itself out.” Russell concluding that he just feels blessed and lucky to be surrounded by talented people, “I’m lucky enough to get on the ride.”

All in all it was a wonderful insight into the Def Jam story and of two friends that had a big dream that through hard work, determination, creative hearts and the best of intentions realised that dream.

You can preview parts of the book and purchase it here. For more info try here. You may also be interested in an in-depth conversation (also facilitated by New York Public Library) with Jay-Z about his book Decoded.

CREATE FOREVER!

Source.

May your day be filled with ‘more’ magic that makes your heart sing!

A thought for your day:

I don’t believe that music can have a healing effect. I think it can get your heart rate up and get you to snap out of a funk you’re in as it’s often an extreme stimulus. I think it can redirect and reprioritise your energies at a given moment. It takes a lot of calories to be depressed. I think a lot of people don’t realise that. When someone doesn’t want to get out of bed, a feeling I have all the time, they might not see that lying around in bed all bummed out takes a lot of energy as well. Lying also takes up a lot more energy. It’s why Dick Cheney looks so bad all the time.

 ~Henry Rollins (taken from Conversations with Punx #2 Courage) 

Do something awesome today!

 *Art by Dan Bolton

Related Posts:

 Ian MacKaye: The Power Of Now

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: Leaving Punk Rock

I enjoy art. I enjoy creating. I enjoy creating art to give to my friends. The pieces above reside in the studio of my best friend Ant Aggs (Afro Dizzi Act/Resin Dogs/Gonzalez 3). I made the pieces when we lived together with Grover & Lua at the Teague Street Club House. I used to stay up at night writing and would listen to Ant’s beat making drift through the walls. The two pieces reflect our mutual love of music and creation–of building something.

They’re falling apart now… they’ve been well loved. Time to make something new methinks.

Sometimes we make music together:

Fly Away (Aggs/Rose) by Rosy B

This track is called Fly Away. Ant made the beat, I wrote the words/melody. We both sing. We have an albums worth of ambient electronica… hopefully one day we’ll get to share it.

Have a creative weekend!

To Be Or Not To Be by Los Angels (Rose/Reichelt) by Rosy B

A few years back I worked on a musical project with pal Reichelt. It started simply, he and I in a studio bouncing ideas back and forth on acoustic guitars, clear bodied electrics and acapella vocal melodies; a bunch of ideas scrawled in my notebook, too many coffees and snacks from the candy machine. We rehearsed sporadically and recorded a bunch–with the addition of Jeff Paton, drums-Scott Reid, guitars-Ant Aggs, keys–we ended up with an EPs worth of stuff, plus demos for an album. The above song is called ‘To Be Or Not To Be’. I dearly hope one day we’ll finish the album… the project/band is called Los Angels.

Singing makes me happy! Will post more jams soon…

Love,

What is art to you? How do you or don’t you define it personally for yourself?

I think art is a hard term to put into words, but basically most things that involve creating and expressing are art to me. I sort of think its best not to analyse these things too much. You start to think about it too much and it starts to mess with your creativity.

Is art cathartic for you?

No. I don’t really feel like I get any kind of release of pent-up emotions or anything from making art. Though I can see how creating things could be helpful in letting go or addressing issues bothering you. It’s more about just creating something that didn’t exist before rather than releasing emotions for me. I don’t really take much seriously.

What’s the feeling you get from drawing or making music?

To be honest, I don’t get any “feeling” from it myself. I mean, I really enjoy it, but I see it more as I try and think as little as possible about it, and just make what’s in my head in a sort of almost meditative state. I think it’s up to someone else viewing it to be thinking about the feeling they get from it.

How would you describe your art?

It’s always hard to describe for many reasons. For one, I do a lot of different things that come into that category. Painting, illustration, producing and performing music, sculpture, designing, photomontage. So, I’m not really sure I could describe my art. As Frank Zappa once said, “Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.” I think he’s pretty right. I don’t necessarily think art should be described or critiqued.

Is there a particular movement, period in art or artist that has greatly inspired or influenced your work?

I think Marcel Duchamp and a lot of ideas of the Dada artists really kicked me in the head and taught me alot. The rejection of any rules. Not doing what’s expected. As well as the satiric side of making fun of ‘serious’ art.

What were you like growing up?

I was a little skinny nerd. Nothing’s changed. I was totally obsessed with music and art.

Your brother is also an artist and you both have a band together, tell me about your relationship with him. What’s something important you’ve learnt from him?

Andy and I grew up discovering music and art together so obviously i can relate better to him than anyone, so he’s the perfect person for me to collaborate with. When I try to think of something I’ve learnt from him, there’s one moment in my life where one sentence changed my outlook forever.

I remember being about 8 years old and making something to eat, and turned to Andy and said “Do you think it’d be ok if I put this kind of sauce with this?” or something like that. He just smiled and said, “Dude, as long as YOU think it tastes ok, there’s no rules, do whatever you want.” Now, it probably sounds silly, but as a little kid, that blew me away. I applied that to a lot of things in my life, especially my art and music. Fuck music theory, just as long as you think it tastes ok.

Has art always been a really big part of your life?

Yes. I know alot of people are like, “Music is my life” and all that bullshit, but I really haven’t thought about much else since I was 7 or 8. Even when there’s no music playing, I find myself processing the noises from traffic, wind and birds and things as if it’s music. It’s hard to explain. But, yeah, it’s constantly on my mind.

What contemporary artists have inspired you lately? What is it about their work that you enjoy?

I find that the amazing quantity of really horrible stuff that gets made in the mainstream inspires me to do things almost more than things I like.

What’s your preferred medium of choice and why?

I don’t think I have a preferred medium. I would get really bored if I only did one all the time. But I’m most comfortable with just a lead pencil.

What are you working on right now?

I’ve been working on photomontage a lot. Two of the biggest artistic influences on my life are John Heartfield (german dada artist), and Winston Smith (who worked with Jello Biafra a lot). They were both photomontage artists. And I became obsessed recently with finding old 60′s and 70′s reference books, so I’ve been at ‘em with the exacto-knife. As well as combining them with spray paint and mixing it up.

I recently finished my 2nd solo CD and a new Hobo Obituaries EP, so have been having a break from music production. But will be back at it real soon to complete the 2nd part to the Future Champions EPs as well as a fairly orchestral-style instrumental solo disc and a collaborative EP between Californian musician Shmoe and Hobo Obituaries.

Photo by Mischa Photography

What have you found to be your greatest challenge as an artist?

Getting any kind of support is by far the hardest thing. I mean, you don’t ‘need’ it and that’s not what it’s about, but at the same time, when you get no support it’s very discouraging. Even if you aren’t out to impress people, you get the feeling of “why do I bother?” a lot…

What do you do to keep things fresh and interesting for you?

I rotate what I’m working on from drawing, to making music, to carving, to whatever, and back again. So if I get bored with one, I’ll do another for a while, and wait to be inspired to want to go back.

Who or what compels you to keep drawing?

I’m not sure. It’s always a struggle to stay inspired but I couldn’t imagine what I’d do otherwise. So I guess boredom is what compels me.

How, if at all, does living on the Gold Coast, Australia influence your work?

I really hate to say it, but if I was being honest I would have to say really negatively. There is absolutely no creative avenues here, and very little support for anyone doing anything interesting.

You’re also a musician. What is one of your first musical memories?

As a child the first two cassettes I got of my own choosing were a Paul McCartney double Greatest Hits and Big Audio Dynamite II’s The Globe cassingle. Both huge influences. I heard The Globe come on the TV just the other day and stopped to think about it, and it really has so many elements that make it the right starting point for what I do. It was mixing a traditional rock/pop band with sampling, electronics and some hip hop / techno sensibilities. Definitely an area I have dedicated myself to since.

What are your top 5 albums and why?

‘Faith No More – Angel Dust’
My forrae into alternative music was ‘the Real Thing’ LP but I remember anticipating this release and not being disappointed at all.

‘Ramones – Rocket To Russia’
The band that taught all of us “un-co losers” to play guitar.

‘Solex – Low Kick and Hard Bop’
I really appreciate DIY. And for that matter, one person who does it all is even better. Like Solex. The one woman sampling machine.

‘Ween – Pure Guava’
I could write an extremely long essay on why Ween are the best. Not the kind of band you can paraphrase here.

‘KRS One – a retrospective’
I remember taking a tab each and then everyone left to go paint trains.. I stayed behind and tripped balls on this disc alone in the dark.

The majority of your friends are artists and musicians, is there any people from that network that has really inspired you? How so?

The people who inspire me the most are the ones who do it themselves. And there’s a big difference between what I mean by doing it yourself and doing what most people do. I think too many local peeps concentrate on being “picked up” by a label or something, and what they do is to impress these people, rather than just doing it yourself, and that’s it. It’s like the “doing it yourself” part of it is a step to making it. Where I consider doing it yourself and making your own disc or whatever, you HAVE made it. You’re not making this to submit to labels and things, you’re making it and giving it to people to listen to. And that’s it.

Have you ever had a really life changing moment?

Ever since I could remember all I wanted to do was be a children’s book illustrator. But that all changed in a creepy instant. I was about 12 or 13 and on a school trip to Sydney. We were in the middle of the city and stopped for lunch. Me and 4 or so other kids broke from the group and went and got some burgers and fries. We were from a small town and were really sheltered little kids, so we had never really been exposed to homelessness before and there was a lot of people there who were in that situation. We ended up sitting down to eat and made friends with one of the hobos, Maurice. We gave him one of those old Maccas calendars with all the vouchers. He was super stoked on it. My friend Mitchell tried to
give him a bunch of money but he refused, so we hid some at the bottom of the chips we gave him. We were talking to him for a while and he was a really nice, smart dude. Then he started asking us all what we wanted to be when we grew up. We went round the group and all my friends were saying they wanted to be a doctor or lawyer and fancy things, and he was encouraging them and telling them “that’s great!” and to work hard. When it got to my turn, I told him I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator and he totally lost it. It seemed to really anger him, it was bizarre. He told me to give up and that it was a bad idea in a very serious tone. His demeanour totally changed and he wasn’t kidding. It freaked the hell out of me. I still feel really weird about it. So basically I gave up on that idea. I still secretly wish I could, but don’t tell Maurice.

You can find Jhonny at:

http://jrmysteryschool.wordpress.com/

http://jhonnyhobo.tumblr.com/

http://www.gcbands.com/profile/jhonnyhobo (there’s 50 different tracks to listen to!)

http://jhonnyhobo.deviantart.com/gallery/

http://www.youtube.com/user/JhonnyHobo

Who or what has been inspiring you lately?
Have a super productive day lovelies!

[comment]

I had the pleasure of speaking with musician/artist Melissa Auf der Maur at the start of the week. The flame-haired innovative artist has launched her own multi-disciplinary production house/label. Her latest project Out Of Our Minds is made up of: record, short film & comic book. With other artists such as the inventive Devonté Hynes a.k.a Lightspeed Champion recently releasing his latest album Life’s Sweet! Nice To Meet You! with a book to coincide and my dear friend Amelia Arsenic with all her projects that run seamlessly in unison it seems more artists are working super hard to give us some awesome multifaceted art and entertainment. I hope you find some of the following Auf der Maur insights inspiring:

Listen to your dreams…

I listen to my dreams and often I let them give the guide. It’s about turning the mind off and going into the subconscious; it’s definitely the root of all that I do. When you turn your mind back on, and once the truth and the instinct of things come out, then you get the tools out fine tune it. It’s always about emptying the mind out and letting go and listening to your heart and gut and letting things roll out of you—that’s why I listen to my dreams so much; that’s where the good music stuff lies.

Music has power…

My mother used to put me to sleep in my cradle when I was two or three. She used to put me to sleep with epic Mozart, this really huge, classical, dramatic music—I very much remember that. When I reflect on the moments as I was growing up going to music school and I think about the moments that really changed my life in terms of my understanding of the power of music was in a children’s choir when I was twelve or thirteen. I had a Welsh choir teacher who was very ambitious. He got a 200 children choir to do Mozart’s Requiem with Montreal Symphony Orchestra! I have no idea how he trained us to do that but he did! I remember in the big performance of it, it was in one of those classical music venues and feeling the power of it—all the stringed instruments—I remember thinking that’s when I understood that there is nothing stronger than the power of music. I recently connected the dots of my mum putting me to sleep with classical music and of that moment.

Work out who you are & share it…

I’m just the luckiest girl in the world I can honestly say I believe that I was loved as much as anyone can be loved. I think that’s why I love to share my heart with people. I feel full of love. My parents are unbelievably supportive. If there was one lesson I’d take from them if I have a child of my own it would be: never tell the child who they are, just ask them who they are. That’s what my parents always did. When I said I loved photography and there wasn’t much money in the family my mum brought me a second-hand camera. When I said I loved music my father got me a second-hand bass. A child knows what makes them happy, that’s one of the most important things you can do for someone.

Love rules all…

If your foundation is coming from love you can do anything. My cat Isis has a song for her on the album called Isis Speaks. It’s based on this dream I had. I woke up and Isis was staring at me and I had this crazy out of body experience where I understood that Isis was teaching me the greatest lessons of eternal love!

For more on MAdM check out my feature in Rave Magazine next week!

Make today count!

[comment]

PS – I need your help guys! I’ve been working on a project and would be super appreciative is y’all could assist me by sharing your thoughts/insights on what ‘truth’ means to you? and what it means to you to be true to yourself? Much gratitude in advance :)

“I’ve come to believe that nothing’s impossible if you can imagine it. There’s nothing new under the sun. When you’re moved, you’re moved, and you should seize the moment to express the feeling. It’s that moment of expression that I define as art.” ~Pharrell.

One of my fav hip hoppers and creators Skateboard P a.k.a Pharrell Williams has been flexing his creative muscles in the art world of late designing a line of chairs and candles. He has also launched an online art community ARTST Guild & Gallery. It’s billed as a “community where artists meet share work and collaborate”. I urge all of my camera wielding, music making, sculpting, writing, brush and pencil pushing, creative friends to check it out!

Artwork by Sanjai Bhana (a featured artist on ASTRT). Sanjai also has a blog crammed full of illustrative goodness. I especially like his Joey Ramone piece and Mr T tee.

For more info on ARTST Guild & Gallery check out an interview with Pharrell here.

Pharrell also recently spent some time at (one of my favourite photographers) David LaChapelle’s working on a collaboration. LaChapelle’s work is a kaleidescope of pop culture and art his images have featured some of my favourite artists: Debbie Harry, Courtney Love, Andre 3000 & Kelis (all Egyptian stylee), Chris Rock (contains nudity), Kanye West (as Jesus), Bjork, Gwen Stefani and (a naked) Moby (vs. robot)!

Thought for the day: Art is limitless (my Jhonny and his art remind me of this fact every single day).

Hope you all have a productive, creative day!

[comment]

Art by John.E

I LOVE books! I adore reading. I have several on the go at one time! I can’t help myself. I’ve worked in libraries for the greater part of a decade. I’m addicted to the smell of the pages, the feel of the different textured page paper (I also care about GSM! ha!), the quirky cover designs and the thrill I get from opening a package from Amazon.com and my frequent visits to Borders books. I’m currently in the midst of the following books:

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Deeprak Chopra (this is by far one of the best books on yoga I have ever read)

The Mastery of Music by Barry Green (this book has been blowing my mind with it’s approach to making music)

Tribes by Seth Godin (this guy is the marketing guru)

My reading wish list currently includes:

Gimme Something Better, A History of San Francisco Bay Area Punk Rock by Jack Boulware and Silke Tudor

Meat Is For Pussies by John Joseph

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (an old classic with a new twist)

My pal Rob Fusco (Most Precious Blood) shares with us a book that’s made a difference to his world:

“I think the book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is extremely important. That book helped shift my paradigm. It helped me understand what spirituality means. The young Brahman in the book falls into materialistic practices. In his old age he becomes not religious, but spiritualised by his connection to the river. He works as a ferry man and that becomes his spirituality. The river becomes his religion. It’s an incredible book. I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone. Even if you take nothing away from it except a good story, it’s still incredible. It’s a work of genius…

… If you’re doing something long enough, religiously enough—pun intended—then it kind of becomes your spiritual practice. It becomes your religion. It becomes what you’re about. Your heart and soul is in it and it’s what you do. Even the simplest practices become active prayers. There is a definite connection there. If you do something for long enough it’s going to smack of spirituality.” (extract from my book project)

Are there any books that have made a big difference in your life? I’m always on the look out for a new read… I read lots of different types of books so let me know what’s awesome that you’ve found so I can check it out.

RANDOM MISS B STORY: At a show one night in my hometown a young punk kid came up to me and said, “I never read anything but I read your zine from cover to cover and it made me really happy. You so get it. Thank you.” That kid’s comment made my whole night. Recalling it still makes me smile… a lot!

Get those pages turning & that mind expanding!

[comment]

“Health is a holistic effect. It’s not just a matter of cutting calories or working out or meditating, but a whole range of factors that contribute to physical, mental and spiritual well-being. I teach my clients to listen to their body, thoughts, and emotions as indicators of overall health and refer them to a specialist if necessary.” ~Dan Jones (book extract)

We all feel sad from time to time, it’s a natural part of life however sometimes we feel a whole lot sadder than others and it’s in those times we need to stop and have a look at our way of life, our habits, our thought patterns. In these times it’s also good to share how you’re feeling with a close friend. Problems shared are problems halved after all :)

Depression is a very complicated and personal thing, depending on a myriad of factors including genes, environment, lifestyle, brain chemicals, psychology and personality it affects everyone differently. What may seem like a walk in the park for you could be a serious challenge for someone else. Please don’t discount others challenges as silly, trivial or childish. I know you’re only trying to help when you say ‘Don’t be silly, it’s not that hard!’ but seriously, you’re not helping.

Throughout my life I have suffered numerous strains and bouts of depression (and a little craziness… ha, ha) and one of the things that would make me mad is people telling me, ‘Get over it!’ Seriously, I wish it was as easy as that! One of my family’s doctors even went as far as to say that ‘Depression doesn’t exist, it’s just laziness’. I could have punched them when they said that (and I’m not even a violent lady!)

Also, something else that I’ve found that can happen when you’re in the depths of despair is that it can temporarily blind you to everything and start to numb you. When you’re majorly depressed sometimes it can feel that the only pain that exists is your own. You start to not care about anything or anyone; you push it all away and isolate yourself. Please promise me lovelies if you feel this way you’ll pick up the phone and call a friend (and no texting or emailing does not count… you need the human touch in these times… although if it’s all you have text and email is better than nothing). The simple act of talking to someone (you trust) can make you feel instantly better and their insight could give you a fresh perspective.

In the (US) summer of 2006, in transit to join the Resin Dogs’ Euro tour, I had breakfast in San Francisco with a good friend. We got talking about depression over pancakes and eggs. The topic came up because I noticed a gnarly scar on his forearm and asked, ‘What happened?’ (typical Bianca style to just blurt out a ‘why? what? How?’ question). He told me that when he was younger he became so numb from being depressed that he cut himself because he just wanted to feel something, anything! He shared with me intimate stories of his battles with depression—when his band called it a day, feeling trapped in a relationship with the love of his life, his daily self-loathing and frustrations with celebrity.

A thing that’s always stuck with me from that conversation is, here is this great, great man that has achieved so many things with his work, is a hero (to a lot) and brought so much joy to people’s lives yet in his own, he struggles with his happiness too. Depression doesn’t discriminate; it doesn’t care if you’re black, white, brown, male, female, whatever. You can (to others) seemingly have it together and have it all on the surface when in fact your business is as messy as everyone else’s.

If you’re been feeling blue or know someone else that’s been down let me share with you some helpful things that helped get me on track. None of the below is ‘rocket science’ and I’m sure it’s all been said before by someone somewhere but it’s nice to be reminded. My greatest wish is that you (or your pal) will get something from this and get back on track and reach the Possibility City limits.

Photo by Allison Fahmie (my homegirl from the Jersey Shore)

Get Moving! Notice I didn’t use the dreaded ‘e’ word ‘exercise!’ ha, ha… throughout my life my attitudes to working out have ebbed and flowed, changed and evolved. I usually get super into something for a while and then find myself getting bored and my enthusiasm dwindles. I was the kid at school with the note for every physical education/gym class reading ‘Please excuse Bianca from class today, she’s unwell’. My teacher would make me observe the classes and write a report on what they were doing (which I actually won school awards for! ha, ha).

So why is daily movement helpful? It is essential to keeping everything in working order; it helps relieve stress, helps your organs to function properly, and boosts your energy levels and your mood! Physical activity alters brain chemistry, the serotonin levels, which can lead to feelings of wellbeing. My disco biscuit eating buds know all about serotonin (lol!)—it contributes to a range of functions like appetite, libido, sleep & wake cycles and mood.

When choosing physical activity to engage in the best advice I can give you is: Choose something fun! If it’s fun it won’t feel like exercise. I adore walking, swimming, yoga, hula hooping (my friend Jow makes awesome hoops for her company Circle of Light), skateboarding, riding bikes, surfing, dancing and making sweet, sweet love! ;) If you’re in the New York, Chicago, Miami areas, David Barton Gyms are totally insane. The decor makes them look like art installations!

Laugh! It’s free! Free! Free! And it’s the ultimate mood lifter. I’ve often heard it called ‘the elixir of life’. I am so thankful for all of the hilarious people I have in my life. More often than not you can find me grinning like a Cheshire Cat because I’m so amused by the antics and quotes from my pals.

As a sidenote, I thought I might mention that being amusing and funny does not involve making fun of or putting down other people that just = lame and boring and says more about you than the person in your firing line. Thankfully I have no people in my life like that anymore! Anyways, laughing is a great tonic for the sads ‘cause when you’re laughing you can’t exactly be crying, or at least if you are crying they’re happy tears. Join a laughing club, rent a comedy, engage in laughter yoga (watch the vid below), watch Bill Hicks, Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job (I love Spaghett!) or Sealab 2020.

UK funny man John Cleese talks to the Laughter Yoga founder:

Tommy De Vito (in Goodfellas): Let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, I’m a little f*cked up maybe, but I’m funny how? I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh; I’m here to f*ckin’ amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny? …Like funny ha,ha funny?

Smile! Lily Allen sings about it and it’s a well known fact it takes more effort to frown then it does smile. For all the sceptics out there even science says it’s good for you. When I don’t feel like smiling I still try to smile anyway. I’ve found that if I start smiling the floodgates can crack open. A friend, Aflah from Ghana does this little ritual most mornings where he looks at himself in the bathroom mirror, makes funny faces, smiles and laughs at himself. Having the courage to laugh at yourself makes you not take everything so seriously, it can help to put everything into perspective. It can be the first step towards becoming your own best friend.

“You grow up the day you have your first real laugh, at yourself.” ~Ethel Barrymore

Get your creative on! Everyone is creative; despite the common societal view of creativity being an art thing. I’ve learnt being creative isn’t necessarily all about music, art, film, writing and the like. I’ve seen my pal CJ work creatively with numbers. I’ve seen my buds Zsolt and Andrew work creatively in their business dealings. When you engage in ‘creative’ tasks I find your mind has no time to be sad because you’re having such a good time. Being creative can make you feel awake and ready for new possibilities.

Photo by Woodley Wonder Works

Other notable mentions: Music! I’ve talked a bunch about the benefits of it here and here. Using essential oils. I’m a huge advocate of aromatherapy. After trying it for myself and reaping the benefits I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a try (don’t worry I won’t tell all your punk, hardcore & hip hop friends you’re a secret hippie!) I think that the effect smell has on your mood is super underrated. Green tea, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, citrus and chamomile are known for their mood lifting properties. Positive affirmations can be helpful as can stroking your puppy or kitty friend can be. Spending time with your animals friends can help calm you and can promote happiness. Organisation! When you’re organised you feel in control, when you feel in control the world doesn’t feel as daunting and overwhelming. And last but certainly not least practice gratitude! Fight depression with gratitude, there’s no room for sadness when you’re thankful.

Much gratitude goes to the following bright lights in my world that have helped me when I’ve been down and out, feed me when I’ve had no money, housed me when I’ve had no place to go, listened to me when I talk in circles, encouraged me to keep going, to keep bettering myself, to believe in me and ultimately, to live again (man I’m crying as I type this, talk about emo! Ha!): Ant, Jhonny & Andy, Grover, Dannii, Sophia, Civi, Kieran, Prue, Miss Amy, Franklin, Z, James Thomas, Brian & Lisa I love you all beyond words. Your love, kindness, compassion and guidance mean the world to me. From my whole heart, I thank you.

*A big part of what compelled me to write this piece is the fact that I know a lot of people that suffer from depression at one point or another and it’s often a subject that people in general don’t want to talk about, discuss in the open or confront. For some, it’s apparently not cool to talk about the rough times; you just deal with it and get on with things.

Sometimes it’s simply not that easy. When I suffered my last serious bout of depression I had people tell me that they didn’t want me around because I was ‘bringing down their good time’. Those comments really hurt. It’s funny because when I’m ruling it and working on exciting projects those people are the first to brag to their pals that we’re such good friends, yet in my greatest hour of need they didn’t want anything to do with me. Please friends, be there for your friends in the tough times as well as the good times. Anyone can be there for party time! It takes real love to be there when there’s intermission.

Fight the good fight & derail the Desperation Train I’m waiting for you here in Possibility City!

[comment]