inspired...
is what the email was entitled. saturday morning i woke up to the kindest note from scott who writes a motorcycle blog called PIPEBURN. he saw truth + fairy tales posted on THE MOT ART JOURNAL, another big-time blog that also has its own facebook page. this journal of sorts is written by frank who posts all types of inspirational photos and info from fashion to motorcycles to africa. often times i get a bit bummed because i am not sure anyone even reads my blog. so finding out that truth + fairy tales was posted about was just what i needed to keep it going!!!
today i was again surprised and stoked, when a former coworker from my magazine days was inspired by my most recent blogHOPES THAT REACH THE SKY. amy spencer (pretty photo below) is not only one of the nicest most positive people i have met along the publishing way, but also an incredibly talented and witty author of MEETING YOUR HALF ORANGE and blogger of THE DATING OPTIMIST. she is full of ever-inspiring advice in love and life. be sure to check out her blog and pick up a copy of her book... you will be inspired for sure by her genuine enthusiasm and advice.
so be sure to check out these blogs and some of their images posted below. again, huge thanks and big love (as amy says) to my fellow bloggers for giving TRUTH + FAIRY TALES a shout out and for inspiring me to keep inspiring others. ♥ xo nikki
IF I RODE A MOTORCYLE THIS WOULD BE IT! VIA PIPEBURN
VIA THE MOT ART JOURNAL
DREAM HOUSE!
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT PAINTING VIA THE MOT ART JOURNAL
hi everyone... this is a quick little post about a blog my cousin joe let me in on and i couldn't wait to share it with you. the url is HOPES THAT REACH THE SKY, but i believe it is called THE BEGINNING. whatever the case and for some reason, i CANNOT get enough of it!!! the universal blog is filled with awesome quotes that definitely strike a chord with me. i think everyone can relate to at least one of the items posted. the blogger exhibits all kinds of images (although, i could probably do without some of the celeb photos). its a quirky little combo of words, photography + design and i just love it! here are some photos and quotes i am reblogging, but be sure to check out the site directly. currently, i am working on a new post about my own little creation called "fashion karma." until then...enjoy! ♥ ♥ ♥ xo nikki
"Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine Meltin' in a pot of thieves Wild card up my sleeve Thick heart of stone My sins my own They belong to me, me"
patti smith has a lightening bolt tattooed on her knee. she is a joan of arc, she is a warrior. she is not just a muse. she is an artist, poet, musician, fashion icon, mother, and activist.
about a month ago a dear friend of mine, matt burns, wrote to me after having read my blog. he himself, is a designer and a musician and one who loves to be inspired (he is wickedly funny as well). matt had an inkling that patti smith's autobiography JUST KIDS would, in his words, "touch my soul." HE WAS RIGHT! i cannot believe that i have not delved into the work of this great artist until now. some may think patti smith is over the top when it comes to her music, and yes, she definitely walks to the beat of her own unique drum! but this is exactly what i find so appealing. she is an ever-inspiring icon to many who get where she is coming from.
patti smith was born in chicago, but shortly after moved with her family to rural south JERSEY where she was raised (a jersey girl like me). from an early age patti smith innately knew she had something creative inside which needed to emerge. her book begins with...
"When I was very young, my mother took me for walks in Humboldt Park, along the edge of the Prairie River. I have vague memories, like impressions on glass plates, of an old boathouse, a circular band shell, an arched stone bridge. The narrows of the river emptied into a wide lagoon and I saw upon its surface a singular miracle. A long curving neck rose from a dress of white plumage.
Swan, my mother said, sensing my excitement. It patterned the bright water, flapping its great wings, and lifted into the sky. The word alone hardly attested to its magnificence nor conveyed the emotion it produced. The sight of it generated an urge I had no words for, a desire to speak of the swan, to say something of its whiteness, the explosive nature of its movement, and the slow beating of its wings.
The swan became one with the sky. I struggled to find words to describe my own sense of it. Swan, I repeated, not entirely satisfied, and I felt a twinge, a curious yearning, imperceptible to passersby, my mother, the trees, or the clouds."
patti + robert, nyc, 1962
JUST KIDS is patti smith's, magical yet brave story, of the beginning of her life as an artist and how this adventure unfolded back in the late 1960s. leaving her roots in new jersey, she moved to new york city with only a few art supplies, a small suitcase of secondhand clothes, and thirty-two dollars she found in a telephone booth for the bus ride. it is about the unconditional love affair between two young artists who met by fate, patti smith and robert mapplethorpe, also an iconic artist and photographer. bound in innocence and completely committed to each other and creating art; they steadfastly carved their way to fame, in a time where poetry, art, and rock n' roll were all colliding.
"Robert spread it out over the floor for me to see. there were drawings, etchings, and he unrolled some paintings that reminded me of Richard Poussette-Dart and Henri Michaux. Multifarious energies radiated through interweaving words and calligraphic line. Energy fields built with layers of word. Paintings and drawings that seemed to emerge from the subconcious.
There were a set of discs intertwining the words EGO LOVE GOD, merging them with his own name; they seemed to recede and expand over his flat surfaces. As I stared at them, I was compelled to tell him of my nights as a child seeing circular patterns radiating on the ceiling. He opened a book on Tantric art. "Like this?" he asked. "Yes."
I recognized with amazement the celestial circles of my childhood. A mandala.
I was particularly moved by the drawing he had done on memorial day. I had never seen anything like it. What also struck me was the date: Joan of Arc's feast day. The same day I had promised to make something of myself before her statue.
I told him this, and he responded that the drawing was symbolic of his own commmitment to art, made on the same day. He gave it to me without hesitation and I understood that in this small space of time we had mutually surrendered our loneliness and replaced it with trust."
flower by robert mapplethorpe
after reading JUST KIDS and falling in love with patti smith and her inspiring, and often times spiritual story, i needed more! while saturating myself with her music, specifically her debut album HORSES, and searching for more information about her, i came across a beautiful documentary by steven sebring. the film called DREAM OF LIFE aired a few years back on PBS. of course I couldn't wait to share this with matt who watched it this past weekend and loved it. he wrote "it gave me a real sense of who she is and how she lives her life. very inspirational and moving. i love her natural way of being and sensitivity to everything that surrounds her. she's a true individual, not a follower...." (see i told you!!!) the moving film is a work of art in itself. it documents 12 years of patti smith's life, with clips from her early years in new york city to close to present time, giving a glimpse into her life, as not only an artist, but a wife and mother to her two children jackson and jesse.
(left to right) jackson, patti, and jesse at home, photo by annie leibovitz
patti smith is a legend; an early pioneer of punk rock. she is an artist's artist. she is the paragon of cool, yet she does not seem to have a celebrity air about her. she has integrity and she is sincere. patti smith is, as matt said, not a follower but completely individualistic. she believes and states at the opening of the documentary that "life is an adventure of our own design, intersected by fate, and a series of lucky and unlucky accidents." this cannot be more true. patti smith is definitely of her own design. these are prolific words to live by and a question we should all ponder. ARE YOU OF YOUR OWN DESIGN?
i just don't think i can do patti smith's lyrically written autobiography or the documentary justice in this post. i have not given the whole story about her fascinating life so that you have the opportunity to uncover all the intricate details on your own accord. you have to experience her music, her poetry, her art to feel the mandala unfold. her story truly is poetic, spiritual, and beautiful. and i promise...it will definitely inspire you! xo nikki
sometimes technology really gets me down and i just want to go back in time to much simpler days. my imac's hard drive decided to fail, so it might be a week or two before a new post. just letting everyone know that i am in fact still blogging! i have three new posts in the works so until then... xo nikki
JUMPING ON THE GROUNDS OF KRIPALU AND A STATUE OF BUDDHA (BELOW)
...still trying to remain in my "bliss bubble" after attending my first-ever yoga retreat. i have been sitting here staring at this blank screen trying to figure out how i could possibly sum up the weekend i experienced, with one of my best friends lauren, at kripalu in stockbridge, massachusetts. it was as yoga has always been to me... magical, eye opening, inspiring, and deeply fulfilling. OM...
"kripalu center for yoga & health is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the art and science of yoga to produce thriving and health in individuals and society. for more than 30 years, kripalu (kri-PAH-loo) has been teaching skills for optimal living through experiential education for the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. it is the largest and most established retreat center for yoga, health, and holistic living in north america. programs at kripalu are led by many of the world’s most accomplished teachers in yoga, self-discovery,
and holistic health and are
designed to provide people with tools they can apply in their daily lives. program topics include wellness, ayurveda, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, relationships, meditation, spiritual practice, professional training, and much more. yoga programs are offered for people at all levels, feature all yoga traditions and styles, and include therapeutic yoga, yogic anatomy, and trainings for teachers. many kripalu programs offer continuing education credits for professionals in fields such as social work, counseling, nursing, and massage and bodywork." -via Kripalu.org
HAVEN CAFE AND BAKERY LENOX, MASS
before arriving at kripalu, lauren and i had lunch at haven cafe and bakery in lenox, mass. this adorable and inviting place run by owner and head chef, shelly williams, is definitely worth the stop if you are ever in the berkshires. she also catered my sister's wedding at stonover farm (a beautiful bed and breakfast) in lenox so i was excited to get another taste of her yummy food. we shared chicken quesadillas and polenta with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and pesto. everything is local and organic and shelly even offers gluten free options... DELICIOUS and healthy too!!!!! so on to why we came to the berkshires....
CHICKEN QUESADILLAS AT HAVEN
POLENTA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS, MUSHROOMS, AND PESTO AT HAVEN
KRIPALU is a stunning place, with rolling green hills, beautiful mountains and a lake that provides the most gorgeous eye candy!!! the annex building, where lauren and i stayed, was modern and most importantly environmentally green. it gave us the most perfect resting place when we were not practicing yoga. not only was the annex building beautiful, but the grounds were as well. sculptures, flowers, even bunnies were sighted during our three day weekend :)
lauren and i signed up for yoga evolution with travis eliot. a yoga teacher from santa monica, california. he brings a street vibe to his practice, along with a really chill positive attitude. travis shares his own personal knowledge and holistic views about the different aspects of yoga which truly allow the student to become their own teacher. we learned about...
"kirtan which comes from the yoga path of bhakti (love and devotion). it is the chanting of traditional sanskrit mantras synergized with dynamic melodies. it is the calling, the yearning, the crying to connect with the divine. the beauty is that chanting shows us we are already in this state of "oneness," it's just about dissolving the maya (illusion) of separateness. chanting ignites every life-tron of our being absorbing us into a state of bliss. add the power of chanting within a group setting and ecstasy becomes absolutely boundless!! kirtan is for anyone and everyone regardless of background. It is the universal language of the heart..." -via www.traviseliot.com
TRAVIS PLAYING THE HARMONIUM DURING KIRTAN
we were also asked to set our sankalpa (intention) on what we wanted out of the weekend and of course we did some serious power yoga which helps to rid the body of toxins, open channels, get endorphins going, and deepen the breath...so there was breathing, breathing, and more breathing(pranayama)! along with travis and his beautiful singer kelsey, we chanted to ganesha to help remove obstacles and to shiva the lord of tranformation in hopes to all evolve in some way. on saturday, we did a three hour long dynamic yoga class (which lauren and i swore we would not get through after the two hour class the previous night) but the energy in the room carried and filled us with what we needed to finish. sunday we ended with a relaxing flow of yoga that definitely opened our hearts to allow for an evolution; to help us transform in a positive way and bring this energy back into our lives at home. i have always wanted to become a yoga teacher and this experience definitely rekindled that inside of me!
KELSEY AND TRAVIS RIGHT BEFORE KIRTAN
ADHO MUKHA SVANASANAAKA DOWNWARD FACING DOG
LAUREN & I: OLD FRIENDS ARE THE BEST FRIENDS
GANESHA , A HINDU GOD, CREATES THE FAITH TO REMOVE ALL OBSTACLES
the simple truth is...yoga has always been there for me, keeping me calm in a world that can often be hectic and chaotic. the weekend at kripalu reminded me just how important yoga is to me and how it can not only give me a strong body and mind, but a full heart. it just takes looking inside and staying present. the yogis teach us that everything we could ever want already exists within...all the love, all the creativity, all the grace, all the health....we just have to tap into it! ♥ namaste, nikki
psssss: the gesture namaste represents the belief that there is a DIVINE spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. the gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. "nama" means bow, "as" means i, and "te" means you. therefore, namaste literally means "bow me you" or "i bow to you." -via yoga journal
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