Aspire Magazine

ASPIRE

Empowering Women

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THIS MONTH’S

make-up must haves

JUNE

ANNA JAMES “I’m unashamedly ambitious”

mindfulness Be inspired to adopt a new mindset

a day in the life The trials and tribulations of a ward manager

The Digital Detox

£3.99

Reasons to switch off in a world that’s constantly switched on 1

SAINT LAURENT

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inside ASPIRE June 2017

Features 6 A Day in the Life

In this month’s edition we speak to Jane Kay, a ward manager from Bolton about a day in her life.

10 Anna James Interview

From school librarian to literary editor for Elle - Anna’s career story.

36 Switch it off

How to swtich off in a world that’s switched on.

40 This Month I Tried Mindfulness

Mindfulness isn’t a new practice but is currently trending again. I tried the practice to see if I could feel the benefits.

Fashion, Beauty and Style 17 This Season’s Hottest Accessories

A collection of accessories you need this summer.

20 Samantha Cameron Launches Cefinn

David Cameron’s wife launches a luxury clothing line as a new business venture.

21 Power Dressing

How to look and feel stylish and elegant for the office.

25 From Desk to Disco Make-up

Take your make-up from day to night with just a few easy steps.

26 This Month’s Beauty Edit

This month’s beauty edit is focused on a glamorous red lipped look.

28 Essential Skin Savers

A skincare routine containing all the essential products you need.

Lifestyle

Trends

5 Who We Follow

44 Avocado, or Avoca-don’t?

A round up of who we’ve added to our social media feeds this month.

16 Insta Girl

A model who found fame through posting realistic pictures on her Instagram.

30 Working from Home

How to enhance your work as a freelancer when working from home.

32 Rise of the Online Portfolio

Natalie Cutler talks portfolio careers and the rise of feminist theatre.

34 Women In Creative Industries

Ex Arts Editor for the Telegraph Sarah Crompton talks sexism in journalism.

46 The Book Review

This edition’s monthly book review focuses on three completely different novels.

Edtior Amy explores the sudden trend of Avocados.

"When I started thirty years ago it was such a different landscape, now with the internet it is such a huge world where you can write and have a view. It has changed so quickly and it is amazing."

WOMEN IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES PAGE 34

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Editor’s

A

LETTER

s we leave the colder months and approach summer, we can’t help but get excited at the Aspire office. This month we have collated a collection of feel good, inspiring stories to accompany you as you enjoy the sunshine. In this issue you’ll find an interview with Anna James, who started out as a well-loved school librarian, and is now one of the most influential women in the publishing industry.

We have also put together power dressing for the workplace, so it’s time to wave goodbye to your mundane work clothes and strut into the office with style. In this millennial age of social media and technological dominance, we could all do with a digital detox as we are so transfixed into what everyone else is doing. It’s time to switch off and cherish special moments with loved ones, rather than sharing it on your snapchat story.

And for the rest of the issue? We’ve got meditation, book reviews and an entire article dedicated to the most Instagrammable brunch ingredient - avocado.

Enjoy the issue!

Amy, Sophie and Sian x

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ASPIRE lifestyle

Who We Follow

A round up of the sass-queens we have added to our social media feed this month (cue ALL the inspo a girl could need) Words by Sophie Hollands

Laura Jackson

The ultimate cool girl. After seeing her present The London Fashion Week Festival, we wanted to see more. Her feed is all the f’s: food, fashion and family.

We often visit it for a little clothing inspiration, to see her latest sun-filled vacay or to nosy at her juicy BTS’ (behind the scenes) of a day at work.

@iamlaurajackson

Auli’i Cravalho

Young and fierce. After landing a role in Disney’s Moana as her first big break, at 16 years old she is giving us all the career motivation vibes. Her feed is all smiles and an Oscars red carpet snap shot here and there.

@auliicravalho

Chrissy Teigen

She flies the flag for women and she seriously says what she thinks. She injects a little sarcasm into your news feed daily, you’ll be thanking us once you follow her.

@chrissyteigen

Anna Maria

The young entrepreneur who owns her own clothing brand, SLNGHR, gives us regular night-out outfit inspiration and her selfie game is enivable.

@xAMMasi

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“Sometimes it just doesn’t go to plan and you can’t just walk out of the door” Life as a ward manager can be unpredictable and hectic and no-one knows this better than Jane. At thirty-two years old she’s a career driven, ambitious and unstoppable woman.

Photography by Sian Hamer

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“This job isn’t one you cut off when 8

your time says you should.”

ASPIRE feature

a day in the life Jane Kay is a ward manager at Bolton Hospital and has worked in nursing her whole life. In this month’s edition of a day in the life, we get a first person account of her daily routine.

Words by Sian Hamer

M

ost mornings I get up at six and get ready for work so I can leave the house at seven. I like to get to the ward early so I can assess what’s happening, then the rest of the staff arrive around half past seven which is when we do the handover. Sometimes if there is a patient who is very unwell this doesn’t always go to plan as our priority is to make sure all patients are safe at all times.

Handovers happen at half seven and take about half an hour. This is when the night staff will take it in turns to handover patients and discuss any events that have happened over the night, such as new admissions.

We also discuss a safety huddle, where we discuss any infectious patients, any harm that could come to patients, patients that are at risk of falling and anybody who has any mental health issues.

Following this, I decide which nurses are best suited to which patients dependent on their skills and experience.

As I am the ward manager, I will lead the shift and will be in charge. This means that if any incidents occur on the ward, such as a cardiac arrest, it is my duty to take control of the situation until a doctor arrives.

Every morning we follow a routine of checking our patient’s observations, such a blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate,

oxygen saturations and temperatures before we give any medications. This usually takes place around eight, and alongside these checks the patient’s hygiene needs will be met and they will have their breakfast.

With it being the Coronary Care Unit you must be reactive and quick acting should the circumstances change. If patients go into a peri-arrest, or possibly a full cardiac arrest, we are trained on here to defibrillate patients before the doctors arrive should they need it.

No two days on the ward are ever the same. We have certain periods of the day which we dedicate to checks, medications and administrative work but this is a hospital environment and some things just can’t be planned.

As I am the manager I am expected to be on the ward for 7:30 until 3:30 Monday to Friday but I personally feel it’s important to be doing similar shifts to what you are asking your staff members to do. I also feel it’s important to understand that this job isn’t one you cut off when your time says you should.

There are ample times that everybody on the shift, and nurses everywhere, have stayed hours after the time they were meant to finish. If something happens close to when I’m supposed to finish, then I need to stay and make sure the patients are safe and that my staff have all the resources they need. Sometimes it just doesn’t go to plan and you can’t just walk out the door, but that is expected in a career like mine.

“This means that if any incidents occur on the ward, such as a cardiac arrest, it is my duty to take control of the situtation until a doctor arrives.”

Throughout the morning there can be ten to twenty phone calls which can be difficult to manage alongside taking care of your patients. As I am the shift leader, I tend to get interrupted frequently, but you just have to take control of the situation and leave messages where you will return people’s calls at a more appropriate time. Patients are the priority.

The type of ward I’m on is a very diverse area but it also can go from one extreme to another. It can be settled but within minutes patients can quickly deteriorate.

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ASPIRE feature

From school librarian to literary editor at ELLE. Anna James talks about the power of social media, feminism and writing her first book.

Words by Amy Stutz

“There wasn’t a particular plan, it was more taking advantage of every opportunity that presented itself,” Anna James told me when we sat down in Waterstones Café, surrounded by what inspired Anna’s career – books.

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nna began her career as a school librarian, and is now one of the most influential women in the publishing industry. She has recently turned her head to writing her own work, and is releasing her debut novel aimed at children.

As a young woman she has used the power of the internet and social media to grow her career and create a name for herself amoungst other

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industry professionals. Now living in London as a freelance literary journalist, Anna delved into how she got to where she is today.

Anna’s career has spanned across many different fields, but always centred around her love and passion for books. Growing up Anna was always an avid reader; unsure what she wanted to do at university, she ended up studying Modern Medieval History at Birmingham University. “I nearly did joint honours with English, but I went on open days and really didn’t like the sound of the English courses, and I was worried it would destroy my love of reading, so I felt like History would balance my love for writing and reading, without wrecking my love of books.”

Getting to the end of her third year, she had that inevitable panic about what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. “I decided whilst at university to be a librarian, mainly because there was a really

cool librarian that worked at the university library,” she told me. So after getting a graduate job at the Warwick Achieves, Anna decided to do a Masters in Librarianship at Aberystwyth university, because it allowed her to do a distant learning course.

While doing the Master’s it was essential to have some experience working in a library, which led Anna to applying for a school librarian job at a secondary school. “Through the combination of really enjoying being a school librarian and also the Master’s course. I realised I was far more interested in people and books - like why people want to read, and which books people wanted to read, and the course was more about the technical theories of being a librarian.”

Anna worked in the secondary school library for almost five years.

“For a good while I was really enjoying it. At the school that I worked at, I inherited a library that

ASPIRE feature

wasn't very well loved or well used, and so for a good few years it was a really big challenge,” she explained.

“There was a lot to do in terms of changing the way the school felt about the library, and how the students and teachers felt about it.

So for the first three years there was just so much to do, but once the school library got to the point where it was well used and well thought of, I got to the point where I was getting itchy feet.”

While working at the library Anna started blogging for fun, and this was before blogging was a huge thing. “I actually started because there is this American film website called Pajiba, and every year they do this thing called the ‘cannon ball read.’ This is because that someone who used to write for them died quite young of cancer and she had a son, and so they started doing this thing where everyone who signed up read and reviewed 52 books, and once a year they would make a donation to the son’s college fund.

So essentially they just encouraged contributors and readers to the site to raise money.”

“It just made me realise how much I love writing about books, and how much I loved when I said a book was good and someone read it and told me that they loved it too – that is still my absolute favourite thing.”

“The thing I loved most about being a school librarian is recommending a book to a student, and them coming back and saying that it had changed their life. Or when I gave difficult students that hated reading a book, and they loved it – there is nothing like that feeling. You actually feel like you are having a positive impact on a teenager’s life and that is just a really satisfying thing.”

Anna believes social media played

a huge part in launching her career and getting her name out there. After one of her students introduced her to Twitter, she signed up and began tweeting her thoughts on books, and engaging with other book-lovers and industry professionals.

“I went to everything I was invited to, when I started getting invited to launch parties, I would rush home from work, get the train down to London, go to a party for an hour and a half and come back the same night.”

“For a long time I had, like, hardly any followers,” laughed Anna. “But the moment it all kicked off was in 2013 when I started a Manbooker shadowing group with the sixth form English students, and it was the year the Luminaries by Eleanor Catton was on the list.”

The book was never the favourite, even when it was on the shortlist.

Whilst it was on the longlist, there wasn’t much buzz about it but I wrote a review and said on Twitter that it was going to win,” Anna explained. “I think this was a real turning point because people were like ‘oh maybe she actually has some sort of instinct for this.”

Anna’s Twitter following is now over an incredible 12K, and she is highly regarded as a literary journalist and books enthusiast on Twitter. When expanding her school library, she held lots of

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author events at school, which meant she was meeting publicists and editors. This led on to her receiving invitations to children’s book events and prizes.

“Then I had toyed with the idea of going into publishing, but people kept telling me that I needed to do an internship,” Anna said. “I felt like I didn’t want to start at the bottom of the ladder, as I had built up a set of useful skills working at the library. So I thought, I will just wait for something right.”

Anna was constantly working extremely hard to make important connections whilst working in the Midlands. “I did some mad journeys to London,” she explained.

This opened her up to so many professionals in the publishing industry, enabling her to make some excellent contacts. “Whilst working in the library I got asked to do the odd guest blog for things, and I just said yes to everything,” Anna added.

As her Twitter following grew through her exploration of using the internet and social media as a platform, a job at the Bookseller Magazine appeared on Twitter. “It was a super vague job description, it basically said ‘Do you love books?

Do you love writing? Come work at the Bookseller.’ I didn’t think I had a chance of getting it because I didn’t have a journalism degree, but I thought there was no harm in applying for it.”

Soon realising that the editor for the job she was applying for already followed her on Twitter, she decided there was no harm in sending him a direct message saying how excited she was to see the job advertised, and that she had sent in an application. “Within twenty minutes I had an invitation for interview,” she said. “I am a big believer in being polite and appropriate, but still sending that message. I later found out that a huge amount of people applied for it.” Which proved the importance in just making that connection.

“I had an interview the week after, and then I got it and I was really fortunate, it was a combination of working really hard and a level of serendipity.” Anna then packed up and moved to London, and started

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Books that inspired Anna...

as a writer at the Bookseller. “Quite soon after I started working at the Bookseller people were asking me to do freelance things,” Anna said.

“I had a social media profile, I was active on Twitter and kept up my blog, purely because I enjoyed the social aspect.” Anna’s personality is vibrant, and her passion for books shines through as she talks. I don’t see networking as networking,” she expressed. “I just genuinely enjoy meeting new people, and talking to new people. Publishing is an industry full of super interesting people.”

During her time at the Bookseller, Anna started doing the odd bit of freelance work. “I quickly realised the pros and cons, because the very first thing I was asked to do, I had to chase the invoice for nearly 9 months to get paid,” she told me. “I had to email them so many times, that is the worst experience I ever had, but it was the first thing I did freelance.”

Anna has a natural confidence, she started up the Youtube channel for the Bookseller’s site We Love This Book, which displayed her ability to talk on camera and interview. This kickstarted her career in chairing book events. “Writing about books

and talking about books are so different, interviewing people for a written piece and interviewing people in front of people is a really different skill, but it was something I enjoyed and believed I was good at,” Anna explained.

“Freelance is not the optimum way of being a journalist, and some people like structure and some people like the opposite, it is about following your gut instinct of what works for you.”

“I realise it is such a luxury to be able to do that, but also I realise that if you’re lucky enough to have a job that you love, then do it. A fraction of people get to do something they love, so if you are one of those people, then don’t waste it. And I love not having a boss, I love having control over what I like, and having the freedom to say yes or no to stuff.”

ASPIRE feature PHOTO: Holly Booth

“I am so protective of the word ambitious, and I hate that it has become a negative thing for women. I am unashamedly ambitious, and all that means is that I want to do the best I can, and I want to have an impact."

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ASPIRE feature “I understand that it isn’t all about who you know, but it is about being there and taking advantage of everything. Go to stuff and talk to people, and if someone expresses a vague interest then follow up on it.”

Soon after becoming fully freelance, Anna fell into the job of becoming Literary Editor for ELLE. After creating a video with the Bailey’s prize about her all time favourite book, The Time Traveller’s Wife, it was posted on the ELLE website alongside a short written piece Anna had done. “I went to the Bailey’s shortlist party and met the lady that was the acting content editor, and we got on and she just happened to mention that the person that was doing books for them had left and they needed some more book stuff.”

Anna took the initiative to email them and follow up from that conversation, which led to her writing more and more for ELLE, and eventually becoming Literary

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Editor. “When you’re freelance no one else is looking out for you,” she said. “It’s not like being pushy or assuming anything, you can do it in a very friendly way.”

Throughout her career, Anna was frequently asked by publishers and friends in the industry if she ever thought about writing a book. “I hadn’t in particular,” she told me.

“My day job is writing and I’ve always been creatively satisfied by that, I don’t think journalism is less creative than fiction at all.”

Although in the back of her head she always thought she would write a book one day, she didn't want to force it. “Then really clichéd, I had this idea and I loved it,” Anna told me. “I nearly told one of my writer friends, and be like ‘do you want this idea’, but I thought I owed it to myself to have a go.

By sweet serendipity, the day after I had this idea, an agent messaged me and sort of said ‘do you write fiction, I really like your journalism.’ It was an agent that I had admired from afar, and I had replied and said ‘actually no, except I literally just had this idea and if you have time I would love to chat and see if it has mileage, and we got on really well.”

She then went on to become Anna’s agent, and she signed on with her in 2016 to create her children’s book, Pages & Co, which is the story of eleven-year-old

Matilda Pages who lives in a bookshop with her grandparents.

One summer holiday she realises that the boundary between books and real life is a little more flexible than she thought, when characters from her favourite books start popping up in Pages & Co. Before long she finds out she can also travel inside books, and she's caught up in an adventure to save bookwandering.

“I wrote the beginning of the book and I sent it to my agent, and she liked it enough to send it out as a submission as it was, so we sent it out and I got some offers and I decided to publish it with Harper Collins.”

"I think it is really interesting, because lots of my friends, particularly women who are my age, are completely just rejecting those rules that you are told you have to get a 9-5 job and do it a certain way – because you just don’t."

ASPIRE feature

Having had such an extensive career so far, I asked Anna about her plans for the future: “I’m really focused on making my books as good as they can be. It’s a three book deal and so that is the plan for the next couple of years.

When I quit my job, my sister said to me: ‘You always feel like the rules don’t apply to you.’ And I was like ‘wait, that is because the rules don’t apply to anyone, I don’t think thatI am special, I just think you don’thave to apply to those rules.’

Anna explained: “That isn’t the wrong way to do it, it just isn’t the only way to do it. Particularly for young women, who are sick of being told that you have to be a certain way, and a lot of companies, even if they are not overtly sexist, you just have to contend with a lot of institutionalised sexism. There is such a freedom to saying actually no, I don’t have to play by your rules.

I do realise how privileged I am, and not everyone has the choice, I realise that some people have to go and get a 9-5 job, and I don’t think one thing is better or worse than the other. But if you are in a position to have a go, don’t waste it because not everyone has the opportunity to do what they love.”

Anna gushed about her love for the publishing industry, and the people in it that she feels privileged

to know. “Some of my absolute best friends are the people I’ve met through work, I have met some excellent, ambitious and smart people in the publishing industry.”

“Having the support of other women is incredible, and having friends that you’re not competitive with is amazing,” expressed Anna.

“There are no other layers, it is literally about supporting people that are doing great stuff. You feel so buoyed up and supported by women that are doing similar things, and without a veneer of competitiveness. It is great. I am really worried about sounding clichéd and lame, but it’s so true that being surrounded by smart, ambitious and kind women is the best feeling in the world.”

During her time working in the school library, she had a boss who was an all-round fantastic woman that gave her invaluable advice.

She instilled in her that whatever she does, she should be a force for good.”

Anna James’ career has never been on a steady path, but through her immense determination and hardworking attitude, she has continued to soar. Throughout our conversation, she constantly mentioned the importance of being kind, and how she believes being a good person can only enhance your career.

“I don’t think you should ever screw someone over to get something yourself,” Anna told me. “My advice to young women starting out in their careers is to have high-standards and be kind. I get frustrated by the idea that you can’t be ambitious and kind, because those things aren’t mutually exclusive, in-fact they should go together. I just think with that combination you can do a lot if that is what you aspire to be, and the sort of people you surround yourself with.”

Anna's top 3 female book characters Anne Shirley. Anne of Green Gables "My ultimate literary heroine, she is funny, smart, loyal and a redhead."

Lyra Belacqua, His Dark Materials "Lyra taught me to stand up for what I believe in, and to do what is right even when it is tough."

Ursula Todd, Life After Life "She's resourceful, incredibly sma and an ode to making the most of

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ASPIRE lifestyle

Girl

INSTA

Words by Sophie Hollands

She’s the model from Somerset who uploaded pictures of herself at therapy sessions and getting treatment for her IBS to her thousands of Instagram followers, Stina Sanders spills all the details on how shunning all Instagram filters and posting her real life flaws has made her a resounding success.

What made you start posting ‘real’ pictures on your Instagram and blog?

Do you think women are pressured in daily life to be perfect and how much does social media play at part in I always found social media to be a competitive platform. that?

If people aren’t comparing themselves to others, they are telling the world just how great their life is. Like the majority Massively. I think women are surrounded by pressure of people on Instagram I too would be obsessed with looking every single day. To look and act a certain way. It’s not “picture perfect” and pretending that I had a great life - yet fair - we are treated differently and there’s no hiding the truth of the matter is, my life is far from perfect. The idea from that. The media and social media do not help either for the experiment sparked when someone I knew refused by constantly showing airbrushed photos - it gives men to believe I was suffering from depression because of the and women the wrong idea as to what natural is. There is photos that I would post on Instagram which would show no such thing as perfect. Not even the model in the photo me as a happy individual, living the high-life. I realised looks like the model in the photo. then that although I don’t walk around looking glum all the time, I was actually hiding my true feelings and what Do you get much negativity surrounding your blog/ my life is really like. It’s not all yoga sessions, photoshoots Instagram success? and brunches. I do go to therapy and I do wake up with stress-related acne. I knew then that it was important to When I started I did. I was doing something different speak out on those things because not only would it make instead of writing about fashion and beauty products, I me feel better about being honest, it would make other was discussing my sex life and dark secrets that would make the average person cringe. I had lots of abusive people feel good to know that no one’s life is perfect. messages from people I actually knew telling me to stop what I was doing. I had a lot of negativity but I refused to How did you build up the confidence to post pictures of let it stop my love for writing. You have to find your niche that nature? and sometimes that means you have to be different. You I just told myself that this is who I am no matter what I have to do something new if you want to stand out and as wanted to believe. That I had to either accept my flaws or long as you enjoy what you’re doing, you may find other live a life where I didn’t. To be honest, I was more focused on people will too. making a point than worrying about what I looked like.

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ASPIRE style

Above: Peal earrings, £10, Topshop.

Silver slim hoops, £5, Topshop.

Gold choker, £15, Asos.

This season’s HOTTEST ACCESSORIES Channel this season’s hottest metallic accessories in shades of gold to give your outfit a luxurious touch Photography by Sian Hamer and Sophie Hollands

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ASPIRE style

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Statement earrings are the must have accessory this season to add some glamour to your look

Left: Tortoise shell half moon earrings, ÂŁ15, Next.

Below:Slim watch in rose gold plate, £35, Asos.

ASPIRE style

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ASPIRE style

CEFINN

From being the wife of David Cameron, to designing a fashion range for the rails of Selfridges and Net-a-porter, Samantha Cameron launches her high end clothing brand, Cefinn.

Words by Sophie Hollands

Photo: Elle UK

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competitive and sometimes weird world of fashion and have a desire to create something wearable yet stylish for the professional women out there. Her line has a price point between £100 and £300, it may seem a lot for some, but in the grand scheme of fashion, when a single blazer can be priced at over £1,000, the price seems fair and accessible for the demographic it is aimed at. Samantha is also known for her love of luxury high street, and the price point is competitive with the likes of Reiss and Hobbs, brands that Samantha herself has worn in the past.

As expected, the collection contains lots of tailored cuts and classic pieces, such as the pencil skirt and midi dress. Yet there is still a pretty, feminine vibe with flowing skirts and pops of red. Each piece in the capsule collection has the promised diversity of wear from day to evening and the colour palette of reds, greys, greens and blacks is wearable, but so far from the

mundane workwear colours we see so often.

A few pieces have adopted a key trend this season such as belts and exaggerated sleeves. Belts in particular add shape to your silhouette – giving you buckets of femininity whilst wearing an androgynous tailored piece, perfect for the office or those after dinner drinks. Another pretty detail that is seen in the collection is zips – adding a metallic, wearable touch to classic pieces.

Critics have said that her brand is up to date, but doesn’t scream fashion, to which my reply would be - fashion doesn’t need to be something unwearable and different for the sake of being different. The collection is aimed at a demographic that will invest in timeless pieces that can be worn year on year, not items that are worn once for fashion week and never looked at again.

Cefinn oozes class and sophistication, much like Samantha herself and is such a positive move for the world of accessible, wearable high fashion brands.

Cefinn is available on the luxury online shopping giant Net-a-porter, and online and instore at Selfridges now.

Photos: selfridges.com

T

he ultimate politics power woman, Samantha Cameron has moved from her duties at Number 10, to building a home-grown fashion empire. The brand that launched early this year is named in homage of her children: Elwin, Florence, Ivan and Nancy.

Samantha is no stranger to the luxury brand industry as she previously worked as the creative director of Smythson and is also an ambassador for the British Fashion Council, sitting alongside the likes of Alexa Chung and Poppy Delevingne.

She was no stranger to the headlines when she stepped out at Downing Street in show stopping, high fashion outfits that rebelled against the conservative dress sense (no pun intended) we have seen in politics previously. Samantha added an essence of style and glamour to the world of politics, giving more women the confidence to wear print and colour and still look extremely sophisticated.

Her fashion line is aiming to channel designer contemporary with a good price point, the British way. It’s extremely refreshing to see someone enter the

ASPIRE style White shirt, Zara Pinafore jumpsuit, Zara

Power

Dressing

Here at Aspire we are all about strong, independent women - and power dressing for work is the perfect way to show you mean business.

Words by Sophie Hollands and photography by Sian Hamer

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ASPIRE style

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ASPIREstyle

White shirt, Zara Pinafore jumpsuit. Zara Printed satin blazer, Zara

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ASPIRE style

White shirt, Zara Pinafore Jumpsuit Zara

Buttoned blazer, Mango

Printed satin blazer, Zara

Switch up mundane workwear for classic, tailored cuts with a stylish twist.

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ASPIREbeauty

Desk-To-Disco Make-up Look

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t’s a Friday, you’re at your desk, a friend texts and after work drinks couldn’t come quick enough. If you wanted to upgrade your make-up look, then it couldn’t be easier.

Words and photography by Sophie Hollands

Eyes are an easy and quick way to jazz up any daytime look. A simple sweep of liquid liner for the ultimate feline flick will have you ready in no time, but if you want something a little softer and quicker, then an eyeshadow palette that can do everything is what you need.

Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita palette £39

If you opt for a smoky eye, channel you inner VB with a classic nude lip. A failsafe that you don’t need a mirror to apply.

Opt for a lip liner to make your lips look full and plump, swipe the lipstick straight from the bullet and you are ready to go!

Charlotte Tilbury Nude Kate is a natural nude that suits so many skin tones.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Nude Kate £24

Charlotte Tilbury The Retoucher £25

Concealer is a girl’s best friend and it can hide many sins, including a tough day at the office.

In order to keep to the theme of bright eyes, use a concealer that highlights as well as one that provides coverage. Concealer will also help clean any mistakes or fall down from the eyeshadow you used earlier.

Getting one with a brush on the end makes application easier and more even.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow £49

For the evening, you may want to add a bit more colour to your complexion and bronzer is a great way to give you that sun-kissed look that goes perfectly with your golden smoky eye. A dash of highlighter on your cheekbones and cupids bow is the perfect pop that will give you some serious glow.

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ASPIRE beauty

Charlotte Tilbury The Retoucher £25

Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation £32

THE BEAUTY EDIT This month’s beauty edit is a selection of our favourite must have products to look your best this summer Photography and words by Sian Hamer

For this season you need make-up that will stay on all day and give you that effortless, flawless glow.

That’s why we have selected the products on this page to ensure you achieve the perfect look.

Start your look with the Nars All Day Luminous Foundation. This is a light coverage base which is great for the warmer months as it won’t feel too heavy.

Follow this with Charlotte Tilbury’s The Retoucher for any blemishes and dark circles.

To ensure your look stays in place all day, add a quick dusting of Make up For Ever’s HD Loose Powder to eliminate unwanted shine.

Charlotte Tilbury’s eye shadow palette in Golden Goddess has four shades which are made for warmer season and will give you the ultimate shimmery eye.

Finish the look with Sephora’s Matte Lip Cream in True Red for eye catching lips which will stay a vibrant red all day.

Sephora Matte Lip Cream in True Red £5

Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess Palette £39

Make Up Forever HD Loose Powder £22

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ASPIRE beauty

THE LOOK

Finish your look with a sophisticated low bun and hoop earrings for an elegant finish 27

ASPIRE beauty

Essential

SKIN SAVERS Photography and words by Sophie Hollands

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2 3

Photos: feelunique.com

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4

The Steps 1 2 3 4

ASPIRE beauty

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, £4.99

Removes your make up gently and effectively, allowing your cleanser to cleanse your skin rather than your make up.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, £15.50

This gentle cream cleanser cleanses and gently exfoliates for smoother, clearer skin.

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser, £20.25

A light moisturiser that preps your skin perfectly for makeup application without leaving a greasy film over your skin.

Super Facialist by Una Brennan - Salicylic Mask, £9.99

A once a week salicylic acid mask that’s great for breakouts and spot prone skin. The clay extracts dirt and grease, without stripping your skin of its natural oils.

S

kincare routines connote something that is time consuming and contains ten products equating to a month’s wage packet. This may be the case for some, but for the majority it’s not the reality.

With the likes of bloggers and You Tube, there are so many variations of suitable skincare routines that you can try, some that reflect what is said above, and some that just remove make up.

It is so essential that you look after your skin when you wear makeup and when you don’t. It is a common misconception that a skincare routine should just remove your make-up, but most skincare items are designed to be put on your skin, not the makeup that is covering your skin. For some, investing in skincare isn’t as exciting as buying the latest bag or lipstick, but you only have one skin – so treat it well.

Knowing your skin is the first step in looking after it. If you are unsure of your skin type, or how your skin behaves throughout the different seasons of the year, then you need to work out what type of skin you have by feeling and looking at it. Does

it produce a lot of oil throughout the day and do you wake up with a ‘greasy’ feeling face, do your pores appear extremely visible? You probably have an oily skin type and could even be dehydrated. If you have dry cheeks but an oily t-zone then you have combination skin, and if you have dry patches that make up clings to or a dull complexion with more visible lines then you probably have a dry skin type. If you have few imperfections with no sensitivity and barely visible pores, then you have a normal skin type.

People with oily skin often assume that because they are oily, their skin is moisturised from the oil. Half the time, people with oily skin have dehydrated skin because they don’t moisturise. Your skin therefore produces more oil in order for it to try and hydrate it. Bear in mind that most oily skin comes with breakouts, so it is important to use a lightweight mineral-oil free moisturiser, as mineral oil often causes breakouts.

In recent years, everything has been about the glow. Glowing skin is a sign of youth, so everyone strives to have it. Although a great highlighter can give you that Instagram-worthy glow,

well cared-for skin can give you the enviable, undetectable lit from within glow, that exudes good health. Using a good moisturiser or primer before your makeup will help this, Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonderglow does exactly what is says and is one of my holy grail products that I use every day.

With good skin comes good makeup. Foundation and powders sit so much better on a plump, moisturised face rather than one that has been splashed with cold water at 7am. Make up lasts so much longer on well-prepped skin, so you can be sure your makeup looks good throughout a day of meetings.

As so many millennial women have busy lives that may not lend to a lengthy skincare regime AM and PM, we have put together a short routine and some fabulous products that will help keep your skin clear and glowing.

This routine is a failsafe way to nourish and protect your skin with an added product that saves the day if you suffer from breakouts. If you have your staple products but don’t know when to use them, then just adapt the products to what you already have in your bathroom cupboards for the perfect skincare routine.

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ASPIRE lifestyle

Working From

home

Words and photography by Amy Stutz

Your guide to maximising productivity Working from home has become more and more common in millenial woman, as freelance careers are on the rise, we find ourselves balancing a range of work and having to create the self displine to maintain a strong work life.

It sounds like the dream, to be able to earn money, and be your own boss in your house, however sometimes that isn't quite the case. It is estimated that 4.2 millions Brits work from

home, and it has become an appealing way of working.

Although some feel unproductive without the pressure of an office, others feel uninspired, and many find themselves craving human interaction. It's important to create a balance, and get yourself into the right rhythm in order to maximise productivity, and feel positive and happy about your job.

Create a workspace Your workspace should be associated with work, and work only. Which means it is so important to work at a desk, as opposed to your bed or comfy sofa. Not only because this will cause painful posture problems, but also because your subconsious will fight against you.

Mixing your working and relaxing spaces could either result in you being unable to switch off when trying to relax, and being unable to switch on when you're needing to work.

Use your creativity to design a space that inspires

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you. Surround your workspace with decor such as achievements, quotes and photos. The more pleasing the aesthetic, the more drawn to work you will be.

The best place to put your desk is in a space in your house that has lots of natural light, as you will feel more awake ready to work. If you can, it is important to not have your workspace visible when you're relaxing, in order to completely take your mind off work. If you're lacking in space, a fold up desk is always a great option for ease of tidying your work

ASPIRE lifestyle

Set goals At the start of the day, create an achievable list of things to get done. Section your list into two things, the high priority things that have to be done that day, and a list of the less important things that can be done if everything else is finished and there is still time left in your working day.

Lists are essential! Not only do they keep you reminded of your priorities, but you also have an immense feeling of satisfaction when you tick off each job that you've done. Which also helps you relax at the end of the day, because you know you have been productive.

REMEMBER - keep your list of jobs to do

Discipline The hardest thing about working from home is the huge amount of distractions. Whether it is household chores that are lingering on your mind, or errands you need to run. Create a working schedule with lots of small breaks is the most effective way to work. As it is likely you’ll be sat most of the day, have short breaks that involve a quick walk, having a tea or coffee or making food. However, make sure these breaks have a time limit and don’t get carried away with menial tasks that eat into your working schedule.

Your friends might call you for a quick natter midday, or your mum might fancy popping over for a cup of tea. However, these are all things that wouldn't happen if you were in the office. Whilst it is great to reap the benefits of working from home, it is important to set yourself designated work hours. It's okay to schedule in lunch and tea breaks, but plan these ahead of the day, so time doesn't completely run away with you, and you manage to maintain on top of your workload.

Get a change of scenery If you spend all your working time at home, and all your relaxation time at home. You are going to struggle with feeling incredibly claustraphobic.

A few ways to solve this are to mix up your working day. If you have meetings planned, schedule these throughout the week, so you know you have designated times to leave the house. Another way to keep motivated is by exercising out of the house,

schedule a gym session, workout class or simply go for a stroll around the local park - keeping active not only keeps your mind on top form, but it gets you out the house and into the fresh air.

We see coffee shops bursting with freelancers working on their laptops. This is a great way to mix up your workday, not to mention being surrounded by creative minds will enhance your creativity.

Dress for the day The most common mistake with working from home is not getting dressed and ready for the day. Although the appeal to work in your pyjamas is tempting, it still has a big effect on your working mind. You can still be comfy, but making the effort to shower, get dressed and do your hair and make-up is important as it creates that transition from waking up in the morning and being ready to work.

If you usually do your hair an make up, then make sure you do it for work. If makes you feel more awake, and ready for the day, then do it!

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ASPIRE feature

Natalie Cutler talks

The Rise of Feminist Theatre and Portfolio Careers Natalie Cutler left drama school and her career spiralled on an incredible journey, as an actor, writer, documentary creator and many more. Natalie is the definition of a modern woman with a portfolio career. After the successful run of her feminist theatre piece Not Yet Suffragette, she discussed her passion for feminism.

Words by Amy Stutz

N

ot Yet Suffragette is a feminist theatre piece, it is a one woman show about how not far we have come since the suffragette movement 100 years ago.

I sat down with Natalie Cutler, an actor, feminist, writer and all-round incredible woman. After finishing drama school at 18, Natalie used her inquisitive nature to mould a career for herself. “I travelled a lot,” says Natalie. “Working with different agencies that took me overseas, and whilst I was overseas I got to experience more of a worldly view. It was so fascinating to me, that what we think is world news here in the UK, people haven’t heard about in another part of the world.

It made me realise how unimportant what is going on

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where you are is, that was the first thing that triggered my interest, and so I started to look into what else was out there, that I wasn’t aware of in the UK.” This formed Natalie’s interest in culture spurring more travel and more experience, which led to her next project.

It is evident that feminist theatre has become incredibly popular, particularly in regards to topical issues, the conversation about sexism and feminism has risen.

Individuals such as Donald Trump, openly and outwardly being sexist, has made many people realise the extremity of the issues.

This is something that Natalie does in her one-woman play, through a mixture of history, comedy and narrative, she tells the story of feminism with an emphasis

on how far we still have to go. “I am aware that feminist theatre is becoming a thing, but I am also aware that it has always been a thing,” she says. “You can go back through the decades of theatre, we keep getting different waves of feminism. I think theatre and art will always be those things that reflect that, people always move where artists create.”

Natalie wants to create a piece of theatre that encompasses everyone, so both men and women see the show, and they either relate, or they realise. “Lots of sexism I encountered didn’t make it into the show,” explains Natalie. “I kind of didn’t want it to be personal and about me, I wanted them to realise the everyday issues that are out there.”

Topically, Natalie was faced with

sexism at work, she was forced to wear heels and when her feet were blistered and bruised, she told her boss she couldn’t wear them anymore and instantly got the sack.

“It wasn’t the end of the world, and was the best thing that could have happened to me at the time, but what annoys me more than that, is that I was working with other women who were also in pain and didn’t want to wear the shoes, but they were,” explains Natalie.

“What bothered me was that there were women with the same issue as me but they weren’t voicing it.

So because I looked like a minority, I was sent home. If all the women spoke up, they wouldn’t have sacked us all and we would have made a change. This is something that affects me in everything about life, it isn’t just feminism. They can’t sack everyone, they can’t imprison everyone and they can’t kill everyone. So if everyone just banded together, those kind of things wouldn’t be able to happen.”

Natalie describes her show as light-hearted, and she touches on alternative perspectives, not just a feminist’s view – which opens up the eyes of the audience. Natalie was keen to write a show about feminism, and enrolled in a standup comedy course. During the course, her teacher told her the best thing to do is to book a deadline, and then you are forced to create something. Whilst her teacher most likely meant a local gig, Natalie booked the Brighton Fringe, and had four months to create 55 more minutes of her one-woman play.

“I started with the stuff that is of my own opinion, so as a modern woman who maybe isn’t interested in marriage and family the way most women are, I always used to have to come up with reasons why I didn’t want those things, because even in today’s society, it isn’t always acceptable to not want marriage and children. I kept coming up with these little jokes and sketches that I would have to say to people in real life just to get them to understand where I was coming from, and they were quite entertained by it,” Natalie laughs.

She then went on to research into women’s history, and pulled

key moments out to use in her performance.

“I touch on the first woman to fight in WW1, her name is Flora Sands. People don’t know her story, so I tell WW1 from her perspective,” explains Natalie. She also includes people like Bella Raey, a professional footballer in World War 1. Women like Bella played football to raise money to fund the war, so it was a big contributor towards winning the war. “Bella was a big female football star in those years, she played for England, she was one of the best strikers in the country and when the war finished and all the men came home, the FA banned women from playing football,” Natalie says.

Aside from being an actor, Natalie has done a lot of other work. She is a strong writer, and hopes to open a new play very soon. As someone who has fallen in love with acting, she is still disheartened about the lack of strong female roles in both theatre and television. “People write about what they know,” she

said, and if majority of people in the industry are men, they are going to write about what they know and they don’t know about women. There needs to be more opportunity for women writers to write about that kind of stuff.

A story starts with the writer, a lot of people blame the director, but even directors don’t have a job until the writer has written them something for them to direct. The majority of writers are men so that is why I started writing.”

Natalie’s next project is to put on a play she has written about the 17 women who are currently in prison in El Salvador for having a miscarriage. She explains: “In El Salvador, abortion is illegal under all circumstances, rape, incest, you’re still not allowed even if your life is in danger and you’re going to die. Women who miscarry, the government see it is murder – it is your fault, you killed your child. So they sentence them to life sentences the same as a murderer. So my next play will be their story."

“You can go back through the decades of theatre and see that we keep getting different waves of feminism. I think theatre and art will always be those things that reflect that. People always move where artists create.”

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ASPIRE feature In this month's edition of Women in the Creative Industries we spoke to Sarah Crompton, ex Arts Editor of The Telegraph and now Freelance Theatre critic.

Women In the

Creative

industries

Words by Amy Stutz

F

lip through the pages of The Stage, and you’ll be lucky to find much written by a female arts critic. With a lack of women writing about the arts, Sarah Crompton stands out as one of the few women who cracked the industry. We spoke to her about her career, the gender pay gap, and being a working mother.

As the former Arts Editor in Chief at the Telegraph and now freelance arts writer, Sarah Crompton successfully achieved her dream in writing about ballet, and she has made an astounding name for herself in her extensive career of writing about theatre and the arts.

She explained: “I am at an age where people trained as journalists.

I met a dance critic that worked for The Times, I wrote him a letter and asked him how I can become a critic, and he advised me at that point to go into journalism as it was probably the best way to do it, so I went to university.”

After going to Oxford to do a post graduate degree in journalism, she graduated and got a job at the Coventry Evening Telegraph as a general news reporter. “Whilst I was there, obviously I was around Stratford, Warwick, Coventry and

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Birmingham, so I started to write about the arts in my spare time,” she said. Sarah then got another job writing for women’s magazines, whilst doing that for five years, she constantly kept writing about ballet in her free time and eventually got a job at the Telegraph. After about fifteen years at the Telegraph, Sarah left to become a freelance writer.

“I write fewer reviews now, I write more features about dance, theatre and art, and that has been a great pleasure.”

When I started thirty years ago it was such a different landscape, now with the internet it is such a huge world where you can write and have a view. It has changed so quickly and it is amazing.”

It is evident that there are a distinct lack of female arts writers

that are being published in national papers. I asked Sarah why she thinks there is such a shortage of female critics and writers, she said: “I don’t know, but there are more coming through and that is a good thing. I think it is because journalism, to some extent, has always been male dominated. The other thing is that if you get a job as an arts writer or critic, you tend to hang onto it because it is such a brilliant job, and an awful lot of the male critics have been enthroned for a very long time.”

She also touched upon the issues that women face with childcare, “I think the problems with being a reviewer as a woman, is to do with having children. There is a lot of going out and seeing stuff, and that means not seeing as much of your

“I want to have more women on stage and more women on stage in central roles - I just want women to have a voice.”

Maxine Peake playing Hamlet

“I think it is important that we put as many pictures of women on stage as we can.” children which creates childcare issues,” she said. Sarah is fortunate enough to have a husband that is hugely supportive and takes an equal share of everything.

Sarah explained: “You either need to earn so much money that you can afford incredibly good childcare, which of course without equal pay is quite hard, or you need a partner or parent to compromise in order for you to work. Regarding my own experience, I couldn’t have done it without my husband and I was lucky because I had two really good nannies.”

“I do think it is getting better, and a lot of the younger critics are women and that is great, because they are making opportunities for themselves through blogs. I think you want a much wider range of critics, you need different opinion and taste, and I think it is happening.”

Sarah then talked about an old colleague of hers, an arts writer on a national paper who said she didn’t want to have children. She said she couldn’t imagine having done her job with children because it involved her having to go out at the drop of a hat. She wouldn’t be able to go somewhere and change all of her plans for the day. “So it is very hard, and I think the women coming up will have those decisions to make,” Sarah added.

Highlighting the issue of a lack of strong female roles, actress Maxine Peake took on the role of Hamlet in the Royal Exchange’s production.

Sarah emphasised the importance of gender roles being reversed in theatre. “I think it is great, but it is important to recognise that it has been going on a long time.

For example, Sarah Bernhardt’s Hamlet, even the male critics that didn’t want to like it, did like it,” Sarah explained. She thinks it is hugely important that women say: “We can play these parts,” and the more it happens, the better it will be across all theatre and art forms.

Sarah feels that part of the

discrimination women face is because of the images we have of women. “They are not portrayed as leaders, nor portrayed as people making decisions. Women don’t tend to be the central part in many plays and films, and that affects everybody because both men and women only see one element of women’s lives.”

Sarah thinks that taking traditionally male parts and having women play them, is one way we can move forward in regards to discrimination in theatre. “We must encourage drama that highlights women’s voices, women’s worries and women’s personality,” she said.

As there are a lack of plays with strong female roles, Sarah thinks that is something theatres need to think about when they produce a season. She explained: “They need to realise what a season of plays look like, I’m not saying that every play should have dominant women, but when people are thinking about seasons they need to think about where they can include strong women. I don’t think it is difficult, it is refreshing to have diversity.”

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ASPIRE feature

SWITCH IT OFF It's time for a technology detox Words by Sophie Hollands Photography by Sian Hamer and Sophie Hollands

I

t feels like wherever you look people are fixated on one thing, to the point where mobile phones are a substitute for the simplicity of human conversation.

Friends go out for dinner and each iPhone is perfectly placed next to their food which has probably already been posted on Twitter and Instagram prior to taking their first bite. People sit on public transport and take part in what appears to be a phone-using frenzy, when you’ve probably missed your stop because you’re too focused on your phone.

You’re at a concert and most of the

time you find yourself watching the artist you paid £60 to see, on the person in front’s phone whilst they film Beyoncé for their snapchat story, rather than being present in the moment. The issue isn’t the fact that it’s happening, because granted, we do live in a digital age, which has invented ground breaking technology for the human race. The issue is that people are missing special moments with friends, family and themselves in order to see what Kendall Jenner had for breakfast.

A recent study by mobileinsurance. com showed that the average person

spends time amounting to 23 days of the year on their mobile phone, with the highest percentage being used for social media and gaming.

Imagine if that time was reduced and you spent it doing things for you, your family or your friends.

Here at Aspire, we know how hard it can be to switch off from social media and work emails that still come through at 8pm. Here is a plan that will stop you from reaching for your iPhone and forces you to invest a few hours of your day into yourself, because there is more to life than likes, favourites and retweets.

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ASPIRE feature

Don’t freak out This isn’t a guide that stops you from using your phone for days on end, it uses a few hours of your morning, evening or afternoon. Make sure it fits into your day, so your mind isn’t elsewhere

Switch it off The easiest thing to do is switch your phone off, that way no notifications can come through that will divert your attention away from your R&R time, and you won’t be tempted to reply to Richard at the office on a Friday night at 9pm. If switching it off doesn’t help, then place it in another room – out of sight out of mind.

"The issue is that people are missing special moments with friends, family and themselves in order to see what Kendall Jenner had for breakfast."

Relax your way Reading doesn’t just have to be for the sunbed on holiday when your hotel Wi-Fi is too expensive, indulge in a different kind of story than the ones on Snapchat. Reading can transform your way of thinking and relax you, without you even noticing. Read what you enjoy – if you like reading about people’s lives then flick through a biography, or re-read that classic Harry Potter novel from years ago. If having a long bath, filled with candles and your favourite bath bomb relaxes you then do it!

Spend your time doing something you love.

Make Conversation If you live with people, go and talk to them, ask them about their day, offer advice or you could even talk about this detox you’re doing.

Conversation can be something so fulfilling, yet so simple and more often than not is substituted with a text or tweet which removes the opportunity for any conversation.

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ASPIRE feature

Lights out If you are doing this detox in the evening then you might be super sleepy by now, so head to bed. It’s important you don’t give in, if you need to turn your phone on again to set an alarm then don’t be tempted to click on your social media apps. The use of your phone before bed has been proven to disrupt sleep, making getting up for your 7am meeting a lot harder. If you really got into that book earlier then pick it up again and carry on reading. If the routine has well and truly relaxed you, then it’s time to hit the hay.

Schedule if necessary In the millennial world of influencers, blogging and social media there are many jobs that require the constant use of the internet, Twitter and Instagram. As these jobs aren’t primarily 9 to 5, then perhaps schedule your tweets prior to your relaxation so all your bases are covered.

do it daily Even though this particular detox means you are refined to your home, it doesn’t mean you can’t do little things throughout your day to reduce the use of your phone and social media. If you’re heading to a meeting and you’re looking at Twitter whilst waiting for a bus or a cab, stop, put it down and just look up to see what’s around you – you’ll be surprised what you missed by being on your phone, like pretty buildings, your favourite coffee shop and the different people you pass.

If you get a lunchbreak, spend that time enjoying the food you’re eating or the coffee you’re drinking. Rather than checking the ‘in case you missed it’ tweets on your homepage because let’s be honest, you probably didn’t miss much.

"In a world full of filters and Photoshop, it’s so important to stop living your life electronically and to look up, take in the world, nature, and the people that surround you."

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ASPIRE feature

This month I tried

MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness is rising in popularity, although it has been practiced internationally for thousands of years it has recently had a resurgence in interest. I dedicated a part of my day every day for a month to the practice to see if I could experience the benefits.

Photography and words by Sian Hamer

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ASPIRE feature

W

e live in an age where almost anything is accessible with the touch of a button or the swipe of a finger. Feeling hungry?

There’s an app for that. Need a chat? There’s an app for that. But what about when you’re not feeling yourself? Sure, there’s an array of apps that guarantee to brighten your day and diagnose the problem, but they’re just a short term quick fix. In a world as fast paced and digitally controlled as 2017, is switching off from technology the answer?

Simplicity is something that is often drowned by the overload of modern technology. Faster, newer, bigger, brighter. All key phrases which try to persuade us that what we have isn’t good enough and that we should always strive for the newest piece of kit on the market. Then, when you finally get your hands on the latest upgrade, the shine soon wears off, and before you know it you’re already browsing your next future purchase.

But when you take a step back and go offline you realise that your happiness isn’t confined to something

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Surpisingly, my thoughts seemed to slow down and I felt I had more control of what I was feeling

that feels fused to the palm of your hand.

Mindfulness is a practice that has been happening internationally for thousands of years. Mindfulness, simply explained, is focusing one’s awareness on the present moment and living in the now. This is usually done through breathing and meditation and can help reduce stress and anxiety as it puts your focus in on what’s happening right now, instead of worrying about the future.

I began attempting mindfulness last year. I had become so obsessed with my mobile and being online that I began to detest the habit and myself for being unable to break it.

I wanted to be able to be alone, in silence, without becoming restless at the thought of just being still. And just being.

After briefly researching the topic I decided to embrace this new ideology. I made myself comfortable, closed my eyes and focused entirely on my breathing. My thinking wasn’t muted instantly as this is something which will not grant you an

instantaneous result. Instead it takes patience and an open mind. The longer I sat still, my eyes closed and my mind focused on filling my lungs fully and deflating them as much as I could, the more I noticed my thoughts. Instead of them swirling uncontrollably through my mind like a destructive tornado, I could watch them from a distance, as though they were passing clouds on a blue sky.

I was no longer consumed by them, controlled by them. They didn’t define me or my feelings and it was refreshing.

I’ve even practiced mindfulness on public transport and in waiting rooms. It’s something that can be channelled anywhere, if you put your mind to it.

Unfortunately, one sitting isn’t a long-term fix. Mindfulness is more than just a practice, it’s a mindset.

But the introduction of mindfulness into my life has benefited it in more ways than I could have imagined.

Do some research, have some fun and enjoy the practice, maybe mindfulness could become part of your daily routine.

PHOTO: SHIR LEVI

ASPIRE feature

WATCH Shir Levi

READ The Power of Now Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now is an international bestseller.

It offers an insight into spiritual mindfulness through a question and answer format from Tolle, a spiritual teacher.

An inspiring YouTube channel with weekly content from Shir Levi who shares her own experiences in fun and creative ways. Her videos are relatable, real and comforting and will introduce new ideas into your life.

BE INSPIRED

Mindfulness is popular everywhere right now, be inspired from a variety of different mediums

READ WATCH

PHOTO: HOLISTIC HABITS

Holistic Habits

Holistic Habits has been creating content on YouTube for years and has almost half a million subscribers. She uploads daily routines, creative recipes and fun challenges weekly. Her videos are always uplifting and inspirational and is definitely worth a subscribe.

The Secret

Rhona Byrne

The Secret is based on the earlier film of the same name. It is a self help book focused on the law of attraction and teaches that positive thinking can change your entire life.

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ASPIRE lifestyle

AVOCADO OR

AVOCADON'T? Words and photography by Amy Stutz

T

he world has developed an immense obsession with avocados.

The Facts

It is incredible that you quite literally can't • turn a corner or scroll through social media without being bombarded with the Mexican fruit.

• Branded as a 'healthy fat', everyone appears to be jumping on board the avocado bus, and mixing it into everything they eat.

Avocados have been around a very long time, however • if you look back and think of the first time you saw an avocado, your mind probably won't cast back much further than the days of instagram.

Now dominating instagram feeds and hipster menus, it is• a hype that I believe has gotten completely out of control.

It has become a fashion icon, and one that I can't seem to relate to. I recently strolled into a relatively hipster brunch spot in Manchester's Northern Quarter, and discovered that there wasn't one dish on their menu that didn't contain the ever-popular avocado.

However not only is it plastered all over our menus, I now seem to stumble across it constantly in shops other than the supermarket. Walking into popular clothes shops, I find t-shirts, pyjamas and even lingerie branded with the fruit - and I am perplexed as to where this hype spurred from, and how it is taking over the world?

So I went to the superarket, grabbed a supply of avocados and made a few simple and easy recipes to see what the hype is all about by rating them out of 5.

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Avocados are a fruit, NOT a vegetable They are loaded with fibre, healthy omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, C, E and potassium.

Avocados help fight stress due to their multitude of B vitamins.

They contain 4 grams of protein, making them the fruit that contains the highest amount of protein.

ASPIRE lifestyle

Colourful avocado salad Recipe

Chop up a handful of rocket, cucumber, peppers, red onion and avocado and then top with a sprinkling of grated carrot. Add a dash of black pepper and glaze with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Avocado Rating Didn't add much additional flavour

Mexican guacamole Recipe

Scoop out two avocados, chop finely and then use a spoon to mash it in a bowl. Add chopped red onion and chopped tomato, then squeeze the juice from a lime. Add a dash of tabasco for a feisty flavour.

Avocado Rating Sensational spicy flavours - ideal snack

Avo-inspired breakfast Recipe

Toast and butter a wholemeal bagel, then crack two eggs into a bowl. Whisk eggs and then pop them in a hot oiled pan, and use a spoon to scamble them.

Scoop out an avocado and chop it into small pieces.

Place eggs and avocado on the bagel and sprinkle with black pepper.

Avocado Rating Okay, but eggs are better on their own

Simple Avocado on Toast Recipe

Toast two small pieces of sourdough bread.

Meanwhile, scoop out an avocado and use a spoon to mash it up. Add a drop of lemon juice before mixing it together and spread it generously on the toast.

Avocado Rating Lived up to the hipster hype

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ASPIRE review

The Muse

By Jessie Burton

Prepare to be inspired, entranced and transported by a literary genius

T

his story will capture your imagination.

It will describe characters so well that you will almost feel you knew them as a friend. I started The Muse without much expectation yet ended with a reinvigorated love for literature.

The book alternates between two stories, led by two protagonists. Odelle Bastien is an enigmatic yet charming character whose curiosity fuels her story in London. After leaving her undesirable job at a shoe shop, she can’t believe her luck when she starts her new job at an art gallery. It is here that she meets the people who change her life with their endless secrets and mystery.

Olive Schloss is the

Photographs and words by Sian Hamer

second protagonist of the book who we meet following her move to Spain from London. Her story follows the burden of hiding her passion from her parents, a revolution in Spain and the heartache of first love.

The descriptions of the scenery and settings are so vivid that you can almost feel the warmth of the Spanish sun and the contrasting bustle of central London whilst the plot will consistently leave you on edge, surprising you with sudden plot twists.

When you finish the story and unravel the mysteries you’ll leave the book feeling a slight emptiness that these characters are confined to the pages and you have finished your journey with them.

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Milk and Honey Rupi Kaur

The Shepherd’s Life James Rebanks

Her poetry deals with violence, abuse and femininity and has sold more than half a million copies. Described as an Instapoet, Kaur began posting her work on Instagram before being published. It is a refreshing take on poetry.

The Shepherd’s Life was a surprise hit of 2016 and offers a realistic escapism which will intrigue an interest you never knew you had.

Explore the Lake District with vivid descriptions and real stories about the hardships, struggles and beauty of being a farmer in these challenging landscapes.

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MONICA VINADER www.monicavinader.com

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