Sarah's Closet

Is seeing believing?! You make the call...

2012-02-16T14:48:00.002-07:00

Just another image I saw that made me think for a second.
I don't know if you have seen the Dove Evolution video (I also can't remember if I have posted it already before or not) but here it is.

And before you think that this is only a woman's issue, check this out...

Makes you wonder about what else you've seen as "real", doesn't it.

It also makes me wonder, why are we doing this to ourselves? As a population at what point are we going to be fed up with what we are being told is "real" and really start seeing and appreciating what IS real?

xoxo - S

the "Ideal" Size?

2012-02-06T22:11:00.001-07:00

I saw this and thought I should post it.

Think of it as food for thought.

What does this say about how women see themselves?

What does this say about how men see women?

What does this say about how women think men see them?

How does this compare to the "average"?

How do you define beauty?

Think about it...

xoxo - S

Fat Free Talk!!!

2011-10-19T16:01:00.001-06:00

I can't believe I almost forgot about this!

It's International Fat Talk Free Week!

You can get all your info, press kits, images etc @ http://endfattalk.org/

I will post more about this as well as materials from the site soon!!!

xoxo - S

Healing

2011-09-21T13:29:00.000-06:00

So, I have been kind of encouraging people to journal and try out a few new things in terms of personal growth and healing. Turns out, doing craft's might have some healing properties too. When I say crafts, I refer to activities that often fall outside the concept of art. Think knitting, embroidery, decoupage, per-fabricated packaged craft/art kits, jewelry making etc. I have posted an article about the same on my Personal Wellth
blog for you to take a look at. You may already be doing something that has healing properties!

xoxo - S

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

We Collect Joy

2011-09-14T17:54:00.002-06:00

I am a firm believer in the power of healing that creativity provides. I think that sometimes we each just need some visual stimulation to get the creative juices flowing again. With that in mind I am passing on the first issue of We Collect Joy for you to have a visual feast upon. It is a visual and intellectual smorgasbord of both the visual arts, and information about why creativity is so important. And for any of you who have been looking at doing some journalling, there are quotes to make you think.

Enjoy!
xoxo-S

The Mountain

2011-09-13T09:13:00.000-06:00

I tried to climb the mountain today. As I inched my way up the path, I felt out of breath and had to turn back.

I tried to climb the mountain today. But, It was so hot outside, I thought I had better stay in my nice air-conditioned house and rest up for tomorrow's attempt.

I tried to climb the mountain today. On my journey, darkness started to fall and I was full of fear, so I had to return to a safe place.

I was ready to climb the mountain today. But I had so may other things to do, so instead of climbing the mountain I took care of the much more important tasks; I washed my car, mowed the grass and watched the big game. Today the mountain will have to wait.

I was going to climb the mountain today. But as I stared at the mountain in all it's majestic beauty, I knew I had no chance of making it to the top, so I figured why even begin trying.

I had forgotten about climbing the mountain today, until an old friend came by and asked what I was up to lately. I told him about all my plans to climb that mountain someday. I went on and on about how I was going to accomplish the task. He stopped me and said, "I just got back from climbing that mountain. for the longest time I told myself I was going to try to climb it but never made any progress. I almost let the dream of making it to the top die. I came up with every excuse of why I could not make it up the mountain, but never once did I give myself a reason why I could. One day as I stared at the mountain and pondered, I realized that if I didn't make an attempt at this dream all my dreams would eventually die. The next morning, I started my climb. It was not easy, and at times I wanted to quit. But no matter what I faced, I placed one foot in front of the other, keeping a steady pace. When the wind tried to blow me over the edge, I kept walking. When the voices inside my head screamed, stop! I focused on my goal, never letting it out of sight. I kept moving forward. I could not quit because I knew I had come too far to stop now. Time and time again, I reassured myself that I was going to finish this journey. I struggled mightily to make it to the top, but I CLIMBED THE MOUNTAIN."

"I have to be going," my friend said. "Tomorrow is a new day to accomplish more dreams. By the way what are you going to do tomorrow?"

I looked at him, with intensity and confidence in my eyes, and said, "I HAVE A MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB."

~ Author unknown

No matter what your mountain is, you need start the climb before you will reach the top. The only thing stopping you is YOU!!! You can do it, I know you can

xoxo - S

2011-09-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

2011-09-10T09:23:00.001-06:00

Something New!!!

2011-09-09T13:43:00.000-06:00

In order to really focus this blog on what I originally intended it for (to look at how personal beauty is shaped by society), I have decided to start a new blog. Personal Wellth will focus on self-help resources, therapeutic modalities and pass along any neat information I find pertaining to the counselling world. I really hope you will join me there as there will be a wider range of ressources and topics discussed.
Have no fear however, I will be continuing Sarah's Closet... maybe having the second blog will give me more to write about :)
So check out Personal Wellth
Thanks
xoxo -S

Domestic Violence vs. Art ???

2011-09-07T14:13:00.003-06:00

I am going to divert from my regular topic a little bit here to discuss a disturbing new trend that was brought to my attention over the past few days. In the span of 24 hours I was sent links to two different sites with photography of women who appeared to have been abused. Granted, they may also just have black eyes, but there is little information provided about the photos are about. Basically, what is unclear from the images is what the purpose of these photos is.

The first is for Fluid Salon whose images are part of a "Look good in all you do" campaign. The campaign also has images depicting a homeless woman on a mattress, a women serving tea to an elderly couple and a woman on a construction site (can be seen here). Since having these images questioned publicly, Fluid has removed the image from their site, explaining that the photo was meant as art and they had not intended to offend anyone. They also started donating proceeds from work done by anyone mentioning the ad to a women's shelter in Edmonton.

The second set of photos come to us curtsey of Tyler Shields . He recently photographed Heather Morris (of Glee) with a black eye. They depict her lying on a ironing board, being tied up with an iron and drinking (yes drinking) from an iron. The tag line at the beginning of the post is "Even Barbie Bruises".

Comment around both sets of images range from disgusted and seeing it as "shock art" to others who feel it is bringing important imagery to the forefront and that art is supposed to make people uncomfortable and think. Some have argued that there is nothing stating that it is about abuse while others are upset that there is nothing to say it isn't about abuse. Clearly these images have started a conversation around what is social acceptable in both art and advertising as well as started a conversation around domestic violence in society.

While I can appreciate art and the creation behind it, I do wonder how much of this was done for shock value versus creating meaningful art. While I do agree that art should make the viewer think, I think that there is also a line between was is in good taste. There are advertising (which is mainly a visual art field) laws in place to protect both corporations AND people. It could be argued that images of this nature could be re-traumatizing for people who have survived abuse.

So why is this important on a page focusing on how personal beauty is defined? One could argue that visual art helps shape what society views as beauty. Another perspective could be that advertising has a huge impact on what is accepted in North American culture.Either way, these images could be shaping how a women in an abusive relationship views herself. Could it empower her to leave? Maybe. Could it make her think that abuse isn't that big a deal or happens to everyone? Maybe.

I think that the important thing to take from this is how do the images make YOU feel. What do you think?

xoxo -S

2011-09-03T08:00:00.001-06:00

The rhythm of the body
the melody of the mind
and the harmony of the soul
create the symphony of life
It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.
~B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life

Sun Salutation

2011-09-02T08:00:00.001-06:00

A time for me

2011-09-01T15:59:00.001-06:00

In North America, September is often seen as a time for new starts. This probably has something to do with the fact that school starts in September, summer holidays are now over and we are preparing for the upcoming winter. It might also have something to do with the fact that the year is more then half over and people begin to realize that there is little time left to complete those new years resolutions.

Put me in that last category... I have been saying all year that I wanted to spend more time focusing on me and what I need. With that in mind, I have decided to look more into what I need in all facets of my life: physically, emotionally and spiritually. I think for me the best way to start this is to be more mindful of all my actions. Yoga is often linked to both a heightened self awareness and mindfulness. In an effort to be more mindful, I am starting using the OM at Home yoga journal. I love it because it has divided the year into the seasons and provides a different series of poses for each. It also provides a pose for each week in the season and encourages you to record thoughts, as well as provide a question or statement to consider.

If this is something you want to look at or want more information on mindfulness, I encourage you to read Meditation, Mindfulness, Yoga and Self-Care.You can also use the Meditation Record to record your thoughts, feelings and any changes you notice while becoming more mindful.

xoxo-S

2011-09-01T08:00:00.006-06:00

Gratitude
unlocks the fullness of life. It
turns what we have into enough,
and more. It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn
a meal into a feast, a house into a
home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace
for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
~Melody Beattie

I know, I know

2011-08-31T13:36:00.000-06:00

I have said it about a billion times, but this time I mean it...

I WILL be writing more. In fact, I have already gotten my first post for tomorrow started (it's not done, but at least it's started!).

I plan to spend some time looking at self reflection and meditation and their importance in self image.

I have also been adding to the resource section, so you might want to check that out while you wait fir my new posts! (I know y'all are waiting with baited breath!)

So stay tuned, as I am going to try and get on top of this blogging thing!

xoxo - S

2011-06-15T04:57:00.000-06:00

2011-06-07T04:18:00.000-06:00

2011-06-05T03:54:00.000-06:00

2011-06-04T05:13:00.000-06:00

2011-06-03T05:11:00.003-06:00

2011-06-02T04:53:00.000-06:00

2011-06-01T04:30:00.000-06:00

2011-05-31T04:15:00.000-06:00