Take only Memories

Turning 30: Week 28 - Discipline vs Regret

2013-06-17T07:19:00.001-07:00

“We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment.” - Jim Rohn

When I read this quote in an article about how to write 300,000 words a year (by Chris Guillebeau), it really struck a chord with me. Last week I started going to a scriptwriting workshop to finally have an incentive and a deadline to write my script. I stumbled upon Chris's blog while procrastinating and figuring out how to actually sit down and write the script.

Regret is such a strange emotion. It doesn't serve any real purpose other than motiving us to do things differently next time. For me that very rarely works. It's more likely that I find myself in a never ending circle of regrets. But Rohn's quote got me thinking that if I change how I look at work I can decide if it's worth the regret later.

Woody Allen said that "80 percent of success is just showing up". Meaning that success it's not really about being a genius, it's about sitting down and doing the work. And look at him, he releases a new film every year! As soon as one is at the cinemas, he starts writing the next one. I have so much respect for Woody's work ethics!

Some suggestions on how to actually get things done:

Turn your internet off (or at least use a program that bans you from using social media)!
Set a timer for 45 minutes. You can trick your mind by saying 'it's only 45 mins' and you'll be surprised at how much you can get done in that time! According to John Cleese, you should stay put even if you don't have any ideas right now. Stare at the screen for 45 minutes if you have to but don't get distracted and start doing something else. After the 45 minutes, if you're having fun, set the timer again!
Make it a habit! Write (draw, sew or whatever you want to do) every day. If possible even at the same time. It might be difficult to force yourself to be disciplined for a couple of weeks but as soon as something becomes a habit, it's not really discipline anymore but a way of life.

Personally I'm going to hang both of those quotes above my desk, so that the next time I can't get myself to do something, I'll be reminded that I have a choice: To sit down and do it anyway or to live with the regret of not having done it!

How do you get yourself to be more productive?

Turning 30: Week 27 - How to Improve your Networking Skills

2013-06-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Why is it that Networking is so damn difficult? Any marketing genius will tell you that networking is the key to success. From Scott Dinsmore saying that 'you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with' to Derek Severs saying that 'It's all who you know' we constantly hear that we need to expand our network to be more successful.

I set off to go to the International Short Film Festival in Hamburg last week, in part, to do just that! Meet some new people in the (short) film industry and, of course, to get inspired by the films to make more of my own. I was all excited to get to know interesting filmmakers and talk about possible future collaborations.

But when I got there, I froze. I mustered up the courage to congratulate a few directors on their great work but only chatted with them for a few minutes before panicking and excusing myself. They seemed busy and I didn't want to keep them from talking to their friends or whoever they were with. So silly, right?!

To be better prepared for future networking events, I came up with a list of things to do:

1. Mentally prepare a few questions before approaching the person!

Instead of just walking up and saying "Cool film/painting/photo!" already have a few open ended questions prepared (none that can be answered with yes or no). "What inspired you to have the cowboy ride a dog instead of a horse?" or "My favorite part was when the penguin drank the mojito! How did you manage to have him use a straw?"

2. You are valuable to them!
Don't think that you're bothering your fellow creatives. They might be looking to collaborate with someone just like you, you might have some insights to their work that could be interesting to them or you might know people that they want to connect with. Don't be shy about approaching them, know that knowing you is going to be good for them.

3. Have a business card!

This seems pretty obvious but I personally don't have business cards (yet) so I thought I'd include it here. If the person you're talking to wants to stay in touch with you, it's just easier to give them your card with your email, website and phone number on it instead of explaining why your Facebook name is Princess Jasmine but your real name is Raj Koothrappali (let me just spell that for you).

4. Be memorable!

This is almost a life hack. Be awesome, be memorable. You can wear memorable clothes, glasses, or hairstyles but most importantly say interesting stuff. When you approach someone to talk about their work, make the conversation about them. Compliment their work (of course only if you really like it) but also talk about yourself a bit. Tell them what cool thing you've recently worked on or that you've just come back from a trip to Antarctica. Obviously don't be arrogant about it.

5. Be thoughtful and listen!

Really listen to what the other person is saying. Don't just nod your head and think about how you can impress them next. Listen and react to what they're saying. It will make the conversation much better and more meaningful.

Number 6, which should probably be number 1 is: have fun! Enjoy meeting new people, you don't have to be scared! They are just human and are most likely just as intimidated by networking as you are.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Vanessa xx

5 Ways to Get an Easy Win

2013-06-06T02:37:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you just need a win. My friend Jon and I were talking about that a little while back when we were both feeling down. We were both longing for something to just go right, to just have one win.

Here a 5 fun ways to achieve fairly easy wins to lift your spirits. Once you feel better it'll be easier to get those big wins you want as well.

1. Take a Yoga Class
It's amazing how stiff our bodies can get and how over the course of one yoga class the body melts and loosens. Your first forward fold might feel awkward and a bit painful but at the end of the class your spine will be soft and you'll be able to bend over so much further. Win!

2. Play a Computer Game
Shoot some birds at some pigs or fire plants at zombies. Whatever kind of phone or computer game you like, play it for a bit. This might not be a 'life win' but it'll give you the satisfaction of having achieved something. Win!

3. Add new Tiny Habits
Tiny Habits was created by BJ Frogg. He shows you how you can create new habits by starting with very small changes. I recently took part in a one week challange of adding 3 tiny habits to my day and it was great! I'm still doing 2 out of the 3 weeks later. It's super easy and only takes 30 seconds a day per habit. Win!

4. Challenge your Brain
Do a Sudoku or a crossword puzzle. The key is that it has to be challenging but not impossible. Don't start with the New York Times crossword puzzle if you're not used to it, go with something that will make you think but that you can finish. Win!

5. Chose the Salad over the Pizza
If you're like me and want to eat healthy but tend to go for the unhealthy option at restaurants, make the 'good' choice next time you go! Take the salad or the soup instead of the pasta or pizza. It'll feel great. Win!

Turning 30: Week 26 - The Half Way Point

2013-06-03T02:14:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday Everyone! While typing the title, I only just realized that I'm half way through my Turning 30 Project! I'm quite glad that I get to celebrate it with a movie styled photo shoot because a big part of the project is for me to live a more creative life.

But let's be honest about how the project is going:

The project started at a point where I was very unhappy with myself and my life. I had a day job that I really didn't like, I was pretty depressed most of the time and felt very stuck. Looking at the first video back in November, you can see how unsure of myself I was at the time and how my goal was really more of an unattainable dream.

After realizing that I could live off my savings for a while and quitting my job, it became clear to me that even though quitting felt great I was just completely out of balance. Unfulfilled.

In step 1, the hoarding stage, I gathered lots of information about how to live a fuller life. Realizing that I was generally unhappy and that no job would change that, I started eating better, doing yoga, treating others and myself in a kinder way, along with more positive changes.

Step 2 was to get as much information about marketing and self marketing as I could. If you're interested, I'd be happy to share my research with you soon. Now I am sort of at step 3, where I already feel much better about my life and myself and I am really happy most of the time (how cool is that?!). I am now (a bit too) slowly using my newly learned marketing skills to promote myself as an actress.

I still have doubts about my future and still don't know how or if I can live off acting (or another creative job) by the end of the year but I am in such a different place. I can already say that this project has helped me immensely. A big part of that was your support, so thank you so much! Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions about the 30 project, I'm more than happy to pass on what I've learned and inspire you to start living a happier life as well!

Some exciting news:
1. The Winner of the iPad Mini Giveaway is Rachele of the Nearsighted Owl. Congrats!
2. The lovely Beautycalypse was kind enough to interview me for her blog. Check it out.

Get Inspired by Gourmet Food at the KaDeWe

2013-05-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies, as much as I love food I find it difficult to always come up with new recipes. We end up eating a variation of the same meal all the time which can get boring quickly. Of course cook books are great for inspiration, that's what they're there for (duh!).

But what I like to do is check the frozen and prepared food isle at whatever shop I'm at. I never buy that stuff but it can give me great inspiration for what to cook. This time I took it a step further and went to the gourmet food section of a big and fancy department store here in Berlin called KaDeWe.

I'm such a foodie and love beautifully prepared food, so this was super fun for me. I got a ton of inspiration that I'm hoping to share with you over the coming weeks.

Where do you get your recipe inspiration from?

Turning 30: Week 25 - Be a Doer not a Talker!

2013-05-27T03:42:00.001-07:00

Hey guys and mostly girls! It's Monday and there is no video! Whaaaat?! I have some shocking news for you: I will not be making weekly video updates of my Turning 30 Project anymore. I may still make some once in a while but not every week. I can practically hear you sobbing in front of your screens now. I'm sorry! Not to worry though, I'll keep posting updates on Mondays but written, not filmed.

What brought me to this difficult decision? As much as I loved making the videos they took a long time to make. Roughly about one day each from start to finish. So each week I spent one day making a video where I talked about what I could/should/would do. After a few readers said that I'd make a great life coach, I freaked!

I don't want to inspire you by talking about cool stuff, I want to inspire you by DOING cool stuff! So, I've decided to spend that one day on creating things that I love and hopefully that you'll enjoy, too. That could be anything: short films, photos, drawings, writing or whatever else seems fun. I'm so excited! Let others be the talkers, let us be the doers!

Have a wonderful and creative week, everyone. Vanessa xx

P.S. Thank you so much peeps who filled out the tiny survey about me last week. It really helped! It's still open and only takes 2 minutes. Just click HERE. Thank you!

Healthy Eating: Recipe for Spring Pea Soup - Vegetarian or Vegan and Gluten Free

2013-05-24T03:00:00.002-07:00

After my Coco Choc Ball recipe was such a success, here is another one. This time nice and hearty. This is actually a traditional German recipe (with a healthy, vegetarian twist) but I got the idea from Lisa of Whole Health Designs. A modified recipe was part of my cleanse. I called it Spring Soup cause I made it first in the Spring but you can eat it anytime of the year.

This is what you need (Serves 2):
Use organic ingredients where you can.

- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (or to taste)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups fresh or frozen peas
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 vegan or vegetarian sausages
- lemon juice to taste
- Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- optional: bread

And here is how to make it:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot and sauté the onion in it for a couple of minutes. Add the peas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat an let it simmer for 15 minutes. While that is happening, cut the vegetarian/ vegan sausages into small pieces and fry them in the remaining oil. After the 15 minutes are up, use a ladle to put half the soup in a blender. Puree until it's smooth and pour it back into the pot. Stir it together, then add the sausages and lemon juice, sea salt and ground pepper to taste. Have it with or without bread.

P.S. Have you all entered the iPad Mini giveaway? You have until the 30th of May to do so. Good luck!

TV Crush: Get inspired by '2 Broke Girls'

2013-05-22T05:47:00.001-07:00

Let's talk about the show 2 Broke Girls. It's funny, smart and current. Is that why I chose to talk about this one over of all the other great TV series out there? No! I chose it because it's special. How many shows do you know that are mainly about girls? A few, I suppose. There is Sex and the City, Girls, Gossip Girl (disclaimer, I haven't seen Gossip Girl but judging by the name it's about girls) and probably a few more. Now, how many shows do you know that are about girls where their main goal in life is not finding the perfect guy? I hear crickets chirping...

2 Broke Girls is about 2 broke girls (duh!) trying to make an honest living. Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) have a dream: to open their own cupcake business. Every episode is about how they get closer or further away from their goal. Caroline Channing grew up with a lot of money until her dad got sent to prison for tax fraud. Now she has nothing left but her pearl necklace, her horse and a lot of business know how. Max Black, on the other hand, never had any money but is street smart and knows how to bake a hell of a tasty cup cake (I wish I could say I have tasted them...they do look great!).

They room together, work at the same diner together and also want to get into business together (I'm not gonna go into any spoilers here). Basically, they kick ass and try to make the most of their situation. It's so refreshing to watch a show where girls have actual problems and they take action. It's inspiring to see them fight for their dream in every episode. Sure, once in a while there is boy or they talk about make up or fashion but that is just not what the show is about and that's why I love it. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend checking it out.

Yep, I drew the above picture. You can see more of my drawings HERE.

Turning 30: Week 24 - The Personal Blind Spot or How do people see you?

2013-05-20T11:13:00.003-07:00

Happy happy Monday, peeps! I am especially happy (and tired) today because I went to the premiere of Ken and Allan Make a World Wide Web Series. It's a very funny new show that I got to be in. It'll come out on youtube this Saturday and I'll tell you more about it soon!

Today's video is about self perception vs outside perception. And how to get rid of your personal blind spot. Check out the video above to get all the details.

I am in the middle of redoing all my personal marketing for acting and you guys would help me so much if you could fill out THIS very short questionnaire about me (it'll take no more than 2 minutes, I promise!). Don't hold back, go nuts! Thank you, you rock my socks off!

Have a wonderful week, Vanessa xx

Disclaimer: Obviously I did not make King Kong and the pictures belong to RKO Radio Pictures.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Balls - Vegan & Gluten Free!

2013-05-17T02:12:00.000-07:00

Since doing my cleanse I suddenly have wonderful cravings for whole foods. I felt so much better while cutting out gluten, lactose, sugar and many other things and eating more fresh vegetables and whole grains. Now I'm trying to find a balance eating healthy while not feeling deprived. I want to start sharing the changes I am making to my diet, exercise and wellness routines with you. They are part of my Turning 30 project, my quest for a better life! I hope I can inspire you to jump on the healthy wagon with me!

These dark chocolate coconut balls (or Bounty Balls as I like to call them) are vegan, gluten free with an option of making them refined sugar free. They are sweet as heaven and made from wonderful and healthy ingredients. Side note: let's not confuse healthy with low calorie, don't go crazy and eat'em all at once! I got the inspiration through THIS recipe by the wonderful Beth of Tasty Yummies.

Let's get started! Use organic ingredients whenever possible. They are pricier but your body will thank you. This recipe makes 23-27 balls, depending on the size. Here is what you need:

The filling:- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut, finely shredded

- 1/2 cup coconut oil

- 1/4 cup maple syrup

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The choc coat:

- 6 ounces (170g) dark chocolate

OR if you don't want to use any refined sugar, mix these for the coat:

- 6 ounces 100% unsweetened dark chocolate

- 1 tablespoon coconut oil

- 1/3 cup maple syrup

Measurements for non-Americans: Let's face it, a lot of the online recipes are from the States and they tend to use cups (weird but who am I to judge). At some point I measured one of my tea cups and it was a close enough fit so now I'm always using that instead of converting measurements every time.

This is what you need to do:

1. Melt the coconut oil in a double boiler. As you can see, I filled a large pot with some water and let it boil, then put a smaller pot inside. The water doesn't actually touch the small pot. The steam is enough to melt it. But watch out, that steam is frickin hot! Don't burn yourself!

2. Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl. Make sure all of the shredded coconut is covered by the oil.

3. Put the mix in the freezer for 30 mins. This will make it easier to form the little balls.

4. After the 30 mins, melt the chocolate in the double boiler. While that is happening, form the coconut mix into little balls.

5. When the chocolate is melted, use two spoons to dip the balls in the chocolate (one by one). This should happen quite quickly, before the coconut gets too hot and falls apart again.

6. Sprinkle some shredded coconut on top and then put everything back in the freezer. You can eat it after another 30 minutes or so. Keep the min the freezer or fridge so they don't melt. Enjoy!

5 Things we can learn from our Cats!

2013-05-15T01:58:00.000-07:00

Catastrophe, our little cat, moved in with us last November and she has been quite the addition to our family. The boy and I are utterly fascinated by this cute creature. We can watch her and play with her for hours (who am I kidding, days!). Cats (and animals in general) are so pure and only act on instinct, I think we can learn a lot from them! This list could be much longer but to start, here are 5 things that we can learn from cats:

1. Be Yourself!

There is a saying in the acting business: 'Never work with children or animals'. They will steel all the focus from you! Because they're cute? No. Well, maybe a little. But mainly because they are just themselves. A cat has no desire to be a dog or a horse. Unlike an actor who is portraying someone else, a cat is always a cat. Naturally. So unless you're on a stage or in front of a camera, stop trying to be someone else. Just be yourself. People will love you for it!

2. Listen to your body!

Catastrophe has a bowl of dry food available to her 24/7 but does she constantly go back to snack? No, she only eats when she is actually hungry. Now, if I have chocolate in the house, I will eat it, hungry or not. Really listening to your body is not easy and will require a lot of effort and learning but it's just so good for you.

3. Take a nap!

I'm not saying that you should sleep as much as a cat. But getting enough sleep is really important to your health: It reduces stress, it can help with weight loss (and prevent weight gain) and even make you look younger! If you can't get enough sleep during the night, taking a nap (or two?!) a day can really help.

4. Go after your goals!

If Catastrophe sees a fly, she just goes after it. It doesn't matter if she looks silly or the fly is completely out of her reach. She won't leave it out of her sight until she's got it. She is not ashamed of looking silly, trying to get to it. She might jump head first into a door or fall off a bookshelf but she quickly gets up again and continues to hunt. And most of the time, she succeeds! What does that mean for us? Don't give up too quickly, it's not always gonna be easy but if you work hard and put the time in, you'll have a good chance of getting what you want!

5. Exercise (and have fun doing it)!

Even though it drives us insane, I admire our little cat's energy. Our apartment is not that big but she runs up and down the corridor, jumps onto closets, climbs up doors, and hunts her toy mice. She just loves to exercise! And she is so fit and flexible. We are basically animals as well and we should probably do a similar amount of exercise. Most of us won't have the time or energy to exercise as much as a cat but we should try to do some movements everyday. Even if it's just a short walk.

What have you learned from your pets?

Turning 30: Week 23 - Highschool Reunion

2013-05-13T01:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone and a warm welcome to all new readers and followers! It's really nice to have you here. Why not write a comment, introduce yourself, and leave a link to your Blog/Twitter/Intstagram? Let's be friends!

If you're new here, check out the Trailer to my Turning 30 Project HERE. It'll get you caught up with what this project is all about.

Today I'd love to discuss the fear that might come with an invitation to your high school reunion. Why it's a good fear to have and how to use it to your advantage. Check out the video to get all the details.

Have a fantastic week, Vanessa xx

P.S. Have you entered our iPad Mini giveaway yet? It's still open until May 30th!

Giveaway: Win an iPad Mini!

2013-05-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

Woaaaaa! I am so excited to invite all of you to take part in our iPad Mini give away! All the ladies below got together to say thank you for reading our blogs by giving this wonderful iPad mini (16GB in black or white) to one of our lovely readers.

I have to say, I'm quite jealous, I would love to own one of these babies! So, please don't hesitate to enter below. And also check out the other gal's blogs. They are all amazing!

Chantilly ~ ChantillySongs ♥ Marisa ~ The Shades of Monet Chronicles ♥ Lisa ~ Lala Faux Bois ♥ Shell ~ Kitty and Buck ♥ Marilyn ~ Pulp Sushi ♥ Sammy ~ The Cookie Button ♥ Amanda E ~ Little Lady Little City ♥ Regina ~ Acute Designs ♥ Katherine ~ Of Corgis and Cocktails ♥ Amanda A. ~ Little Tranquility ♥ Joanna ~ ModaMama ♥ Roxy ~ GrrFiesty ♥ Vanessa ~ Take Only Memories ♥ Sabrina ~ The Little Owl ♥ Miss Angie ~ My So-Called Chaos ♥ Shai ~ Vagabond Studio ♥ Chelsea ~ Life Unpublished ♥ Lauren ~ A Wild Tonic ♥ Jenna ~ Kitty Cat Stevens ♥ Jessa ~ Caked Blog

In order to enter the giveaway, please follow Take only Memories and any of the other lovely blogs. Good luck!

Rafflecopter giveaway
Please note: This giveaway will be open until May 30th, and will be open only in the US, Canada, Germany, the UK, and Australia.

Turning 30: Week 22 - The Trailer!

2013-05-06T10:05:00.002-07:00

Hey Guys! I made a short 'trailer' for my Turning 30 project! I shot it for new readers so they can get caught up with what my project is all about. But it's quite fun to watch, even if you've been following for a while. If you are new here: a special hello to you!

Are you also enjoying the warmer weather? I suddenly have so much more energy! I've kept up going running and doing yoga and just spending more time outside. I just looove the sun. So I'm constantly making excuses to go outside (which works out well cause we're on the 4th floor and I get a mini workout every time I climb those stairs). What kind of exercise are you doing to get fit for the summer?

Have a wonderful week everyone! Vanessa xx

P.S. I'm wearing one of my favorite dresses in this video! You can see the entire dress right HERE.

A 10 Day Detox and a Life Epiphany!

2013-05-02T04:12:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that I was the lucky winner of a 10 Day Spring Detox. Yesterday was day 10 and I feel so incredibly different. Most notably my skin is just so much softer and clearer, I lost almost 5 pounds and I feel much happier in my own skin again.

How was the detox?

I'm not gonna lie to you, the first 2 days were hell! I had the worst headaches, just wanted to sleep and was craving sugar and gluten heavy foods. And coffee! But after the 3rd day it got much easier, my cravings stopped and I started to feel much better. Everyday there was breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks. The main guidelines were to not have processed foods, sugar, caffein, gluten, lactose, meat (easy since I'm a vegetarian), alcohol and soya. Basically no nasties!

Why do a detox?

The reason I wanted to do one was because I was feeling really bad. I seem to be intolerant to some sort of food which made me feel bloated and horrible (I'm guessing lactose but I'll have to get a doc to confirm it). As you know I had also put on way more winter weight than the usual couple of pounds and couldn't get myself to lose it again. The bloatiness was gone after a couple of days of the detox and as I said, I lost nearly 5 pounds. Yay!

What now?

I was worried that I'd just go on a bread and sugar binge today. I didn't! Instead I went for a run, did some yoga and had a breakfast from the detox plan (one of my favorites, gluten free oatmeal, yum!). I feel fired up to continue healthy living. Do more exercise. Cook at home, have salads, don't eat out as much and try to be prepared so we don't end up ordering food or get takeaway all the time.

So, what's this life epiphany?

When I started my Turning 30 project in December, I had a (pretty vague) goal: to get payed for acting. I was in a really bad state of mind at the time and hated my life, my day job and wasn't a huge fan of myself as a person. Over the last 21 weeks I've realized that as much as I'd still love to be a full time payed actress, I need to change myself first. Acting is not gonna make me happy if I'm not already happy.

The project has become a lot more about growing as a person, starting to love myself, to stop expecting that someone is going to save me or discover me and to start taking steps towards fulfilling my goal. And to just have more fun!

I used to think that getting payed for acting would mean instant happiness. Silly, I know! Now I see that I need to be happy with myself and my life and that being a professional actress will just be the icing on the cake.

Turning 30: Week 21 - Close Up

2013-04-29T13:10:00.002-07:00

Happy Monday, lovely peeps! My Turning 30 project is 21 weeks old, all grown up! Even though it could now drink, I can't toast it because I'm still on my detox and not drinking alcohol. Maybe you guys can have a glass of champagne to celebrate!

In today's video I'm talking about a particularly nice moment last week that gave me new confidence to keep the project going. As part of the Sehsüchte Filmfestival I got to take a tour of Studio Babelsberg, a major film studio here in Berlin. Exciting! Check out what films were shot there HERE.

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. Time is flying by! I'll be posting more often again soon. I do read all your comments and love chatting with you guys on Twitter and Instagram, so you can hit me up there.

I hope you all have a wonderful week, Vanessa xxx

Turning 30: Week 20 - Good Enough!?

2013-04-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Sorry that my video and post are delayed by a day. I was one of the lucky winners of this amazing Spring cleanse. I love taking the time and effort to restart my system but yesterday was my first day and I couldn't concentrate on anything and had a pretty bad headache. So I chose to bury myself in my duvet covers and watch New Girl (is anyone else here loving that show?). I actually still have a headache today but there are no more episodes of New Girl and I wanted to record the video anyways.

In today's vlog I talk about doing things just about good enough. The video really speaks for itself since it's just about good enough. ;) And that's exactly the kind of thing that I want to change. So watch it and let me know what you think in the comments.

Also, a little shout out to Jacob of Sensophy who is hosting this pretty cool conference appropriately titled WTF should I do w/ my life?! You can listen to the talks for free for 24 hours after they come out. I've listened to a couple so far and am really enjoying them.

I hope you have a wonderful week! Vanessa xx

Let's talk about Self Love!

2013-04-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

By now a lot of you might have seen THIS absolutely wonderful campaign by Dove (if you haven't I highly recommend watching the short documentary. It'll take a couple of minutes but make your day!). It's got me thinking about self love and how we each see and perceive ourselves.

For as long as I can remember I've felt ugly, overweight and lacking real talent. Even though my parents were always very supportive and have always told me that I'm beautiful, talented and just plain wonderful (possibly a bit too much, I wouldn't be that surprised if my mom started a 'Vanessa Fan-Club Tumblr') I've never felt that way about myself. Most parents think that their kids are the best creation on this earth so I never trusted their opinions on the matter. Or my friend's opinions, because they like me, so clearly they are biased and can't be trusted. Duh! But that's where I went wrong! Why would they want me as their friend if they didn't think that I'm awesome?! Which means that they are seeing a version of me that I'm having trouble seeing.

Accepting or even loving your look is only have the battle! Love the way you look? Amazing! But now you've got to like your actions, the things you say, your inner thoughts. If you don't, there are two possibilities. 1. You need to get over it. You are great, accept it! It'll make your life so much easier. 2. You're not great. Don't be offended! But not everyone is friendly, kind and loving. If you're not, than take a good look at yourself. Maybe you need to change? Ask yourself why you're acting the way you're acting. How could you learn from your past to create a better version of yourself for the future? If you don't know how to change, talk to a friend or seek professional help. Btw, if you're self reflective enough to want to change, you're already pretty awesome!

How do your best friends see you? If you don't know, ask them! What do they love about you? Beating yourself up about how stupid and ugly you are takes up way too much energy and won't leave enough for fun, love, and dreaming. Trust me, I know! I'm fighting an ongoing battle about accepting and eventually loving myself. And I already feel much better having started the process! You'll spend the rest of your life with yourself. That's a seriously long term commitment. You'll have a much better time if you love that person!

Let's do this! Share the love, help people realize how amazing they are by telling them so! Whenever I discover a fab new blog or see a blog post that I like I comment and tell them how cool they are. I do hope they take it to heart. And I want to start telling my IRL friends how great they are, too. Let's spread the love! Are you in?

You're all absolutely wonderful! xxx

Turning 30: Week 19 - Taking Baby Steps

2013-04-15T02:56:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday everybody! It looks like Spring has finally come to my part of the world. With the change in weather I feel so much more motivated to do stuff. Not only to really start pursuing this year's goal but also to just go outside, meet new people, experience life! It felt like I went into hibernation during this crazy long winter and I'm looking forward to getting outside!

Today's video is an actual update of how my Turning 30 Project is going and what I've been up to. Ive also had an obvious yet important revelation. Things are looking up!

I wanted to thank everyone for their lovely amazing comments on my last post. I really cherish every one of them! Also, thank you Soul Riot for interviewing me! Head over there to check it out!

P.S. Even though it was unintentional at the time, while editing I did notice that I am wearing baby colors in a video entitled 'Taking Baby Steps' which might lead to a false assumption that I'm announcing a pregnancy. Let me just clear that up: That couldn't be further from what this post is about and I have zero plans for any kind of upcoming babies!

Let's Talk About Weight

2013-04-11T01:37:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to share this with you for a while but was too shy to blog about it. Weight is probably a big issue in most girls (or people's) lives. I don't have to tell you what the media is suggesting we should look like. Although I'm pretty excited about recent changes. Since the topic of weight is a big part of my life and I want to be honest with you about this year's journey, I thought I'd share my current feelings on the topic.

Unfortunately I have not been blessed with the skinny genes. Or to put it more accurately: I have been blessed with very refined taste buds and a love for food paired with a tooth so sweet that it might be made out of sugar.

As long as I can remember my weight has been a big issue. It has gone up and down more times then I can count and has left it's ugly little marks on my skin. I go through phases, usually when I'm generally happy, where eating healthy and exercising regularly is easy and I barely have to think about it. Then something happens and my mindset switches and all I can think about is chocolate chip cookies, cake and pizza. That is where I'm at right now. Where I'd like to be is where I was in the above picture. It was taken a couple of years ago in a skinnier phase. I was just out of drama school, living in New York City and really excited about life. The funny (insane might be a better word) thing is that I still felt overweight at the time. The mind plays crazy games with us sometimes, doesn't it?!

I'm quite embarrassed to admit that a big part of why my Turning 30 Project is not quite going the way I had hoped is that I've gained quite a few kilos over the past winter. I simply feel uncomfortable in my own skin right now. It's the old Catch 22: I don't really want any acting gigs cause I feel too chubby to be in front of a camera but I can't get myself to lose weight cause I don't have any acting gigs. It's pretty frustrating as you can imagine! I've tried starting to diet. I even went for a run (something I hate) but it never seems to last more then a couple of days. I could really use a bit of a kickstart right now.

How do you guys get yourself into the right mindset to lose weight? Any advice would be highly appreciated! Vanessa xx

Turning 30: Week 18 - #WriteToChange

2013-04-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I'm sorry but there's no weekly video update today. I've had a weird, not so great couple of weeks (with a few cool exceptions) and while thinking about what to talk about in this weeks video I saw THIS post over at Yes and Yes! about setting one goal for this month. I knew immediately what to do for my goal: Do One Fun Thing Every Day (Big or Small)!

Now, I know it's already April 8th but it's better to start late than never, right?! With everything that's been going on and the pressure that I put on myself with my Turning 30 project and the never ending winter here, I kind of forgot to just enjoy life. Or maybe I never really put that much thought into enjoying life and it's just becoming apparent to me now. Either way, I just wanna have fun!

So yesterday I started by taking out my ukulele, something I haven't done in a while, and doing a few of the online uke lesson videos that I'd signed up for months ago! It was so much fun!

Since I quit my day job I've felt so much pressure on doing only things that are or could be useful for my career. It's like not having a job is more stressful than having one. And it's really difficult to set 'free' time aside since technically all my time is 'free'. I need to figure out a better system.

Do you feel inspired to set your own goal for April? If so, write it down, and post a photo of it on Instagram with the hashtag #WriteToChange or just post it in the comments below. I'll be sharing my daily fun things on my Twitter and Instagram.

I hope you have a fantastic week, Vanessa xx

Turning 30: Week 17 - How to Deal with Post Project Depression

2013-04-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!

In todays video I talk about something I've heard called emotional aftershock or post project depression. It's the feeling that you get after finishing a project that you've worked on for a long time. I usually get quite depressed during that time and whether I have a long to do list or not, I don't generally know what to do with myself.

In the video above I share a few tips on how to deal with this aftershock.

Last week I asked you how you are showing off your talents to fulfill your dreams by using modern technology. To my surprise a lot of you seem to be struggling with finding out what your dream is. If that's you, you might wanna take a look at this post HERE on how to find your own big dream.

The lovely Kylie of Memoir Mode said that she wants to be a photographer and is using her blog to publish her photography. Rona is using her blog Dress to Cook to show the world her two passions: fashion and cooking. Way to go, girls!

Enjoy your last day off! Vanessa xx

Happy Easter Instagram

2013-03-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everybody!

This is just a little shout out to say that I recently started to use Instagram. I haven't used it that much yet but I really want to get into it more. You can follow me HERE and if you let me know your Instagram name in the comments, I'll follow you right back.

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful weekend off work and with your families! I'll see you back here on Monday. Vanessa xx

Let's party: Blink the Series is now online!

2013-03-28T03:02:00.000-07:00

I've been talking about our web series Blink for a while now and the first episode finally aired yesterday! I am so excited that we are fully wrapped and starting to release the show! Click on the video above to watch E1.

What is a web series?

Most of you have probably heard of the term web series. It's basically like a TV series but it instead of watching it on TV, it's aired on YouTube, Vimeo or other online platforms. In most web series the episodes tend to be much shorter (2-5 minutes) then TV shows. If you guys are interested, I'm happy to recommend some of my favorite web shows some time.

How did Blink get made?

About 10 month ago a group of people who wanted to just make something came together and decided on Jon Amar's idea for a web series about regular people getting some sort of super power. We wrote it in the style of American TV shows, which means that instead of having one writer there is a group of writers. There were 8 of us meeting roughly once a week for a few months to create the characters and basic story line. Then one or two people would take the story for an episode home to write the dialogue.

We shot everything in one week last summer and it's been in the editing room ever since. It needed to be cut, color corrected, visual effects were added and a score was written especially for the show! To see all the credits just visit our website BlinkTheSeries.com/Credits. We were working with Zero Budget which is not easy but we're am really proud of the result.

How can you follow the Blink?

That's easy! Just like Blink on Facebook, follow the show on Twitter and subscribe to the Official YouTube channel. You can also check the Official Website for all updates. New episodes air on Wednesdays but there will be fun stuff happening on other days as well. Please remember to always like and share. Thanks so much!

Turning 30: Week 16 - Do your own thing!

2013-03-25T02:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, everyone! It's 'Do Your Own Thing Week' here at Take only Memories. Woohoo! Watch the short video above to find out more. Last Thursday I posted a short film that my friends and I made a little while ago. We didn't wait around for the phone to ring, we just went out and did our own thing!

This week I want to know what your dream is and how you're going after it!

In last Monday's video I felt stuck in my quest of becoming a professional actress and filmmaker. Thank you so much for your responses via all the different social media platforms! Below the fold are the most helpful answers.

I'm really looking forward to your comments today! Have a fun and creative week, Vanessa. xxx

Here's a selection of your answers to last weeks question:

Tyrel Greggains (via Google +):
Well starting for one - do nothing usually accomplishes nothing.
Now it's easy to say "just get off your ass and do it" but humans just don't seem to work that way. Nope we have to sit down and plan shit out and in doing that we usually over think the fuck out of the thing and then those anxiety's creep in leaving you frozen in indecision.
So just keep it simple and dive in, if it doesn't work out screw it you tried and that's something....

Le Genou de Claire (via YouTube):
(...) My strategy is to give myself a deadline and a to-do list, e.g. by the end of this week, this is what I will need to do... etc. It was a case of finding a job for me. I talked to different people that can give me some ideas, but I actually wrote it down on my calendar and made a commitment to actually talk to them, bc if not, I'll be procrastinating forever. Good luck!

Mousevox Vintage (via TakeOnlyMemories comments):

(...) It's all about shifting your perspective and focusing on what drove you to build what you're creating in the first place. For every unkind thought about yourself that enters your mind, stop it in its tracks by giving yourself a compliment. That can be very motivating for me! (...)

Kristian (via TakeOnlyMemories comments):

(...) If you do already know what you need to do, but are procrastinating, I'd suggest breaking the big task down into small, bite sized chunks. It makes it seem easier to do and once one thing is checked off I know what the next step is. (I also like making lists that can be checked off too.) (...)

Marisa Noelle (via TakeOnlyMemories comments):

Now that's a good question....actually I struggle with the same kind of thing. It's always that first hump that is hardest to get over. For me at least, I find that taking on a project...something meaningful, something on my checklist of things to get done that may not perhaps have anything to do with the goal that I ultimately want to accomplish in the long run but that has everything to do with feeling some kind of accomplishment always gives me a kickstart and the encouragement I need to take another step to accomplish something else. (...)

Sammi Cohen (via TakeOnlyMemories comments):

(...) The not knowing is frightening, but I think the thought of not doing what you truly want to do with your life is even scarier, so hopefully the knowledge that you're pursuing what's in your heart will motivate you. Plus, it's a journey. It's a very difficult life, being an actor, and it actually is about the journey you take (more so than about the results, in the end).

I couldn't post all your great comments but I've read them all and they have helped me all. Thank you so much!