What if we started living everyday like our life is a movie? what if we started playing out the people we wish we were, even if those people are slightly crazy, slightly messed up in the head? what if we pretended we were a character in a book, who's invented as the writer types on?right then and right there?

What if we plunged headfirst into a unconventional life? what if we started being bold enough to make rash decisions that affect our lives? what if we were brave enough to stand up for something?
what if our generation was that of revolutionaries who started off as rebels who ran away from home, who spray painted the concrete sidewalk, who stopped listening to the rules ages ago?

I want this one question answered. what if we became hypersensitive and aware of the world?

What if each one of us became the monsters that are feared, but fall in love with our lives at the exact same time?
what if being crazy works?
what if insanity does it's job well?


what if we start living our way?

BASIC INSTINCT.

Falling in love with waking up to crisp white sheets that felt cool against my skin and a view of Istanbul's grey, blue and white buildings, towers and domes from the ceiling-to-floor window wasn't hard. The 'smell' of the city wasn't hard to get used to. I liked the cool wind brushing against my face, tousling my hair. I liked the cold that would creep up my bones and the cigarette smoke mixed in the air. Walking down Istikhlal street didn't feel alien to me, it felt like home although I had never experienced walking down a street with people coming from every direction, wearing leather jackets and tall boots. The unintentional playlist created there replays in my head all. the. time. The rides back home to the hotel were comforting, the glittering buildings and mosques rolled past me as I looked out. A certain pair of green eyes will never be forgotten by me, the way they glistened, the way they were so lively, with dancing pupils. Certain hugs and certain pictures and certain smiles are forever embossed in my mind. Everything was new but everything was so perfect, even though the city itself has so many imperfections. Those flaws don't bother me because I reminisce despite them. I loved walking everywhere, to the mall, outside the mall, to cafes, on shopping streets, in little quaint towns on islands-because although I would walk alone I felt like I belonged to stride on these streets seeing unfamiliar pass by, some of them stopping to talk. When I was alone, I didn't feel alone. I felt..right.
I lived for crazy dance parties that would take place in our hotel rooms, sneaking up to the roof to take in the cold weather, for the slight drizzle that would always take place. For the breakfast brunches every morning, getting ready with absolutely crazy people every morning, for taking it all in.
Breathing became easier there. Living independently became possible. Falling in love and seeing the goodness in people became possible. Tears still escape my scrunched up eyes when I think about it, my heart still physically aches.
Istanbul, 2014.
Not the end. Just the beginning.

Istanbul playlist: Animals by Maroon 5
                        Cool kids by Echosmith
                        Centuries by Fall Out Boy
                        Happy Little Pill by Troy Sivan
                       A sky full of stars by One Republic
                       Everything by Bastille, ever.

Turkey part 1.(Through my lens)

Syndromes and Projects

It's called can't-make-a-decent-face-syndrome.

Wow, I've become terrible at this blogging thing haven't I! What can I say, lack of motivation, no time, stressed life with studies, trying to perfect Literature essays(Literally the ONLY class I enjoy) and trying to stop drowning in math(one of the many subjects I can't seem to bear). Just drowning in studies and thinking about college admissions that start from January. Scary!

Well, let's talk about that 'lack of motivation' bit. I'ts not that I'm not motivated to be creative, I just feel that blogging doesn't quite make the right fit for me, or I believe so. InshaAllah I'm leaving on Sunday for a Turkey trip with my friends, and I can't wait to document every bit of the experience! You'll be getting loads of pictures from that trip, I assure you. Beyond excited.
But after that I'm going to be shifting my creative focuses. I've got something very exciting planned for this winter(including Halloween) and that is to publish (a possibly online) zine(I guess that just makes it an online magazine for teenage girls?). I'd love for any one of you to help me out and drop me an email(mana.insha@gmail.com) about the topic and if you would like to contribute! You can contribute in ANY way possible, you can write an article, poetry, a story, submit a photo spread that adheres to the theme(Winter/Halloween/Spookfest), create illustrations, comics, collages or art, whatever you want! Just drop me a message !

Here are the muses that can act as guidelines to what I'm looking for. I already have a few friends who are willing to contribute, so this project is progressing! I'll definitely be sharing that progress as soon as I get to Turkey and start working on related photoshoots in the hotel room!

MUSES:
SPOOKFEST CONTRIBUTIONS AND CURATIONS:
Music playlists, lorde, gothic music, teen witches, potions and spells, harry potter, best horror movie compilations, american horror story, thumping bass, power of music, underground freaks party, DIY snow Queen, rocky horror picture show, silence, voodoo dolls, spooky halloween plus winter inspired beauty and fashion, smoky eyes, glitter nails, enchantment, bringing spooky winter vibes to your bedroom etc.

I will also be creating a Flickr account, and really working on my photography. Will be glad to hear from you all!

Creating blog content you're proud of

Now obviously, I’m not an expert at blogging. I blog on and off, and I’m not too good at it. I ramble on a bit too much, put some random, edited pictures and call that a post at times. But I’ve been thinking, and I’ve been thinking hard of how I can create blog content that I’m actually really proud of. And I wanted this post to be original and not a copy of the related posts other bloggers put up. Again, I’m a beginner blogger and an amateur, but I came up with some solutions to creative ruts and boring posts that I’m SO eager to try out myself! (and hopefully I will)

1)      Okay so first of all, I think all these tips will revolve around the main idea, and that idea is to:

BLOG ABOUT THINGS YOU’D WANT TO READ.

There are many blogs out there, and of many kinds. There are arts and crafts blogs like p.s I made this and Thanks I made it, there are blogs revolving around organizing and homes like I Heart Organizing, there are fashion and editorial blogs like Style Rookie, Calure Villade and Sugar and Spice and then there are those lifestyle blogs that include everything, my absolute favourite being A Beautiful Mess.

So here is the thing and the beauty of blogging:

You can blog about absolutely anything you want. You can create the kind of content you’d wish to see more of in other blogs yourself. What you don’t see or find, you create yourself. Look at your blog as someone else’s, go through it and ask yourself, did you enjoy that post? Or were the pictures of random objects from the bloggers home boring you? Seriously, create content that you as a reader would love to read, things that you would bookmark, or pin on one of your Pinterest boards.

2)      Now this is where this post becomes very interesting, well at least for me(see? Already applying rule no.

APPLY YOUTUBE LOGIC TO YOUR BLOG POSTS.

Who over here loves vlogs? Makeup tutorials? Various DIY videos? Room, dorm and apartment tours? AGAIN, VLOGS? I bet many of you do. My favourite vlogger and Youtuber generally, is Zoella. I. love. Her. I started watching some of her vlogs, and I loved them. I really liked her homeware hauls, they’re probably my absolute favourite videos by her, although she only has two up. I’m a TEENAGER but she makes me want to get Mason Jar mugs, ‘milk bottle’..um bottles, pinstriped straws and pretty mugs and glasses. I also loved her Little Ways to change up your life lifestyle inspiration video a little too much.

Apart from Zoe, I like Bethany Mota’s videos, and I like a great number of them, like her Morning/Night routines for different seasons, her different DIY’s for different situations like school and backyard summer parties and UGH I  JUST LOVE EVERYTHING OKAY?

SO ANYWAY, coming back to the point, I’m going to start creating the kind of content I enjoy WATCHING on YouTube over here at TWPJ. That means, school life posts, many many DIY’s, Interesting ‘lifestyle’ hauls, Lifestyle posts, room tours, themed look books, everyday routines, how to’s etc. Blog like you’re a famous vlogger. Or maybe actually start a vlog…whatever floats your boat!

3)      This is something my mom says to me when she finds me brainstorming randomly for teenage start up business ideas:

LOOK FOR A GAP IN THE MARKET. 

Which is something that has given me MANY, actually feasible start up ideas but I’m going to work on them after my senior year is over. But this piece of advice as got me thinking on how it can be implemented for blogging. What kind of content is really hard for you to find or what kind of content does not even exist? If you’ve noticed the gap, the missing something on internet blogs, surely other bloggers have sensed this gap as well. Can’t find a really good high school life blog? Not a college website, but a blog by a teenage student herself and how she combats everyday problems, aces her tests, does cute DIY back-to-school projects? OWN that blog.

So, here are my tips for blogging better and I sure hope I start implementing these ideas myself!

First proper shoot: Mareyah

This is my gorgeous friend Mareyah. I asked her if she could model for me so I could take some portraits of her, she agreed and that's exactly what we did a couple of weeks ago, at her house. I'm an amateur photographer but I really would like to improve and that's why I need practice. I wanted to take pictures of Mareyah in her own room, an environment she is comfortable in. I wanted her room, her favourite things to be the props. I wanted to capture who she is as a person through those 'props'. I wanted her pictures to scream out 'THIS IS DEFINITELY MAREYAH'S TERRITORY'.

Mareyah is a beautiful girl inside and out. She is smart, she is very strongly opinionated, she is pretty, she is different and among some of her talents is that she writes really, really well. I loved taking pictures of her that evening, talking to her, dancing with her and playing out her favourite songs to get her in the mood to be photographed. 

I'm not gone

  I'm not lost. Well okay, maybe just a little lost. School started and it has been stressing me out more than I thought it would be. I mean I was supposed to be in control of this situation, having fun as a senior! I think I'm slowly turning into a perfectionist when it comes to academics,  but that isn't helping with the procastination.
Every friday I'm out till late at night. Constant plans with friends. Saturdays are supposed to be study days but sleep calls out my name and so does Instagram. Oh, and movies. Sundays are supposed to be relaxing, creative, reflective days but instead I'm rushing about trying to get all my coursework covered.
I'm a mess.
And I was about to give up on blogging because I need to get those A's and A*'s but is that really the life I want? No. Blogging means a lot to me. It helps me open up about things, get my mind a bit organized and stay creative. I've got a couple posts planned out, easy ones that don't require a whole lot of time, but I will try to post regularly. I also took some portraits of my best friend, and although they didn't turn out too good, practice helps and I realized how much I love being behind the lens. I'm not giving up.

Pictures of me taken by the beautiful Laiqa.