Featured: Find Graduate Jobs with Gumtree.com!

Image thanks to shandi-lee

Deadlines are mounting, caps and gowns are being booked, graduation beckons and - by Jove - the "real world" is almost upon us! If you're anything like me, the end of your degree has come around far too quickly, and you're reluctant to get thrown into the cut-throat world of graduate job-seeking. I hear you.

Searching for jobs can be a real headache, this is already obvious to me, and I've barely dipped a toe into the reality of finding a job as a graduate. Luckily, there is one resource that makes the whole process a little more bearable. Whether I'm browsing for a job, a flat, a second-hand car (I am hoping to avoid such a purchase, but needs must!) my fail-safe go-to for a bit of scope on the market is always Gumtree.com

If you haven't heard of Gumtree, let me give you the lowdown. They have listings for most of the major UK cities, including London, of course, and my hometown of Bristol. You can narrow jobs to specific fields, such as fashion jobs in London, as well as particular areas within your city of choice, and you can filter part-time, full-time or temporary.

What I like best about Gumtree is that, not only do the big company's make use of it, it's also a great place to find positions at smaller, independent employers. Gumtree also have stacks of internships and placements advertised, as well as one-time gigs and freelance work.

Go and have a look today and see what job you discover!

"My father always told me, find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life." 

Jim Fox

For more on careers:

// See my Design Your Own Career series on Miseducated (click the links for the different parts.)

// Or, How to Ace Your Job Interview

Happy job-hunting!

Words to Live By #139

Image thanks to i.anton

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today."

Dale Carnegie

Look for the Opportunity...

Image thanks to daviderwin

We all know the old phrase ‘when one door closes another one opens’. What I don’t like about this phrase, however, (and what is actually the case with a lot of these traditional wisdoms) is the passivity; the lack of active subject; the lack of you.

The truth is that the closing door might be out of your control, but what you do in the face of that closed door is totally up to you. So how about:

‘When one door closes, I open another.’

What we need to be doing when we experience a closed door, whatever that may mean, is actively looking for the opportunity that can, not so much replace what has been closed to us, but optimise the space now available in our lives in a new – and perhaps far more – exciting way.

- See sadness in loss as an opportunity to create more happiness.

- See the blank page as a chance to mix new colours.

- Hear in the stillness the space for your own voice to be heard.

It’s not reinventing yourself; it’s realising or releasing yourself, releasing the power and potential that was there all along, but was perhaps being focused too heavily on that one open door. A closed door means you can open several more doors – doors you could have opened all along, but that you’ve perhaps been kept distracted from. In the face of a recent closed door, I was jolted into knocking on another; a door I’d wanted to look into but had been tip-toeing around. That door is now opening, and I can see, quite acutely, how I wouldn’t be heading towards the light I now see if it were not for the initial loss.

That’s how this big colourful crochet blanket we call life works: like a spider diagram, you answer yes or no to one question (out of choice or necessity) and suddenly you slip or slide or fall or fly toward a whole new question. And the process begins again.

When we are blessed with these new questions (yes, blessed, because continuity is a quiet crawl from A to B – it is the questions that escalate us) is when we need to look for opportunity, actively. This is when our senses our most heightened to receive what’s new. And sometimes new is just what we need.

Words to Live By #138

Image thanks to shandi-lee

"Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights." 

Pauline R. Kezer

The Saturday Salute 15.04.11

Image thanks to seaside rose garden

Aaaand it's back to the British Isles again for Easter. Phew. Do I ever stop? Apparently not. This week it's Bristol > Wales > Norwich > Bristol in a ten day whistlestop-tour seeing friends, family, and enjoying the frivolities of the holiday, before being Spain-bound once again. What does your Easter week hold for you? Apart from lots of chocolate (which will certainly be on my agenda!)

// For bloggers. Makes a lot of sense.

// For those thinking of going Vegan (or open to thinking about it.)

// For word-lovers.

// For fun foodies.

// For Chris Isaak fans ;)

Enjoy your weekend to socially inappropriate levels of elation.

6 Ways to Be the Hero of Your Story

Image via we ♥ it

What are you waiting for? Who or what is going to come along and ‘save’ you?

You deserve to be saved right now. Found, not lost. Your wish granted, not wishing on a star. Riding into the sunset, not pining in the castle’s topmost tower.

You are prince charming; you’re the golden egg; you’re the fairy godmother. You possess all the power you need to save your own life; to live out your existence to its most magical limits.

How?

1. Stop thinking passivity, start thinking passion

Are you letting life happen to you? Or making things happen? Take a look at your day – what have you done, actively, rather than simply reacted to, to improve, empower or impassion yourself? Focus on what you have done, and channel that positive energy into doing more tomorrow.

2. Treat yourself like a friend

If a friend was upset, struggling, or having trouble – you wouldn’t be down on them, you would respect and encourage them. Do that for yourself. Think how your internal conversation sounds, and if that's worthy of you. If it's not, change it: give yourself your best advice, and (here’s the tricky bit...) ACT on it!

3. Be creative

We are at our best when we are creating: whether that be cooking an amazing meal, composing a song, writing, making fashion statements, painting, flower arranging... Zone in on a manner of creativity that really gets you excited and start to practice it more.

Then: share it. Sharing our creative passion is what living is about, and whatever you’re looking for in life – a great new job, direction, opportunity, love, fulfilment – they’ll all arrive when you start to tangibly put your spirit out into the world.

4. Be a hypocrite

It is the fear of self-contradiction that stunts many of us in really achieving our full potential – but it is the conversation with yourself and the learning curve that ensues from that which will blow away the ever-forming cobwebs and reinvigorate you. Mistakes don't matter if they mean progress, and they almost always will.

5. Recognise that there are different sides of you:

...your proactive side and your protective side (amongst others). Each serves a purpose, but you need to learn which to listen to and when. If you’ve been invited to a concert by some new friends and your proactive side thinks ‘Hell Yes!’ – your protective side might be telling you: you’ll probably just get ignored/you’ll embarrass yourself/no one will like you/ you should just stay at home and watch a movie, that way nothing can go wrong.

It’s easy to listen to the protective side, as that is often the passive side, and therefore the easier course of action – the less risky option. I used to listen to it all the time, before I became conscious of my ability to ignore it if I choose.

6. Be a work in progress

You’re not finished. You are in a mode of constant regeneration – and that knowledge is pretty liberating. You can be whoever and however you want to be at any given moment, just allow yourself to accept the possibility. The only person really saying no is you if you decide to listen to the chorus of nos that you will, inevitably meet. My advice? Don't.

In the words of Reggie Spektor, "I'm the hero of the story - don't need to be saved."

Go on, hero, save yourself. 

Featured Promotion: Farfetch.com

Once upon a time, I wrote an article over at Painfully Hip, it was called How to Build a Designer Wardrobe on a Budget. It sparked a bit of debate, and the comments are muy interesante so give them a read.

None of us want to be label whores, selling our souls to the big names but, equally, I think we would all agree that a little more quality in our wardrobes would be a plus. I’m certainly coming around to the idea of a wardrobe that doesn’t just give something back in the short term, but keeps on giving, perhaps even years into the future.

I want more from my wardrobe, do you?

In my own aesthetic adventures, designer is still a word very much in my vocabularly - though, I have to stress: I believe in the quality and not the kudos of designer clothing, and therefore pick my brands very carefully.

It is certainly possible to 'thrift' designer, very possible indeed. But with more and more gals jumping on the vintage bandwagon, it ain't a stroll in the park to find your style and size without paying the premium you'd pay for buying it brand-spanking new. That's where websites like Farfetch.com come in. For the designer-doll it's a dream come true, with a frankly ma-hoo-ssive collection of designer clothes.

Building a designer wardrobe isn't about gluttony or greed, it's about slow growth, integrity, and  graceful commitment to your aesthetic in the long term. Want to know some of the items I'd pick from Farfetch? Feast your eyes on this:

(Unfortunatly some of the items have sold out since I made the above set, if so I've provided alternatives.)

Clockwise from top-left: the 'stefan' wedge by Opening Ceremony; Carven shorts, now sold-out (boo!) but these are equally nice; Marc by Marc Jacobs short-sleeved blouse; SOCIÉTÉ Anonyme pleated button skirt; Yves Saint Laurent bag, gone :(, so here's a less preppey alt. by Marc Jacobs; cropped bolero in the sale, wahoo!; Marc by Marc Jacobs animal faced pumps; Rayban Wayfarers.

Farfetch.com is definitely a bookmark-able website, and, if you're trying to organise a dress for your impending graduation like a certain person (ahem, read: me) it's a superb spot for desirable designer dresses.

What are your thoughts on designer? Let's continue the debate!

Words to Live By #137

Image thanks to tabsinth

"It is never too late to be what you might have been."

George Eliot

The Saturday Salute 09.04.11

Image thanks to tabsinth

Hola little loved ones! It's a super-sunny weekend here in Tarragona and I'm making the most of it with a visiting friend (read: three-course lunches, a day out in Barcelona, & many, many hours lounging on the beach...) It's a tough life! Though, I do feel I deserve it after penning 3,000 words of my reasearch project over the last two days. Is work hotting up for you too? I imagine a lot of you will be graduating in just two short months, like me? Crazy. Well, you're doing really well, so take a tea break and read a few of these:

// A Positive Perspective on the future.

// Get some Bardot Love in your life. Can I get an amen on her being the ultimate girl crush?

// Some vegetarian quotes.

"Our task must be to free ourselves . . . by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty."

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

- both Albert Einstein

// Wow. This just significantly resonated with my life.

"The girl who reads has spun out the account of her life and it is bursting with meaning. She insists that her narratives are rich, her supporting cast colorful, and her typeface bold. You, the girl who reads, make me want to be everything that I am not. But I am weak and I will fail you, because you have dreamed, properly, of someone who is better than I am."

// That's what I call a manifesto.

Keep shining.

What are you scared of?

Image thanks to tabsinth

I’m scared that I have too many ambitions, and that I’ll never achieve a single one.
I’m scared of leaving university.
I’m scared I won’t make enough money.
I’m scared of sacrifice, of compromise, and of disillusionment.
I’m scared I don’t look after my body well enough.
I’m scared I’m a bad writer.
I’m scared I don’t meet people’s expectations.
I’m scared I forgot something, someone, somewhere.
I’m scared I won’t ever be satisfied.
I’m scared of being satisfied with what I used to find unsatisfactory.
I’m scared of competition, completion, commitment.
I’m scared of going, and scared of never having gone.
I’m scared I don’t read enough books.
I’m scared I don’t meet enough people.
I’m scared of debt.
I’m scared of disease.
I’m scared of starting again.
I’m scared of dreams that don’t come true.
I’m scared I’ll let myself down.
I’m scared of my projects.
I’m scared of my passion.
I’m scared of my purpose.

I’m scared.  

But being scared is not an excuse not to try, and keep trying.

Because:

“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.” Mary Manin Morrissey

And:

“Encountering some of our biggest fears will often take the sting away as we build the resilience to deal with them and the confidence of knowing what to do if they ever happen again.” Jenny Blake

What are you scared of?

Words to Live By #136

Image thanks to D Sharon Pruitt

"Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple,

and the simple thing is the right thing."

Oscar Wilde

The Saturday Salute 02.04.11

Image thanks to D Sharon Pruitt

As you read this, I am in Ibiza: sun-ing, sea-ing and, most importantly slowing down. Nothing like a day on the beach to put life on pause for a moment. But I couldn't jet off and leave you without your weekly dose of reading material, could I? No way José!

// According to The College Prepster, we are now 25% of the way through 2011. Perhaps you could do a little review of any goals you set at the start of the year like she has done?

//  A Sense Sublime is a blog by a girl who is attempting "to give up all non-ethical, fast fashion for a year" to "raise awareness of sustainable clothing, and boycott sweatshops!" Hello, we love you.

// Though I'm not usually one for 'high fashion', I loved this shoot of Candice Swanpoel for Vogue Italia. The big hair is amazing.

//  Have you been accepting false limits?

// A nice reminder.

More on Monday, have a peaceful but purposeful weekend.