ayoungwomansthoughts

Latest Posts by ayoungwomansthoughts

Look! I know you’ve probably heard the whole “go outside, get some air” speech like a thousand times before. I’m not trying to sound like your mom telling you to go touch grass. What I’m saying is, this world is so much bigger than the walls you’ve built around yourself baby. It’s bigger than your bedroom, bigger than the little screen in your hand, and so much bigger than your fears.

what are some of your favourite quotes about growing up? also, orange is the best colour, undisputed.

Lorde, A NOTE FROM THE DESK OF A NEWBORN ADULT

Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Sandra Cisneros, Eleven

Kalyn Roseanne Livernois, High Wire Darlings

John Hughes, Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Storyboarding for Linked by Air

Mitch Welling, Gentle Earth

Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anais Nin

J. Courtney Sullivan

Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves

Ways to deal with anxiety or panic/anxiety attacks a guide by yours truly, Kleo

Breathing

This may sound weird but proper breathing can be super helpful. Sometimes we aren't breathing the way we are supposed to due to anxiety.

you can focus on whichever gif feels right for you :)

2. The grounding method

This is what usually helps with panic attacks but can also help with anxiety attacks :)

take a deep breath and look around the place you're in.

Then either write,say it aloud or just in your head

5 things you can see

4 things you can feel/touch

3 things you can hear

2 things you can smell

1 thing you can taste

It helps distract your brain but if it doesn't work try playing a game or talk with your friends/family

3. Safe place (it would help if you had someone read it to you the 1st time or put it on google translate and it can say it to you)

If you're home lay down on your bed, if you're somewhere else sit comfortably on chair and close your eyes. Imagine you're not here anymore, you're somewhere where you feel safe and secure. What do you see? There are animals around, they love you and they care about you, you mean a lot to them. What kind of animals are around? There is a form of water there. What form is it? You're at peace there, nothing can hurt you. You feel happier. Someone says hello. Who is it? The wind is calming and sweet. Your favourite smell lingers in the air and you know that you will be okay. Stay there as long as you need.

<3

I hope this helps :) drink water and stay safe everyone ily<33

Y’all it’s so important to know in DETAIL the expensive stuff you like. Don’t let that man ask you what are you drinking and you don’t know your Chardonnay from your Riesling meanwhile he knows exactly how he likes his martini prepared down to the number of olives 😭😭

Don’t embarrass yourself and take this course on grapes

It’s really good plus you become 100X hotter when you know your reds babe 😘

“Shown here is Mary Shelley’s (1797-1851) working draft of the turning-point in Frankenstein – the moment when Frankenstein’s Creature comes to life.” (Read more here.)

sometimes do you ever just want to

dark academia playlist compilation

dark academia - a concept playlist

music to write to

music to read to

pretentious grandparent music

the goldfinch by donna tartt

the secret history by donna tartt

if we were villains by m.l. rio

dark academia aesthetic tips

what to wear:

turtlenecks, sweaters, and blazers

dark, muted tones. black, brown, emerald green, caramel, rust, dark red, and plaid

wire frame glasses

short neat fingernails

mid-length/long skirts

belts that match your shoes

knee high socks

what to do:

read literature and poetry. when you come across a word you don’t know, look it up and add it to your vocabulary

start the morning with a hot drink, like coffee, tea, or cocoa. preferably at a coffee shop you go to routinely

spend a lot of time at the library. become familiar with the hallways and shelves, and find a favorite spot.

keep lit candles in your apartment. steer away from floral scents!

become familiar with the local art museums. when hanging out with friends or a lover, you’ll find it romantic and timeless.

find a favorite author. familiarize yourself with their work and how they formulate their ideas. 

start a studyblr or studygram, something to inspire others.

connect with your classmates and professors. learn what they love to study, and look into it.

sit outside on a stone bench and read philosophy. discuss it with your friends during deep discussions at midnight.

This is a long post. Buckle up.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about how the dark academia aesthetic, whilst rich in aspects such as literature, music, and material beauty, is lacking in things such as activities.

So I've compiled a list of activities that I would personally deem as befitting the dark academia aesthetic (please do add to this list, as it's far from complete).

Sports:

Rowing (it's in literally every dark academic approved movie.)

Fencing

Tennis

Cricket

Croquet

Rugby (contrary to popular belief, women, men, and everyone in between can play this sport. It's not just for the boys.)

Polo

Equestrian sports

+ Figure/ice skating

+ Running (sprinting is handy for catching your lover when they fling themselves from a tower or something, and long distance is great for running alongside carriages that you want to rob.)

+ Boxing

+ Javelin, discus, wrestling covered in oil, think ancient Grecian Olympics.

+ Archery (how could I have forgotten.)

+ Ballet, ballroom dancing, traditional dances

+ Climbing

+ Snooker/Pool (either professionally or just for fun.)

Or, if you prefer the Oscar Wilde approach, no sports at all. That's cool too.

Games:

Chess (of course)

Backgammon

Cards (rummy, poker, blackjack, speed, whist, any game really, maybe with the exception of snap.)

Cluedo (I think it's 'Clue' in America. Don't argue with me, it counts as dark academia. It's got murder in it.)

+ Scrabble

Crafts:

Knitting (I knit socks, scarves, and am attempting a jumper. I find that it's far easier to knit your own jumper, scarf, socks, or whatever than hunting for one suitably 'aesthetically pleasing'.)

Embroidery (monogrammed handkerchiefs and shirts are so in.)

Weaving (sweet mother, I cannot-)

Making lace

Gardening

Cooking (not sure if this counts as a craft, but I'll throw it in just in case.)

Sewing (making clothes for yourself through sewing is a great way to make sure that your clothes fit perfectly, and are styled the way you want them to be. With practise, it becomes easier, and is definitely a useful skill to have.)

+ Calligraphy

+ Painting, of course. (release your inner Basil.

Outings:

Museums

Art galleries

Places of historical interests (in the UK, this might be more easily accessible with things like the National Trust. If you visit often, it might be useful to invest in a membership card with English Heritage (England), Cadw (Wales), or a National Trust card. I have a Cadw card, and I've found that it's accepted all over the UK, in the same way an entrance card specific to whichever country you're in would be too. I hope that makes sense.)

Public executions

Pubs

+ Go to a Café and sketch the people around you (I hear that charcoal or graphite is preferable here.)

Parks

Gardens

Churches, quaker meeting houses, graveyards, synagogues (sometimes the only places that are quiet are places of worship, and a lot of the time, they will be very welcoming in letting people in just to sit and think. Just remember to be respectful: don't insult people for their faith; don't scorn the place of worship; respect people buried in graveyards; don't take pictures, tempting as it may be, just to be on the safe side.)

The theatre

The opera

Concerts (classical music or otherwise)

Social events (memorial services, tours of your local university, open days, anything. It's an opportunity to learn, and spark intrigue because of your darkly mysterious and alluring demeanour.)

Things to do when you're bored.

Writing essays (it's really nerdy, but I find writing essays really interesting if they're on a topic I'm passionate about. It doesn't have to be an intellectual masterpiece, it could be 'The Top Ten Sexiest Classical Writers' for all I care. Just make it fun. Plus it's always an added bonus to that pile of messy papers that aesthetify your desk.)

Research (as above.)

Daydream about how you could have prevented the burning of the Library of Alexandria

Plan a murder / heist. Thoroughly.

Read something light (Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Wilkie Collins or Colin Dexter novels are really good for relaxing. Murder mysteries are always good for winding down a little, whilst still keeping an active mind, so I would recommend those, but really, read whatever you want.)

Dress up

Read aloud

Perform a play alone (or to a pet, if you have one)

If you play an instrument, play through all of the pieces in your repertoire

More daydreaming

Take baths

Fake your death (by murder, of course)

Draw or paint something (no, it doesn't have to be good. Just do it to relax. See what kind of things you can create, like designing Frankenstein's monster)

Write a narrative piece

Watch a movie. A whole movie. Just sit down and watch a movie, no getting up and walking around, no flicking back and forth, no checking your phone. Just enjoy a movie without distractions.

Watch every single 'Greek Gods as vines' video on YouTube and count it as studying.

+ Listen to some classical music! I have a post on getting into classicl here:

Congratulations! You made it through!

Please, add to this list. I really want this to be expanded on, as I'm interested to see whether or not I've missed things, and if people agree.

If you feel like you’ve seen this alread, that’s normal. This list of recommendation has been previously posted on my first account @praestantias which has been deleted for some reasons. So here I am, reposting it. 

Hating how elitist and eurocentric the dark academia community became, I would truly appreciate that you leave some recommendation of book written by people of color, for I noticed that I am guilty of the eurocentric part, but I am really want to educate myself and read more non-white books. 

Thank you for your suggestions!

I’ve been meaning to make a masterpost with a list of books and articles for people interested in the Italian Renaissance - so, behold!  These are taken mostly from my own bookshelf, syllabi of classes I’ve taken, and bibliographies I’ve compiled for papers I’ve written.  I’ve tried to provide a broader overview of the Renaissance with more general topics, and not to give books that are too incredibly specific and not relevant unless you’re working specifically in topic.  I’ve also tried  to find PDFs or links for anything that you can access online.

I hope this is useful for anyone who’s interested in this period, and I will always be happy to answer questions or try to provide sources for more specific topics!

** indicates a primary source

Afficher davantage

— Heather Havrilesky, from “How to Be a Person in the World”

Note to self: you are no less intellectual for not reading a book a week. You are tired. You deserve a break and it's okay if it's a long one 🖤

So, if you are too tired to speak, sit next to me for I, too, am fluent in silence.

R. Arnold

Funny Face (1957)

types of academia pt. 2

art: paint dried at the cuffs of your favorite jacket, ink smudged hands, your notebooks are just sketchbooks for your class doodles with notes crammed in between the drawings, sudden revelations, wanting to create something meaningful with your own two hands, thinking of pygmalion during your sculpting class, reading a book and coming across that one sentence that sparks the inspiration for your next piece, afternoons on a soft green hill sketching, the scent of jasmine on the breeze, the music blaring in your headphones is all you can hear or feel as you work through the night, laying under the starlight

writer: the sound of a pen against parchment, the glow of a computer screen in a dark room, the sound of a clock ticking away the hours, reading with a hunger that will only be satisfied once you can give shape to your own words, empty notebooks, notebooks full of poetry, forgotten ideas that were not written down, your notes app is full of poetry, rainy days full of time spent typing away, living every experience in its rawest fork because you know you can write about it later, “write what you know” so you try to know everything, dreaming through your characters eyes, you and the moon have become good friends after nights spent writing under her light and reading your prose out loud

romantic: sketches of your love in a sketchbook that’s falling apart, singing to the moon at night, reciting sonnets alone in the woods, linen and silk, bathed in golden light, wax seals on love letters, pressed flowers in a journal, wanting to catch the stars and put them in the eyes of the one you love, the sweet scent of roses, ivy crawling up a cobblestone wall, a garden full of statues and plants that flint silver in the moonlight, sweet milk tea, daydreaming in a meadow

sci-fi: stargazing is a personality trait, deteriorating copies of sci-fu novels, coffee stained science magazines, a cork board full of conspiracies, squinting at the sky in search of life, believing there’s something more, tangled headphones, leather-bound dream journal, fog filled nights, psychoanalyzing, sticky note with the names of different theories scribbled on it that you need to research later, scrolling through wikipedia pages under your blanket when you should be sleeping, walkie talkies, a head full of wonder

urban: city lights blazing like stars, briskly walking down streets through the crisp air, drizzle fogging your glasses, hands in the pockets of a frayed coat, the overt dichotomy of light and dark, shadows in alleys and buzzing neon signs, dim bars and lit apartment windows, a small book shop crammed between a starbucks and bank, going to a vintage movie theater at the center of the city, mornings spent at the museum that’s free before noon, nights snuggled up in a blanket in your small, overpriced apartment as you read a book near the window and watch the city breathe

pt. 1

there is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

there is a rapture on the lonely shore,

there is society where none intrudes,

by the deep Sea, and music in its roar:

i love not Man the less, but Nature more.

— childe harold's pilgrimage, lord byron.

resenting yourself for where you aren’t won’t change where you are.

you can’t hate yourself into healing.

Midsummer’s Eve: A Reverence to Roses - John Henry Lorimer

THE MARCH SISTERS as ORIGINAL ALBUMS OWNED BY TAYLOR SWIFT (inspired by x & x)

I am free and that is why I am lost - Franz Kafka

Planet Earth II (2016) Episode 05 “Grasslands” Directed by Chadden Hunter

Virginia Woolf, The Years

{Words by Anaïs Nin, from The Diary Of Anais Nin, Vol. 4 (1944-1947) / Cynthia Cruz from diagnosis,The glimmering room}

“That’s why high school, or a crappy job, or any other restrictive circumstance can be dangerous: They make dreams too painful to bear. To avoid longing, we hunker down, wait, and resolve to just survive. Great art becomes a reminder of the art you want to be making, and of the gigantic world outside of your small, seemingly inescapable one. We hide from great things because they inspire us, and in this state, inspiration hurts.”

— One of the best articles I’ve ever read. Rookie Mag. By Spencer Tweedy. (via wildyork)

“It's taboo to admit that you're lonely. You can make jokes about it, of course. You can tell people that you spend most of your time with Netflix or that you haven't left the house today and you might not even go outside tomorrow. But rarely do you ever tell people about the true depths of your loneliness, about how you feel more and more alienated from your friends each passing day and you're not sure how to fix it. It seems like everyone is just better at living than you are. A part of you knew this was going to happen. Growing up, you just had this feeling that you wouldn't transition well to adult life, that you'd fall right through the cracks. And look at you now, it's happening.”

I've Endured, Now What?

Blue Iris - Mary Oliver / So This Is All I Will Ever Be? - Fatima Aamer Bilal / Vive, Vive - Traci Brimhall