Category: Arts

globalcastingnetwork.com reviews and guides for production companies

High quality advices for casting agents in 2023 by globalcastingnetwork.com: Ask your agent about access to Global Casting Network and become a part of an online searchable database system used by casting directors and agents for finding talent. View and submit to a vast array of top-casting opportunities that match your attributes and abilities. Manage and update your profile to reflect your growing experience, receive helpful information on career growth in your field, and receive notifications of new job opportunities that match your profile. Read additional info actors recruiting platform.

Talent managers handle public relations and media exposure, such as appearances on TV shows, interviews with journalists, and social media presence. A talent manager can advise career and contracts but cannot negotiate job contracts on your behalf. Talent managers can advise on income, investments, and manage the monetary flow of a client’s business. Talent managers usually have only one client and payment is either via salary or commission.

Global Casting Network platform is used by agents and casting directors in the TV& Film industry. GlobalCastingNetwork platform offers these professionals with tools to manage their castings, manage their bookings and stay in contact with casting professionals. These casting professionals are able to post their film&tv jobs on our site and find people to work on their projects.

With many of agents and casting directors reviews that have commented on how fast and easy it is for them to book talent at the last minute with GlobalCastingNetwork, this casting search engine and database is a perfect software for the entertainment industry in 2023. Global Casting Network tools allow them to find specific talent to accommodate roles that are difficult to cast. With a very good customer service Global Casting Network are fast to respond and often make changes to their software to make the casting process as easy and efficient as possible.

Let it shine through. Don’t give one-word answers when having a conversation with the casting director. Ask questions! The industry is looking for smart, curious actors. Connect with your reader: Make one with the reader. Memorize the material or be familiar enough with it to maintain eye contact. Knowing the dialogue is important, but making a connection with the reader is what will make the scene natural and believable. Find the love in the scene; even nasty characters should be likable on some level. Find a moment in the scene where the love can show through. Embrace action: Acting means do, not talk. Find your actions and play them! (A wonderful resource is the book “Actions: The Actor’s Thesaurus” by Marina Caldarone and Maggie Lloyd-Williams.) Discover additional info https://www.globalcastingnetwork.com/.

GlobalCastingNetwork tricks for talent firms : An open house is a good way for future talent and prospective clients to meet you in a way that does not feel intimidating or pushy. Alternatively, it can also be a good way to introduce your talent to prospective clients. During the open house, display digital photo frames that scroll through pictures of your clients, hand out brochures and business cards and hold a raffle for prospective talent to win a complimentary headshot. The raffle for the prospective or current clients can be to win a complimentary lunch delivery for the office where you’ll include informational materials about your agency with the delivered food.

Do Theatre – Most Canada actors are theatre actors. Canada is a theatre and improv country. The expectation from the players in this market is that you have a strong background in one of these forms. Agents “shop” at the theatre; it’s, for most, where they find new talent. Doing a role over a sustained amount of time is not only satisfying for the actor, but is what allows you to grow and develop as an artist. Theatre is where you develop your “chops” and your street cred. As Mary Ann Ziesch of Actors Talent Group says “I need to see solid theatre experience on a resume to consider new talent.”

Every actor needs an agent at some point in their career. Although I’d caution against seeking out representation too early (no agent wants to sign someone with zero professional experience!), below are six steps you should take when you’re finally ready to get an acting agent. Make a list of potential talent agencies and agents. Start by mining your personal network for recommendations. If you know industry professionals, acting classmates, teachers, or relatives who are involved in the business, ask them the following questions.

Global Casting Network is an innovative online database system that provides performers, agents and casting directors with a platform to facilitate the casting process. Through our excellent customer support and efficient online database system, Global Casting Network is committed to bringing a high-quality experience to entertainment professionals. Global Casting Network is not an agency and does not offer employment. We are a talent database system that offers web hosting and messaging systems to our members. We are not responsible for job postings or agreements made between our members, casting directors, and agents while using our service.

Aside from looking online, a good way to get yourself out there is by reaching out directly via email or snail mail to local agencies, casting directors, artistic directors, and managers who are hiring for the types of roles you want to play or working with the kind of actor you want to be. Who knows—maybe you have just the right look for the role they’re currently casting and you’ll be called in! Attending acting classes is also helpful, not only to improve your performance once in the audition room, but to keep you connected with other actors who know the ins and outs of upcoming auditions.

To prepare for an audition, do your research on the project, who’s casting it, who’s creating it, the studio/network/theater behind it, and who else has been cast. Read the script, make a choice, and bring it! While the specifics of what’s required for theater auditions versus TV and film will vary, at the core of each is the goal of developing a clear interpretation of a character When considering audition clothing, choose something that makes you feel confident, that won’t be distracting on tape, and that makes you look put-together, not disheveled. Also try somewhat to emulate the role you’re going in for.

The purpose of the meeting is to give the agent a chance to determine if you can make it as an actor, so be ready to perform for the agent. That means to have a monologue prepared to recite at a moment’s notice and be prepared to do a cold reading from a script that the agent hands you. You should never be afraid to ask questions during your interview. Here are five questions you should ask during your meeting. Who will represent me from your agency? How many clients do you currently represent What kind of actor do you see me? How many other actors do you serve actors that are similar to me? How would you direct my career? What kind of work have you gotten in the last six months for your actors?

Best tricks for talented artists 2023 from Global Casting Network

Global Casting Network review and advices for artists: Global Casting Network has hundreds of quality talent that are looking for representation in the entertainment industry. Our online database system provides advanced search tools you will find useful in searching for specific talent. You can update your talent’s profiles and customize their photos, resumes and abilities. The latest casting projects are easily accessible online where you can submit your talent to. Each submission can be tailored by attaching media or customizing photos suitable for the role. Our online database is secure, reliable and a convenient method for attracting clients and efficiently running your business. See extra info casting Directors recruiting platform.

What’s the Difference Between a Talent Agent and a Manager? Both agents and managers are strategic partners in your career and will work on commission. But there are some key differences between the two roles: Managers cannot arrange for casting calls, get you work, or negotiate contracts or deals. Agents can. Managers are not regulated and do not require special licensing or certification, unlike talent agents, nor does he or she need to work for a management company, though some do. A talent or business manager can really be anyone, which is why relatives of talent sometimes assume the role. Unlike agents, managers may have you as their only client, which guarantees a high level of personal attention. They may also stick with you throughout your career, unlike many agents who come and go Typical manager fees may exceed those of an agent; they may run as high as 15 or 20 percent.

Global Casting Network platform is used by agents and casting directors in the TV& Film industry. GlobalCastingNetwork platform offers these professionals with tools to manage their castings, manage their bookings and stay in contact with casting professionals. These casting professionals are able to post their film&tv jobs on our site and find people to work on their projects.

With many of agents and casting directors reviews that have commented on how fast and easy it is for them to book talent at the last minute with globalcastingnetwork.com, this casting search engine and database is a perfect software for the entertainment industry in 2023. globalcastingnetwork.com tools allow them to find specific talent to accommodate roles that are difficult to cast. With a very good customer service Global Casting Network are fast to respond and often make changes to their software to make the casting process as easy and efficient as possible.

Your dream is to become a working actor. You’ve always been told you “have it,” but the phone doesn’t ring for callbacks. What separates professionals from wannabe prodigies isn’t inspiration. It’s preparation and execution. Take control of your audition with these 10 helpful tips to improve your skills. Show variety: Feel the levels and dynamics in the scene. Don’t play one emotion. If the character is angry or tough, when might they show some vulnerability? Wannabe? Not you! Interesting, memorable auditions will start to happen for you when you dig into scripts with these thoughts in mind before and during your auditions. Discover extra details https://www.globalcastingnetwork.com/.

globalcastingnetwork.com recommendations for talent firms : An open house introduces clients to your models up close. In addition to planning the party side of an open house, with refreshments and material you plan to hand out, prepare your models for this event. Involve the models in marketing your business. Each model’s agent should Instruct the model in professional behavior and how to work the room. The owner should encourage everyone to get to know potential clients and make the guests feel at ease. An open house should be a fun event that allows clients in the community the opportunity to get to know you, your models and your agency.

Submit to your target agents every 6 months…with an update about something NEW you have added to your skill set; bookings/plays/training/new headshots. But only submit IF you have something new to share. Make sure you have On Camera training on your resume. When meeting an agent you may need to audition with a prepared television side, or cold read commercial, industrial or film sides. Secondly, the agent wants to know you understandthe technical demands of working on camera, as well as how to navigate the variety of scripts and genres…so that they can feel confident submitting you for work.

Every actor needs an agent at some point in their career. Although I’d caution against seeking out representation too early (no agent wants to sign someone with zero professional experience!), below are six steps you should take when you’re finally ready to get an acting agent. Make a list of potential talent agencies and agents. Start by mining your personal network for recommendations. If you know industry professionals, acting classmates, teachers, or relatives who are involved in the business, ask them the following questions.

Global Casting Network is an innovative online database system that provides performers, agents and casting directors with a platform to facilitate the casting process. Through our excellent customer support and efficient online database system, Global Casting Network is committed to bringing a high-quality experience to entertainment professionals. Global Casting Network is not an agency and does not offer employment. We are a talent database system that offers web hosting and messaging systems to our members. We are not responsible for job postings or agreements made between our members, casting directors, and agents while using our service.

For all of the actors unsure about how they feel about the audition process, we have news for you: Auditioning is the necessary beast on which the beginning of your acting career depends. So instead of seeing auditions as an emotional job interview, shift your perspective to see them for what they really are: a chance to bring yourself to a new character, to do what you love in front of an attentive audience, and to possibly even make some fans.

That said, there is no single way to memorize lines, but there are a few other methods that will make the process a bit easier. Some actors like to handwrite lines while others prefer resources such as WeAudition.com, a platform that allows actors to virtually rehearse their lines with other actors, and apps such as tableread or Rehearsal 2, which allow you to record the other parts in the script with enough space to recite your own lines. “The secret for me is to whisper my lines and read the other character’s lines out loud when I’m recording, so I don’t get too caught up in the way I’m saying my lines, but I know how much time I have to say them,” says acting coach Matt Newton about using Rehearsal 2. “I will literally put my iPad on a chair and pretend I’m running lines with someone. It’s so much better than a tape recorder.”

The purpose of the meeting is to give the agent a chance to determine if you can make it as an actor, so be ready to perform for the agent. That means to have a monologue prepared to recite at a moment’s notice and be prepared to do a cold reading from a script that the agent hands you. You should never be afraid to ask questions during your interview. Here are five questions you should ask during your meeting. Who will represent me from your agency? How many clients do you currently represent What kind of actor do you see me? How many other actors do you serve actors that are similar to me? How would you direct my career? What kind of work have you gotten in the last six months for your actors?

Stress relief with music advices

Mindfulness meditation and binaural sounds and guides? When someone leaves, it’s because someone else is about to arrive. Life is too short, or too long, for me to allow myself the luxury of living it so badly. There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid themBut they are there for a reasonOnly when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there. No one loses anyone, because no one owns anyoneThat is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it. I don’t live in either my past or my futureI’m interested only in the presentIf you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy manLife will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.

Unexpected encounters with adversities often fail our natural coping mechanisms and make us vulnerable to burnout and hypertension. By developing the habit of regular meditation, we can successfully tame our mind to survive the storm. Studies have shown that Open Monitoring Meditation and Mindfulness-based Stress Relaxation Techniques reduce the stress hormones and make us more vigilant and self-aware. Research suggests that if we introduce meditation into the work culture and encourage professionals to practice the same regularly, they surely could work more efficiently under stressful circumstances and prevent the workload from taking a toll on their health (Lazar et al., 2006).

One of the most interesting studies in the last few years, carried out at Yale University, found that mindfulness meditation decreases activity in the default mode network (DMN), the brain network responsible for mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts – a.k.a., “monkey mind.” The DMN is “on” or active when we’re not thinking about anything in particular, when our minds are just wandering from thought to thought. Since mind-wandering is typically associated with being less happy, ruminating, and worrying about the past and future, it’s the goal for many people to dial it down. Several studies have shown that meditation, through its quieting effect on the DMN, appears to do just this. And even when the mind does start to wander, because of the new connections that form, meditators are better at snapping back out of it.

I had just gotten out of prison. I was in a halfway house. Weekdays, I went to work at an office. It was a bullshit job. I was making $8/hr, paying 25 percent of the gross of my paychecks back to the halfway house for “subsistence.” I had published a novel the previous year. It was a good thing I had, or I’d have been broke. Still, she had a critic or two: people who thought the book and its promotion were at once decadent and thirsty, people who thought that things so decadently thirsty weren’t right for the culture of poesy, people who thought the hype was on account of the party, not on the merit of the art. Naturally, these were educated people. And they were entitled to their ideas, even if they were wrong. See additional details at https://mytrendingstories.com/royalty-free-music-rfm/jason-farnham-locally-sourced-royalty-free-music. Think of like looking at the wind through a window. You can’t see the wind, right? The wind is invisible. But at the same time, you can see the wind because of its impact on the things that are visible. You see the leaves flapping. You see the surface of a puddle ripple. You see a girl hunched inside her coat, her hair blowing into her face. You see someone try to light a cigarette and the match go out. Abstractions like Love and Death don’t look, sound, or smell like anything. But they affect everything around them. And you can describe the places they’ve touched.

Rachel Rabbit White is a practicing hedonist. Everything in the poet, sex worker, and activist’s apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is highly pleasurable to look at, use, and touch. There’s a giant white stuffed tiger; the lights are all pink and blue. In the center of the living room is a stripper pole and a neon sign that says “Blue of Noon,” a reference to Georges Bataille’s erotic novella. Not unlike Bataille, Rabbit White is a student of romance, true love, and sex. Rabbit White lies on her side next to me in a baby blue slip dress and a pair of white fishnet leggings. Everything in her apartment feels purposeful, like her keenly observant writing. Much of her poetry centers around love and its complexities. For Rabbit White, who has multiple partners, that means loving more than one person at a time. It also means loving your craft, and appreciating good films and excellent writing.

Built in 1540 on land given to the Dominican Friar Vicente Valverde by Francisco Pizarro, the church and monastery of Santo Domingo is one of the oldest and most historic in Lima. Here, you will find the relics of Saint Rose of Lima; San Juan Masias; and Saint Martin de Porres, the first black saint in the Americas. The statue of Saint Rose was given to Santo Domingo by Pope Clement X. The monastery is best known for its tile mosaics picturing the life of St. Dominic, Santo Domingo de Guzman, who founded the Dominican order. Inside the colorfully painted cloister is a peaceful green garden. The church is a short walk northwest of Plaza de Armas in central Lima.

While most studies focus on exploring the benefits of meditation on physical and mental health conditions, this research on the science of meditation examined the connection of meditation to spirituality, transpersonal transcendence, and mystical abilities. Researchers believe that such allied impacts of meditation are as crucial as its key advantages, and practitioners should educate meditation seekers about these areas of functioning as well. A research on 1120 meditators, including beginners and novices, showed that meditation developed a sense of self-enhancement in them. Besides helping them deal with the emotional and physical stressors, it also led the way for heightened spiritual awakening and freedom. Many scientists discarded and criticized this line of research, owing to its unconventional nature. However, there is enough empirical evidence that indicates such allied aspects of human living that are touched by meditation.

Meme daily for a strong laugh

Stress management recommendations with Mytrendingstories? By pinning these quotes on your living room wall, bedroom closet, or office desk, you’ll always have something to look up to for motivation even when everything else doesn’t seem to be working out. But our 50 inspiring aesthetic quotes are not all about helping you appreciate your inner beauty or motivating you during adversity. Some of these quotes are also an embodiment of satire at its best. You can apply them on social media when you want to sound sarcastic, or in solemn conversations to wittily convey a deep and sensitive message. What’s more – you can even share these quotes with your near and dear ones as a reminder of how deeply you care about their existence.

A paper on Asian spiritualism proposed that meditation has positive impacts on happiness and subjective well-being. Following trails of Dr. Herbert Benson’s study on meditation as a mechanism to find the ‘Mind-Body Balance’, the researchers of this paper discussed how meditative flow can help the body by optimizing blood pressure, regulating cardiac diseases, mitigating stress, reducing addiction, and regulating the Sympathetic Nervous System functioning, which is responsible for extreme fight-or-flight responses during stress. Using ancient Tibetan Buddhism principles, this study illustrated the science of meditation and explained why the effects of regular practice might outdo scientific and alternate forms of treatment.

The SWOT Method: Acknowledge the purpose that you desire to achieve. It is necessary to be as accurate as possible. Be precise about timing; when you require to attain your goal and wherewith, you will realize that you have made it (your progress meters). Thinking clearly regarding that aim: Aim to your goal of personal developmentAim to your goal of personal development, Identify the particular strengths that will help you realize it and the vulnerabilities that could stop you. It is usually healthy to consider the knowledge, abilities, background, resources, and assistance you have handy. If you list these headings individually, you will retain to observe them all. These fields are generally inside, that is, they link to you individually, and the origins and techniques available to you. They are, consequently, things that are usually under your command.

I first got in touch with Rachel because I was working on a project for a magazine, and I needed contributors. I emailed her from the burner phone I’d bought at Wal-Mart the day after I got out. I told her about the project, said I liked her poems, her journalism. She didn’t act stuck up or anything. We talked about books and shit. It came naturally to us. I haven’t gone back to check, but I think there’s only one hyacinth in Porn Carnival. And no one gets bored to death by what existential crises overtake a body in the organic co-op of whatever town Bard College is in. It isn’t that type of book. You get lines such as “these girls were at the wrong orgy,” titles such as “In the Heart-Shaped Jacuzzi of my Soul.” Which isn’t to say it’s all so… rowdy. On god, she reminds me most of Octavio Paz. Still, it’s a book about sex work, mainly. Discover extra details on one piece enraged army. Alliteration involves the use of two or more words that begin with the same sound. For example, “The drizzling, drippy drain drove me crazy.” Alliteration is a great way to grab the reader’s attention at a particular moment in the poem. It also provides the poet an opportunity to describe things in a creative way that is memorable to the reader.

The topic of our conversation is Rabbit White’s aesthetically and conceptually rich debut full-length collection of poetry, Porn Carnival. Rabbit White is a sex worker, and much of the poetry in this book is about her experiences in that line of work. Speaking with her is similar to the experience of reading her writing, which is heady, very coy, and curious. A poem like “Monologue Beyond Midnight,” which is a wry retort to an idea from Nietzche’s The Gay Science, is a cross section of Rabbit White’s humor, anger, and deep intuition of sound and texture. Rabbit White walked Vogue through her poems, her activism and advocacy, and the idea of inhabiting multiple personas for your art and your work.

Parque Central is the heart of Quetzaltenango, serving as the city center and a major local and cultural hub. The city is situated in between three massive volcanoes, offering a beautiful and primitive aura to the area. Sometimes shortened to Xela, the city is also home to Fuentes Georginas, the local natural sulfur springs. The city boasts multiple opportunities to explore local Mayan villages or to travel about a day’s journey to Laguna Chicabal, a sacred lake situated in the cloud forest and perhaps a visitor’s greatest chance of spotting a Quetzal bird in the wild.

Can Meditating Before Bed Improve Sleep? Meditation, at any point of the day, benefits us in an array of ways. Whether we start our day with a peaceful session, practice it during lunch breaks, or meditate just before going to sleep, the positive impact is profound and visible. Some recent studies have proved that meditating at night helps people with insomnia and sleep disorders. A short practice right before we hit the bed helps to calm our nerves and get us into a relaxed state before we sleep. According to a study by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the sleep quality of people who practice bedtime meditation is better than non-meditators (Lazar, Carmody, Vangel, Congleton, 2011).

Wellness care advices by mytrendingstories.com

Mindfulness for stress relief advices? People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them. People are never satisfiedIf they have a little, they want moreIf they have a lot, they want still moreOnce they have more, they wish they could be happy with little, but are incapable of making the slightest effort in that direction. Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose – and commit myself to – what is best for me. There is only one way to learnIt’s through actionEverything you need to know you have learned through your journey. What hurts us is what heals us.

A paper on Asian spiritualism proposed that meditation has positive impacts on happiness and subjective well-being. Following trails of Dr. Herbert Benson’s study on meditation as a mechanism to find the ‘Mind-Body Balance’, the researchers of this paper discussed how meditative flow can help the body by optimizing blood pressure, regulating cardiac diseases, mitigating stress, reducing addiction, and regulating the Sympathetic Nervous System functioning, which is responsible for extreme fight-or-flight responses during stress. Using ancient Tibetan Buddhism principles, this study illustrated the science of meditation and explained why the effects of regular practice might outdo scientific and alternate forms of treatment.

Concentrate on The Accurate Target Issue First – One reason it’s essential to go by every area and issue you have before begun up a plan is to encourage you to know which point to focus on first. For instance, you cannot write a book until you can read, and you can’t learn to write till you can read, first things first. Be Determined – Once you own your action plan developed based on reality and not on how you crave it to be, you only ask to be resolute and take the actions to success. It is that simple. Once you have the steps programmed in your schedule and begin performing them, your life will start to change.

Maybe I’m thinking less, or thinking of the reader less. Or I’m just feeling more, editing less. One of my poems begins, “This year I’m sick of thinking.” I am trusting what I call my cord to the heavens, my cord to the below, to muse. I’ve become simple. I’m writing sexual poems. I’m an unenlightened woman. This didn’t go without controversy. Some took issue with her feelings about her own experience, something to the effect of it being unethical of her to exploit her own exploitation. She was even accused of being a “fake” sex worker. Her accusers were not sex workers, so it’s anyone’s guess how they might know enough to tell a fugazzi from a genuine article, but this is neither here nor there. A few porn stars bowed up to troll for White, and that was the last of people saying she was a fake. Find many more information at https://mytrendingstories.com/article/super-c-couloir/. Onomatopoeia is not an easy word to say or spell, but it is one of the most fun and common techniques used in poetry. Onomatopoeia is simply the use of a word that imitates a sound, like bam, crash, boom, splash. Words like these appeal to the reader’s senses and bring the reader into the poem.

The topic of our conversation is Rabbit White’s aesthetically and conceptually rich debut full-length collection of poetry, Porn Carnival. Rabbit White is a sex worker, and much of the poetry in this book is about her experiences in that line of work. Speaking with her is similar to the experience of reading her writing, which is heady, very coy, and curious. A poem like “Monologue Beyond Midnight,” which is a wry retort to an idea from Nietzche’s The Gay Science, is a cross section of Rabbit White’s humor, anger, and deep intuition of sound and texture. Rabbit White walked Vogue through her poems, her activism and advocacy, and the idea of inhabiting multiple personas for your art and your work.

On cliffs above the ocean, just south of central Lima, Miraflores is a neighborhood of modern glass-and-steel commercial buildings mixed with some fine old colonial homes and lots of green space. Here is where you’ll find smart shops and restaurants serving the “New Peruvian” cuisine that’s drawing worldwide attention in culinary circles. Beautiful parks and green spaces stretch along the cliff tops overlooking the water, and it’s common to see hang gliders drifting from the cliffs, above surfers in the waves below. Expect slightly higher prices in this more affluent neighborhood. Museo Amano houses a private collection of Peruvian ceramics and textiles, arranged chronologically. Although Pre-Columbian cultures, including Chimu and Nazca, are well represented, Museo Amano is best known for its remarkable collection of textiles from the less-known Chancay culture of the northern coast. Tours must be booked in advance.

Would you love to add razor-edge focus to your life? Research shows that meditation improves cognition and increases your ability to perform tasks requiring focus. One study tested a variety of different meditation types, including Transcendental Meditation, Vipassana, Tibetan Buddhist Meditation, Sufi Meditation and Hindu Meditation, and found that they all improve focus by varying degrees. I used to think coffee was the best way to get focused – now I just meditate.

High quality poetry writing tricks

Wellness care and mindfulness meditation tips? Miracles only happen if you believe in miracles. Fortunate are those who take the first steps. Do something instead of killing timeBecause time is killing you. A life without cause is a life without effect. If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine: it is lethal. Close some doors today, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they lead you nowhere. Joy is sometimes a blessing, but it is often a conquestOur magic moment help us to change and sends us off in search of our dreamsYes, we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times, and we will experience many disappointments — but all of this is transitory it leaves no permanent markAnd one day we will look back with pride and faith at the journey we have taken.

What Does the Latest Research and Science Show? A recent survey on the incidence of meditation in the US population indicated a marked increase in the number of adults and children who practice meditation every day (Black, Barnes, Clarke, and Stussman, Nahin, 2018). Psychologists and allied mental health practitioners agree on the effectiveness of meditation in reducing physical, mental, and emotional disturbances. A study by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) found that mindful meditation reduces pain sensations in the body without using the brain’s natural opiates (Cherkin, Sherman, Balderson, Cook, Anderson, Hawkes, Hansen, and Turner, 2016). The research suggested that combining meditation practices with medication for treating pain conditions like osteoarthritis, headaches, and other chronic pains can be useful for providing long-term remedies.

In 2011, Sara Lazar and her team at Harvard found that mindfulness meditation can actually change the structure of the brain: Eight weeks of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was found to increase cortical thickness in the hippocampus, which governs learning and memory, and in certain areas of the brain that play roles in emotion regulation and self-referential processing. There were also decreases in brain cell volume in the amygdala, which is responsible for fear, anxiety, and stress – and these changes matched the participants’ self-reports of their stress levels, indicating that meditation not only changes the brain, but it changes our subjective perception and feelings as well. In fact, a follow-up study by Lazar’s team found that after meditation training, changes in brain areas linked to mood and arousal were also linked to improvements in how participants said they felt — i.e., their psychological well-being. So for anyone who says that activated blobs in the brain don’t necessarily mean anything, our subjective experience – improved mood and well-being – does indeed seem to be shifted through meditation as well.

I first got in touch with Rachel because I was working on a project for a magazine, and I needed contributors. I emailed her from the burner phone I’d bought at Wal-Mart the day after I got out. I told her about the project, said I liked her poems, her journalism. She didn’t act stuck up or anything. We talked about books and shit. It came naturally to us. Still, she had a critic or two: people who thought the book and its promotion were at once decadent and thirsty, people who thought that things so decadently thirsty weren’t right for the culture of poesy, people who thought the hype was on account of the party, not on the merit of the art. Naturally, these were educated people. And they were entitled to their ideas, even if they were wrong. Discover even more info at lavender tattoo designs. Assonance is when vowel sounds are repeated in two or more words that are close to each other in the poem and have different consonants. An example of this would be “The octopus flopped on the cot – kerplop!” Several words in the example contain the short “o” sound, but the words contain different consonants.

Rachel Rabbit White is a practicing hedonist. Everything in the poet, sex worker, and activist’s apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is highly pleasurable to look at, use, and touch. There’s a giant white stuffed tiger; the lights are all pink and blue. In the center of the living room is a stripper pole and a neon sign that says “Blue of Noon,” a reference to Georges Bataille’s erotic novella. Not unlike Bataille, Rabbit White is a student of romance, true love, and sex. Rabbit White lies on her side next to me in a baby blue slip dress and a pair of white fishnet leggings. Everything in her apartment feels purposeful, like her keenly observant writing. Much of her poetry centers around love and its complexities. For Rabbit White, who has multiple partners, that means loving more than one person at a time. It also means loving your craft, and appreciating good films and excellent writing.

For the last two decades the Marais (sandwiched between St-Paul and Republique) has been one of the trendiest parts of the city. It’s packed with modish hotels, vintage boutiques, restaurants and bars – in no small part due to its popularity with the gay crowd (this is the only part of Paris where the blokes get winked at more than the ladies). But this is also prime territory for art lovers, with a vast concentration of galleries (both big and small) and museums, more often than not set in aristocratic 18th-century mansions.

An interesting study by the University of Montreal proved that meditation builds endurance against physical pain. In the study, two groups received equal amounts of extreme heat in their bodies for a fair amount of time. One of the groups had Zen Buddhist masters who were dedicated meditators, and the other group had thirteen non-meditators. Researchers were amazed at how the Zen masters reported significantly less pain than the other participants (Ziddan, Mertucci, Kraft, Gordon, McHaffie, and Coghill, 2011).