COOL STUFF: THINGS IN JULY

  Even though I wasn't here for the beginning of July (aka my birthday), I came home to some really cool friends who gave me some really nice things for my birthday! I also got some pretty cool things while I was away on vacation!! Here's a short little list of some stuff I got and why I love them so much :+) 

• A 4"x6" Clearprint Vellum Gridded Notebook- If you are into art or journaling or art journaling this journal is basically a must-need. The size that my friend gave me is perfect for taking around in your purse or backpack and the paper is gridded (obviously) which is amazing!! Inside it comes with a red sheet that is detachable and can be used as a slip sheet which is super cool, and the back is really sturdy and aaah. An important thing. (It's the red journal pictured above!!) 
• Adidas Slides- OK it probably seems a little bit tacky to get these because.. Well I don't know why. They're kind of tacky shoes. But from what I've heard they're coming back into style and they're super comfy!! When I get the courage, I plan on wearing them with socks and a big tee to be super fashionable, but for now I wear them sock-less with my not too big t-shirts. If you want a pair of your own (they even have them in black!), you can find them online for $25. Not too bad for a major summer staple piece. ;-)
• 40th Anniversary Edition of Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends- Shel Silverstein was a huge part of my childhood, and when I saw that my friend got me one of his books I was so excited! I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to everyone, but I think everyone should pick up a new copy of an old book from when you were a kid. It's so nostalgic and sappy to read poems I remember reading on the carpet in elementary school. Especially before my senior year, looking back at something I used to love so much is kind of like taking a deep breath. I don't know. 
• Pigma Brush Pens by Sakura- Again, if you're into art and journaling and stuff like that, these pens are awesome. The pack that I got came with 6 different color pens with brush tips, of course. I love writing and drawing with these pens because it's like you're drawing with a small, firm paint brush. And you can change the size of your strokes so there's a lot of cool stuff you can do with them! They don't smear either <3
• And finally, A Composition Notebook- A composition notebook is probably the simplest and most accessible item on this list, but I think it's also been the most important to me this summer. I love to write, but before I had just a plain old lined notebook I was trying too hard to do art and write and all of these other things in one journal. I've always thought it was important to document things even if I'm the only one who's going to see it, and I love this journal because all I do is write what I'm thinking. It's fun and funny to look back on and good all around. Not to mention the front is 100% customize-able! :-)

So maybe these weren't specific to the season or specific to anything, really. Still, I think we can all agree those are all some pretty sweet items. I hope you found something cool in this little post worth further investigation. Thanks for reading <3 :) 

-Anahi 

**extra cool links / things** 

Interested in writing a piece like this or having your artwork featured in a post? Apply to be on staff here~ 

MUSIC STUFF: A MIXTAPE FOR THE MELLOW SEARCHING

Often in times of anxiety and stress, it seems like nothing works to calm yourself down for the night. In my lowest points I go to music to let myself close my eyes and clear my head for eight hours of a paused mind. Here are some songs to help you get to that serene point !!

( all tracks are linked to youtube so you can listen to each track at ur leisure!! )

1) dusk by wilson

2) fantasy by hannah cohen

3) naked as we came by iron and wine

4) never look back by the slow club

5) trying to bend a river by idiot wind

6) west coast (cover) by james vincent mcmorrow

7) a song for a lover of long ago by justin vernon

8) skin pure by gabrielle aplin

- Annie W

**extra cool links / things** 

Interested in writing a piece like this or having your artwork featured in a post? Apply to be on staff here~ 

SUNDAY: A COMIC ABOUT THIS WEEKEND

 Happy Sunday! This has been a pretty big first week for Teen Alien Diaries, and we (the Staff)are very grateful for your support! Next week we will (hopefully) be on more of a schedule, so keep a look out for more posts each day and new types of posts!

 If you are an artist or photographer, we would love to see your work! Fill out a submission form here, and you could see your work featured on pieces like the previous ones this week!

  Thanks again for all your support, and from all the staff, have a rad week! 

-Anahi

**extra cool links/things**

The TAD tumblr is up! Follow it for updates and inspo!

The Staff page has been updated!! Be sure to check out the cool new voices you'll be hearing from every week :)  

FUN STUFF: HOW TO KICK YOUR SUMMER BLUES

  

 

 Summer’s roughly halfway over and for some of us, it’s starting to get a little repetitive. Maybe you’re tired of lazy days around the house or you’re getting sick of the same old habits you and your friends fall back on to entertain yourself. Whatever it is, all you need is a change of pace to get your summer back on track; here's a list to help you get started! 

Summer Bucket Lists- Google this search term and you’re sure to find lists upon lists of summer bucket lists filled with fun and different ideas on how to spend your summer. You may end up creating one of your own to complete before the summer’s end!

DIY- Maybe “Do it Yourself” is not your thing, it certainly isn’t mine, but if you search hard enough you can definitely find something cool and useful to make where the design is totally up to you! For example, you could make some rad sunglasses to make your beach day outfit perfectly quirky, or you could make some marquee letters to give your bedroom a fresh feel.

Museums- Find out when your local museums offer free admission and take some friends with you to complete a museum scavenger hunt! You can either design it yourself or find one already made on the internet. Whichever you choose, it’s a nice way to immerse yourself in some culture within a refreshingly air conditioned building.

Popsicle Party- Beat the heat by trying out some popsicle recipes! You can usually get some popsicle molds for pretty cheap at Target. Puree some fresh fruit, pop it into the freezer and you should be good to go.

Summer Reading- I don’t want to do it. You don’t want to do it. But it’s better to get it out of the way now rather than three days before school starts.

Call Your Parents- If worst comes to worst and you cannot possibly think of anything entertaining to do, call your parents and ask them for ideas. They’re sure to give you some chores to complete before they come home and the motivation to avoid doing them as much as possible will probably aid you in coming up with something better to do.

Hope this was helpful in making summer even slightly more eventful for you. Stay cool, my friends.

-Maddie 

**extra cool links / things** 

Interested in writing a piece like this or having your artwork featured in a post? Apply to be on staff here~ 

MUSIC STUFF: A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO A RAD TASTE IN MUSIC

  Congratulations! If you're reading this, hopefully you are interested in learning the ins and outs of indie rock music. I applaud you already on your endeavor into a super rad music taste. Indie Rock defined by Wikipedia is "a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United States and United Kingdom". Indie Rock is super duper diverse, from Indie Pop to Lo-fi Music, there are many sub-genres of this glorious genre. To get you started on your journey into Indie Rock, I set up a list below that showcases the best and brightest in Indie Rock. The listed bands below go from easy-listening to fairly acquired taste from first to last. 

1. The Strokes 
2. Bleachers
3. Real Estate
4. Tame Impala
5. Arctic Monkeys
6. Franz Ferdinand
7. Alt-j
8. Modest Mouse
9. Sonic Youth

  I really hope this jump-starts your indie rock loving and jamming. Happy listening!!!

- Annie W

**extra cool links / things** 

Interested in writing a piece like this or having your artwork featured in a post? Apply to be on staff here~ 

FEATURED: PA ON FASHION, LIFE, AND SELFIES

  Pa radiates confidence. Whether she's blogging about her favorite bands and style icons or making a youtube video, Pa is always rocking her own unique style. Her new fashion blog has gained some major ground since it first started thanks to her thousand-note selfies (I know!!) and amazing Spring Lookbook! I sat down with her (virtually, at least) to talk about her style, her confidence, and how she takes the perfect selfie! 

-------------

TAD: We are all huge fans of your style here at TAD. How would you personally describe your style? 

Pa: First off, thank you so much! And to be quite honest, I’ve found my style to be more basic and simple than anything. Growing up, I never was allowed to spend a lot of money on clothes so I learned to work with clothing and be versatile with them. I love being able to have a piece of clothing that I can wear differently whenever I want. Also with 80’s/90’s fashion coming back, it’s been a heavy influence. I could open up one of my mom’s photo album when she was younger and piece something she had on on myself. I love the tie dyes, high waisted shorts, and crop tops. That’s actually all I live in all summer! With that, the whole grunge and gothic look has also made its way to fashion and I’ve been told I hold a piece of that in my style as well. I absolutely adore the dark reds and purples on clothing and with makeup and you can never go wrong with black and plaids. It’s like high fashion grunge and I love it. Lastly, being the size I am has helped me set my style in. Not only am I big but I’m also short which most people would see as negatives. But because I have both it’s like a double negative aka a positive. It’s made me see how things fit on me and how I should get things fitted, or more polished if you may. Throwing these things together, it creates my personal style and seems like so much but it’s really just bits and pieces coming together and I think that’s what it’s all about: not being set in one way but having different things that add up to something completely new.

TAD: Being a popular fashion blogger probably has its setbacks. How do you deal with hate? 

Pa: Most of the time, hate I get is from anyone just telling me about the size I am. I realize dressing the way I do can sometimes can make some people feel uneasy just because I am bigger than what is glorified in the media and that’s absolute trash. But it’s been a journey my whole life to accept the body I have and just keeping it healthy. I’m in love with my body and having someone who cannot accept people in all shapes and sizes is truly saddening. I try to promote self love as much as possible and when someone tries to tear me down, I always just remind myself that I love me. Everyone’s got opinions but the person’s who really matters is mine.

TAD: What advice would you give to someone who's trying to get into online fashion world for the first time?

Pa: Personally, I’m trying to break through myself! But in the way that I have so far I think it’s important to be confident, stay confident and really let your personality shine through. I don’t think you personally have to be this super outgoing person. It is possible to be laid back and show yourself for who you are and the fashion you love. It’s also important to stay persistent. Always. Sometimes I have trouble with that but you’ve just got to remind yourself that if this is what you’ve got a passion for, you keep truckin’ along.

TAD: I think we all know that confidence is one of your most prominent traits (we love it!!). What are some other traits you think a girl (or guy) has to have in order to pull off her (or his) favorite looks?

Pa: Thanks! I think along with confidence, you’ve got to just smile and be happy with what you’re in. If you don’t like what you’ve got on, why are you wearing it?! A smile can just brighten everything up. Wearing things out of the norm does not mean it’s wrong so wear what you please and carry that “I don’t give a f**k about your opinion” attitude as you strut in it. You’ve got to just own it and know that you look amazing in it, because more often that not, you do! 

TAD: What's your staple item this season? 

Pa: It’d have to be my high waisted shorts. All of my shorts are DIY goods and nothing feels better than to wear something completely altered to the way you want it to look. They also look great with just about any top and that’s also something I think is a complete must have.

TAD: Who are some of your biggest style inspirations?

Pa: Kylie Jenner is one of my big ones. I feel like her and my taste in clothing is very similar and it’s nice to see someone so young pull those pieces off. Rihanna also is another. She’s very bold in the things she wears and you just see her confidence ooze out of her photos, I absolutely love it.

TAD: Finally, how do you take the perfect selfie (all of yours are!)? 

Pa: Thank you!!! Taking selfies is my favorite pass-time and has been since I was about 11. Natural lighting is my number one best friend when it comes to selfie taking. Flash can be a nuisance and isn’t always flattering. Knowing angles of my face helps especially when working with natural light. Getting familiar with your face is important in general. In most of my selfies, there’s always a subtle smile, which shows off my cheekbones nicely or just a little pout made with my lips. I’ve practically made it my signature look and I think it’s always important to have apart from a killer smile and a cute funny face to pull! 

-------------

-Anahi

**extra cool links / things** 

Interested in writing a piece like this or having your artwork featured in a post? Apply to be on staff here~ 

LIFE STUFF: THE ART OF STAYING CALM AND COLLECTED

  Now I’ll be the first to admit that staying calm isn’t particularly my forte. It is pretty easy to find me stuck up in my room going over all the things that I have to do, but unable to actually make myself do any of them. Best example? Writing a blog post (maybe even this one) as a means of procrastinating various other pressing matters. On the bright side, I sure have spent a lot of time today thinking about doing all those other things! But along with my inability to stay calm and freak-out free in a variety of short-term situations comes some major practice postponing or preventing a freak-out for more long-term situations and worries. As a self-certified “sometimes calm” queen, here are some little tips to help you get through even the most stressful of times, whether it be related to school, family, friends, or anything else in your alien lives.

Stop thinking about what is stressing you out! Although this is not always the most useful productive, or easy solution, if it’s a case between your sanity and your productivity, put your sanity first. You’d be super more productive once you let yourself calm down and organize your thoughts instead of continuing down the path of total freak-out apocalypse. Even if it just entails finding a space for yourself for a few minutes and relaxing, it could make all the difference in the end.

Listen to your favorite calming tunes! Even if your stress is more short-term than anything else and just stopping isn’t really an option, you can try to make the situation a little less stressful. Listen to your favorite music and try to enjoy whatever you’re having to do. It’ll make the time go faster and help you focus more on what you’re doing instead of how unhappy you are to be doing it.

Make lists! Usually I find that making lists of the things that are stressing me out (whether it’s my endless dilemma of what book to read next, or the overwhelming to-do list for the week) makes me able to organize my thoughts and make it all seem a bit less daunting. Using brightly colored markers/pens (I personally love fine-tipped Staedtler pens) always helps take the edge off as well.  Sometimes making lists completely unrelated to the impending freak-out can help as well, such as why your use of noodle art is a completely valid form of expression, or, more likely, goals you’d like to accomplish in the next year or so.

Write, draw, paint, anything! Find a creative outlet for your feelings, and utilize it.  If you’re able to release any pent up frustration or anger or just plain stress, you’ll feel more free to move on. It’ll take your mind off everything for a while, and force you to focus on something else. 

And when all else fails, sleep it off. Maybe you’re just overwhelmed and need a break, or maybe you’ll feel the same in the morning, but either way, you could probably do with a bit of sleep anyways, what teen couldn’t? You can start off fresh when you wake up again with a clear mind.

-Jennifer

**extra cool links / things** 

Interested in writing a piece like this or having your artwork featured in a post? Apply to be on staff here~ 

DIARY 01

   Welcome to Teen Alien Diaries!! This is supposed to be a blog about life as a teen alien girl or boy or just alien.  Some things you might see on this blog include:

• Monthly favorites posts (from all, some, or only one of the writers!!) 
• Featured bloggers, artists, photographers and other cool people who we love
• Sweet advice on tough (or not tough) subjects
• Fashion inspo ♡
• Stuff we love, use, read, watch and wear. Stuff!! 

  It's kind of hard not to word these things awkwardly and tacky-y but if your into the things above check back soon so you can read about them and give feedback and be super cool!! Also cool announcement: if you are interested in being a contributor (whether it be a photographer, artist, or writer), there will be some sweet links below to apply for a position! I hope that this blog will be enjoyable and fun and cool and not lame! Thanks for reading nd see u soon :+)

Anahi

**extra cool links / things** 

See the rest of the staff  here! 

Interested in being on staff? Apply here~