My January.

1. Opportunities have arose in many a shape over the past month. Not only am I now running Ignite (the schools Christian lunchtime group) I'm also at F.Y.I & Kidz Klub! Although their not new in fitting into my schedule its great to have regular chances to tell people about God! I also took whole school assembly on Monday (were talking like 800 people, ahhhhh!) Around the themes of the Holocaust & acceptance of difference in society...It was amazing to be able to have a chance to really make many people think on such an important topic.

2. I've not read a book in such a long time. And I've really missed sitting down and soaking up wonderful descriptions and thoughts, so this month I started reading the help, and I'm seriously trying to spend a little time each day getting lost in a book, I've missed invading the world of a character on a regular basis.

3. Something new comes in the form of making videos! For the previous two weeks after FYI we've took a few photos...and then I've sped them up and added a song to turn them into watchable videos...So far we've did one for "The Tim Gill dance" (its a St. Barts thing) and 'I will worship you for who you are'. If you want to see them go to my YouTube channel which of course is, Holy Tightss.

4. Possibly the best way to ever spend a Friday morning is at Work experience. Big shocker for you all when I say I'm doing it in church, bet you would have never guessed that one now would you? its been really fun to just have a chatt & plan stuff for things like FYI or Ignite! We are also going to start fashion show planning, excited much!

5.Some of you will know I'm impatient at the best of times. I just always want to know whats going to happen and the thought of having it revealed to me piece by piece is an idea I particularly struggle with! But God's plan is unfolding, particularly with this summer. Its so strange to see life is really like a jigsaw! I still want to cry everytime uni or the thought of the future is mentioned, but i'm getting there!

6. I've started listing everything good that happens in the week, every week! Its really good to help you focus on all the good things, no matter how little they might be! maybe you should try it out!

7. January has meant far too many evenings & weekends spent in scruffy clothes, textbook in front of my face! Revision over Christmas time was horrible but I guess I made it through! Sixth form has started all the Uni talk, and I'm so undecided about EVERYTHING!

8. I need to be more creative, that's all.

9. Fashion is just not who I am anymore. Its crazy, and its strange, but its true. I don't know what this means for Holy Tightss either, I'm not giving up blogging by any means, and I'll alwaysssssssss love clothes, but I'm just a bit unsure at the moment!

Hope you have all had a brilliant month! I'll blog again (on who knows what?!) soon enough!

A coffee shop with a cause

 I guess I could lie to you all and tell you this photo sums up my past month perfectly, that the sparkles and such vivid backdrop hint to the technicolor wonder of January, when really, I just like taking photos of my shoes.

Life: The little things.

Religion: You've had to wait a while I know. So has God.

Okay, Okay. So I've tried to write this post at least seven times over the past few months, but after the first sentence, two if its a good day, I've hastily given up. I don't know if any of you have realised, but I've not actually written anything relating to God since October. Even in just typing that do I begin to wince slightly, I mean, my blog called Holy Tightss, and its called that for a reason.

Yes, I formed some lines on being beautiful here back in late December but they were little thought and came from a sudden desire to express what I'd been trying to tell others, and what others had been telling me. So apart from that, your looking at half of October, and the whole of November and December without so much as me personally muttering anything Jesus related. (excluding my new years post of course)

This is entirely my fault. Its not like my faith in God has slipped, for I have total belief in the power and the love of my Lord. But what I've did is allow myself to somehow stop relying on God. Far too often have I recently been doing things of my own accord and supposed strength. I've also been wanting God in my life, without giving him the slightest of opportunities to be there.  This is through a lack of regularly praying and reading the bible. Its my crazy mind to think I can keep my relationship with Jesus going, without spending time trying to keep it going.

Through too much time focused on other things have I lost sight of what I really want. I have caught glimpses of it in the past few months, but I've did what I do best, and ignored it in favour of something pointless. Depending on how well you know me, depends on if you can tell this about me.

Its a simple equation some could say, but the more I'm relying on Jesus, the more of a person I am. The Jess that knows Jesus is the one that smiles on early Monday Mornings and texts all her friends wishing them a good week. The Jess that doesn't spends the bus rides to school, headphones firmly in, choosing to ignore the week ahead. The Jess that lives for the lord thrives on opportunities to serve others, and honestly practically runs to kidz klub where as without a passion for God, Jess is rather mean and lazy, and er, swears a lot.

See, what I want is to live for the lord. I honestly desire this with all my heart. But I get so easily caught up. Be it thought a lack of priorities or a hopeless rebellion of thinking I don't need God. But I do, I need God more in my life then anything.

To say this blog is a sudden turn around would be false and maybe to some, a blatent lie. I'm open to say that right now, I'm the Jess that's not living for the Lord. Though I do want to be. I just think right now, I don't want it enough.

I need that passion to fill me again, and that enthusiasm that makes me want to shout from the rooftops about the love of Jesus. It will return, but only If i allow it to. There is no way I can write this blog post, and not do anything about it. So I'm doing as I've been told, and tonight I'm going to church expectant, I'm waiting on God. I think he's been waiting for me.

The Unmistakable connection.

Honestly feels like ages since I've posted anything remotely fashion related on my blog! You may scroll down after this reading this and find that I've just spent the last few days throwing pictures at you and writing very little at all...you may also wish to note whenever various lines of words and phrases have surrounded you, they had no connection to fashion whatsoever. Well er, sorry about that one. Though I'd like to suggest photography and fashion regularly mumble to each other in a sort of constant, creative, inspiration conversation. New season trends will always gesture to the years gone by, obviously inspired by a once living image. Its simply natural to aim to repeat the success of the past, in an attempt to gain understanding of what a prosperous future may be.

See, People involved in the creative industries do not make a clear defined choice to become totally besotted with an image. When reaching for true inspiration, you cannot pick what you want to inspire you. You have to let it choose you, like an undeniable force of the universe pulling you until you can simply only admit defeat.  Take a look at the obvious references to 50's trends for S/S 2012, especially the more captivating of the lot, like Dolce & Gabbana's floral numbers which remind me a little of Louis Vuitton A/W '10 collection.  As commercial as the industry is, and as much of a dreamer as I am, I'd still like to believe these re awoken styles are ones that hint from real life images discovered by the teams themselves. I wish the photo's they found to have been the type they just couldn't avert their gazes from, the genre of the ones you have to make several copies of in order to pin them many places, scrapbooks, mood boards, even in your wardrobe.  Though I don't feel photography enters only the realm of fashion design,  but that it underpins the creative context of your own personal style.

                                                         D&G S/S 12 collection,style.com


I am forever influenced by photographs in magazines and on the internet, and i'm training myself to take more time to find what I really love about them. Anything involving a classic Hollywood starlet and red lipstick gets me every time.  As does blonde hair with dark roots. I see a photo of Elvis I'm tempted to cut my hair short just so I can try and form my own successful quiff.  And I also see the huge pull I have towards androgynous clothing due to various figures shot in the public eye. A picture of Henry Holland makes me want to go roll up my jeans and wear some brogues. We are inspired by others, who have been inspired by others.

If we talk of it all in biological terms, Its like the art and power of photography is at the bottom of the food chain, its the beginning, and things just don't thrive well without it. So For as long as I'm writing about fashion & Style, I'll also be both writing and taking pictures. I'm not saying I yet have the ability to capture images that will inspire others, but that maybe in order to write about fashion on a basic level, I have to unearth the complications of photography and what the images want for our future, even if they are from the past.

photography: Hello 2012

                                                                 End of year hugs

                                                                         Gem

                                                               I <3 this ring

                                               Far to amused by the fact my eye looked bigger in glass

                                                                        Shoesssss

                                                                     More shoessssss

                                               

                                                                   Pucker up