Author: Ashley Perna

Ashley is a freelance writer and office manager. She collects comic books, stationary, and empty journals that for some reason never see a pen. Ashley spends her free time enjoying bright lights in the dark, watching Daily Show alumni on late night TV, and eagerly awaiting the next series of Doctor Who.

Tips On How To Find A Hobby You’ll Love

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hobby

Having a hobby does more than fill in the time in a fun and entertaining way. Hobbies are incredibly good for you. They can help reduce stress, boost your mood, and keep your brain sharp. There are a ton of benefits to having a hobby you can turn to on a regular basis. Some fall into the perfect hobby with ease, while others find it more challenging to find one that they can truly enjoy and feel passionate about. Don’t worry if you haven’t stumbled upon something you love to do. Here are a few things you can try to help you find a hobby you’ll love.

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Make Good Art: The Many Benefits Of Creating ‘A Thing’

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Benefits of creating

A few months ago, Neil Gaiman released a collection of essays and other works of non-fiction. This work, called The View From The Cheap Seats, was hotly anticipated by many fans, myself included. I was lucky enough to have a copy gifted to me, by a then-stranger (Steve Cleff, a kind human being and an amazing artist). The work is filled with insightful, interesting, and sometimes humours essays and observations on the world. However, the main draw for me, and the work I re-read time and time again, is Make Good Art. Make Good Art is the text of a commencement speech given by Neil Gaiman in 2012. The whole speech/transcript is filled with quotable phrases, but one in particular stands out:

Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life an din love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all the other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do.

Make good art.

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5 Simple Self-Care Tips For Geeks

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self-care

It’s no great secret that things have felt pretty miserable lately. Despite the brief passage of time, many of us (Geeks in Art included) are still mourning Carrie Fisher’s death. Fans admired and drew inspiration from her writing and advocacy. For many, she is the Princess who saved herself and later became a General instead of Queen. She was what happens when bravery and wit meet sheer talent.

Looking to the future for optimism is becoming harder for many to do. Whether it’s a vague sense of gloomy fear for the world in general, or a specific anxiety about your future, willing yourself to be more optimistic isn’t easy. This is why self-care is incredibly important. Self-care, in practice, means doing the things you need to do, even when they are hard or unpleasant, in the best interests of your own mental health. Things things include showering, cleaning, and eating on a regular basis. Self-care can also include things you do to comfort yourself when the world gets to be too much. Here are a few other self-care tips for geeks. Continue reading

The Musical Magic Of Disney’s Moana | Geeks In Art

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Moana

The first time a movie’s soundtrack affected me in a lasting and noticeable way was when I saw Beauty and the Beast. I was 8, and there was something about Paige O’Hara’s Belle that initially captivated me. Alan Menken’s score held my attention in a way that no other instrumental work ever had before, and Howard Ashman’s lyrics stood out in my mind. The soundtrack worked its way into my brain and never truly left. I eager learned as many songs as I could on the recorder, and later as I began playing the flute and the piano, I ensured those were among the first pieces I practiced. I never tired of Belle’s narration of her unfulfilling everyday life in an uneducated town, and could listen to the simple yet beautiful strains of the movie’s main theme on an endless loop. Continue reading

Dragons Can Be Defeated | Geeks In Art

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While I had always been interested in superheroes and science fiction, it was fairy tales that pushed me to explore other geeky interests. I loved stories based on fairy tales, or featuring those fantasy-style villains. As a pre-teen fairy tales were especially influential – both in the types of books I chose and the television I watched.

Like most adolescents in the 90s, I devoured every Lurlene McDaniel book as soon as it was released, and I eagerly awaited each installment of the Fear Street series. But I also read fair tale retellings, which eventually led to historical fiction. Through historical fiction I read works like There Will Be Wolves, The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle, and The Nine Days Queen, all of which gave me a hunger for more strong yet flawed female heroes. Continue reading