Update: cry hard, dance harder

Hey guys!

The last time I felt the need to write a Paramore themed update, 

it was because things were tough and it all felt very dark and lost.

I was at a point, where I felt like I had been wasting away and I could practically feel my creativity slipping through my fingers.

I still remember that time vividly - and I remember how terrible and scary it all felt.

It was about three months ago and after I had written that update, it felt like I had unclogged the creative sink (or toilet - both seems appropriate) and things started to flow again.

That was when I learned that sometimes admitting your current situation and "owning" your struggles, is the only way to turn the situation around.

It's a heavy thing to say, but not being able to produce as much content and not feeling passionate about it - those emotions really messed me up. I didn't feel like myself.

Within the past three months, house in the sand has gone from "bleh" to "we can and we will do this" - and all just because I kicked my own butt, after I let myself be a mess.


"cry hard, dance harder"

This is where the post got its' inspiration from - a quote that has been strongly connected to Paramore's most recent album, "After Laughter".
The album deals with dark times, hard times, lost times and has become a relatable source of inspiration for me.

So I guess, what I'm saying is - if you feel like crying, cry hard. 

Let it all out, let yourself feel the sadness, get it out of the system. Bottling it up only means that you'll have to carry it with you - and that it only takes a short rain storm for the bottle to overflow all over again.

If you cry hard and empty the bottle of sadness, you'll be able to re-start.
Yeah - the bottle is eventually going to fill itself again - that's life.
But you'll be able to watch it fill up without having to worry about immediate break downs, because there's still plenty of space in the bottle.

And once you've cry hard - dance harder.

When you get to the point of feeling motivated, happy and determined - dance as hard as you can.
Milk it out.
You're on a high, so make the most of it.
If you've been lacking motivation and it has returned - become that working maniac and give it your all.
If you've been feeling sad and somehow happiness came back - celebrate it in any way you can and want to.

You deserve to dance, so dance harder than you ever have.

You see, what I'm trying to say with this post is - yes, house in the sand is on a roll again- and hell it feels good.
We have changed a lot of things "behind the scenes" and have adjusted to the pace of the industry.
August and September were the best months of the year so far, but we are more than sure that October, November and December hold huge things for us.

If you are ready to discover some fine music and get to know that acts behind it, 

we invite you to visit us regularly.

Stay in touch!


house in the sand online: twitter | facebook | soundcloud | youtube | instagram


Vanessa online: twitter | instagram




Disclaimer: if you are dealing with depression or other mental illnesses, please don't feel ashamed.
Reach out - there are many ways to do that and there are many people who will listen and help.




Thank you for your visit - always.

Credits // Words & Photography: Vanessa Jertschewske

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update: told you so

Hey guys!

- "for all I know, the best is over and the worst is yet to come" -

Do you know those moments in which you feel a certain emotion and then start to dramatise literally everything?

I do.

It's not the most exciting or positive thing to admit, but hey - honesty is the best policy.
So, yeah.. today I'd like to give you an update on what's been going on over here recently.

I haven't done something like that in absolute ages, probably years.
But house in the sand has always been a very honest and pretty open space of web. Those of you, who started this journey with me in 2012, might still remember the topics I used to write about.

And today I'm bringing some of it back.
I want to write about what has been going on behind the scenes lately.

I'm sure some of you have noticed that we haven't been as loud as usual.
There have been less posts on the website and less interaction on Social Media.

That's not because we don't love all of this anymore, it's because I got a little tired.

Tired as in - tired.
Literally.
Not tired of music, writing or anything.
I just realised I had a bit too much on my plate and it killed my creativity.

I tried to fight the tiredness. And I tried to deny it.
But I have realised, that it's absolutely fine to feel like this every now and then.

If you pour a lot of personality and a lot of love into something, you are bound to feel a little exhausted. 

It takes a lot of work to be present on all fronts - because there are a lot of fronts;
there's social media, there's the actual website you need to fill with content, there are thousands of emails that need to be read and answered, there's a team that depends on your skills as an editor and there are your own expectations.

And sometimes you just end up feeling a bit too busy and your spirit just shuts down.

And in my case, I became a bit hysterical because I felt like I was wasting my time - not being able to be on top of my game.

But little old me found some adult-y wisdom and feels better now.
I figured out that this is all very natural and that there are way worse things than not being the most productive person on the web.

Taking some time away from the busy side of things, has allowed me to be more creative and to focus on photography and design. And it was fun!


So yeah - long story short - felt stressed, had no creativity, took time off, now I'm back.
I felt like writing this to explain why it has been a bit quiet around here.
Hopefully, if you have ever felt a bit hopeless and tired, you've managed to take some wisdom with you.

No matter how unproductive you feel, times are going to get better.

You can expect a lot more posts again and I hope you are looking forward to the upcoming noise!


One more thing - please let me make it clear that the photography, outfit and artwork for this post are heavily inspired by Paramore's "Told You So" music video.
There were no intentions of copying it, just paying tribute to a song that I love very much.


So check it out below:




In case you feel like connecting - you can:


house in the sand on social media: twitter | facebook | soundcloud | youtube | instagram


Vanessa on social media: twitter | instagram




Thank you for your visit! 

Credits // Words & Photography: Vanessa Jertschewske | artwork was heavily inspired by Paramore's "Told You So"

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Update: Birthday Countdown 2015 | #HITSBC15

 Hey guys!

In less than a month our second Birthday Countdown is going to kick off. 

Last year a lot of you requested that I would take you behind the scenes of organising the whole project. It was the first time organising something like that so I wasn't sure about sharing it all with you; it was absolutely chaotic "behind the scenes" and definitely not meant to be on the internet. 

To be honest, this year's organisation is not much better but I think I've got a clue of what to share with you.

Before I get into details - if you don't know what the Birthday Countdown is, let me explain it:
The Birthday Countdown is, just like the title gives away, a countdown towards the blog's anniversary/birthday. 

Starting February 1st one band/artists is going to perform a song exclusively for house in the sand's third birthday. The party of live music ends on February 28th, our birthday.

If you're curious, you can watch 2014's Birthday Countdown HERE.

Alright. So the planning process began in September. Yes, September 2014.
This project needs a lot of time and right after we finished the first edition of it in February, I couldn't wait to start the next one.
(So yeah... I probably started a bit too early...)

In October I met up with the first few bands and acts to film some performances. Of course some bloopers and technical difficulties made things a bit more entertaining and interesting for all of us. It was a great adventure to say the least.

Last year I pressured myself a bit too much and wanted to have the complete lineup together by December.
This year it is all about finding hidden gems of the music industry and showcasing their talent. And I'll be bloody honest with you - the lineup is still not complete.
(Yes, I'm panicing a bit but I've learned to look at things the "rock'n'roll" way.)

But the acts I've chosen so far are going to blow you away!

I just had a look at my email account - so far I've written 197 emails/messages for the Birthday Countdown. That is sick.

December was a busy month for me where I had to finish my studies and after that I focused on Christmas food.
So I am a bit behind with all the editing and writing BUT things are going well. 

I've also found out that the more you know, the more work you have to do. Last year I wasn't too informed about a lot of technical things such as HTML and video formats. This year I'm a lot wiser which also means I spend a lot more time on perfecting things.

At this point I already want to thank the artists - you guys are such a pleasure to work with and it's amazing to see how you are willing to help me make this countdown one to remember. Lots of love!

I think this is pretty much all of what I can share with you right now. 

If there is anything you'd like to know more about, feel free to comment or message me on twitter, facebook or wherever you want. 

I am SOOOO excited for #HITSBC15 (this is our official hashtag, find more about it HERE) and I can't wait for you to see the finished product.

Thank you for reading! 

Credits // Text & image: Vanessa Jertschewske

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Project 365 Photos: Update 2

 

Hey guys!

It's been a while since I last give you an update on my version of the Project 365 Photos.

For those of you who don't know about the project, it's really simple: you take one photograph a day throughout the entire year to document your life.

Now for the first 6 months I tried to only photograph the positive things of the day. For the second half of the year I decided to also document things that maybe didn't make me happy or didn't go well.

Life doesn't always treat us well but exactly that is life. In my opinion 'bad' things, just like the good things, define the person you are.
So it's ok to let them happen and also document them somehow.

Ok I'm drifting away, sorry.

Without any more rambling, here are some of my pictures.

May 25th, Berlin times. My favourite Liverpoolians The Arkanes played their first headliner in Germany. Good, crazy and chaotic times!

June 11th, got the kitten a new bed. Sat in there for about 5 minutes, then left. So glad I got a picture of her actually using it.

 

June 20th, I know all words to this song! It took a while to learn them though...

 

 

July 13th, found a balloon with a message on it. SO CUTE. Risked my life to catch it though, haha.

July 17th, Berlin, again. Had the best time ever and also caught these two guys in concert. Happy days.

July 27th, clouds clouds clouds.

July 28th, the clouds sent some rain. Melody loves her bed by the window.

July 30th, so proud of house in the sand. And so thankful for the wonderful friends I have. So I took an old school screen shot.

 

July 31st, the wild cat appears again.

 

August 5th, little 'press-photo-photo-shooting'.

 

August 7th, I love flowers.

August 10th, super moon and super cloudy skies. Meh.

Well, I think this should be enough.
I'm actually really surprised I could keep up with the project. It's definitely a wonderful way to remember the little things and the lovely memories.

Really excited to see what the next (and final) four months of this project will bring. 

I hope you enjoyed this little update. :)

Thank you for reading!

 

Credits // Text & Photography: Vanessa Jertschewske
 

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Updates + Announcement

Hey guys,

I just wanted to make a little statement:

 since January house in the sand has worked with over 50 different bands. That's quite a lot as it's only me doing all the work behind it - no team. 

I'm actually really busy right now. 

(and I know that this sounds sooo like I'm trying to sound important and cool, but I'm not.) 

As most of you know house in the sand is not the only project I'm working on; I also write for the webzine "Albumcheck" and currently have 21 CDs I need to review for it.
Also I just got asked to contribute articles to another project but I can't really tell you about that yet. It's going to launch in October so you'll get details soon. :)

Of course HITS is my baby and I love working on new projects but it just takes a lot of time.

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I need YOU + updates

Hey guys,

it's one of my famous update posts again.

But before I start to update you all I want to ask for your help.

Yesterday evening I got the idea for a new little project - a playlist
.

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Updates.

Hey guys,

this is just a post to keep all of you updated with the news that I really think you should know.

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