Zombie Walk, Rotorua, New Zealand Saturday of Labour Weekend.

I  was one of two photographers chosen to sponsor the Zombie Walk
It was a real priviledge to be asked.
 I had never met a Zombie before this event so I wasn't sure what to expect.
I wasn't disappointed.

Some of the Zombies looked seriously scarey.
I enjoyed covering the event so much.
The people were really creative with their dress and makeup.
 The vibe was laid back and friendly and the event ran so smoothly.
People loved having their photos taken, they were really co-operative and willing to pose.

                   Chief Organiser Layla Robinson before being made up

                           After being made up complete with emerging  Zombie baby

                                      Baby Close up

                        Layla's partner Robert before being made up.

                         And after

Layla  Robinson and her team are  master event co-ordinators.
I would be  happy to be involved with everything she does because she really is quite brilliant, leaves no detail to chance.
One of life's gifted people

 Red Cross Zombie doing makeup for entrants.
 There were heaps of entrants lining upt to get their face done on the day.
People just coming out of the public, seeing the event and spontaneously joining in on the spot.


Layla started up the Zombie Walk three years ago, she and her friends do it all entirely voluntarily and the proceeds she makes from the event go to a charity called the Brain Injury Association.

People pay an admission fee to dress up like Zombies, go for  a walk around Rotorua as a group, collecting for the event and doing a Zombie dance at the end to the theme to  Michael Jackson's thriller dance.
 
Layla is also the head of a Roller Derby team and they were there behind their stall selling themed cakes to the public.
Here are some green fingers.

Dressing up is enormously good fun and it just lets people's inhibitions run free.

There were all sorts of people there from infants to grandmothers.

                                                                   small boys

                                                    to evil  looking masked men

                                            People with dolls

                                       Entire Families

                                                                   Creepy/Cute looking  Kids

 No kids were harmed or scared on this event, they all had amazing fun. 
It was like being with a huge happy family.

                                             Vintage Mother Zombie

                                       Vintage Zombie Daughter.

The makeup on these faces looked so real.
 I  loved this surgeon Zombie.
 The Roller Derby girls and helpers had made up syringes of edible fruity blood that tasted sweet (apparently) and looked very realistic.
People were plastering it all over their faces, dripping with it.
Awesome fun.

Zombies in character interacting

 Karen Hansen who owns Shotgun Bridal, Steamcity Steampunk Society and Artful Addictions was there with her cool creative, scarey stuff


 Professional Makeup artists who worked for Weta Workshops were also there putting creepy looking scars and sores on people.
 It was really professional.
 Here is one of their props, a totally  realistic looking work of art that I  wouldn't want to meet in my wildest dreams.

 Look at the makeup on the woman, that blood looks so real.  

 Some people went all out with their outfits

Cannibal Zombies

People from Corn Evil were also sponsors and turned up to support the event. 

Corn Evil is a haunted maze company , google them to see what I mean. 

Everyone was so friendly and into having fun.
The crowd well behaved.
It was a great day for it, so lots of people turned up,  I would easily say around 300.

One of the most striking things to me was the number of Asian tourists who just loved the event and even got themselves made up on the spot and stayed with the event the whole way though.
It was a multi-cultural experience.

                         Witch waiting to be made up by the Roller Derby Team

 
They were taking so many photos and really enjoying the occasion.
 It was great to see all the Zombies so willing to pose with them.

 Even though a lot of people looked violent, none of them were, everyone was so nice to each other it was like being on a peace rally.

 

 I'd recommend the event as good wholesome,  family entertainment.

The tourists  had such good fun interacting with theZombies  that I really think that it probably was one of the highlights of their stay.
Where else in New Zealand could they have found such a unique interactive experience for such a reasonable price?

 Brain Injury Association Representatives.
Money raised from the event goes to the Rotorua branch of the Brain Injury Association.

Jaxon was the other official photographer, he covered the groups and I focused on individual shots.



To Be Continued in next Post. 
Shots of the Zombie Walk and Zombie Dance, 
Watch this space.

Thank you so much to all the people involved for making the Rotorua Zombiw Walk such an inspiring experience.

Creative Quote of the day
The “Blood is really warm,
it's like drinking hot chocolate
but with more screaming.”
― Ryan Mecum, Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry for Your...Brains

Trip to Tirau and the Te Waihou Walkway - Blue Springs

I went with my inspirational  artist friend April for a  walk last Wednesday.
April makes whimsical wonderful Angel dolls.
Love them and I have one in my studio, protecting everything.

The TeWaihou Springs  is a lost world, secret place nestled in a valley in the middle of a farm. 
 It's not all that well known,  it's on the road to Putaruru coming from Rotorua;  google it and you'll see a map.

 You need go down (Leslie Road)  for around five minutes because it's the back end of the walk that has the most interesting pools.
 I have been there seven times now and already I want to go again.
We've never done the whole walk as it's 90 minute one way and we always seem to run out of time.


It is a magical, spiritual place, the springs are crystal clear and the air smells pure and light.
 Photography is stunning, especially on a sunny day when the sand and weed become like emerald and diamond jewels.
I've never seen colours quite like them except in small parts of Hamurana Springs.

April and I took our sketch pads and sat on large seats beside one of the main pools and doodled.
This meant it was no pressure  to produce anything photorealistic, it was relaxing.
April is one of these perfect artist friends to hang out with and do art with because she is  non competitive, highly inventive,  upbeat, sincere and generous.
She is one of these people you know you will treasure the whole of your life.
Every time we go on adventures together we discover amazing things.

Plenty of trout were jumping, Paradise ducks flying and honking to each other, magpies warbling and wind whispering through the giant Redwoods.

We walked down the boardwalk, (I'm a bit of a boardwalk freak), photographing the pools, the weed, (long tendralls like mermaid hair), the rocks that looked like chiselled faces and back lit native leaves and ferns.


Next we travelled to Tirau and went to the Loose Goose Cafe.
 The food at this cafe is really nice, the coffee great and the people very friendly.

Next we went down to the art co-operative in Tirau called Art on Main and had a look at the photographic exhibition and all the other art.
Lots of people from Rotorua and South Waikato Camera Clubs were represented.
Lovely display. 
My favourite one was this cute hedgehog and Roger Brownlee's  layered landscape print.
I am now on a hedgehog hunt.

The artists manning  the cooperative gallery were great.
They came from Morrinsville.
April and  I are going to take a trip over the Wallace Gallery in Morrinsville and contact  these artists to have a meet up.
One of the artists is a friend on facebook and reads my blog.
 My mission this coming year is to get to know more positive artists who live outside of Rotorua.

 Then we went to Heather Leonard's Art Gallery.
Heather is always  friendly and has been very successful in that gallery for a number of years.
I can see why people buy so much from her.

 Lastly we visited the visitors centre.  Which is a big corrugated sheep and the person there was really chatty and helpful.
The  whole time in Tirau was great, all the people in the shops  were upbeat and customer focused without being pushy or intrusive.
 People in Tirau should be proud of the way they treat their visitors.


After this we were pretty tired so I drove back, dropped April off,  she gave me a miniature  Merry- Go- Round horse that she no longer needed and I  waved her goodbye, came home and started tidying my studio
(it's still a mess), after having a meditation.
I'm going to doodle my horse with an angel riding it.
My next lot of paitings after the ones with the deer are going to be angels on Merry- G- rounds.


Next Wednesday April is coming over to my studio in the morning to do some doodling after we have been on a walk in nature around my block.
This is another secret that not many people know about and takes around 45 minutes.

I have changed my day off to Wednesdays instead of Thursdays so we can go on more arty adventures together.
It is a joint artist date.

Creativity Quote of the day. 
Without leaps of imagination or dreaming , we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.
Gloria Steinem
 




.

Amazing letter I received after last weeks creativity column I wrote for the Daily Post Weekender.

Kia ora Janet (and Cherie)

Congratulations on your recent column in the Weekender!

I’m sure readers will find your delightful contribution of enthusiasm infused with pragmatic tips most helpful. To be honest, when you introduced me to Vision Boards all those years ago, I was sceptical. But in reading your article just now, I have realised I not only created a Vision ‘Board’ – I’ve created a whole ‘Room’!  

As I look around me, filling every available space in my ‘work-from-home office’ I have stapled inspirational quotes, artwork (including some of yours!),  along with screes of photographic poetry, haiku, waiata and mock ups of the jacket covers of books I am yet to finish writing. I also have  photos of my entrepreneurial heros, together with sales goals and revenue projections and a beautiful mock up of what I originally proposed as NZ’s first ‘Virtual Hotel’ (which is now the ‘Look After Me Homestay Network).

So in looking at my office with fresh eyes, as your article inspired me to do, I realise my Vision ‘Room’ is a friendly marriage between creativity and entrepreneurship. The most startling realisation though, and I can hardly believe this – but this is exactly who I have become! Suddenly I feel so completely different from the scientist at Scion I was just a few years ago and yet the process has been so gradual, I barely noticed till now.

So thank you for pointing out the blinding obvious – I’m not sceptical about Vision Boards anymore and I hope that some of your readers become inspired enough to think about what their dreams and goals are and then get their glue stick or stapler out.

Sadly, I have to leave this little rental house soon… but how joyful I feel now at the prospect of creating a whole new vision board/room, all over again!

With kind regards to you both,

Na

Julia

PS – Janet – loved your exhibition in the library, well done! I’m still writing creatively and have started my own blog. Eg. I blogged about that Jesus Christ Superstar show, did you see it? Wasn’t it amazing!? I also wrote an article for Nevaeh recently (Rotorua’s On-line magazine, Heaven spelled backwards) which tells a little of my journey that I suppose must have stemmed from the ‘Vision Board’.

Choose your favourite shape and your second favourite

 Let's play a game.
Pick which one you like first and second...

SQUARE


RECTANGLE

TRIANGLE

CIRCLE



SQUIGGLE

Why? 
Your favorite geometric shape reveals your personality, says a controversial study!
There are five basic personality types, and each prefers a different basic shape. 
Knowing whether you, your co-workers and friends are squares, rectangles, circles, triangles or squiggles can help you build better careers and relationships.

RECTANGLE
You’re a courageous, exciting and inquisitive explorer who always searches for ways to grow and change. You enjoy trying things you’ve never done before and love asking questions that have never been asked.
How to spot a rectangle: These people often have fleeting eyes and flushed faces. They also tend to giggle and they like variety. For example, they’ll come into work early or late, but not on time. And those who have offices tend to be disorganized with a mishmash of furniture.

TRIANGLE
You’re a born leader who’s competitive, confident and decisive. You also like recognition and are interested in politics.
How to spot a triangle: They’re very stylish and expensive dressers. They have powerful voices, love to tell jokes and play as hard as they work.

CIRCLE
You’re a “people person” with lots of sympathy and consideration for others. You listen and communicate well and are very perceptive about feelings. You like harmony and hate making unpopular decisions.
How to spot a circle: They're  friendly, nurturing, persuasive and generous. They  tend to be relaxed and smile a lot. They're talkative, but have a mellow voice. They also have a full laugh and love to touch others on the shoulder and arm.

SQUIGGLE
You’re a creative person who’s always thinking of new ways to do something. But you don’t think in a deliberate pattern from A to B to C. Instead, you tend to jump around in your mind, going from A to M to X.
How to spot a squiggle:  flamboyant, dramatic and extremely creative – and they don’t like highly structured environments. Both men and women squiggles tend to be sexy, witty and very expressive. They also have great intuition. Most performers and writers are squiggles.

SQUARE
You’re an organized, logical and hardworking person who likes structure and rules. But sometimes you have trouble making decisions because you always want more information.
How to spot a square: They appear to move stiffly, use precise gestures, love routine and are very concerned with detail. They’re also very neat in their appearance and work space. They do a lot of planning and are always prompt.


My first favourite shape is a circle and my second a squiggle. No wonder I have so much trouble keeping my studio tidy. 

Creativity with Photoshop, circle making.

I have always loved circles.
They are a very peaceful shape.
 I often photograph them in nature, rain drops on leaves, berries, the moon.
Task, take your camera out and see if you can find some circles in nature to photograph. 
Here is one of mine.

Creative Quote.

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.
Albert Einstein

Task: Find out what shape you are by doing an online personality test. 
Draw or photograph those shapes.  

The options are triangle, square, rectangle, circle and squiggle.

I am a circle/squiggle shape.
 If you google personality tests on shapes you can check out what shape you are.
It's fun and quite revealing.


Creative Quote

“In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.”

Flora Edwards

Richard Branson's top 5 tips for starting up a successful business.

 Words of wisdom from one of the most creative entrepreneurs that I admire...

 

  Relaxing up at the Tree Trust garden with Daffodils, Cherry Trees and Tui, Rotorua New Zealand Photographic Mosaic, By Janet Keen

  In the Words of Richard Branson

1. Listen more than you talk

We have two ears and one mouth, using them in proportion is not a bad idea! 
To be a good leader you have to be a great listener. 
Brilliant ideas can spring from the most unlikely places, so you should always keep your ears open for some shrewd advice. 
This can mean following online comments as closely as board meeting notes, or asking the frontline staff for their opinions as often as the CEOs. 
Get out there, listen to people, draw people out and learn from them.

                 Early morning  Rotorua Lakefront  Photographic Mosaic, By Janet Keen

 

2. Keep it simple 

You have to do something radically different to stand out in business.  

But nobody ever said different has to be complex. 

There are thousands of simple business solutions to problems out there, just waiting to be solved by the next big thing in business.
 Maintain a focus upon innovation, but don’t try to reinvent the wheel.
 A simple change for the better is far more effective than five complicated changes for the worse.

Rotorua Lakefront Photographic Mosaic, By Janet Keen

 

3. Take pride in your work 

Last week I enjoyed my favourite night of the year, the Virgin Stars of the Year Awards, where we celebrated some of those people who have gone the extra mile for us around the Virgin world. 

With so many different companies, nationalities and personalities represented under one roof, it was interesting to see what qualities they all have in common.
 One was pride in their work, and in the company they represent. 
Remember your staff are your biggest brand advocates and focusing on helping them take pride will shine through in how they treat your customers.

Wingspan Bird Of Prey Trust, Rotorua, Photographic Mosaic, By Janet Keen

 

4. Have fun, success will follow

If you aren’t having fun, you are doing it wrong.
 If you feel like getting up in the morning to work on your business is a chore, then it's time to try something else. 
If you are having a good time, there is a far greater chance a positive, innovative atmosphere will be nurtured and your business will flourish.
 A smile and a joke can go a long way, so be quick to see the lighter side of life.

Daffodils, Tree Trust Rotorua Photographic Mosaic, By Janet Keen.

 5. Rip it up and start again

If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture isn’t a success, welcome to the club! 
Every successful businessperson has experienced a few failures along the way – the important thing is how you learn from them. 
 Don’t allow yourself to get disheartened by a setback or two, instead dust yourself off and work out what went wrong. 
Then you can find the positives, analyse where you can improve, rip it up and start again.

    Waimiha Mill Te Kuiti New Zealand, Photographic Mosaic By Janet Keen

Janet's additional Comments.
I would add to that, take some time out to relax and be with your family and friends or time out alone to think, dream and be creative.
Life is about balance.

View from my  front gate, Rotorua New Zealand. Photographic Mosaic by Janet Keen

Creativity Quotes of the day

 I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. 
You can't truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.
Zig Ziglar
 

What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.
Henri Matisse