MERAKI

Meraki

issue 1. ÂŁ5.00.

Goodness is about character. integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.

-Dennis Prager-

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Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see�

Editors Note Dear readers, Welcome to the first issue of Meraki.

Meraki is an uplifting and encouraging reading and viewing experience, with a motive to inspire and revitalise the creative mind. A unique fashion and lifestyle magazine that prides itself on being different from the rest, due to its focus on honest articles and untouched images.

This issue is all about “people”; the idea that there are so many creative people like you and I, that we don’t know about. In an age of tinder swipes and facebook adds, we want to give you something with greater morals when it comes to getting to know someone. So with our team of artists we have given you an insight to the world of your fellow creative beings.

As a team, our faith is at the forefront of all we do. It is what inspires and motivates us.

We hope that as you turn through each page of Meraki, you will see a life of faith, love and creative freedom.

With love

Ruby Baldry,EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The team

Ruby Baldry Editor in Chief.

Louise Foster Graphic Design

Molly Board Artist

Lois Bosatta Writer

Emma Torrens Writer

Lydia Mormen Writer

Timothy Andres Photographer

Isabelle Phillips Photographer

Josh Parker Photographer

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Are we having safe sex?

Farida

ambition or emasculation?

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flower freedom

Lois

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A moment with your editor

“It is much simpler to buy books than to read them and easier to read them than to absorb their contents.�

-William Osler-

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ex is everywhere. It sold to us in movies, magazines, and even perfume adverts. Full of passion, lust and desire it’s marketed to us as an innate part of our human nature that has to be satisfied in order for us to be fulfilled. But we aren’t stupid. Over years of development we have managed to come up with a multitude of ways to protect ourselves against the dangers of sex, but have we failed to protect something crucial?

We try and convince ourselves that sex is nothing more than satisfying an animalistic desire with physical pleasure but for many that notion is simply just not true. No matter how many times we are bombarded with the notion of casual, no strings attached intimacy or try and convince ourselves that we can share our bodies with someone else without any implications, there is, no matter what your faith, a sense that act must mean more than just something physical.

We cringe when we see stories about long, lost relatives finding each other and starting an intimate relationship in cheap magazines, we know that rape is fundamentally wrong and sex should only be obtained with consent from both parties and we feel nauseated when married people have sex with anyone other than their wife/ husband.

D o e s s a f e s e x require m o r e t h a n j u s t p h y s i c a l contraception?

All these factors lead me to think that deep down, despite some people managing to convince themselves that sex means nothing more than physical pleasure, for the majority of us it means a lot more. As a Christian I believe that sex in all its intimacy and beauty should be saved for the security and safety of marriage but for everyone there are steps that can be taken to ensure hearts don’t get broken; whether that is yours or the person you are becoming intimate with.

Much like making sure we are prepared physically in order to protect ourselves against diseases or pregnancy, it’s just as important to protect your heart also. Make sure that the person you are sharing yourself with is someone you trust and don’t rush into anything.

Make sure that their intentions are the same as yours, nothing is worse than giving your whole self to someone who ultimately makes you feel worthless. Make sure they appreciate your body and the gift of intimacy you are sharing with them. Make sure you are in the right frame of mind and aren’t trying to satisfy a void that has been caused by something or someone else, the sense of gratification from sexual intimacy is only temporary and above all else, remember that sex is something that is special, intimate and beautiful when both your body and mind are well protected.

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Artist: Molly board article: Lydia Mormen

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Farida

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Photographer: Timothy Andres Interview: Ruby Baldry

20 YEAR OLD FARIDA PASHI TELLS US ABOUT HER ASPIRATIONS FOR SPREADING THE TRUTH THROUGH THE MEDIA, WHAT IS MEANS TO BE TRULY INTIMATE WITH SOMEONE AND HER INFECTIOUS JOY.

What would you say was the most defining moment of your childhood?

The most defining moment of my childhood…hmm, that’s a good question. In terms of defining my identity and who I am today, I’d say when I moved to England from Nigeria. Everything before that just sort of blurs for me, I can remember trivial things for example my school and playing on the monkey bars which then led me to the first time I broke a bone but I would say I didn’t really start discovering who I was until I came here. I loved getting on the plane to come here, I remember thinking how cool it was to fly and even waved goodbye to Nigeria and saying hello to England.

TELL US WHY YOU LOVE JOURNALISM.

my 3 years the Lord will reveal what direction I should go in.

What would you like to change in the media industry?

“He is working for my good”

I discovered pretty quickly that I love story telling, it’s really sad but when I was younger I began writing fan fiction I still do on and off because it’s a creative outlet for me. So when it came to deciding my course I knew I wanted to do something that involved story telling but I didn’t want to do English.

So I looked around and found Journalism. I also used to read a lot of magazines, which helped my decision to do it.

What inspires your work?

Anything and everything. Issues that affect me and the world, topics that are thought provoking as well as news stories that inform society about what is happening in the world.

When you go into industry what do you want to do?

I don’t actually know what I want to do as of this moment as my course is very broad so we study pretty much all aspects of Journalism. But, my hope is by the end of

I would like to see more truth and impartiality in the way the media presents information. Sometimes we only see a one sided story of just what the media wants us to know and I would love for that to change.

It’s an ambitious goal but why not strive towards it? Who’s to say we can’t make the change if we have faith for it?

How does your faith impact what you do?

I feel as though it guides my decisions on which stories I pick to tell. It also means I take into consideration things that maybe other journalists wouldn’t.

What is fashion to YOU?

Fashion is being able to express your personality through your clothing. But for me it doesn’t always mean I have to go the extra mile every single day. I love skinny jeans and boots with heals, I wear them so much that I’ve managed to deceive people into thinking I’m taller than I am, I’m 5ft by the way. I also love wearing leggings and hoodies on days when I don’t particularly feel like making an effort it’s usually days I’m going to university. But, I also really like getting dressed up for a night out so I guess you could say my style is relative to where I’m going that day. I like to be comfortable though.

How do you want to impact the world around you?

I’m generally a very happy person. So I want the world to be filled with joy and laugher. I love to laugh a lot and if I can get someone who is having a hard day to smile, that’s enough for me.

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When did you come to a personal faith in God? I grew up in a Christian home but half of my family on my dad’s side, excluding my dad is Muslim. So from a young age I’ve always been in church. I have always believed in God but I would say that the day my personal faith in God really began was when I decided to get baptised. It was the 17th of March 2013 and I was 18. That was just 2 years now that doesn’t mean I wasn’t pursuing God before then I just felt like I hadn’t made the commitment to really follow Jesus and give my life to him fully and in that moment I felt that they way to do that was to get baptised. From that day on I have tried my best to live in a way that shows the love of God that I feel inwardly, outwardly.

What does intimacy mean to you?

Intimacy to me is a close and personal relationship with someone you consider important in your life. Be it your husband, boyfriend or a friend being able to be vulnerable and open up emotionally is how I would describe intimacy.

What does the term beauty mean to you?

Beauty to me is the heart. Aesthetic beauties fade and once they do you have to ask yourself if that is all you had to offer the world? If that’s all you had then it can be a harrowing realisation that it’s now gone.

I look inwardly for beauty, are you kind? Are you loving? Do you try your best to make others around you feel appreciated? These are all signs of someone who is beautiful on the inside. I believe that the more beautiful your heart is the more beautiful your outward appearance becomes.

What does it mean to be an ambitious woman?

Not settling. Striving for more than society imagines for you. As women we are still limited in the things that the world thinks we can do, being an ambitious woman is challenging that and saying Hey! Anything I set my mind to, I can do, just watch me.

How much has your faith shaped your identity?

It’s given me boldness to step out and be the person who talks about my faith in an environment filled with people who don’t feel the same way but it’s also given me peace. If I leave university and end up doing something completely different to the course I’m studying I will still be happy as long as I know this is the direction God wants my life to go in. Out of this peace I have that God is in control it allows me to take risks because I know no matter the outcome He is working for my good.

What do you want to define your life?

I don’t want to be defined by how much money I make or how established I am in my job but rather how well I treat others. I want the job I do to impact people in a positive way but ultimately I want that impact to be for God.

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Ambition or Emasculation?

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am sure I am not the only woman who spends a good amount of my time reading and watching powerful, influential women make powerful, influential speeches at powerful, influential conferences, feel really empowered and then go about my day without changing much, if anything. Why is that? Surely, when we hear something that touches us the next logical step would be to take those things we do, or want to identify with, and apply them to our lives. So why is it so difficult to make that conscious choice?

In a study at Georgetown University, USA, in 2005, a group of students were asked to study male and female politicians with a view to comparing their efficiency. At the end of the study, when prompted to cast a vote, the students were less likely to vote for female politicians, claiming they felt more selfish, some even saying that images of these powerful women provoked feelings of disgust. This correlation between women and ambition, is negative, it is an image, a brand. By choosing ambition, you forfeit the option for any more describing adjectives. From politician to student, from business-woman to mother, as long as the woman behind the lifestyle wants the best for themselves it seems she can’t be seen as anything other than ambitious.

So why is that a bad thing?

Ask any child, regardless of gender or geography, what they want to be when they grow up, they will have an answer, several answers probably, and that is encouraged. Early education doesn’t just impart knowledge, it imparts vision. Girls and boys are given the tools and intelligence they need to follow their ambition of choice, yet it is still primarily a maledominated world. And that’s not for lack of women trying to equalise that.

There is one World leader however, whose strength defies that of even the most powerful men. I recently watched the story of Malala Yousafzai in “He named me Malala”, in which a girl decided that her and her female compatriots deserved the right to an education, gets shot in the head for speaking out, conquers death, speaks all over the world, wins a Nobel peace prize for her organization and continues to change the face of the world, each day. Is that ambition? Did she make a conscious choice to brand herself with that? Don’t quote me on this, but I don’t think so.

One of the most integral parts of the film for me was the stark contrast between Malala and her mother. Her father, a well-educated and forward thinking man is Malala’s equal as much as he is her friend. Her mother can hardly read, has had a mere one day of education in her entire life, and feels completely isolated here in England. In their hometown she is the majority, one of most women who never found their intelligence and thus had their lives planned for them. She even claims that she doesn’t understand Malala, and has other favourite children, boys, who do not shy away from making the best of themselves. It is her lack of personal ambition that makes her scared of her own daughter? Or is it what the world has taught her.

So, what makes and ambitious woman? By giving girls education, we give them options, and with options come dreams, and with dreams comes ambition.

Whether you want to rule the world or raise a family, each dream is an ambition. Ladies, we are all ambitious. Whether you want to call yourself that or not it is not a word to shy away from. Ambition is, at its root, the desire to achieve something. We actually achieve a million things a day, from breathing to getting that guy’s number, so who’s to say that getting that job promotion or getting a first is any more important than the things we achieve before we even get out of bed?

Ambition is only scary when it’s used an insult, so let’s stop using it as one. Let’s know what we want, not be ashamed of that, go out, and achieve.

Artist: Molly board article: Emma Torrens

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Model: Robyn Katie Dress: primark Headband: Handmade necklace: accessorize

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Lois

Photographer: Timothy Andres Interview: Lydia Mormen

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Fashion Student Lois Bosatta talks family, how she finds inspiration and her mark on the industry.

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ois sits comfortably with her friend in a two bedroom apartment in Bournemouth. It’s a windy, dark Monday evening as she settles down, her hands wrapped around a cup of English tea and chats away freely.

Growing up in a small country side village North of London Lois reminisces of the true rural traditions she experienced growing up; The crowning of the May Queen, cream teas, craft fairs and long walks in green fields. Lois seems wise beyond her years at only 21. She talks light heartedly about the struggles of country life and how she quickly learnt after having to use a bus to get to the super markets, school and church that “things might take a while but they’ll be worth the journey.’’

It’s Lois’ time in Switzerland from birth until the age of 3 and holidays back to the country ever since that have taught her the arts of efficiency, crafts and the importance of family life; a quality also upheld by her Italian roots. She’s reminded of her time spent in Lake Como, Italy with her Grandparents every year, that cultivated her love for good food, family and being out in nature. This creativity wove its way into everyday life for Lois from a young age as she recalls spending hours creating cards and intricate paper models to give to her family and friends. As she grew older and after many episodes of Trinny and Susannah she became inspired by the shape, colour, design and style of clothes and her love affair with fashion began.

Last year Lois began a journey to shift her spending habits to incorporate more eco-friendly purchases. It all started when the time came to replace her cult classic converses and she took the steps to find an eco-friendly alternative. Passionate about people and the planet Lois was keen to find a brand with a similar outlook and that’s exactly what she found when she was recommended the company Veja. It’s a French-Brazillian brand that uses raw cotton, organic rubber and thinks about its socio-economic impact. Lois says ‘’I want to be proud of what I wear because it’s comfortable, looks good and has a positive impact on the planet.’’

Lois mentions the unspoken pressures in the world of fashion to constantly look good. However, taking pride in what she wears is somewhat instinctual as she enjoys the process of putting outfits together and believes that character and quirkiness are essential in order to create your own unique style. If you like something , she says ‘’Own it, stand by it and keep wearing it.’’

As a fashion student Lois recognises the demand for cheap, convenient, styleorientated products, but would argue that long lasting, timeless pieces are more valuable.

On the topic of identity in the world of fashion, Lois says she felt a tangible need for acceptance at London Fashion Week with people “peacocking” desperate to be noticed. Her identity she says is found in the fact that she believes she is made in the image of a creative God and therefore whatever she does is in partnership with Him. She believes that in order to express yourself truly you have to fully understand and be confident in who you are and that’s when your crafts will go beyond practical skills and you will be able to design on a more spiritual level. ‘’Who you are impacts how you see the world, which ultimately impacts your work.’’

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Lois is a strong upholder of the old phrase ‘’beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’’ As a visual person she often finds herself defining beauty as something visual for instance beauty in colour, pattern or texture. However as she has grown up she has begun to notice beauty in more abstract forms such as the beauty inside people ; their character, the way they love or the way they engage with the world around them. ‘’Everything you look at can be beautiful depending on how you look at it, even a half dead tree can be beautiful if you find time to admire the intricate details.’’

Personal observation lies at the heart of the inspiration for Lois’ work. Her emotional connection to things from the aesthetics of rain and the memories it connotes, to walks in the mountains in Italy or to people she has met enable her to draw from her own life experiences and to tell a story through her work. Her aim is that her work causes peoples thoughts to penetrate deeper than just the original visual impact and that the different layers and links in her work can help to connect to different people as they see her work from different perspectives.

Christian Faith for Lois seems to have a large impact on her work as a creative. It defines her identity and her sense of self thus affecting decisions she makes daily and impacts every relationship in her life, whether that be with people or fabrics. Unlike many people her age with worries of what’s next, Lois has an inspiring security in the hope she has in God that means she doesn’t need to be worried or concerned about the future.

Lois hopes to leave a mark on the industry that is one of love, creativity and fighting for goodness. After her course she hopes to work with brands to make them more ethical or work alongside an ethical brand but ultimately she would be happy as long as her job involved a long term ambition to making the world a better place.

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’Who you are impacts how you see the world, which ultimately impacts your work.’’

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Ruby

Photographer: Kerrie Reeves Text: Lois Bosatta

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What your editor is really like., written by her flat mate.

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uby by name, Ruby by nature.

She is much like she was when I first met her; chatty, bubbly, warm, a bold and honest personality. She is girly, beautiful and likes doing things well. Her bond with her Mum and Nannan, willing to do anything for each other and keeping each other in check, has made her the strong and passionate woman she is.

“I’ll call nobodies and make them somebodies; I’ll call the unloved and make them beloved” -Romans nine : twenty-sixWe clicked beyond class over doing what we can to help the marginalised - namely Bournemouth’s homeless, and we began to spend more and more time together in different situations and spaces. Now, we watch chick flicks together with a G&T, giggle over boys together, sit around in pyjamas all day if we feel like it, and still know when to tell each other we’re being idiots. But we also like to be serious, make the world a better place, serve people in need and mentor those who are a little lost. Really we have a lot of values in common: our passion for Jesus, having a home not just a house, being creative, crafty, and spreading good messages through our work, loving broken people, (yes that is all of us really), social justice, being healthy, wanting the best for each other and others around us, being honest...

“Every person you look at you can see the universe in their eyes if you’re really looking” -George CarlinThe most important person in her life is her beautiful God daughter. Present at her birth, a photo was taken minutes later and is printed on a canvas a metre high in our hallway. People are important to her in general, she likes meeting strangers, learning their story and blessing them.

She baked a lemon drizzle for a lovely elderly lady she met on the bus.

Ruby is good at inspiring people and getting people on board with projects, just look at the clever people who have collaborated for this magazine! Her style and ideas for personal projects and team meetings are original, she brings different inspiration and perspectives to the table. Her design aesthetic is attractive to a broad audience but is not so common that we’ve seen it all before. When I look at this magazine, I feel it is comfortable and relatable, yet connected to the bigger, wider world of more and different.

She once wanted to be rich and famous, living leisurely, editing her own fashion magazine, but she knows money isn’t everything and is open minded to the adventure that life might bring. After her studies she thinks about spending some time on herself before diving into the ocean of the world; focusing, developing, growing, learning, knowing herself and her identity truly with a solid foundation in her faith, ready to face the world with a better perspective. She better have her own kids one day or she might explode from all that cuteness not being in her life.

Ruby by name, Ruby by nature. She shines a warm loving glow to those around her. Yes, our flat is toasty and people LOVE coming for a cuppa - you are welcome too, reader! Our guest book is waiting for you.

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Coincidence is God’s way remaining anonymous.

-Albert Einstein-

of 35.

Don’t let anyone rent a space in your head unless they are a good tenant.

-Kimberly Jones-Pothier-