Teen Art Out 42 by Simona Mihalca

42 Journeyman

Interview: Charlotte Wessels Lauri Porra Numinous (Ioana Aghiculesei) Tarja-The Shadow Self (Simona Mihalca) Self-fulfilling prophecy (Delia CocoČ&#x2122;) 1

Teen Art Out nr 42 Our editorial team Editor-in-Chief: Simona Mihalca Editors: Rareș Zaharia-Lefter We reserve the right to select the submissions received before publishing.

Nina Moskowitz Ioana Aghiculesei Kovács Anna Sára Delia Cocoș

Cover design: Alexandra Iosif Design: Alexandra Iosif

Contact: www. teen.artout.ro teen@artout.ro

ISSN 2284 – 6549 ISSN–L = 2284 – 6549

Content Letter from the Editor

Interview: Charlotte Wessels

6 16

Journeyman Learn by traveling Home Numinous The road goes ever on

Self-fulfilling

Lauri Porra

prophecy

Music Review: Tarja-The Shadow Self (Album Review)

25 28 30

Letter from the Editor W

„ hy then the world’s mine oyster”, famously wrote Shakespeare 400-some years ago. Year after year we say that those words have never been truer. Each year we are faced with a world that can seem smaller or our selves that seem bigger. There are more opportunities than ever before, though still not for everyone. Only by traveling, experiencing new cultures, meeting new people and simply opening your mind in various ways do we see that “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”. It’s an easy thing to do to just say “travel!” and talk about the wonders of these worlds. Yes, you must have that incredible wanderlust inside you, a yearning that keeps you moving and a desire for greater adventures. You must want to be a traveller and not a tourist, to experience everything you do and do it properly. We can come up with hundreds of “tip & tricks” and “cheap ways to travel” and other pieces of advice and information. But, at the end of the day, not everyone can travel, for so many a reasons. For people like me, traveling is a reason to live. It’s the innate beauty of life, discovering the beauty of the world. I would so hope it is the same for you. Yes? Good.

Journeyman Now, let’s take an actual moment and reflect on all the chances that we’ve had, on all that was given and shown to us, on all the people and the places that worked (together) to get us where we are and everywhere we have been. Think of what you have been able to see in more than a quick picture, in more than a word or a number. It was something we were so fortunate to get. It was a moment of bliss, a chance, a desire. Think of how it has changed us and what we have learned. After that and above all, feel everything you have felt. Now that that is settled, let’s enter this issue about journeys, about this wonderful world and how we can get to discover it. Think of what makes home so great or so bad, what attracts us to other places. Be thankful for your experiences and make the most out of them. Strive to grow, to learn, to understand. Don’t be a spectator in your own life. If you travel, let your heart fill with joy, immersing in everything the world has to offer. Open your eyes, your mind and your heart and bring back memories and experiences. You were there so help others be there as well, let your voice be a beacon of hope and change, let your emotions heal and amaze. Tell your story and make it count!

Simona Mihalca Editor-in-Chief

Carlos 6 Funes

Interview: Charlotte Wessels S.M: I know you have been overly busy with the recording of your new album. Any details you can spare yet? Charlotte Wessels: I feel very restricted in telling things about the album before it’s there. Even now it feels strange to tell you the album title, Moonbathers, even if it will be out in a week to everybody. We have finished recording and arranging and we are now finishing the artwork. We’ve been working very, very hard and it is almost there. It will be released in late August. S.M: Does it have any sad break-up songs? Charlotte: It’s been a while since we’ve done an actual break-up song. There are no breakup songs, but there is one about make-up sex. After a good fight it’s always good to ... make up again. S.M: When I listened to Suckerpunch, what got me the most was how much it sounds like Delain. You could recognise it instantly. Is this something that was ever on your mind? Charlotte: Not necessarily. What usually happens is that when we think what is going to be a single and what is going to be a focus track, we tend to go for the songs that have typical elements. They would at least have some funky electronic and the big orchestra sounds. For a single I don’t mind if the lyrics aren’t the deepest, because I feel the singles and the videos are something where the people are focused on a lot of things. It doesn’t have to be the deepest one, but it has to have that Delain-ness to it. I wouldn’t say that it was a deliberate thing

that we set out to when we were writing, that it needs this and this ingredient. We have a whole album. In the end, when choosing singles, we choose the songs that have most of those elements combined. S.M: What’s the most surprising thing about the future album? Charlotte: I think it will either be the cover that we chose. Not the album cover, but we covered a certain track from a certain artist. I don’t know if people are going to expect that. Or it is going to be the fact that we haven’t done a real ballad on an album for some time. We had some bonus tracks like Scarlet, but our last album did not have a classic ballad. This album does and it is a very depressive song, but I am very fond of it. I am finally doing some grunts on the album, as well. It’s only little parts. The big parts I leave to people who are much better than I am. S.M: How tiring is doing an album, having not only the work to put in but the emotional and creative process almost all at once. Would you ever consider moving away from an album and maybe releasing singles? Charlotte: No, I like the idea of an album and a collection of songs that belong together and were made in a similar time frame. If I look back at albums and read old lyrics it’s like reading old diaries and seeing what you were up to at that time. If you were to do some separate songs I don’t think they won’t be that much like a time capsule. I do like the idea of making a record, but it is very tiresome.

I guess that you could really compare it to any kind of big business project. There is a lot money involved, there is a lot of marketing involved. All of these things that many people in many jobs get to do. This is the biggest project we’re doing in three years. Everyone is also very emotionally involved. . It’s not just that we want this project to go well and sell because we will benefit from it and make a livelihood. It’s also the fact that we have put certain things into song that we either really like or they show something about us. When we have discussions about the album it would go on from a very basic level like what colour do we make the logo so most people see it quickly, which is basically a marketing thing, to a “you cannot cut out that verse because I need to tell the story *fake crying* and the story is important”. I am not doing a lot of that, to be honest, but all of the decision we have to make go both on the passion and dedication level and on the “we need this”. It’s always a challenge, but a very good one to have. S.M: Your pledge Music Campaign for the Anniversary reached its goal so quickly, so congratulations for that. What is something you want to do for this concert and DVD that you wouldn’t do before because of the ties to a label or another? Charlotte: If you look at the costs involved at shooting a DVD like this, they are actually higher than making a normal album. For us, the kind of demand that the music market has nowadays to put out an album every two years is not like from somewhere magically springs the opportunity to do a project this big and megalomaniac as this but the fans make it happen now. As I said before, when introducing the pledge campaign, in the end, people who listen to your music and come to the gig or get the t-shirt are the ones that make this possible.

So, the very filming of the concert will be interesting. It will have a huge birthday party celebration theme, which we don’t do for every show. We will have some people over to do some things. We just want to give that extra bit and we want to share it with everyone. Amsterdam is a big city and people can get

their flights easier, it’s close to us, but of course there is only a limited number of people who can travel to Amsterdam, so that is why we are making the dvd and the vinyl and the cd. It’s one of those cities where you can spend a few days and say on one of these days I will go to a concert.

S.M: Do you ever fear the political instability in Europe ? Charlotte: Yes, of course. It would be a strange time to deny that anything could happen. However, unless there is any sign of a concrete or immediate threat or danger, there is no reason to let that influence what you do or how

you do it. If you do that, they win. You cannot let that kind of fear affect your everyday life. I totally respect the people who people said we’re not going to do this gig, of course, safety is first. Security at venues can always be better, and not only because of political.

S.M: Some years ago you said that you get nervous before festivals, even more so than before normal shows. Is that still the case? Charlotte: Yes, sometimes. People come for all bands, and maybe just stay to see your show because they have nothing to do, so they say let’s go there and drink beer at shout obscenities at the singer. Fortunately, that never happened to me. There is always that possibility. You know that not everyone out there is there to see you. They might not even like you. You have to convince you. Whereas, when people buy a ticket to see you and you specifically they already kind of know that you are worth the price of the ticket. Of course, you still have to give your 100% to convince them that a) they did the right thing and b) they should come back. AND, also, you never know who is watching on a festival. If we play on a festival and my musical idols are hanging out there, than they could be watching the show. This is also very nerve-wracking. I am kind of a fangirl. I remember one time that Lemmy was watching our show and I could hardly breathe, I was like “OH MY GOD! Oh my God! Lemmy is watching the show”. S.M: There is usually a dichotomy in art fields between what is truly “artistic” and what caters to the masses, whether we’re talking about movies, books or music. How do you think that could change? Charlotte: It doesn’t really need to change. I dislike very much the fact that some people are really elitist in considering some types of music superior to others. But then again, I feel like certain types are harder to compose than others. You have some songs that are really simply and still the will provide massive joy to masses of people having fun at some club. Even if something isn’t hard to compose or doesn’t even require an education, it can bring immense joy to people.

Carlos Funes

You can be the best composer in the world, composing complicated things that no one wants to listen to. That meant you are good and talented, but in the end, it’s not all that matters. I truly appreciate true musicianship and artistry and people who can get completely lost in their art, people who write books and hardly eat or shower for weeks. I love it. I saw a documentary of Korn and Jonathan Davis was crying while singing his lyrics. I love it, I love it, I love it. If I were to choose that is the kind of art I prefer, does it make that kind of art objectively better than something easy to make? No, of course not. Art has to be an alternate way of communicating. S.M: Speaking of getting lost in your music, do you believe in the myth of the lonely genius artist? Charlotte: I think that the myth of the genius lonely artist is something that certain middle age white men wanted to believe themselves to be. This is not a bitter feminist speaking. I do believe certain people have a large sense of melancholy, which would make them more introverted, and make them turn to themselves for art. It’s a phrase that I am very, very uncomfortable with. If I hear someone call someone that, I just have to giggle. It just feels very old-fashioned. Old people being described that way basically all look the same and act the same, and that is not very revolutionary. S.M: What’s the most unbelievable rumour ever published about you? Charlotte: It’s not as much what they write about me as it’s what they don’t write.

It really offends me to read how people describe me as “the fiery-haired woman” and continue to describe my band-mates as the talented ones. These occasions where they write about women in a certain way and about men in a certain way.These annoy me more than false rumours. For example, at some point my Wikipedia page said for years I collect shoes, which I don’t. But who cares if I collect shoes or not? I care more about people describing what I actually do. Some time ago I even had a hate page, sharing my head photoshop-ed on naked bodies, saying things like “Charlotte has sex with a lot of guys”. First of all, it’s not true, because I’ve been with the same guy for 11 years. I tried to think, even if what they said was true, would I be offended? So, let’s say I had sex with a lot of men. So did David Bowie and we all think he’s some kind of hero.

And they targeted my body, trying to shame me for it, but I feel good about my body. S.M: You have shared a lot of photos of yourself doing yoga, even while on tour. How did you start practicing it? Charlotte: It is something I started stopped practicing doing on tour. Lately, it’s been so busy with the new album. I am not the type to stop eating and showering for weeks, but some days it’s harder to take good care of myself when I go into that really deep focus. In the last couple of weeks, I haven’t been working out , I haven’t been doing a lot of things that normal people do. I really want to pick it up again, because it did such amazing things for my – I am going to sound super cheesy here but – body and my mind. I really, really loved it. I do run, but not that much.

Carlos Funes

S.M: If you could make a documentary, what would it be about? Charlotte: We are making a documentary about our band, so I am not going to come up with that obvious shit. If I would make a documentary, it would be about animal agriculture. I don’t know if it would even make sense to have another documentary about that. S.M: What would you sing at Karaoke night? Charlotte: It would be something by Tenacious D with our bassist, Otto. We are pretty good at that. S.M: When have you felt your biggest adrenaline rush? Charlotte: I went Bungee jumping once, which is a very weird feeling. S.M: Finally, if you could have the answer to any question, what would that question be? Charlotte: *thinking* I don’t want to know if there’s life after death or not. I am perfectly happy to be oblivious and human. I think it would be something that would make … normal life easier so you can focus more on arts and activism and creating.

Carlos Funes

Interview: Lauri Porra Stratovarius is a band that made history, record after record, an inspiration, an opener of roads and yet as actual as ever. Simona Mihalca: How do you feel releasing a “Best Of ” album? Lauri Porra: Pretty neutral really, we are more concentrated on releasing new music. But it´s nice to release a compilation when we have such a long history with the band. Maybe some fans will discover eras from the band they have not heard before

S.M: How hard was it to choose the final selection of the tracks that made it onto the album? Lauri: Of course it´s very difficult, but we didn´t put too much stress into it. The best of is built a little bit like a concert. So there should be variety of different songs, not just the obvious hits. S.M: What was the thing that surprised you the most while producing this album? Lauri: Nothing really, there isn´t much to

produce a compilation album. The songs have S.M: Do you ever feel limited by your genre, been produced already when their albums wanting to explore more? The metal scene came out. can sometimes be quite close-minded in defining what “true metal” is. S.M: The Best Of album ties together all Lauri: All in our bands have different projyour previous songs and albums, condens- ects. I do for instance orchestral music and ing them in one. Do you believe that after films, release solo albums and play in some this album comes another era of Stratovari- projects. As long as i can put my other amus? What would that be? bitions in other projects i´m always happy to Lauri: I believe the future of the band will come back and play good ol´power metal with follow the steps we have laid with albums be- Stratovarius tween Polaris and Eternal, of course the direction changes always a bit. But i guess to say S.M: What is the most progressive thing when an era starts or ends, can really be said you are doing now compared to the beginonly after it has happened. ning of the band that is only possible due to technology? S.M: What is something you don’t ever want Lauri: Everybody can record stuff at their Stratovarius to be? home, and everybody has a studio of sorts, I Lauri: Hard to say really, i think Stratovari- guess that is the biggest advancement from us has proved to be a living organism, maybe the old days. Sometimes you do miss the going there will be a day when none of us are there to rehearsals to make songs. Now everybody anymore and Stradivarius is still there. The just does their thing at home by the computer. band seems to have a mind of its on. Whatever Times change. comes, comes.

S.M: What or who taught you the most about music? Lauri: I have studied in different music schools and universities for about 20 years, those times have taught me a lot. Also just playing with people and touring the world is a big teaching experience.

S.M: How much do you believe that creativity can be learned or developed and how much of it is innate? Lauri: I believe mostly everything comes by studying and learning. You need to have a strong will if you want to get anywhere, that is the most important factor I believe. That and putting serious working hours into achieving a skill.

S.M: What’s your favourite art work? Lauri: I have a lot of favourite artworks, mostly I´m into 20th century art, contemporary lit- S.M: What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into? erature and all music. Lauri: Most of my trouble i get from doing S.M: What are your favourite lyrics from too much work any song? Lauri: Jim Morrison: Love me two times

S.M: What’s the last hobby you picked up? Lauri: I try to pick up new instruments all the time, lately I´ve been playing some Bach tunes on a lautenwerk.

S.M: If you could make a documentary, what would it be about? Lauri: About the wonders of everyday life, and the moments that we miss if we don´t look around. S.M: If you could do one thing to “fix” the world, what would it be? Lauri: I wish people wouldn´t do shitty things like steal stuff and attack each other, i would start with that.

Rareș Zaharia Lefter

JOURNEYMAN What a better opportuni-

ty to write an essay entitled “Journeyman” than the one that I have right now, that of being on an actual journey. Yes, dear reader, this is an article written on the train, trees flying by, rail tracks screeching under my feet, contemplating the value of life as a journey. The train, old as it may be, slides by easily for what seems like an eternity. And even though, more than often, life is compared to a train ride, life is not eternal, nor does it seem so. Life is, indeed, a journey, but not in the way that a train gets you from one point to another, but rather in the way that you set off, by foot, in the unknown. You don’t know where you will stop, where you will get, or, for that matter, if you will stop or get anywhere. You see, I’m sure you’ve heard this many times, but in life, it doesn’t really matter where you get, but rather how you get there. In other words, it’s not the destination that’s important, but the journey. That’s why, we say, we are journeymen. On this journey of life, you don’t start naked, nor clothed, you don’t start poor, nor rich.

It would be a big illusion to say we know how anyone starts, because, in truth and unfortunately, people are not born equally. So, as you are born, your parents, not having finished their own journey, give you as much as they have for the road. They may not have anything, in which case you set off with a great risk of being hunted down by wild animals, they may give just enough to survive and have a nice journey, or they may give so much that you will barely be able to hold it. And what perspective could be more terrifying than not being able to set off on your adventure, for your path is preset and your back virtually already broken by the weight of your backpack? Because even the poor and naked have a brighter perspective; if they die, at least they have died by their own power.

As you walk further and further, you discover the world, one experience at a time. Every bump in the road is a foe, every road sign, a friend, every mountain top, a goal, every hill, a challenge, every fall, a demise, every run, a love, every straight road, a holiday, every stop, a problem, every disease, a heartbreak,

very person you meet on the way, another journey, another friend or foe, another goal and challenge, another demise, another love, another holiday, another problem, another heartbreak, another life, taken or left, helped or destroyed, loved or hated, by you, in a world where the destination is one with the direction; forward, and the road is the way of life.

That is true life, and the life of many. And the biggest mistake one can do is taking all the

money they have from their parents and buy a train ticket.

They board a train that takes them to their destination, without giving them the charm of the journey. What is sad is that the destination of all mortals is, the one and only, terrifying and common; death. The train the rich paid for, the one they afforded the ticket for, flashes them past the lives of so many, not being able to live their own, only watching those of the ones on the side, by the tracks. They reach the end of the journey, realizing that they only cared about the inside of their train, that they have not met the outside world. But the train is now stopping and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not going back. They now wish they had met the bumps in the road, the mountains and the hills and the destinies of others, but after making the mistake of getting on the train, not once did they think to raise their head and look out

the window, or if they did and realized what lies out there, they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had the luck. to build up the courage to break the window and jump off.

To you, reader, I say: go on with your road, keep being a Journeyman, and never complain that you don’t have a new pair of shoes to help you step on the pointy rocks, because, tell me, if not for those rugged shoes, would you have stopped at the inn, would you have met the girl you love? Never be sad that you haven’t had enough money for a train ticket, because, had you had it, how would you have been able to watch your kids play by the seaside, when only seeing it out on the window, and, in truth, would you have had any children at all?

“In life you may choose desolation And the shadows you build with your hands If you turn to the light That is burning in the night Then the journeyman’s day has begun”

LEARN BY TRAVELING Simona Mihalca

What a wonderful world we live in and how

little we know of it! We should aim higher, further, faster. We want to discover, do invent, to experience. Everyone wants to travel but only so few do it. Yes, it takes money, but it firstly takes will, power, desire and imagination. You have to accept your place in the world, to see a bigger picture and frame it in your mind. You can hear everyone going on and on about how traveling is so great, about the beauties you see and the things that stay with you, about experiences and life lessons. Obviously, I am one of those people. I have been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively, both inside Romania and through Europe. I have enjoyed myself, I have seen beautiful things, but I truly believe I have learned a lot. How is that? I learned that there are nice people everywhere, people who will welcome you. I learned that there is a world bigger than me or you. I learned that I want to learn about this world, to know its beauties and also its troubles.

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be stuck in my village (a European Capital that is, but after all, a village) and never see anything else. Traveling in Romania I learned about nature, about the kindness of people, about cities and fortress, about overcoming any obstacles. I learned to get lost in cities that will forever remain in my heart. I learned how to create memories, how to build place in my mind Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d always want to go back to. I learned how to be resilient, how to be joyful, how to enjoy life. The first time I crossed a border I realized how small we were. I learned about other people and their languages and customs in ways no book could ever tell me. I had to grow up, to become part of the world. I learned stories of people and places I would have never know unless I got off the beaten track. Bulgaria taught me that there are so many people just like me, in similar conditions out there. That what makes us different is an imaginary border line that can move any time. (Cadrilater is an area in North-Eastern Bulgaria that used to belong to Romania, was lost, own again, and now belongs to Bulgarians. There are people living there who remember being Romanians, living under the rule of our kings and queens.) Greece taught me to enjoy a holiday, to be free and careless, to bask in the sun and the sea, to appreciate it better. It also made me think differently of gods and goddesses, of what culture and civilisations mean. Turkey taught me how easy it is to be on another continent. It taught me how to be a host, a nice and welcoming person. How to think that everyone is my brother or my sister and do my best to befriend and help them.

Wien taught me about empires and living in them. About how we are a mix of old and new, of everything that had to work together to make us be here. Germany taught me how to be precise, how to be fair, how to respect and follow rules. How to be a good citizen. It taught me the value of discipline, of people doing what is expected. Paris showed me opulence and luxury, more gold than I could ever imagine. It showed me how it is to be a part of the 1%, both in the past and present. But it also taught me that I don’t want it. I enjoy going for a holiday, traveling, playing pretense, walking through a city that is a museum. But that is not a place where I could be myself. London became by home away from home. Its language and culture are so intertwined with me, I could feel the city become a part of me and me a part of it. I saw the mixture of history and future, I saw people from all over the world. I learned what it means to be diverse. I met the whole world in that city and I fell in love with it.

Madrid taught me how to be loud and to live. It taught me that dinner should be taken at 10 pm and that the most beautiful memories you’ll create won’t be on the big streets. The most memorable events will happen when you seek harbor from rain and go into a tiny traditional café, where the owner speaks no English, but where you get to enjoy traditional food in that rustic environment. It’s how you feel you discovered something, that you made it yours. Ljubljana showed me that a small city can be big, that you don’t have to have millions of people and huge areas to be worth something, to be important. Venice taught me about traditions, carnivals, gondolas and castles. It showed me something different and unique and taught me to always want to be better, to make do with my conditions, with my lack of land, and to grow into something amazing. Florence is where I learned more about Renaissance that I could ever do from a book. You can learn about art but then you can feel it.

You can walk where so many others walked before you and admire their works. To know that those masterpieces have been there for centuries and centuries. To understand how we can be born again, to create beauty and to leave it behind. Rome taught me how history gets written on top of each other, but you have to be great enough to remain. It was the most wonderful place where you would see ancient stones next to renaissance masterpieces, classical buildings and modern life. It is the city where you find history and how it might not be what you imagine. It’s where you see the grandeur of every age, the wonders of art and architecture. It’s where you get to see a country within a country and visit St Paul’s Cathedral, the most amazing monument I have ever seen. It also taught me how to see beauty everywhere. That I could go 500 meters and find another beautiful building, another gorgeous cathedral you would not find on a map. How at night people would be singing and dancing and painting on the street. It taught me to look up and appreciate the craftsmanship put in everything. But those are just the big things, the big cities, the names you would recognize. Life doesn’t happen there. It happens where you are.

It happens on the road, seeing simple life and places that are normal. Seeing places of extreme beauty. Meeting people in villages and big cities. Talking to the stranger next to you on your flight. Finding pubs on the side of the road that serve the best dishes. Being impressed by something you would not expect. Do not skip this part. Being a tourist is about getting in a plane, going somewhere, ticking off all the items on your list, drinking a café and going back home. And that is great. But it can be better. If you want to travel and immerse you in the world, let yourself be that world. Ask questions. Go walking for 20-30 kms in a day. Go on the short streets and see the little shops. Take the long tour. Visit cities that are close to you and pay attention to the road. The road will take you not only where you want to go but where you need to be. It will carry you and teach you, if you are only open to it. It’s a big world out there, full of people, nature, cities, art and beauty. Find the places you might call home, find the places where you will learn about the whole world or about history entirely. Find the reason the world is spinning and the reason you are here. And enjoy it. Fully and completely.

"Home" Nina Moskowitz

“ ome” never had a set definition for me. It never connoted one place, one person, one thing. It never meant a smell, or a food, or an action. “Home” was not an address in the Yellow Pages, it would not show up on Google Maps. It was not where my family was, or where my friends were. It was the pack on my back. The way the left strap always sagged a bit more than the right, and I would have to stop every so often to tug that left strap just a bit tighter. It was the way I rebelled even in the way I traveled, like all else. The way I wore combat boots instead of hiking boots, and as I walked the streets of Venice, Paris, Bali, Phuket, I would stand out not just as a tourist, but as me.

The stranger in the Doc Martens, who hiked to the top of a mountain without a pair of hiking boots. The way I never brought a map, because it always seemed to take the mystery away from the land. If I know where the restaurants and parks are, there’s no fun in finding them

I would plant myself in a city, start in the morning and just work my way through: walking, taking pictures, eating, talking to locals, eating more. Getting lost. Nothing beat getting lost. To accidentally stumble across Big Ben sounds impossible, but I made it happen. It was the way I almost preferred to stay awake through the night, if for no other reason than to listen to the sound of the world that didn’t sleep. The way I tried to catch a glimpse of the nocturnal universe I was only just on the periphery of. The way I thought I was experiencing a secret undiscovered by the anthropogenic world, a secret only I was aware of, a world only I was privy to. I never had a sedentary home. I did not grow up in one place, or have one set of friends, or understand the culture of just one world

I dipped my toes in galaxies far and wide, and once I got a taste, there was no stopping me. I was a traveler born with more curiosity of the earth than there was time to explore it all. “Home” didn’t include coming home to a house with a porch, or a white picket fence. There was no square patch of lawn, or a spouse in the kitchen with a “kiss the cook” apron. “Home” didn’t have a spare key, or a succulent in the window, or furniture from IKEA. It wasn’t for me, it wasn’t one of the cards. I lived by the word “wanderlust.” My body coiled in calligraphy, the suns and moons wrote it across my skin. A word of magic, of wonder, of magnificence beyond mankind, a special kind of treasure untouched by most people. I was lucky enough to get touched, a pinprick on a spinning wheel of life, negating sleep rather than furthering it. My blood screams to travel, my soul yearns to explore. My ID is my postcards, my most prized possession my passport. I am nothing if not an adventurer, set on overturning every last rock in every last country all over the face of this earth. That purpose is what I find comfort in, about as damn close to “home” as I’ve ever been. I’ve never been one for settling down. “Home” was not a word in my vocabulary, it was not meant to be understood by me. It was never explained and never touched, for I lived for the rush in my veins that said something new was around the corner. “Home” was the earth at large, and all I wanted to do was see every inch of it. My “home” was unorthodox, but it was mine. There was never a set definition to the word for me, and I am the better for it. I look at my Docs, and my pack with the loose left strap, and the lack of a map anywhere, and I know this is what I will spend my life doing. Exploring my “home.”

Numinous Ioana Aghiculesei

Numinous,an experience that makes you

fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted, is the powerful, personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired. In my mind, it is strongly connected with the feeling I have when I think of travelling, discovering the marvels of the world. Some believe that the souls inside us travel freely around the world. Everyone has a strong feeling at some point of going away, of wanting to escape the life they live and, consequently, some will do everything in their power to do it while on the other hand, some will stay home and let life pass by them. My grandma has always told me “Home is in your mind”,meaning that wherever I go, even if I feel like I am in the wrong place, I have to understand that if I feel good with myself, there are no limits to what I can achieve, to where I can go.

All of us went to places such as mountains, seaside or big cities and capitals as Paris, Berlin or Madrid, but how many actually discovered a new culture just by talking to local people or try doing the things people from those parts of the world do every day? They say “Travelers don’t know where they go and turist don’t know where they’ve been” and I believe this divides the world in two. Firstly, there are the people who only go to places to see two or three bulidings, some museums in which they take some photos and after that point out that they have been there and there and everywhere. . And secondly, there are the people who just enter the room and ask if is there anyone who wants to go travelling. Those people are Heaven on Earth and I assure you that, if you know such person, your life will instantly be better.

They will take you to new places,some of which they don’t even know and slowly they will show you what life is actually about. Even if you like more the nature or old buildings, museums and art galeries, travelling to new places will always bring you extra information, adding to your inner self, developing it and when is all told you are a hole new person, because whatever you visit becomes a part of you somehow.

There are many different ways to travel such as reading a good book and being away for some hours or dreaming that you are visiting different countries, but none will compare with the feeling of actully being there and acknowledge the facts in real time. There was someone who once said that the Earth is all we have in common, so use all your free time to travel, to develop and to find out new things every time possible.

”So grab the Monet and let’s Gogh!”

The Road Goes Ever On Kovรกcs Anna Sรกra

Let me tell you about a story I like. It is

about a long and eventful journey. There is someone who could be you or me, walking a path that ends somewhere in the unknown or unsure. By the time they reach their destination, they change and grow as a person. Does it sound familiar yet? We all know at least one story like this, but probably more: this trope is as old as time.

. It is there in the oldest stories mankind knows, present in nearly every culture; it is kind of like the human mind was created with this topos built in (much like a default application on a smartphone). It has been written, painted, sung and brought to film countless times through history, starting with Homer (who might or might not existed as a real person or several real people, according to historians) and his Odyssey, to the modern tales we grew up on like The Neverending Story and Lord Of the Rings.

The list of great opuses is too long to even try mentioning them all. Journey has always been a metaphor for life, for the process of exploring and getting to know the world around us, getting to unknown places, meeting interesting and important people, finding where we are meant to be and trying our best to get there - powering through many obstacles, having little failures and big, shiny victories, and in the end, getting somewhere that may or may not be the destination we originally wished to reach (and if it is not, that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really matter - the journey itself is always more important than where it ends). It is this simple. And still, we seem to like it a lot, judging only by the amount of literary classics built on this archetype. But why do we enjoy these stories and songs so much? In this modern world where being unique and different from the crowd is considered a value, is the old journey-metaphor still appealing? Some might disagree with me on this, but I think the answer is yes. For some reason, we people like to relate to each other on a very basic, almost instinctional level. No matter how unique we are, no matter how much we favor to differ from what we consider average, knowing that we are not alone, that our experiences and feelings are not making us different from everyone else will always be somewhat comforting for us. We like to see that our struggles are normal - and what could be a more perfect medium for this than stories (aside from internet memes, of course)?

The life path is that one thing that we all experience regardless of time, geographic location, social or financial situation, gender or other dividing factor, so no wonder we still like to read and write stories and songs about it from time to time. And whether this type of story will stay popular in the future - I think that if we still love it now after 3000 years, there is a good chance that this will not change anytime soon. And so, as long as humankind lives, the stories of the big journey will live on.

Psych(O)

Self-fulfilling prophecy Delia Cocoș

There must have surely been a day when you

In this case, the “fake it til you make it” attijust woke up and thought to yourself: “This is tude surely works the best. Basically, this atgoing to be such a bad day”. And, guess what? titude means that even if you don’t feel conYou then get to school/work, you are in a harsh fident, you should pretend you are until you mood, everyone seems to be annoying and it can make it real. Faking your way to success seems like the Universe is trying to punish you. may not seem a marvelous idea, but there is If you’ve been in a situation like that, then you enough science that proves that you can fool should probably know you were most likely yourself into becoming more successful. experiencing a self-fulfilling prophecy. The A great strategy is to fake confidence to gain influ20-th century sociologist Robert K. Merton ence. There is a study published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers atdefines a self-fulfilling prophecy as, in the be- tached three groups of students the task of writing ginning, a false definition of a situation evok- two paragraphs on either their job ambitions or their ing a new behavior which makes the original commutes. They then formed same-sex teams using false conception become true. In other words, these students and instructed them to brainstorm a a self-fulfilling prophecy is basically any pos- hypothetical startup company. Eventually, they took itive or negative expectation about events or a survey in which they rated the extent they respected and admired the other members of their team. people that affects a person’s behavior toward The researchers found out that the students who had them in a manner that causes those expecta- written about their ambitions enjoyed a higher rank tions to be fulfilled. in the group pecking order than those who had focused on their job duties.

The conclusion of this experiment is that when you shift your thoughts to your goals, you can project a more confident personality. Henry Ford had a saying, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right”, which I think matches perfectly the self-fulfilling prophecy. I personally had many days when I woke up feeling bad and being pessimist and then the whole day was disastrous. Another good example of a self-fulfilling prophecy is Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The three witches tell Macbeth that he will become a king and he does, by killing Duncan.

He was also told that the offspring of his best friend will rule instead of his own so he tried his best to keep his friend’s son away from the throne by killing his best friend and his son. Macduff took revenge for his father’s death and killed Macbeth to ascend to the throne. Later, Macduff was succeeded by “James I of England” who was a descendant of Banquo. The witches also tell Macbeth to “Beware Macduff ”. If he had not been told this, he may not have regarded Macduff as a threat and he would not have killed Macduff ’s family. Also, Macduff would not have sought revenge and killed Macbeth. In one study regarding self-fulfilling prophecies, psychologists led some male college students to believe that a female student was attracted to them and others to believe that she was not attracted to them. After a period of time, the woman was much more likely to act as if she was attracted to the first set of men. Why? Because the men who thought she was attracted to them acted in a way that seemed to lead her to actually be attracted to them. So, next time you want to make a person act in a certain way, you can just believe that when you interact with them and then they will act or even become that way.

c i s u M iew v e R

alca h i M a Simon

Tarja - The Shadow Self Album Review Simona Mihalca

August 5th marks the re-

lease of Tarja Turunen’s newest album, “The Shadow Self ”. A lot has been said about how Tarja has created a new sound, departing from the symphonic metal scene and towards a heavier sound, a cleaner classic rock sound, though it is only on this album that it is complete. For some songs on her previous records I got the impression that it was just putting together some hard rock sounds and her voice, great as it is, which left me feeling like it was lacking something to tie them together. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case on this album. You get to hear more instruments, though not generally all that complex (except for the obvious Chopin intro of Innocence), you have vocals and backing vocals, new instruments, new ways of mixing. It has a lot more “band feeling”, as she likes to call it, the pieces fit together well. As a theme for the entire song, it would be the void and the darkness within each person.

The working title for the album was “Black” up until Tarja discovered an interview by Annie Lennox mentioning “The Shadow Self ” as the place where the creative inspiration comes from. Rest assured, it’s not a depressing album, but a strong one. It has songs about nature and songs strongly personal to Tarja, so it’s a lot to take in, but worth it. Let’s talk about the songs that make this album stand out. Starting with the … less than great:

Demons in You (Feat. Alissa White-Gluz).

This song promised so much but it was such a disappointment. Alissa can deliver both clean vocals and growls and we have seen many a case where her collaborations were impeccable. This was not the case. Her growls were just used as backing vocals for Tarja, lacking the usual powers they had. Her clean vocals were so closely mixed with Tarja’s that you would sometimes have to really pay attention to know who is singing. It’s true that I expected something more on the lines of Alissa’s past collaborations with Delain or Kamelot, more on the lines of beauty and the beast type of singing, if you will. But the song was just underwhelming. Tarja invited Alissa to sing and she delivered, but somewhere along the way there was a lot lost. I have a feeling the final version song turned out to be a bit underwhelming for Alissa herself. It’s not a bad song, but it’s not what it could have been.

Too Many

– While the song is actually good, with a very, very catchy chorus. It did seem a bit long at 12:50 minutes (and maybe even within the song itself it seemed long because of the sometimes repeating and bland instrumental) and that is because after the actual song there is a huge long silence (so not the kind you would actually expect for creative reasons in a normal song) and in the end another songs just starts playing, no intro, no nothing. I feel like there should be an explanation for this. There is no connection that I could hear at the time between the two. Maybe I missed something. But then again, if I did, I am pretty sure there will be other people doing and feeling as well. And now moving to the best:

Diva. You cannot not know all the meanings behind the word “diva” when it comes to Tarja. It took her some many years, but she finally came back with a (passive-)aggressive vindictive song and it’s so great.

In my opinion, this should have been the single, if not the title of the album. It starts as a sort of medieval waltz/dance, with the calmness of church bells, water sounds, birds chirping and even some flute instruments. Being an elegant song makes its message even more on point. I will just leave you now with some of the lyrics, because they will be debated and shared and adored and it’s everything you need to know. “We can laugh at it now/ I don’t mind all the burning daggers/ Burning me, piercing me, shaping me/ I revealed my escape/ Sweetest mutiny”. “Tasting the salt/ Couldn’t stand all the rats on board/ I walked down the plank/ As the curtain fell down on you” I won’t say it because you guys already know what the song could be (is!) about. “Ship was sinking deeper and deeper/ and deeper on top of you”. And, of course, it’s full of “Just look at me, a diva, diva”. I apologise if the lyrics are not 100% like this, I didn’t get to see them written down.

Also, worth noting is that at some point the song is interrupted by some men talking about something being “garbage”, in quite a low voice that doesn’t make it easy to understand. But the sound of that voice is so similar to a certain keyboard player of a certain band.

Supremacy - In the Muse cover she de-

livers some of her highest notes, being an impressive treat both live and in the studio. It’s also a great song, putting together short parts of famous classical songs, such as The Second Walz by Shostakovich. If you need to have one song that showcases why everyone thinks Tarja is the best at what she does, this is it.

Undertaker – This is such a fun song,

great instrumental and vocals, good lyrics.

Quite epic and soundtrack-like, with a sort of cello orchestra, delivering a great grave feeling to the song. It’s unique compared to what she has done so far, with high vocals but very clean. It’s also a bit more symphonic for the rest, so we’ll be really happy about that.

nitely be one of the favourite ones for many people. She has played it live and it works, so keep listening to it because you’ll be hearing it quite a lot, whether at concerts, on other websites or simply

I recommend The Living End, another good one, worth an honorable mention or Calling From The Wild, which is nothing like you’d expect from the title, but much like what you have heard live.. The album comes from the dark place within Tarja, but it is almost bewitching us with her voice. The vocal lines are incredibly challenging, beautiful and diverse. I have been a fan of Tarja for many years now, but I have always held her to the biggest scrutiny. I was the first one to say when something was not on par with what it could have been or what it should have

because it’s shared by your friends.As for the rest, they work, they make for a great album. It did a good job of bringing both symphonic and hard rock elements. It’s something for a wider audience, considering that her base, one of symphonic fans, is loyal to the extent of obsession.

been, but this time it works. I was pleasantly surprised. The album is like a fine wine, which must be tasted carefully, but to which you should come back again and again, seeing new parts of it, new aromas, new details. You will be hearing a lot of it and you will be liking it more and more.

Love To Hate – This one will defi-

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