We worry too much.

In our eyes, the world revolves around us so when something doesn’t go according to plan or throws us off track, we panic. We worry ourselves crazy every single day and this is why too many people experience panic or anxiety attacks these days. I used to get so stressed out I could go prolonged periods without eating (or feeling hungry) and nights without sleeping (the issues of a Type A personality, I swear) – it would be over financial shortcomings, unresolved childcare matters, or just being unhappy in my job. No matter what it is, everyone is worried about something, but the great thing is you can get those worries under control. Here are 5 little reminders to keep yourself worry-free today:

1. “This too shall pass”.

If there’s one thing you learn with age, it’s that everything happens on repeat just on a different scale. And that means nothing lasts forever whether it’s good or bad. So go ahead and enjoy the moment since we essentially need both to live a happy, balanced life anyway. Stroll back down memory lane now and think about everything that has ever happened to you…I’m sure there were moments you felt like crap as well as moments of ecstasy, and reflecting on it now, both seems equally fleeting. So the next time you start stressing about something, remember that it’ll pass and in the future it’ll feel very short-lived. Also, don’t ever become too proud because that can disappear in the blink of an eye.

2. You can’t control everything.

We all know shit happens. You are not in control. As humans, we feel safer knowing we can affect something, but we cannot control what happens to us, what obstacles come our way, or what’s out there in the future. The only thing we can control is our attitude. Life is what you make it and the faster you train your mind to stop worrying and stressing about everything, the more cathartic you’ll feel. Always be ready and always be prepared to adjust to your situation. If you don’t like something, move – you are not a tree.

3. Change is good.

It’s true, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. The more obstacles you encounter, the better prepared you’ll be for the ones to come. You need the one-offs and the changes to keep you in check, build your character, and test your limits. Life is all about persevering and if you can do that without the excess worry, then I can assure you’ll quickly find peace and happiness within.

4. Life really isn’t that bad.

You think life is really that bad? You should go to a homeless shelter, volunteer at a charity, or read the world news about the refugees in Europe or children in third world countries. If that’s too much for you, just take a quick peek at Humans of New York to put your life back in perspective. The fact that you’re reading this article right now, leads me to believe you’re quite alright. First world problems aren’t really problems – not down playing anyone’s situation, but in reality, it’s probably pretty miniscule compared to the rest of the universe. Always remember, life can be worse.

5. Good things are to come.

The little nuances in your life are basically accumulations of small things preparing you for bigger and better things.

So whenever you start to fret, remind yourself, good things to come.

XO,

– Susan

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Image Source Credits – 500 PX

The post 5 Little Reminders To Keep You Worry Free appeared first on Zanita Studio.

Coerced our beautiful contributor Monica to pose for me after we had finished shooting an editorial at Mondo last week. Can’t get enough of her gorgeous face, her freckles and elfin ears. Extraordinary beauty.

Meanwhile, here’s some tracks I’m playing on repeat.

Photography, Zanita Whittington

Model, Monica Bestek

Dress, Zimmermann

The post Monica In Light appeared first on Zanita Studio.

In cased you’ve missed it, streetstyle is fast becoming an enormous part of the business of fashion week.

The photographers come in droves and it’s highly competitive. I’ve done my dash, going deep into the scene and getting right in the thick of the hustle… but it’s not my forte. I actually love shooting streetstyle – but I can’t really attend shows, photograph them effectively, create personal style content and commit myself to all the extra curricular activities that comes with the chaos and do a great job of all of it. It’s a lesson I’ve learnt from running my own business, you can’t expect to do everything and do it well and spreading yourself thin trying to conquer it all means you won’t be able invest time on focused skills and expanding.

This season, shooting streetstyle took a backstep.  I just snapped a little of it incidentally and only in NYC. Looking at my pics, I really wish I could have done more… but that means less of something else, and there’s already so many photographers way ahead of the game.

So I just have this little piece of fun. Hope you enjoy!

photography and editing, Zanita Whittington

The post New York Streetstyle Super Disco Electric Mania appeared first on Zanita Studio.

When you work in an office environment that is geared towards millennial girls (or just women in general), you’ll likely hear all kinds of relationship narratives, both comical and tragedious, either that or the difficulties that come with scouting quality guys these days. I don’t know and can’t possibly understand the struggle of meeting men today, but what I do know is the necessity of being alone to fully understand your needs, your desires, and ultimately, yourself.

And trust me, finding yourself is a constant process especially in your 20s so save yourself the heartache now.

If you’re in a situation where you’re starting to feel lonely or wondering why you can’t seem to meet anyone worthy, remember the perks of being single – it isn’t so bad after all.

– More YOU.

Relationships consume a lot of energy.

Time to yourself in your 20s is golden so utilize your freedom to the fullest. This is your time to experiment. You can date different types of men (even try the ones you thought you’d never consider), fail a lot, and visit tons of new places. You can pretty much do anything you want without being tied down or feeling guilty about taking something on alone. The best thing is you don’t need to explain yourself to anyone; this is your time to be selfish.

– More Time.

Relationships consume a lot of time.

You’d be surprised at how much more time you have when you’re not in a relationship – this is something single people take for granted and people in relationships don’t have the luxury of realizing until they’re single. A couple hours of hanging out could have been spent organizing your laundry or washing your car. We don’t realize it but as soon as we’re in a relationship, we tend to put someone else’s needs in front of our own, which takes away our personal time from being productive. On a Saturday morning, all you’ll want to do is cuddle in bed (especially when it’s cold) when you should be getting off your bum to go for a run in the park.

– More People.

Relationships limit your pool.

There are so many millions of people in the universe even though you might feel like you can hardly meet anyone. That probably just means you should broaden your network a bit more, but seriously, you’d be surprised. Have you ever naturally connected with another person in a way that sparked an interest, a little curiosity, but he was single and you were in a relationship so it couldn’t take off further? That’s my point…meet people, date some more, and make mistakes. That’s how you find the one.

– More Money.

Relationships consume your funds.

Gifts of all variations, dinner for two, drinks for two – everything for two – it all starts to cost a lot of money. Being single allows you to splurge, but at the same time save. All for yourself the way it should be when you’re young and free.

– Less Stress.

Relationships cause major headaches.

You should know that when you’re in a relationship, you’re bound to fight. It can last a couple minutes up to days and weeks depending on the severity and length of your relationship. And if you’re not fighting, he will eventually say something so obliviously outrageous that pisses you off and at the end of the day, he won’t be apologetic about it. Just thinking about it gives me a headache so know that you’re saving yourself a lot of pain right now. Be happy you don’t have to deal with it.

Anyway, the point is that you’re young so be free, live abundantly and adventurously.

XO,

– Susan

Follow me – Blog Instagram Pinterest Bloglovin

Image Source Credits – Levis

The post The Perks of Being Single in Your 20s appeared first on Zanita Studio.

An editorial for the sake of creativity. The beautiful truth of my photography, once I ‘found’ it, I knew I wanted to be shooting whether or not anyone would see the pictures.

More and more I’m falling in love with shooting in studio because I feel like it allows me to explore the creativity in movement more than a location. No pose is out of context in studio, you can create a compelling story around a simple emotion. You can employ elements of dance and wild energy, which was the driving creative element behind this shoot with Chantal (Chic). Fed by the incredible silhouettes and flow of these Michael Lo Sordo and Toni Maticevski dresses, we spent a glorious day at Mondo Studios shooting, laughing, jumping, dancing and chatting.

Can’t wait to do it again!

dresses 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 – Michael Lo Sordo.

dresses 3, 7 – Toni Maticevski. 

Photography, Creative Direction and Styling, Zanita Whittington

Model, Chantal Monaghan @ Chic Management

Assistant, Monica Bestek

Special Thanks, Mondo Studios

The post Beautiful Creature appeared first on Zanita Studio.

I wish I had read one of these kinds of posts before I begun the journey of my Instagram account @benorkin! Not that I’m the best foodstagrammer out there, cause I most definitely am not, but I have learned a few tricks along the way that I use in most of my foodie shots. These aren’t THE rules and I’m not saying that you should follow them like they are the bible, but they can help you to make your foodstagram life a little easier.

Nobody likes a copycat

I personally can’t stand copycats! It might seem difficult to be original at first, but trust me it’s so worth it. Who would you rather be known as? That person who copies so and so’s food account or the person with that totally original style that I wish I had of thought of!

Pick a theme.

It’s important to pick a basic theme. This can be a colour palette, type of food or mood. By doing this you will create your own style that is recognisable by others. It’s also okay to change it every once in a while. Like for example, I tend to use lighter colours in summer and darker colours in winter.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Making mistakes are the only way that you will learn. It’s also okay to post your mistakes. If you look through my Instagram account you can see the development of my style and how much I have improved on myself.

Don’t over think things.

Keep your shots as simple as possible. Literally arrange your food as if you were about to eat it. Don’t try being too fancy, cause it never really works out. People want to see real food that can inspire them.

Use natural light.

When I begun @benorkin the Instagram page, lighting wasn’t necessarily that much a priority to me. I would take most of my photos using the lights in my bedroom. When I look back on them now, I realise just how terrible they are. The thing that made the change for me was some photographer guy was stalking my account and commented on one of my photos “You’ve got some great pics, but I just wish that you used natural light.” I was quite arrogant at that time and deleted the photo he commented on immediately. Then after a while I thought about what he said and tried it out for myself. I’ve only ever used natural light since then, and I’m also less arrogant now.

Less is more.

Try not to fill your picture with unnecessary decorative rubbish. The only function it forms is distracting the eye from the focal point, which should be the food. It’s important to make your food shine!

Try using your cell phone camera as much as possible.

I know that proper camera photos look 100 times better than cell phone photos, but to me using a proper camera for Instagram photos is wrong. Instagram is supposed to be a platform for you to exhibit your life and for people to see what you are up to instantly. Using a camera slows that process down and cheats the system in my opinion. I guess it’s more about showing people the behind the scenes of your life than showing them your photography skills. If you still would like people to see your proper photography skills, use other platforms, like a blog.

Shoot from above or in front.

What I’ve noticed from my cell phone camera is that you can take amazing photos from directly above or directly in front of your food, but not so much at strange angles that would normally work with your camera.

Invest in some good food props.

I personally am a collector of just about everything and so starting my food prop collection was as easy as pie. What I suggest is shopping at antique/junk stores. They always have the best props and are often a quarter of the price if you had to buy them new. I personally can’t buy anything besides food props anymore because everytime I look at the price of something my head tells me how many props I could buy with that money.

Post some pictures that don’t include food.

You want to make your Instagram gallery as exciting as possible and when you post just food pictures all the time, after a while it can become quite dry and boring. I advise adding some pictures of things that inspire you. Things like nature, buildings, people, etc. But don’t forget to keep the photos of a similar mood to your food photos.

Edit your pictures outside of Instagram

Sorry Instagram, I do love you very much, but unfortunately your filters aren’t great. I use an app called VSCO cam to edit all of my photos. You can download it for free in the app store. I make touch ups in the Instagram app afterwards, like adjusting brightness, contrast etc.

Don’t over edit.

Edit your photos just enough so that it looks like you haven’t edited them at all. I know that this sounds ridiculous, but trust me and just do it.

All of the above photos are taken from my Instagram account and are shot using my iPhone 5s.

I hope this helps you!

I’ve been nominated for House and Leisure’s Rising Star of 2015. I would love if you could please go and vote for me! VOTE FOR ME HERE!

Happy Photo taking!

–Ben

 Instagram @benorkin + Blog  + Pinterest

Snapchat: @benorks

The post How To Photograph Like A Foodstagrammer appeared first on Zanita Studio.

If you missed it on snapchat/instagram/twitter – we celebrated the Elle Style Awards last week down under, with my fashion family – Topshop!

I took the chance before the event commenced to assemble the Topshop girl squad, sassily attired in the newly launched Unique Resort collection for this editorial. The light was serendipitous, the girls looked fabulous, Hyde Park delivered.

Role call: Nadia Fairfax, Tegan Martin, Emma Lung and Yours Truly.

Added bonus, Gustav and I created this video documenting the deliberation of my outfit… Hope you enjoy!! xx

Wearing Topshop Unique dress, Topshop heels, Ryan Storer earrings.

Photos of me by Monica Bestek.

The post Girl Squad, Assemble! appeared first on Zanita Studio.

The Aussie girl, the queen of cool, Kym Ellery presented her latest collection in Paris, celebrating being on the official schedule for the first time.

There was so much to love about this collection! I really enjoyed taking a little trip back reviewing the looks, admiring the unique details. Hope you enjoy my imagery.

Photography and editing, Zanita Whittington

The post Ellery SS16 appeared first on Zanita Studio.

I am beyond thrilled to share the results of my shoot with Glue Store for Elle Australia.

It was one of those moments where I really got to say to myself, ‘Holy shit, I’m really living my dream!’

I never believed that I would one day have the chance to shoot campaigns and to have my work featured in my favourite magazines. I dreamt about it – but couldn’t really envision the steps I would need to take to get there. How could I develop my talents to the points I was worthy? I’m just a girl with a camera and an internet connection!

I took chances, sometimes I didn’t get the results from a shoot I’d expect – but if you work at something, one day you’ll get there.

I love what I do so so much – and I love being able to share it with all of you.

I love fashion, I love models, I love fashion images, I love clothes (too much!), I LOVE editing, I love creating concepts and realising them.

And Curated is right up my alley.  Some of the absolute coolest brands that Glue Store and Australia have to offer, effortless but style conscious with an eye for quality. I’m talking Bec and Bridge, CMeo, Zoe Karsson, Oskar. I loved styling these looks because because the pieces were exactly what I want in my own wardrobe.

Meanwhile, how gorgeous is our bombshell Talia Richman? She really embodied our concept completely, the innately cool girl with just the right amounts of fun and sexiness – plenty of spirit. It’s so important to find the right energy when I’m casting models, I’m inspired by personality and movement and it’s always integral to the themes in my shoots. Really hope to work with Talia again – perhaps when I land myself back in NYC!

Special thanks to By Charlotte for providing the beautiful jewellery to compliment our looks – and Senso for sending along some of their sweet footwear. Feeling pretty lucky to have had Hair and Make-Up super talent, Tobi Henney to elevate the final result, it’s more than a relief. So often a photographers work can only be as great as the people on the team and I love so much working with Tobi, she creates magic with Make-up!

Thanks so much to the team at Glue Store for having me take part in this shoot. Such a thrill. 

Photography, Styling, Creative Direction – Zanita Whittington

Hair and Make-up – Tobi Henney

Model – Talia Richman, Chic

The post Curated appeared first on Zanita Studio.

There’s a whole load of discussion right now about how ‘Social Media is Fake’.

It’s true, alot of it is pretty fake. Packaging your life in a certain way so others might have a measured perception of it isn’t reality – but I don’t think influencers or anyone else using these mediums to share content need to be thrown under the bus for sharing images that don’t represent their reality. I just believe we should be responsible for our own influences – just like everything you experience each day makes up a part of who you are, those people you follow make up a little piece of you.

So do you feel better about your life by following particular people on instagram? Sometimes no. Most of us are probably guilty of hate-following a few people too. It’s like the equivalent of watching Soaps on TV or reading Tabloid magazines – that stuff turns your brain to mush #imguiltythough.

There’s a whole lot inspiring people to follow on Instagram. Artists, Politicians (the good ones), Poets, Writers, Activists, Tattoo Artists, Illustrators, Photographers, Painters, Singers, Actors.

You should be following those who give your brain something more, something to think about, something to be inspired by. Anything that doesn’t make you excited about your life or make you want to achieve more? Unfollow that shit.

Seek out what’s beautiful. People who are encouraging. You’re the summary of everything you consume – so take control of that and make sure it’s going to be the things that leave a positive influence on your own psyche.

“You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.”

― Napoleon Hill

Anyway lovers, look forward to chatting more about this and hearing your thoughts on the matter.

The post How To Use Social Media The Right Way appeared first on Zanita Studio.

For the longest time, I was always afraid to travel alone from fear of getting lost in a major airport and lacking the ability to navigate a city solo. And then I’d have these bizarre visions of getting kidnapped or robbed by the crazy locals. I also often feared not having anyone to talk to and seeming like a lunatic loner. But to my surprise, I’ve actually learned that these single, spontaneous adventures can be so therapeutic and is something that really allows you to grow on the inside out. So here, I leave you with the best reasons to travel alone:

– Go at your own pace.

Ever felt like you’re inconveniencing people whenever doing anything in a pack be it shopping, eating on the go, or even running to the restrooms? By nature, I’ve always been such an accommodating person that I’m willing to do whatever someone else wants to do and leave when someone is ready to leave. Traveling alone allows you to be random, turn at any point, get lost, and then be found without having to worry about anyone else. You can take all the time in the world to really immerse yourself in a city or rush out of it sans structure, time constraints, and plans.

– It Builds confidence.

All those previously mentioned fears are pretty much tossed out the window when you travel alone. Being solo forces you to get out of your comfort zone, which makes you uncomfortable and essentially builds your confidence. It also highlights and improves your communication skills by forcing you to approach and connect with people you don’t know. This only gets better with time.

Although I’ve always had a sense of direction in life, that tendency is basically nonexistent when it comes to navigating the streets and even more so when I’m alone. Getting lost has always been my biggest fear – I couldn’t read a map to save my life. But for the first time when I spent an entire day in NYC alone, I realized it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined all these years. Sure, I got lost a few times, made more than a few turnarounds, but ultimately, I did it – I navigated myself around the city alone. I talked to people with all kinds of accents and it felt great. Without a doubt, I’d do it again.

– You Become decisive.

Just like the point above, you really have to take charge. You’re forced to make quick decisions when you’re alone because there’s no one else to retrieve an opinion from. Everything is dependent upon yourself, from the places you see to the places you eat. You decide when to cross the street, take a cab, ride the metro, or walk.

Decision-making and having faith in your choices is truly a key skill you establish whenever solo and also something that you can take back to your every day life.

– It clears your mind.

Seeing new places and new faces without distraction really resets your mind. It allows you time to reflect on your routines, your goals, and habits. What can you do differently and how can you improve your quality of life? You’ll find yourself pondering the lifestyles of the denizens you see passing by and even think to yourself if you can be like that some day too…then you return home and you act on it.

XO,

– Susan

Follow me – Blog Instagram Pinterest Bloglovin

Image Source Credits – Pocket Full of Daisies

The post The Best Reasons To Travel Alone appeared first on Zanita Studio.

So here’s the behind the scenes from my shoot with Elle Australia and Glue Store Curated… As you can see, I bring my own brand of weirdness to any photoshoot I do!

It’s important to have great spirits when you’re an image maker.

Bring the fun!

You can see the whole shoot and credits HERE.

Camera: Gustav Carlson
Editing: Christian Whyte | www.christianwhyte.com

The post Behind the Scenes – Photoshoot CHAOS!! appeared first on Zanita Studio.

You’ve decided to quit your job, now what?

Here comes the fun part: delivering the message, which can be awkward and emotional so in reality, quitting a job is never really that fun. And if you’ve never actually quit a professional job before, you might even feel uncomfortable setting up that meeting with your boss. Anyway, for whatever reason you’ve decided to leave, you always want to make sure you do so in good light and leave a lasting impression. After all, the job market is too small to burn bridges (especially in fashion) and most importantly, because it’s the right thing to do. Plus, you can always benefit from strong professional references. Here are my 4 steps to quitting your job with grace:

#1 Set A Date

First things first: You need to decide when you’re going to quit to allow yourself sufficient time to give a minimum’s two-week notice and to finalize any unfinished projects or reporting while your employer seeks a replacement. At this time, you can also begin crafting your letter of resignation.

#2 Write Your Letter of Resignation

Though I don’t usually hand in the physical letter until after I’ve spoken to my employer, you should write one in advance as they will be asking for it. The letter can easily be composed in 3 parts (paragraphs) using this format:

Dear Employer,

Please accept this letter as my formal notice of resignation from (Company) as a/an (Job Title) . My last day of employment will be (Date). I received an offer to become a (New Job), and after careful consideration, I realize that this opportunity is too exciting for me to decline.

I would like to help with the transition of my duties. I am available to train the individuals who will be assisting with job duties when I am gone. I will also ensure that all reporting and records are updated before my last day of work.

It has been a pleasure working with the (Company) over the last year. Thank you for the opportunity to work for such an outstanding organization and be a part of an awesome team. I wish you and the rest of the team much success.

Sincerely,

Employee

#3 Be Official

Then schedule the meeting.

I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to quit a few jobs, but I’ve learned over the years that no matter how many times I’ve done it, I always get nervous right before the final meeting. I stumble on my words, which is accompanied by the strangest feelings of guilt – at that point, I’m not even sure why I feel bad…I didn’t do anything wrong. So my ultimate lesson learned has always been to keep it simple. You don’t need to explain why unless you’re being asked and it’s a no-brainer your boss will ask, but by allowing him/her that opportunity, the whole thing begins to feel more like a casual conversation versus you making a speech.

Be prepared for salary increase proposals and movement suggestions – just about anything that can keep you there. Your boss may also ask questions specific to your workplace and your team – it’s all fair game. At the end of the day, just remember to be honest with yourself and what you want regardless of any compelling offers you might receive.

#4 Finish Up

Finally, continue to do your job the best you can until you hit the finish line.

This means updating any projects or reports you’ve worked on and tying up all loose ends. At this time, you can also train/show your team your day-to-day tasks and also make a list of important things that absolutely need to be done while you’re absent. This will allow your workload to be distributed evenly among the team so they can better manage the business without you. And on your last day, feel free to send out a mass e-mail with your contact information for those that want to keep in touch.

XO,

– Susan

Follow me – Blog Instagram Pinterest Bloglovin

Image Source Credits – A Pair & A Spare

The post 4 Steps to Quitting Your Job With Grace appeared first on Zanita Studio.

It’s very interesting how different people react to trends.

I have realised that the opinions seem to be based on associations. Haven’t we all been in a situation where the guy just can’t, at ALL, understand how on earth one would think that oversized sweater or floral trousers are cool in any way? This most probably is due to the fact that he only saw grandma’ wear it while you on the other hand got that last editorial in Harpers Bazaar and on those stylish fashion week streetstyle star ladies as your references.

I was consulting a shoe brand on shoe trends a while ago. With excitement, I pointed out a pair of patent thigh high boots (presented to them by one of the factories they work with) and my clients reaction was a confused face and quote:

‘These? Really? They are such strip club shoes, aren’t they?!’

…to which I replied that my thoughts went straight to the Dior fall/winter 2015 show. Looveee!!!

Over the knee boots are HUGE this season & here are the secrets to styling them:

• Go for suede! They aren’t that dramatic and look really cool with the 70’s A-line skirts we’ve seen everywhere lately.
• If you feel like trying the patent thigh high boot trend, try wearing it with a knitted dress, a cool coat or a 60’s inspired dress. Personally I would avoid anything too tight, short or revealing.
• Wear cashmere or wool stockings underneath. They’re quite matte which gives a cozy feeling which will balance out the look.
• Another way to dress them down a bit is to pair them with a denim piece.

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BONUS: You will definitely stay warm with these shoes during winter time, win!!

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♥ /Fashion Editor Sania Claus Demina

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PHOTO CREDITS:

Queen of Jetlags Harpers Bazaar, Isabel Marant, ELLE US, Vogue.com, Burberry Prorsum, Popsugar, H&M, Céline, Vogue Germany, The Blonde Salad,  Josefin Dahlberg, Elsa Ekman, Henry Kole, Sea of Shoes

The post The Secrets To Styling Thigh High Boots appeared first on Zanita Studio.

I’ve always wondered whether baking was exercise?

I mean when I put my equipment away and replace it with some good old elbow grease, I can really feel my pulse increasing and my muscles burning. After some research I have come up with the following exercises. I personally think that they the best kinds of exercise because at the end you are rewarded with something delicious.

Please note that these are very serious exercises and I expect you to follow them studiously. With these exercises, you can put as much or as little effort you would like into them, I encourage and expect maximum effort.

It’s important to stretch before any exercise, especially when it comes to baking, the last thing that you would want it to pull a muscle whipping egg whites. Most of these exercises involve arm movements. I tried to think of some leg exercises, but all I could come up with was kneading dough with you feet, which is a little gross on numerous amounts of levels.

Kneading

This has got to be one of the toughest exercises. It involves a great amount of arm strength and energy. You need to knead the dough to a certain point where the gluten strands build up in the dough. This usually takes about 10 minutes. The easiest way to achieve this is to stretch, pull, push and fold the dough. Once the dough can be stretched easily without tearing, you have reached the end of your workout. This process can also be meditative and extremely relaxing.

Use the following recipe for Challah Bread taken from my blog.

Make meringues

This is also very tough. You really just need to believe you are a machine and mix until there is no tomorrow. First, you need to bring the egg wites to stiff peeks and then add the sugar and flavourings. This means double effort, which means your arms will be sore afterwards.

Use this recipe for Chocolate Pavlova taken from my blog with help from my friend Nikki Albertyn.

Whip cream

This one is a similar process to making meringues, only a little easier.

Use this recipe for Spiced pumpkin Cake taken from my blog.

Cream Butter & Sugar for a cake sponge

In most recipes, they call for room temperature butter to be used when baking cake sponges. This is correct, however for the purposes of a good exercise, I would suggest using chilled butter. It will only make the process more difficult, which is good in this case.

Use this recipe Marble cake taken from my blog.

Grinding spices with a pestol and mortar

This one will give you good wrist strength as well as some arm strength.

Use this recipe for Moroccan stuffed spiral loaf taken from my blog.

Make fruit cake and use it as a weight

I know it’s a little abstract, but the festive season is coming up and so you might as well get some exercise in. Fruits cake are generally heavy and would be perfect for heavy lifting. Just wrap in tinfoil and pretend it is a normal weight.

Don’t forget to take water breaks

Squeeze a citrus

The squeezing action from your hands will give you good hand strength, which is needed for a strong handshake.

Do squats

You could do this in front of the oven or at the edge of your table. This one can be very useful to get a good leg as well as core exercise in as well as use up the baking time productively.

After all of this you will feel very fit and healthy!

I’ve been nominated for House and Leisure’s Rising Star of 2015. I would love if you could please go and vote for me! VOTE FOR ME HERE!

Happy exercising!

–Ben

 Instagram @benorkin + Blog  + Pinterest

Snapchat: @benorks

The post The Most Useful Exercises Ever appeared first on Zanita Studio.

Some songs and some pictures from my shoot today, just playing around with my girl Evelyn. So great to see her again – we first worked together on a manic Fashion Bloggers related project in the blonder days. Love her brunette! So chic.

Anywho it’s only Tuesday and already I feel like I’ve had a hectic week, trying to reschedule my Bali related plans, pesky volcano cloud. Stress levels rising.

Just a state of mind though right?

I really want to write a decent ‘checking in’ post for you here but I’m feeling pretty tired and I’m such a terrible writer when I’m feeling sleepy, there’s really nothing left to give… zzzzzz xx

Photography, Zanita Whittington

Model, Evelyn @ Chic

The post Like A Prayer appeared first on Zanita Studio.

Istanbul has been on my mind lately, I really want to make another trip to Turkey! I had the chance last month working with Harrods and it was so unforgettable, like visiting another world. You can see what more of our project including my Top 5 Party Essentials and extra at Harrods Destination Party!

Sydney feels a lifetime away I’m really busy – which makes every day an adventure but also makes it a great place to travel away from… While I’ve been here it’s been a help to daydream even for a few minutes. Reading has also been a great remedy for me, I haven’t done much reading in some time and now that I’m back on that train, I can’t believe I should have ever left it. That little escape is just the medicine I need… though a return to the Four Seasons on the Bosphorous would be pretty magical too.

My 5 Favourite Quotes About Escaping…

“Paradise was always over there, a day’s sail away. But it’s a funny thing, escapism. You can go far and wide and you can keep moving on and on through places and years, but you never escape your own life. I, finally, knew where my life belonged. Home.”
― J. Maarten Troost

“People talk about escapism as if it’s a bad thing… Once you’ve escaped, once you come back, the world is not the same as when you left it. You come back to it with skills, weapons, knowledge you didn’t have before. Then you are better equipped to deal with your current reality.” 
― Neil Gaiman

“For us artists there waits the joyous compromise through art with all that wounded or defeated us in daily life; in this way, not to evade destiny, as do the ordinary people, but to fulfill it in its true potential – the imagination.”
― Lawrence Durrell

“I can breathe easier now that the appointments are behind me.
I missed them all, through deliberate negligence,
Having waited for the urge to go, which I knew wouldn’t come.
I’m free, and against organized, clothed society.
I’m naked and plunge into the water of my imagination.” 
― Fernando Pessoa

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
— Terry Pratchett

It’s pretty wonderful how the right series of words, in the right order, can completely change your perspective. I always feel lighter of mind when I view things in a new way. It would be great to go back to Instabul and relive those moments (but I may as well just view my last post about it) but for now my memories and the prospect of what’s next is enough!

pink/patterned shirt, Pucci from Harrods

shorts, Vintage

Post supported by Harrods

The post 5 Quotes To Inspire An Escape appeared first on Zanita Studio.

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always dreaded corporate life – the rigid structure, seemingly closed cubicle environment, and awful commute (especially the evening traffic). Everything about it (sans the wonderful people) felt very uninspiring to me. Don’t get me wrong, a corporate lifestyle allows you many resources, comfort, and world class benefits, but it’s not for everyone and I happen to be one of those individuals.

Anyway, as soon as I started my first corporate job, I quickly began feeling like a robot, living this highly regimented lifestyle of going to work, coming home, cooking dinner, having to make time for things I actually enjoy like online shopping and reading blogs, and then impatiently waiting for the weekends. Repeat. Week over week.

I organically fell into this weekly habit, even fooling my own strong-willed mind that this was the life everyone lived and it was okay (albeit feeling unhappy and even more unfulfilled). Then weeks turned into months and months into years until I just snapped out of it. It makes no absolute sense to do something you’re not really happy doing for the rest of your life. I never thought it’d be possible to make a living doing something I love and was actually good at or what that might even be. All I had was one big goal in mind: To get out of corporate by 28. And I’m so ever thankful and grateful that it’s finally coming to fruition.

It gets harder to explain to people what I will be doing now, but that’s not relevant…the most frequent reactions I’ve been getting are: “How’d you do it?” and “I hope I can get there some day too”. Funny thing is I used to be in the same exact shoes, constantly pondering and on the search for how people (without the means) step out of the comfort of corporate life or whatever stagnant situation brings them comfort.

And I’ve come to realize that the VERY first step to living the life of your dreams is to simply decide that you absolutely don’t want to be where you are today.

Yes, you have to dislike your current situation enough to where you’ve developed the willpower to constantly work towards getting out of it. Like me, you don’t have to know exactly how that will turn out, but you’re consciously aware and doing something to get there. The easy part is acknowledging your dissatisfaction because this confession provides you direction. The hard part is finding the willpower and tenacity to work and work until you’re out even when your efforts feel worthless.

“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.”

– Swami Sivananda

– Susan

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Image Source Credits – Unsplash, Daniel Faro

The post The First Step to Living The Life of Your Dreams appeared first on Zanita Studio.

Hello from Paradise.

Bula from Fiji!

I’m behind on everything – emails, blog posts, catching up with friends. Sometimes when you feeling like you’re drowning in tasks, what you need most is time to yourself. So I’m hanging out right now by the pool on the island of Tokoriki, Fiji scoring some needed R&R. Gustav and I had made plans to go to Bali – which I was really excited about because I’ve never been – but due to the volcano ash cloud there was a risk we’d be stuck there longer than planned, leading to missing our return flight to London out of Sydney.

Thankfully we’ve been allowed to change our flights to a new destination and thus we’ve found some tropical bliss none the less. As you can see, we treated ourselves to a helicopter transfer to our hotel and the view was just magical. I’m going to do my best to keep up some content and share our little getaway with you all – so check out my snapchat for an insider view, @zanitazanita.

Thanks as always for your patience! Looking forward to getting stuck back into writing and creating great content for all of you with new inspiration and fresh eyes.

The post Checking In From Paradise appeared first on Zanita Studio.

I’m not really the type of girl who revels in the whole process of getting ready.

Growing up, I never spent time with any girlfriends who were interested in make-up or doing their hair – and most of my friends to this day are pretty relaxed about getting fancy for events and the like. It does make me a little frustrated having to spend too much time in the bathroom. I want it all to be fast and easy.

The downside for me is that is actually does take a bit of skill to create a look – especially for hair. I’m done my time not caring enough about my look and attended a few too many meetings and events looking like I’m on the wrong side of bed-head. Thankfully I have a a few solutions to create my look I’ve been working on – this one involved whipping out the good old curling iron.

So here’s how I created this look:

• First I gave my hair a light spray with Schwarzkopf Styliste Ultime Sea Salt spray, just enough to put a bit of grit and hold through it. My hair was clean so I wanted it to lose a bit of that softness that also makes my hair super flat.
• I used a medium sized curling iron to put a light curl throughout my entire hair. Wasn’t too bothered about missing a few patches.  Frankly using this thing takes a bit of practise, I only just purchased mine last week and I’ve already burnt myself many times. I’m getting better – it was a solid investment.
• Combed it out throughly with a fine tooth comb. I really didn’t want that ‘just curled’ look, I want more of a ‘I woke up like this’ natural 90’s bouncy wave.
• Sprayed the roots with Schwarzkopf Styliste Ultime Dry Shampoo to keep the volume pumped up. I still want my hair to be touchable (I’m a major hair flipper) so I can move it throughout the day.

As you can probably tell  – this is my go-to style – and there’s really a number of ways I can achieve variations. If I’m looking for the most volume and hold for an extended period of time, I’ll use mousse (you can see that post here). Sometimes I’ll flip and move my hair so much that it becomes flat just through having too much oil.

I feel like I have some kind of special power now that I’ve mastered doing my own hair… better late than never right?

Special thanks to Schwarzkopf for supporting this post!  

The post How To: Not Be Awful At Styling Hair appeared first on Zanita Studio.