Kit Heath Destination Inspiration

We are often asked at Kit Heath about what inspires us in what we design and create for our collections, and it has to be said as soon as someone mentions spring/summer collections we stare off into a dreamy land of turquoise seas, sandy beaches and shangri la!

Kit Heath Holiday Jewellery

So here we are a taster of what we dream about along with the results. Gorgeous jewellery to be worn with your favourite denim cut off's or maxi dress!

Thank heavens for the good weather and the summer holidays have begun - we thought it would never arrive!

Persistence vs. Publish Pressure (PPP)*

An anonymous commenter on a previous post asks, "How do you balance persistence and pressure to publish?".

The big question I have is - who is pressuring you to publish?

If it is yourself, then the way I view all publications/research is: 1) What is the big idea I want to do, and 2) How do I best tell the world about it?

Sometimes, if it's a big idea with lots of pieces, you publish as you go. This is another reason why it's good to diversify your publication venue. So, when you're just sketching ideas out, workshop. Maybe you have some preliminary results, low-tier conference. Maybe your research is rocking the house, top-tier conference / journal.

Some people say, "Bah, least publishable units, growl." But it's not about that necessarily. It's about telling a story, building on previous work, figuring out where you're going. Instead of waiting three years and squashing everything into one paper, you keep the ball rolling.

Sometimes you Don't Publish. And that's ok too. For example, in the middle of my PhD I spent about 6 months doing exactly nothing. Nada. I realized I was spinning to far out into the wrong direction. It was time to retool and rethink my plans.

Now, if someone else is pressuring you to publish, that's a whole other ball of wax. I think in that case it's a question of what relationship they have to you (dean, chair, advisor, colleague, student), and whether their request for you to publish makes sense. Are they pressuring you because they think your work is amazing and ready for the world to see? Are they pressuring you because they think you publishing now will help your career later? Is it to help their career? It helps to explore motives here.

If you need time to persist on a research thread, drop the self pressure to publish and find your center. If you have someone breathing down your neck to publish tell them to lay off for awhile while you get your groove back. The last thing you want to do is publish junk science just because you're being pressured to publish for the sake of publishing.

----------
* For the geeks out there. (See also: this shirt.)

this weekend is my mom's 60th b'day and so my family is coming here!  i've got some cooking to do...i am going to attempt one of our favorite thai recipe (my brother lived in thailand for years so we love thai food) and i am going to make my mother-in-law's famous poundcake w/ cameral frosting.  we also plan on visiting the local farmers market to get hot, homemade doughnuts that are to die for...in between all of our eating, we hope to find some treasures will out antiquing. i hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!!  if you need me, i'll be in the kitchen probably freaking out :)

*images courtesy of wedding style guide, pink persimmon, sparkles and pretending tumblr, emersonmade,blissful b blog, turquoise tulips and bliss

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, My Way

I just saw this on BoingBoing.  Simple but true. 

This image was created by Adam Fields. 

The people who design government dietary guidelines are gagged by the fact that politics and business are so tightly intertwined in this country.  Their advice will never directly target the primary source of obesity and metabolic dysfunction-- industrially processed food-- because that would hurt corporate profits in one of the country's biggest economic sectors.  You can only squeeze so much profit out of a carrot, so food engineers design "value-added" ultrapalatable/rewarding foods with a larger profit margin.

We don't even have the political will to regulate food advertisements directed at defenseless children, which are systematically training them from an early age to prefer foods that are fattening and unhealthy.  This is supposedly out of a "free market" spirit, but that justification is hollow because processed food manufacturers benefit from tax loopholes and major government subsidies, including programs supporting grain production and the employment of disadvantaged citizens (see Fast Food Nation).

sometimes it's the small things that get me most excited....like an impromptu date night on a wednesday-just b/c.....hope y'all have a wonderful day!!