“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” – Douglas Adams
That’s a bit what it’s felt like since we launched Seasoned Journeys.
If you’re still asking “What is Seasoned Journeys?” then allow me to expand. (Also, it means that we need to step up our marketing).
If you’re reading this article, you’re reading Seasoned Journeys – our digital lifestyle magazine, which was the brain-child of one of our founding members, Tania Bogdanoski.
If you didn’t already know, Seasoned Journeys is the sister-magazine / blog / blogazine to our main writing business, Owlish Press.
At the heart of it, we’re writers.
While we derive income writing for clients, we also needed an outlet where we could write about topics that we enjoyed. By doing so, we’ve also created a portfolio where potential clients could view our writing abilities.
Seasoned Journeys launched on 8 July 2021, just over five months ago, and boy has it been a ride! It’s been a steep learning curve and we’ve had our ups and downs. But, it has allowed us to polish our skills in all essential areas: from writing to editing, sourcing pictures to managing the social media and all things technical that goes along with it.
Considering we’re juggling a writing business as well as our magazine/portfolio, along with having spouses, children, driving the daily mom-taxi and a host of other responsibilities, we think that we’ve fared pretty well.
In these five months, we have managed to publish 34 (with this being the 35th) high-quality, read-worthy, relevant articles, all of which have been well received. And for that we give ourselves a well-deserved pat on the back.
With this being our final article for 2021 (because, man we’re tired!), we’ve decided to highlight eight of our posts written this year.
In no particular order (and not saying that our other articles were not worthy) here are our 8 highlights. We’ve included excerpts of each post. Click on the titles to see the full articles.
THE MOUNTAIN, THE FISH AND THE WATERFALL: A DAY OUT IN ICELAND
As the most photographed mountain in Iceland, Kirkjufell (or Church Mountain), stands boldly over the small fishing village like a sentinel on guard. On cloudless winter nights, the skies above the stone steeple dance with the Northern lights. But this was the heart of summer, where days are nearly 20 hours long and from where we sat, Kirkjufell was a flat green painting framed in a sky of bright blue. (Click on title to read the full article).
INTERVIEW WITH INDIE BRITISH BAND, THE ISLAS
We had the privilege of doing a virtual interview with the up-and-coming indie British band The Islas.
Nathan Baverstock (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ross Allen (lead guitar), Granger Wittering (bass, backing vocals) and Ed Chalu (drums), all hail from the city of Norwich in Norfolk.
Since forming the group, they have steadily been making great music and building their brand.
There isn’t a specific word that one could use to sum up their music. It’s a mixture of pop and rock and bits of other flairs which makes their sound quite unique. (Click on title to read the full article).
EXCITING VIRTUAL PASTA-MAKING EXPERIENCE WITH FOOD INK
I randomly entered a competition online, as one tends to do, and forgot all about it – until I was pleasantly surprised by the unfamiliar ping of my Facebook messenger app, with a message informing me that I had won. I was thrilled! It presented a delightful, and very different, way of spending quality time with my family. Also, our session happened to coincide with South Africa’s coldest day in 10 years (23 July 2021), which made the thought of cooking warm, inviting comfort food, right in our own kitchen, all the more appealing. (Click on title to read the full article).
WHERE AND HOW TO CELEBRATE IN THE MOTHER CITY
If you happen to live in the Cape Town area in South Africa, and looking for something to do for your birthday, then perhaps the below will give you some inspiration. Over the past few years (pre-Covid) these are all the places that I have personally tried out for my birthday and found quite enjoyable. If they are not your cup of tea, then perhaps it might be a great birthday idea for someone you know. (Click on title to read the full article).
INTERVIEW WITH SOUTH AFRICAN ACTRESS, CHARLENE LE ROUX
Charlene Le Roux, one of South Africa’s most loved actresses and radio anchors, has played characters such as Nina Richter in Suidooster, Martha Koopman in Griekwastad and more recently, Yvette Ross on kykNET’s Arendsvlei. While we might know, love, loathe and relate to each of those fictional characters, in reality, we wondered how well we actually knew the go-getting, bubbly actress who portrays each of them. We were lucky enough to catch up with Charlene for a quick virtual cup of coffee to discuss her professional career and exciting upcoming roles. (Click on title to read the full article).
MINIMALISM AND ITS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
The concept of a minimalist lifestyle is by no means new. It may not have been coined minimalism (or voluntary simplicity), but the idea of living simply with only the things you really need has been around for centuries.
Very few people seem to be consciously living minimally these days. But with shows like Ben Fogle’s Where the Wild Men Are, it is easy to see the appeal of having a little, so that you can live a lot. (Click on title to read the full article).
GUEST WRITER POST BY TV AND RADIO PERSONALITY, KIA JOHNSON, ON EATING ‘CLEAN’
I began by cutting out dairy, meat and processed foods. As I received more and more information, I discovered that these foods are not as nutrient-dense as we think they are. All the processing and over-farming has, over time, changed what goes into our bodies. What I feel works best is to test yourself by cleaning out your ‘food closet,’ as I like to call it. Do this for a few weeks and you will discover in an instant what is good or bad for your body. (Click on title to read the full article).
INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST, LEXI KANIAS
Georgia O’Keeffe once said: “To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.” And for our first Women’s Month instalment, we’ve interviewed artist, Lexi Kanias of Xoxopottery, who found the courage to create her world through clay.
Instantly recognizable, her work is ethereal yet bold, delicate yet strong and always bright and cheerful.
Here’s how she found the courage to live her life creatively. (Click on title to read the full article).
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So, there you have it.
If you’ve enjoyed these 8 picks, please visit our blogazine for more. We have a variety of categories and there’s sure to be something for everyone.
We have some exciting ventures planned for 2022, so please watch this space!
Again, thank you for your continued support.
We wish you all a happy and safe festive season. Remember to mask up, sanitise and maintain your social distance.
We’ll have our first article up for the new year on 13 January 2022, so please look out for it.
Also, don’t forget to follow us on the socials on Instagram and Facebook.
