20 SKILLS TO MASTER BY THE END OF THE YEAR
BY THE END OF THE YEAR Farewell 2018 as your best and MOST RELEVANT SELF
How to: choose a therapist and keep a cactus alive.
START A CLUB
Clubs: places to go dancing until 5am, things cavemen hunted with, your grandma’s favourite card game… Also, a place where like-minded individuals get together – a trend currently proliferating as we take our obsession with fast-paced Facebook groups offline. All it takes to start one is a shared interest or appreciation (natural wine, The Teacher’s
Pet), then meet once a month. Bring cake.
THROW A REGISTRY WEDDING
As demonstrated by the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, Domino Kirke and Keira Knightley, city hall weddings are cheap and chic. The Festive Co’s Alexis Teasdale advises you keep the guest list to a minimum to maintain the intimate magic. “You may need a witness or two and it’s nice if it’s someone close to you,” she says. “Ask them to bring a bottle of bubbly and a few glasses so you can do a sweet toast after the ceremony.” Still kinda want bridesmaids? “Give your best friends a colour to wear and invite them to meet you outside the ceremony, and book a nearby restaurant for a relaxed reception dinner. You’ll look coordinated and cool without being matchy-matchy.” Embrace your bridal moment by pairing a pantsuit with a vintage net fascinator or wear a short veil with a simple shift dress. The one element to consider splashing out on? A photographer to capture the day.
EMBRACE YOUR UNIBROW
Where Frida Kahlo was once a lone champion for the cause, models such as Sophia Hadjipanteli and Scarlett Costello are leading the new wave of love, chipping away at the stigma with selfies
and hashtags (#unibrowmovement). Get amongst it by initiating a tweezer ban for at least eight weeks. “This area is tweezed more regularly than the rest of your brow, so your hair growth cycle will be more irregular,” says brow artist Amelia Bowe.
BAG A MENTOR
With the New Year comes new #werkgoals, so it’s time to find a kick-ass career crush. “When approaching a mentor, remember to keep their needs in mind and include what they’ll receive from the experience, and how you’ll make it easy for them to work with you,” says Emma Isaacs, CEO and owner of Business Chicks. “Approach people who have experience you’re looking to learn from, but remember mentoring is not always a silver bullet. Coaching and networking are equally important.”
FIND YOUR HUMAN DESIGN TYPE
Established in 1987, Human Design is a mash-up of astrology and the Myersbriggs personality test. “We are born as our Highest Selves… but as life goes on, we are exposed to external influences (from parents, peers, school, society) that tell us to be different than what we truly are – we become conditioned out of our nature,” explains cool-girl guru Jenna Zoë. Human Design is not about striving to achieve enlightenment, but rather getting back to our purest self. There are four Human Design types: Manifestors, Generators, Projectors and Reflectors. To calculate yours, and figure out how to decondition, enter your birth date, time and place into the mybodygraph.com calculator.
GET TO KNOW NATURAL WINE
Talking about regular wine is all about tannins and legs. When it comes to natural wine, though, the vocab changes. Mike Bennie, wine journo and co-owner of P&V Wine + Liquor, talks us through it.
Natural wine: Wines produced using grapes from organic or biodynamic farming with minimal intervention: natural fermentation, no additives (aside from the occasional small amount of sulphur), new oak character, no excessive manipulation through winery equipment and no fining and filtration.
Organic: Wines produced from grapes grown without chemicals.
Biodynamic: Organic wines produced by holistic farming and natural rhythms.
Smashable: Wines of high drinkability. Vin de soif/glou glou/vini freschi: Young, light wines (aka: smashable).
Savouriness: Non-fruit characters in wines, often nutty, saline, spicy.
Minerality: A sense of “minerals” in a wine, such as chalkiness (texture) or salinity (saline/salty flavours).
Natural ferment: Fermentation created by ambient yeasts, rather than packet or cultured yeasts. Mousey/mousiness: A wine fault from fermentation issues and bacteria that smells and tastes like mouse droppings. Pétillant naturel (pét-nat): Naturally sparkling wine, where natural fermentation continues in the bottle. Brett/brettanomyces: A yeast that can spoil wines if found in excessive volume.
GET IN ON A SEX PARTY
Sex parties are having a moment. “Society is far less judgemental now than a decade ago and certainly more accepting of female expression and choice,” says Emma Sayle, creator of members-only sex club and female empowerment movement Killing Kittens. To wit: the club’s 20- to 25-year-old single-women membership went from 12 per cent in 2016 to 32 per cent in 2017. Want to join in? “There’s a straightforward application process, and our social media channels notify users of upcoming events.” They host events around the world, including most major Australian cities, with one important ground rule: “Girls are in control and must make the first move.”
BUY ART FOR YOUR LOVER
Harry bought Meghan a piece of art before they said “I do”, so make like nobility and follow his lead. “Buying art is an intimate act,” says Jerico Tracy of Jerico Contemporary. “Consider the person you’re buying for. What kind of art collector are they? Are you adding to their collection, or starting it?” She advises a sensible scope-out before you invest. “See if they follow any artists or galleries on Instagram to get a feel for their preferred medium and style. Go to gallery openings with them to get an idea of their taste.” If you’re still not sure, look for something with personal significance – maybe reminiscent of an experience you shared. And unless they’ve specifically mentioned a particular artist’s work, go for something original by an emerging artist. Plenty of reputable galleries showcase works between $500 and $2,000.
TAKE A HIKE
Hiking is the new yoga. To get started, download the Alltrails app and search for routes, factoring in time limits, the environment you want to hike in and the level of difficulty you’re up for. Beginners should invest in a pair of hiking shoes, though runners will suffice if you’re not going way off-road. Go for light layers and cover up where appropriate (ie long pants in bushland). The best advice is to pretend your mum is watching you pack: “Have you got sunscreen? Water? Snacks? Is your phone charged? Check in so I know you’re safe!”
DEVELOP YOUR OWN FILM
You’ve traded your Lomography camera in for a snappy Olympus XA and you want to round out your analog photography education. Enter: at-home developing. Online step-by-step guides are easy to find (B&H Photo Video’s is comprehensive), but knowing your way around a forum will help you figure out the best chemicals to use. Download the >
Massive Dev Chart Timer app; it calculates how long to spend on each step. Though nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing your developed rolls hanging to dry, you can also use specialised labs such as Hillvale and Rewind Photo Lab.
KEEP A Cacti care boils down to two things: light and water, says Lauren Camilleri, from online plant delivery service Leaf Supply. “If your [indoor] cacti isn’t getting enough light, the leaves become thin and elongated as it reaches towards a light source,” she says. Overwatering can also lead to an untimely demise. “Give it a deep soak every two to four weeks, ensuring excess water drains out the bottom of the plant.” Check the soil is dry by pushing your finger down into it before you water it again.
COMMISSION AN ILLUSTRATION
Julie Houts’ “Literally Me” posts on her @jooleeloren Instagram account are
literally all of us, so she’s the recipient of more than a few illo requests. She offers her advice for approaching an artist.
BE PROFESSIONAL: “I often get DMS or emails from people saying, ‘Hi, I’d love you to draw me is that even a thing idk I’m really random lol k bye.’ It’s off-putting. I’d err on the side of formality and let the artist or their representation set the tone.”
BE CLEAR: “The more direction, the better. If you have budgetary or deadline restrictions, size requirements or examples of past work of the artist’s that you’re pulling inspiration from, this helps ensure the process goes smoothly and that you and the artist are happy with the result.”
ASK QUESTIONS: “How many rounds of roughs will you see? Who covers shipping? How will it be framed?”
SAVE THE BEES
Precious bees pollinate hundreds of thousands of plant species and contribute to 75 per cent of our food crops, but rising global temperatures and industrial agriculture have seen their numbers decline. Andrew Wyszynski of Maya Sunny Honey says you can support the bee population by planting bee-friendly flora such as lavender, tea tree and flowering gum, and offering a constant water supply, such as a water basin, to attract more bees to your yard. And be sure to buy Australian-made honey. As Wyszynski says: “No bees, no life.”
CHOOSE A THERAPIST
First, think about what you want from a shrink. “Psychologists use different evidence-based techniques, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and some have a particular practice centred around specific techniques or approaches, ” says psychologist Jocelyn Brewer. So before you hit up your local counsellor, read up to see which suits you best. The Australian Psychological Society’s Find a Psychologist website lets you narrow down a range of options, such as areas of expertise. “Do your research on the person and their experience with your particular issue or need,” says Brewer. While all psychologists have minimum standards of training across mental health conditions, some have experience in areas like intimate relationships, childhood trauma or specific addictions.” Ask for an introductory chat to get a vibe for their tone before you commit to regular visits.
GROW YOUR OWN SCOBY
Making your own kombucha is fairly simple but it requires a Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY) to get started. Grown & Gathered’s Matt and Lentil Purbrick explain how.
STEP ONE: Boil two litres of unchlorinated water in a large saucepan and dissolve half a cup of raw sugar into it.
STEP TWO: Steep four black tea bags in the boiling water and sugar mixture for a few minutes, then remove tea bags.
STEP THREE: Remove the pot from the heat and leave the tea mixture to cool to room temperature (this can take a few hours). STEP FOUR: Add one cup of plain unpasteurised (or “live”) kombucha. Try to get any cloudy bits in, this is a baby SCOBY waiting to grow!
“Don’t just read things that REINFORCE your existing beliefs”
STEP FIVE: Transfer the tea to a clean two-litre jar, cover with a finely woven tea towel, double it over (to keep the bugs out) and secure with a rubber band.
STEP SIX: Set your covered jar in a warmish room (ideally a constant 20°C) . It will take two to four weeks for a SCOBY to form. First the liquid will bubble, then a thin film will form on the surface, slowly getting thicker. When it’s about five millimetres thick, it’s ready to inoculate its first batch of kombucha.
NAIL DRAG SPEAK
Before you settle in to catch up on 10 seasons of Rupaul’s Drag Race, brush up on a few basic terms from the drag lexicon, as explained by Melbourne’s premiere “corporate” queen, Karen From Finance. Beat: A flawlessly painted face.
Camp: Someone outrageous, fabulous and over-the-top.
Sickening: A look or a show so good it ruptures you and leaves a mark.
Gig: From serving a look to performing a show, to walking down the street and making heads turn – that’s the “gig”.
Gin: The art of being fabulous away from the stage. If you’re out having a cocktail with the girls, that’s “ginning about”.
READ THE (REAL) NEWS
Filtering fact from fluff can be a minefield. “If you want a trusted news source, there’s a reason the BBC, CNN and
The New York Times are so dominant,” says 60 Minutes journalist Tom Steinfort. “They have the resources to give you unique insights and analysis.” When reading stories, question everything – if an outlet states a “fact” without citing a source, it’s opinion – and, according to Steinfort, Twitter is the place to get both sides of the story. “A credible journo will share interesting stories that might not be on your radar. But follow someone you don’t like, too. Don’t just read things that reinforce your existing beliefs.” And, of course, avoid clickbait at all costs.
CHOOSE A MYLK
Chloe Mcleod and Jessica Spendlove, dietitians and founders of Health & Performance Collective, give us a tour of the non-dairy aisle.
Hemp: Naturally contains calcium, protein and omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids (FYI: they’re anti-inflammatory and promote brain and heart health).
Almond: Delicious in coffee and baked goods, but very low in protein compared to cow and soy milk.
Soy: There are unsubstantiated claims that soy products are linked to cancer, but one or two cups per day poses very little risk. It has the most protein out of all non-dairy options.
Cashew: A pleasing creamy texture, but very low in calcium.
Pea: It’s a great low-sugar alternative for those who struggle to digest dairy.
INVEST IN WEED
Forget crypto, this year is all about investing your hard-earned cash in, ahem, greener pastures. Head to New Cannabis Ventures, a cannabiscentric information platform, and take a squiz at their “revenue tracker” – it helps investors focus on companies that are actually generating significant revenue. Then, says New Cannabis’ Alan Brochstein, research the fundamentals of the company you want to invest in, rather than just the narrative it shares. “Evaluate the company’s financials, including its capital structure, its access to capital and things like revenue,” says Brochstein. “Take your research deeper and suss out the people who work at the company – what makes them experts in the cannabis industry? Have they had success in other endeavours?” Still happy? Invest your green in some green and let the good times roll.
AND FINALLY… HUMBLEBRAG, 2019-STYLE
“Forget crypto, this year is all about INVESTING in, ahem, greener pastures”
Pick one. Or more, if you’re great at this. “It’s not that hard to go plastic-free.” “This? It’s Phoebe Philo-era Céline.” “I just got back from Berber Lodge.” E