Zumba: Fitness for Health and Happiness
04/25/2019
What is Zumba?
Let’s start from the source, Zumba.com. This definition comes word-for-word from the website:
- Perfect For: Everybody and every body! Each Zumba class is designed to bring people together to sweat it on.
- How it Works: We take the “work” out of workout, by mixing low-intensity and high-intensity moves for an interval-style, calorie-burning dance fitness party. Once the Latin and World rhythms take over, you’ll see why Zumba Fitness classes are often called exercise in disguise. Super effective? Check. Super fun? Check and check.
- Benefits: A total workout, combining all elements of fitness—cardio, muscle conditioning, balance and flexibility, boosted energy and a serious dose of awesome each time you leave a class.
Inspiration Destination: MAM Art In Bloom
04/18/2019
Art In Bloom has become somewhat of a Composure tradition. Every spring floral arrangements are created to reflect a particular piece of art displayed at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Over the years, we’ve seen multiple floral interpretations of some of the same art.
Getting to Know the Locals: Andy Rash
03/19/2019
I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Andy Rash. He is an incredible illustrator who has done everything from books to animation. I have followed Andy’s work for a number of years and have always enjoyed his vibrant colors, use of shapes, and his jocular character design. Here is what he had to say about his work…
Jack London once wrote, “Don’t loaf and invite inspiration; light out after it with a club, and if you don’t get it you will nonetheless get something that looks remarkably like it.”
Inspiration can come to writers in the strangest of ways; we see this throughout the history of many celebrated authors. Sometimes it just takes recognizing that a “maybe” or a “what if” can turn into a character, a plot, or even a whole world.
Take J.R.R. Tolkien, for example. This college professor found his inspiration in the middle of grading papers. When he was gifted with a blank sheet of paper in the midst of exams, he paused and wrote, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Of course, most people now know what a hobbit is, but Tolkien’s idea was only an inkling at this point; he still had to unpack all of its meaning. If it weren’t for this small moment, we would not be able to enjoy The Lord of the Rings and its fantastical world.
Getting to Know the Locals: Renée Graef
03/01/2019
I have known of and looked up to Renée Graef since I was a child as I grew up a fan of the American Girl and Little House on the Prairie books. Her work is wonderfully soft and full of stories. In Renée’s work there is an incredible attention to detail and small elements that make the characters and scenes feel like they are real.
Having never been to The Big Easy, I didn’t know what to expect from New Orleans, Louisiana. I had visions of lots of music, lots of people, great food, and some manifestation of the high crime rate in the city. I have to admit, I was a little worried about that last one.
I remember feeling the same way about other cities that I now love: New York, San Diego, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami to name a few. I can now add New Orleans to that list. Continue reading …
Design Trends: Shabby Chic
02/07/2019We’ve all heard of vintage, and we all love the elegance of pastels. So what do you get when you combine them together? Shabby Chic! Shabby Chic is instantly recognizable by its worn and weathered appearance paired with a contemporary refurbishment of color. Personally, as a lover of retro, vintage and rustic styles, I have fallen in love with this trend.
I’m not sure whether to say if Shabby Chic is back or that it never really left. Breaking down the style of Shabby Chic is an oxymoron in the purest sense. Take something grungy and pair it with something chic to give it a flair of sophistication. This design trend has roots in Britain that go back to the big fancy houses in rural areas. Inside these houses you will find furniture that looks dated compared to what’s in houses today. For example, you might find floral wallpaper in the kitchen, or stripes in the bathroom, old paintings on the walls, wardrobes—that sort of thing.