Author: Igor

  • Local Heroes – Studio Visits pt.1

    Local Heroes – Studio Visits pt.1

    We’re excited to be involved in Local Heroes, a design exhibition and shop taking place at Edinburgh Airport in August during the Festival. Local Heroes redefines contemporary Scottish design by bringing together Scotland’s leading designers in an exhibition developed specially for Scotland’s Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.

    As Future Positive Studio, we’ve been commissioned to document the 9 designers across Scotland taking part in the exhibition. 4 designers and their products – designed exclusively for Local Heroes around the topic of travel – have already been announced and the remaining 5 will be revealed before the exhibition opens on August 1st.

    Keep on reading to find out more about the designers and their products and check Local Heroes website for more information on the project:

    www.localheroes.design

    Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-4-LowFuture-Positive-Local-Heroes-5-LowFuture-Positive-Local-Heroes-6-Low
    Edinburgh-based designer Karen Mabon, known for her silk scarves, has designed her first umbrella and sunshade taking inspiration from Scotland’s changeable weather.

    Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-1-Low Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-2-Low Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-3-Low
    Knitwear designer Hilary Grant has designed a lambswool travel blanket by rhythm, mirroring and colour theory and the knitting traditions of Scotland and its neighbouring Nordic countries.

    Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-7-Low Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-8-Low Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-9-Low
    Design studio Tom Pigeon were inspired by the colours of summer to create an exclusive necklace described by them as “a modern souvenir; a bold celebration of our skills, our environment, and of the craftspeople and makers that surround us.”

    Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-10-Low Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-11-Low Future-Positive-Local-Heroes-12-Low
    Glasgow-based Laura Spring has designed a screen printed cosmetics bag highlighting her trademark love for colour, print, pattern and process.

  • How to Practice Self-Care While Traveling

    Travelling forms an important part of everyone’s life. Hence, it is essential to make the most out of your trip. 

    In the busy world today, people hardly get any time to spend some alone time with their families away from their work. So, the time that you get away from your work and office try to utilize that to the fullest. 

    There is no guarantee that you will be getting an equal number of holidays every month. So, how to take the best advantage of your holidays? The best way is to practice some sort of self-care while you travel. 

    Most of the people take care of themselves more when they are on their vacations than in their normal lives. In fact, more than 61 percent of people travel for relaxation and taking care of themselves. 

    Self-care is being regarded as the new definition of luxury. Vacation means an escape from your usual routine. So, why not take extra care of yourself when you have all the time to yourself? It can help in reducing your stress and also to find clarity in your life. You can visit Bettertools for an informative guide to Self-Care.

    The employers need to understand the importance of vacations. For your emotional, mental and personal well-being, self-care is all that you need along with your holidays. 

    So, here are some of the most effective ways of practising self-care while you are travelling.

    • Try to plan out your self-care routine in advance

    You need to think about committing around 10-20 minutes of mindfulness every morning or night for bundling up your self-care routine as you travel. 

    You have got 24 hours in a whole day, and if you can give only 1% of that entire time to yourself, you can make your life more energized and balanced. You can easily prepare for any surprise that might come up your way.

    Travelling is no doubt an enriching experience, but it might sometimes come up with some unexpected situations such as delay, bad weather form, a missing piece of luggage or something else that can dampen the whole excitement. 

    If you practice self-care, you will be equipped in a much better way to handle such unexpected situations. 

    If you’re flying with Air Canada, then you need to follow the Air Canada manage booking rules to get your flight tickets at affordable rates. 

    A hot tip to travel by Air Canada is to consider booking your flight tickets via Faremart – An exclusive online ticket booking platform offering attractive deals and discounts, with 24*7 customer support. 

    You are not going to fly off the handle at the airline desk just because your flight got delayed by 6 hours. 

    Plan out everything that you actually want to do. Try to bundle up meditation along with your brushing habit and make this your self-care routine. 

    • Get as comfortable as you can

    Everyone cannot afford to fly in first class. So, it is essential to pack all the things that help you to practice self-care.

    Various airlines provide customers with amenity kits, which includes everything that you need, such as moisturizer, lip balm, sleeping mask, socks or anything else that you need for making your journey luxurious. 

    In case you do not get such amenities, pack them beforehand. You can make the whole trip luxurious in your own way. 

    • Minimize your stress and jet lag

    Jet lag can ruin your entire travel plan. Although it is very common, you can easily cut it off.

    Why waste a day due to jet lag, especially when you are going for a short trip? You can follow some tips which can help you sleep comfortably on your flight. 

    Try to take the time zone of the place where you are travelling to and divide it into half. Use that time frame for going to bed earlier for matching with the sleeping habit of the new place. 

    Another way by which you can cut off jet lag is by omitting all types of alcoholic drinks that you get in flights. 

    Try to stay as much hydrated as you can. If you can, try to skip aeroplane foods as most of the time, they are processed and can hamper your bowel. So, light meal with enough water can help in your process of self-caring.

    • Meditate whenever you get time

    When you get to an entirely new place, it might take some time for your body to adjust with the surroundings and the weather over there.

    It might also hamper your sleep. So, the best way to avoid all these is meditation. It can save your day from getting ruined. 

    All you need to do is to learn how to meditate correctly. With proper meditation, you can get a good night sleep, which is necessary for a tension-free trip. 

    It is quite natural for your body to be scanning for threats and other hazards while you arrive at a new place. 

    So, meditation can help you in falling asleep. You can also try out other mindfulness and breathing techniques for getting relaxed just before going to bed.

    • Put your mobile phone away.

    Image Source – cheapoair

    You are on your vacation! So, what’s the need for your phone? Try to stay detached from your working world and keep the phone away. 

    In case you are travelling alone, you can easily get indulged in various fun activities such as bike rides, river rafting, group tour or maybe a cooking class as well. 

    Put your phone away and just enjoy not being plugged into your daily life. There is a world outside your phone and social media. 

    • Always be present in the situation

    You are on your vacation; therefore try to be present and enjoy every moment. Be more aware and also mindful about everything that is happening near and around you. 

    You need to connect with yourself along with everything around you- from the food you eat to air you breathe. Attaching yourself to the new place can actually give you the meaning of your vacation. 

    If you are not into practising mindfulness meditation, it is high time that you get it done. It is not just a simple component that is essential for self-care, but it is a component that can help in making your life fulfilled. 

    • Create some memories

    Image Source – traveltriangle

    Nothing can be better than creating something for your soul. Do not overthink about anything that you are going to do. Break free! Just go and do whatever you want. 

    You can head to an antique art store or a small store filled with books that you love. The basic principle of life is very simple, get the best out of the time you have for yourself. 

    Grab an art book and start sketching while sitting beside a river, take a local cooking class or have fun with party bus rentals in Arizona! It’s all about yourself. 

    Final Words

    There’s a lot to see in this huge world. Everyone deserves a break in their busy lives to enjoy. Everyone has the right to break free and see what this world has for us to offer. 

    But, it is also essential to experience all these without getting overwhelmed or stressed. After all, you are on vacation! Self-care includes being stress-free and relaxed while being exactly you. 

    No matter wherever you go for your vacation, you are into the journey of enriching your experiences, and that is what you need and want. 

  • 5 Ways Learning Music Positively Affects You

    We all look for things in life that benefit us. Life is fairly short, but there are stretches where it can feel quite long and we need something to give us a boost. It’s not profound to suggest that this little lull in our existence needs to be filled with something that can not only kill a bit of time but genuinely benefits us from them on in.

    That’s where music can come in. We all like listening to the stuff from time to time – even those that say they aren’t really music lovers. It makes us feel some kind of way. It can take us through tough times and it can make the great times even greater. Learning how it works, however, well that’s an entirely new kettle of fish. Taking on a new activity like this can help you improve yourself significantly. Let’s take a look at how. Click here for more information on the health benefits of music.

    It Unleashes Your Creativity

    A person’s creativity is more than just that sense of being expansive with art. Creativity happens when someone’s brain is trained enough to unlock new ideas. This can then be transferred into so many aspects of life. Almost every day, people need to use problem-solving skills to get a certain issue out of the way. The more creative people are able to conjure up new ideas and get things done smoothly. 

    It Opens Your Mind

    Living your life with a closed mind is often linked with bitterness and cynicism. Not being able to open up and accept something that you don’t like isn’t a healthy way to behave. You may have taken a particular viewpoint towards, say, a certain community of musicians in the past, but you may then gain a new appreciation for their effort and skill after attempting what they do. You may not like a particular band or genre and might’ve been stubborn in the past, but changed your mind after giving a few of their songs a go yourself. Nineties Britpop might be your worst enemy, but you could end up struggling to decide which is the best oasis album this time next year.  

    It Improves Your Patience

    It’s a skill that all human beings need and, unfortunately, a lot of human beings will never have. Learning a musical instrument is a fairly simple thing to do, but for the most part, it’s basically just trial and error. You keep on making mistakes until you stop making them. That takes some patience. Some are born with it and some can develop it over time – learning an instrument a great way of doing that.

    Your Memory Is Enhanced

    You have to learn a fair bit of information and keep it locked in your head. Notes, chords, lyrics, progressions, etc. They aren’t the easiest piece of info to burn into your brain. Fortunately, as we said before, it’s a slow process, so as long as you’re constantly practicing, your memory will unconsciously improve.

    Relieves Stress

    Finally, playing the music that you’ve learned feels good. The learning process may be a little tricky at times, but then so are most of these kinds of tasks. Sitting at a piano bench or with a guitar and creating lovely sounds can really cool you down after, say, a long day of work.

     

  • Comparing Traditional Prefabrication to Tectofix 3000

    In today’s economy, it can be difficult to purchase a home. There are more renters in America now than ever before. There are also more adult children living at home with their parents than there were in the nineteen forties. About 64% of Americans own the homes they live in. Click here for more information.

    For those lucky enough to be able to purchase their own home, it is important to find one that meets all of the homebuyers’ qualifications to ensure their satisfaction. One way to do this is to select a prefabricated home.

    A prefabricated home is lower cost than other new construction. This is because it is able to be built off-site, where weather and other environmental concerns are not an issue. 

    In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the advantages of buying a prefabricated home. Then we’re going to take a look at a new invention called the Tectofix 3000 and see how it stacks up to other methods of construction. 

    Why Choose Prefab? Modernity

    The most popular type of personal housing is prefabricated wooden houses. These prefabricated structures vary in materials and structure, and offer many options for arranging the home. These buildings are typically located near a forest or garden area. They can be aesthetically pleasing as well as environmentally friendly. 

    Before purchasing a modern wooden prefabricated house, make sure it complies with local and national regulations. Wooden houses are generally more sustainable than manufactured ones. 

    In addition, factory-produced prefabricated houses minimize waste materials. By choosing a prefabricated house, you can help the environment and reduce your carbon footprint. 

    Wooden houses are made from durable wood. This material provides a cozy feel to the room and regulates humidity. The scent of wood is healing and pleasant to the senses. The prefabricated parts are easy to assemble. 

    Processed timber is the base for manufacturing modern wooden houses. A house made from prefabricated parts can be assembled very quickly in the area where it will be built. Modern wooden houses are also environmentally friendly, which makes them a healthier choice for homeowners.

    Massive

    The massive wooden prefabricated house is the gold standard for sustainable and healthy living. It can be constructed in a short period of time and is an environmentally friendly material. 

    These buildings can also be called element, modular, or timber frame homes. These wooden structures can be made of massive glue laminated panels or logs. The massive wooden prefabricated houses are typically one to three stories tall and are usually made with a wood-concrete composite material. In addition to the massive wooden prefabricated house, there are also modular and panel houses. They are usually made of wood and are designed to be assembled on a basement or floor slab.

    The first mass-produced wooden homes were constructed during the gold rush (1848) in America. Click the link: https://www.britannica.com/event/gold-rush for more information about the gold rush.

    These homes were convenient to build without specialized personnel. The rapid mounting of the houses also meant that no temporary premises or big storage rooms were required. 

    The modular components were quickly erected and the homeowner could finish the job at his or her own pace. However, these homes were not only affordable but also ecologically friendly. These buildings are made with a combination of natural materials and are environmentally friendly.

    Tectofix 3000

    Koch Timber Construction, a company in Regen, Bavaria, is a leading German timber construction firm. Its growth is promising. The company planned an expansion in the coming years, and it decided to change the fall protection height for carpenters in order to increase the level of prefabrication for roof, ceiling, and wall elements.

    Additionally, insulation, windows, and battens will be installed on the production site. The use of Bauer tectofix 3000 has improved the working conditions of carpenters by allowing demand-based prefabrication of flat timber construction elements. 

    Tectofix 3000 would allow for demand-based prefabrication of flat timber construction elements, including battens, windows, and insulation. The Holzkirchen-based company plans to expand its operations in future and needed more space to accommodate the additional work.

    Flat timber construction elements

    Utilizing this new system is a great way to ensure that all of the positive elements of a prefabricated home are available to you. It also helps to ensure the safety and speed of construction.

    It’s clear that there is no need to compare these two methods. One complements the other to help provide a great home for you and your family.

  • 7 Ways To Educate Yourself

    Image by Jan Vašek from Pixabay

    There is information literally at the tip of your fingers, and now that there is information literally at the tip of your fingers and now thanks to the internet, YouTube, Online Learning, Audio Books and TV Subscriptions  or online tutors like Tutor Hunt, you can pretty much educate yourself in anything you want. Thanks to 24-hour news channels, international news channels and so much choice on our televisions and streaming you can keep informed and up-to-date with breaking news around the world and here are some other ways you can educate yourself today:

    Read For Half An Hour Every Day

    Getting into the habit of reading for 30 minutes every day can kick start your goal of “getting back into reading” and of course can educate you at the same time. Thirty minutes is not too much, it’s not too overwhelming, and it’s not too hard to set aside at the end of the day. If you go to bed thirty minutes earlier than usual and read for thirty minutes a night, then you should be able to get through at least one book every two weeks. Whether it’s a fiction book or non-fiction book, both can be educational as reading expands your vocabulary and helps you to become a better writer, while reading a non-fiction book will do this as well as teaching you whatever the topic of the book is. 

    Watch a TED talk every day

    Technology Entertainment and Design is what TED stands for and watching a short inspiring and, most importantly, an entertaining lecture from some of the world’s most inspiring and renowned thought leaders each day can only be a good thing. You can access them all on your mobile or tablet, they are free, there is something for, and they’re short and sweet as

    TED’s curator Chris Anderson has made sure that the majority of TED talks are no longer than 18 minutes. 

    Watch Documentaries

    Watching documentaries has never been easier as you can watch them on TV and YouTube. All you need to do is type in a subject you are interested in and just see what comes up. It’s also fun to watch documentaries on things that you have no prior knowledge or real interest in because you are bound to learn something new, even if it’s just something that will help you out in next week’s pub quiz. Netflix and BBC have some great documentaries, and if it’s a crime you’re into or want to know more about our planet, then you’ll be able to find something. 

    Watching TV

    General, everyday TV can be very educational if you watch the right things and do limit the time spent on the couch in front of the TV. The UK TV schedule is full of Do-it-yourself shows which give you easy access to all kinds of information: Cooking channels offer new recipes and methods, home improvement shows introduce you to many money-saving DIY tips, and financial advisers advise on managing finances and investing money, for example. It can be useful to have the news channels on in the background as information does go in while you’re busy doing other things. 

    Take A Class

    You can educate yourself by taking an actual class. Is there a topic that you wouldn’t like to learn more about? You can take free or cheap introductory courses in a number of different subjects which will introduce you to new ideas, people, and potential career paths using Coursera, The Floating University, Skillshare, Khan Academy, TED talks, DO lectures, Academic Earth, Udemy, or local community college classes.

    Learn A New Language

    Are there any languages that you have been interested in learning? Well, there’s no time like the present, you may as well start now? Take a class, get private lessons, watch videos online – whatever it is, find time in your life to immerse yourself in this and you will thank yourself for it next time you’re in that country. 

    Make The Most Of Online Tutorials

    ‘How To’s’ and other online tutorials are really popular, and you can find them on any topic you want from makeup tutorials, to cake decorating to even learning a musical instrument. You can pretty much learn anything you want to. Most of these online tutorials are free and you if there isn’t a specific topic you’re into, then you could easily switch and learn a new thing each day.