Ways to Look Flawless in Photos

by | Mar 1, 2021 | Asheville, Beauty, Photography, Women

While it is increasingly easy to edit your own photographs to make sure you look your best, there’s not much you can do to stop someone else taking an unflattering picture (short of screaming “No!” at the top of your lungs). Here are ten quick and smart tips that will help you to look gorgeous and polished in photos, saving you a lot of time you might otherwise have spent airbrushing or cringing in embarrassment.

–  To make sure you don’t end up with a double chin in photos, drop your shoulders to elongate your neck and try to lean your face forward by approximately half an inch. This change won’t make your posture look odd in photographs, but it will make sure your face looks slimmer.

–  Always be aware of nearby light sources when you’re being photographed indoors. Standing below a light will cast uneven shadows on your skin, while standing in front of a bright lamp can make you look washed out. You’ll look your best in shots where you are facing a window that provides soft natural light.

–  Leave your nude lip glosses and dark red lipsticks behind if you know you’re going to be in a lot of pictures. Bright lipsticks will make your mouth look perkier and create a youthful look, while darker colors artificially age you by shrinking the lips.

–  It can be difficult to look happy without looking crazed when you are asked to grin on command, but there is an art to creating a perfect smile. Placing your tongue directly behind the teeth helps to create a natural, friendly grin.

–  When it comes to other makeup, focus on your eyes. Curled eyelashes, dramatic eyeliner and effective mascara will give you a captivating and seductive look.

–  If one of your main issues is blinking in photographs, practice briefly closing your eyes for a second just prior to the photograph. If you slowly open your eyes just as the picture is being taken, you should be able to circumvent the blinking curse.

–  Make sure that the person taking the photo is shooting you from above. Photos taken from below create double chins and place the focus on cavernous nostrils, while images snapped from above tend to make the subject look slimmer and more elegant.

–  For a more slender body shape in photos, place your hand on your hip and angle your body so that you are slightly turned to one side. As a bonus, this pose typically provides a flattering angle on the face as well.

–  To combat red eye, take a quick look at a bright light before a photograph is taken. Your pupils will shrink, dramatically reducing your chances of looking demonic in the image.

–  Finally, try to get used to being photographed and work to build your self-confidence. A huge part of looking good in pictures is being natural, happy and proud of how you look.

Women Making Music– Spotlight on Nicole lund

Women Making Music– Spotlight on Nicole lund

by | Feb 1, 2021 | Asheville, Music, Musician, Women

By Peggy Ratusz

My song-sister, Ellen Trnka was the person who helped me get started and who made my move to the area easier as I worked to make a name for myself around here some 17 years ago. Because of Ellen’s openness, I now pay it forward in her honor. Fielding calls from newly transplanted artists makes me happy and has become part of my reputation.

One such transplant who emailed me on my birthday in 2016 was Nicole lúnd. She’d just moved here from New York City & was researching Asheville’s blues music happenings. That email led to our working together on a holiday variety show & my helping her with a couple of bookings.

With an education in Music Industry Studies from Appalachian State, singer songwriter lÚnd (artist’s moniker), holds down a full time job while still managing to create and produce her own music. And now, she is about to release her highly anticipated and remarkable debut record “Right This Time.”

A logistics person in her day job, she handles distribution of anesthesia machines and ventilators for a medical device company. The demands of that position did not deter her from recording the album during this pandemic. Paramount in her decision to forge ahead was the fact that scheduling the players was easier, especially since they are all notable instrumentalists and singers, who normally would have had regular, robust touring schedules.

To discover where this energy and know-how began, I ask her about her background and childhood growing up in Charlotte, NC. “My father was an architect and artist and my mom worked from home keeping his books and tending to our needs.” With an older sister and younger brother, lúnd says she’s “proud to represent as ‘middle child’.”

“I sang along with Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Bonnie Raitt when I was young. I consider them my voice teachers.”

So at 9 years, she decided to audition for the Charlotte Children’s Choir and got in. From grades 6-12, she attended a magnet school for the arts where she majored in voice and photography.

With her father’s encouragement and support, she interned for and headed up the street team for Derek Truck’s band when she was a teen.

At 17 she moved to Boone, NC to attend Appalachian State majoring in the aforementioned Music Industry Studies. She spent 2 years in Atlanta “observing the music scene” and the next 10 dabbling in a variety of music-related activities in The Big Apple.

“I struggled with stage fright for a very long time. I still don’t feel 100% comfortable on stage. For one of my first college performances, I held my eyes closed throughout the performance. So it’s been a slow process for me.”

Getting into that college jazz ensemble made dealing with her fears a little easier; primarily because the director “saw something in me and gave me a chance. I just had to work to achieve my goals and he gave me the opportunity to do that work.”

The ripple effect these leadership roles created, manifested partner and mentorships with notable players and songwriters; namely guitarist Paul Olson from the band Scrapomatic. Scrapomatic’s lead singer is Tedeschi-Trucks Band’s lead backing vocalist, Mike Mattison. Along with Mark Rivers, also a TTB backing vocalist, both appear on several tracks on Nicole’s upcoming release.

She met and became friends with Atlanta based and acclaimed drummer Yonrico Scott, (Royal Southern Brotherhood, Earl Klugh, Derek Trucks Band) who mentored her until his sad and untimely death just over a year ago.

I took notes while listening to the tracks she emailed me ahead of our interview, and I wrote down the words: “mood album.” It was cool that she referred to them in the interview without my prompting, as a collection of ‘moods.’ Her lyrics are sparse and yet full of meaning. The melodies, style and rhythm come together effectively to tell a story between the lines. Listeners will identify; they’ll fill in the spaces with their own reflections.

The easy rolling rock-feel title track, “Right This Time” evokes Tedeschi but its lÚnd’s honey drenched phrasing that makes it her own. “Here I am babe, here for the taking. Don’t let me down; be the man I need now; arms wide open. But please, don’t let me be wrong ‘bout you… I wanna be right this time.”

The straight 8’s feel of, “Don’t You Leave Me” has a thumping Amy Winehouse throwback sound as the backing vocals take it an octave higher on the hook. Nicole’s vocal trills are a thrill. It’s a beckoning-ultimatum-song. It’s a “hey get back here, we’re not done yet” vibe that empowers as it pleads. 

“Not Comin Home” is a haunting finger-picking dirge that confirms the end of a relationship that even after a long period, had not developed enough to make her want to stay or even explain. “I’m not comin’ home. No use lookin’ I’m out of sight, too far for you to fly. When the day breaks I’ll be gone. And you never thought I’d be the one to move on.”

I was honored to hear these tracks before the mixing and mastering process. If they sound this good now, we’re all in for a gratifying listening experience when they all drop later this year.

Each track is treated with a unique and refined melody; well-placed harmonies, and certainly musicianship of the highest quality.

With clarity and reflection, and toward the end of our interview, lÚnd articulates: “I’ve been such an active observer that it’s taken me a while to come into my own.”

Right This Time is produced by Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell (Susan Tedeschi, Colonel Bruce Hampton, The Wood Brothers); Engineered by Jim Georgeson and Dowell Gandy from Echo Mountain Studio. The extraordinary players include local teacher and sessions guitarist, Brandon Townsend; guitarist Dave Yoke (Susan Tedeschi, Dr. John, Scrapomatic); on bass is Brandon Boone (Tedeschi-Trucks Band); and New Orleans-based drummer, Isaac Eady. Along with Mike Mattison and Mark Rivers from Tedeschi Trucks band, Gabe Dixon rounds out her backing vocalists.

I enthusiastically recommend you to follow lÚnd on Instagram: instagram.com/lund.music/

And to visit her newly minted website: lund-music.com

Peggy Ratusz is a vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter. For vocal coaching email her at [email protected]

reverbnation.com/peggyratusz

The Ancient Art of Cupping

The Ancient Art of Cupping

by | Feb 1, 2021 | Acupuncture, Asheville, Wellness, Women, yoga

By Natasha Kubis

When Olympic Gold Medalist, Michael Phelps, appeared in photographs sporting red circular marks all over his body, people questioned if he had been in an altercation with an octopus. In recent years, celebrities and athletes alike have brought the ancient art of cupping therapy to the public eye, making it more mainstream than ever before.

Cupping may be trending at the moment but it is in fact a universal therapy practiced by many cultures around the world. It can be traced back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern times, and as early as 1550 BC. It was prescribed for various ailments in the records of Herodotus, Hippocrates, Celsus, and Aretaeus. Its roots can be found in the ancient healing systems of Tibetan, Oriental, and Ayurvedic medicine (traditional Indian medicine), as well as Unani (a South Asian and Middle Eastern folk medicine).

As ancient and widely used as this technique is, it is widely misunderstood in our modern culture and the marks that it leaves on the skin can make people quite apprehensive, understandably so. Having some knowledge about the technique may help transform it into a viable option to treat your aches and pains.

What is cupping used for?

Cupping is effective for relieving pain, relaxing muscle spasms, increasing local blood circulation, and detoxifying local tissues. It can increase range of motion in the joints, and promote flexibility in the ligaments, tendons, and in-between muscle layers. It is most effective for neck, back, knee, and elbow pain, as well as for conditions like tendonitis, sciatica, tension headaches, migraines, fibromyalgia, and arthritis. It can be used for bronchial congestion caused by allergies, asthma, and the common cold.

How does it work?

There are several cupping methods. A traditional technique used by practitioners of Chinese Medicine is called Glass Jar Fire Cupping. The practitioner will light a cotton ball on fire and use it as a heat source to warm the glass cup and to remove the oxygen from inside of it. The cup is then placed on the skin and as the air inside of it cools, a vacuum effect causes the blood vessels to expand and the skin begins to rise.

More modern versions of cupping methods used by massage therapists, physical therapists, chiropractors, or for home use do not use fire, but instead, create the vacuum effect with glass, bamboo, earthenware, or silicon cups that are moved across the skin, or remain stationary.

Is it similar to massage?

Cupping has a similar effect on the body as massage except that cupping uses suction or negative pressure rather than the tissue compression used in massage techniques. The suction stretches the tissues up from the underlying structures, thereby releasing muscle tension and loosening areas of restriction. This creates an expansion of the tissues while increasing blood flow, promoting better functioning of sweat and sebaceous glands, flushing capillary beds, and dispelling stagnation and congestion.

How does it affect the skin?

The suction of the cups often leaves temporary marks on the skin. The marks resemble bruising, but are not painful. They are the result of bringing blood and toxins to the skin’s surface. The color of the marks can range from light pink to dark purple, depending on your condition. The marks can last from about 3 to 10 days. To help reduce this duration, it is recommended to drink plenty of water after your treatment.

Does it hurt?

No, it does not hurt. Most people find it relaxing and feel a warm suction, as though their skin is being lifted.

How many treatments will you need?

The effects of cupping are cumulative and the treatment should be repeated until the ailment is resolved. The severity of the marks will usually diminish with each follow up treatment, indicating that the stagnation in the tissues has decreased.

Are there any risks associated with the technique?

It is important to see a licensed acupuncturist, Doctor of Chinese Medicine, licensed massage therapist, physical therapist, or chiropractor who has been adequately trained in the technique. Do not be shy about asking about their training before booking a session. The risks of cupping are very low with a trained professional who has adequate experience. There are cupping sets available for home use, but it is important to have proper knowledge of safe cupping practices before trying it on yourself or others.

Cupping is contraindicated for those with blood clotting disorders (like deep vein thrombosis or history of stroke), bleeding disorders (such as hemophilia), or those who take blood thinners (such as warfarin). It is not recommended for skin conditions such as allergic dermatitis, psoriasis, or eczema. Cupping is contraindicated in cases of severe diseases such as cardiac failure, renal failure, ascites due to hepato-cirrhosis, and severe edema. Cupping should not be applied over broken bones, dislocations, hernias, and should not be used on the low back or abdomen during pregnancy.

The Takeaway

Cupping is a wonderful option to help ease pain and inflammation, increase blood flow, promote relaxation and well-being by calming the nervous system, aid in detox, and provide a deep-tissue massage. The cupping marks also make for a good story when wearing a bathing suit or a strapless dress!

Natasha Kubis is a licensed acupuncturist and certified yoga teacher.
For more information, visit acuwellhealth.com

Women Making Music – 2020, the year for Music Therapy

Women Making Music – 2020, the year for Music Therapy

by | Nov 30, 2020 | Asheville, Music, Musician, Women

Writing this feature during the most fantastical year of my existence has been especially therapeutic.

Musicians and music teachers were suddenly thrust into the world of Zoom, JamKazam, YouTube & Facebook Live. They didn’t even have time to kick and scream about it at first; they just figured it out!

In mid-March I didn’t have to look far to find several daring darlings of songs strings and other things, keeping their chops and spirits up by diving head first into the live video streaming pool. So in April and May I wrote about the local mavens of motivation and innovation I was discovering day in and day out on social media. From all over the country, I saw and still see groups of women in the entertainment field, giving advice and free tutorials; blogging and sharing how to do what they’re doing!

Summer found some artists/performers accepting a scant few gig opportunities for the chance to generate income by playing on an outdoor stage in front of a limited audience.  As summer heated up, so did the demand for acts needing to, having to and wanting to play for the larger audiences phase 2 of opening the state would allow. Some expressed trepidation in sharing their in-person live performance dates on websites, event invites and email blasts for fear of judgment. Some forged ahead incorporating their own strict personal distancing guidelines, limiting mingling time with fans.  Some acts formed Covid bubbles that now include band mates, in addition to mate-mates.

Our June issue’s featured female and I spent an hour on the phone commiserating about the changes going on in our lives. I found myself having to shift the conversation back to her and her incredibly creative music endeavors several times and not the pandemic, like how the pandemic was affecting us, or how we were coping and not coping with the pandemic!

By August and September issues, I focused in part, on a small wave of career musicians who began to reinvent themselves; courageously stepping outside the music pool to create something new on dry land to survive; putting their music on the backburner and becoming trailblazers in this hopefully temporary new normal.

October found me finally meeting over the phone at least, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and teacher I’ve admired and followed online and had wanted to interview for over a year. The selfless endeavors I learned she and her daughter undertake and initiate for young musicians, put hope back in my heart that day, it put a smile back on my face for at least the next week.

One of the youngest female music artists I’ve interviewed was featured last month. This humble and articulate ingénue feels all the feels. Her music is realistic and fantasy, structured and loose, fearless and fearful. She’s a wall flower AND the life of the party.  Who can’t relate to all of that; especially these days?

So like the rest of you, I’ve taken each month as its come, doing my utmost to keep myself sane. I took up “adult coloring” (G-rated) before the pandemic. Just since March I’ve colored over 100 pieces – mostly birds and safari animals. I received a Keanu Reeves coloring book from a girlfriend for my birthday. I’m saving that one to delve into on a snowy day.

But also and through it all, I’ve tuned in, tapped in and turned myself on to a smattering of live streaming concerts; virtually supporting artists through their online tip jars. I co-produced a successful socially distant fundraising concert for a dear friend and female musician who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Everywhere I turn, I see local charities and venue owners establishing pioneering ways to reach the public safely in order to stay viable, solvent and open.

No matter how you’re feeling over the outcome of the election, no matter how empathic you are toward those who have and those who are suffering; if you are mourning the loss of a loved one or your income, if you cry even harder now when you see an SPCA or St. Jude Children’s hospital commercial, if you’re a front-line worker or a gig worker in and out of your own solvency, or a parent juggling and struggling to keep it all together: remember there are ways to tamp down the anxiety by tuning into live music; the easiest being live streaming platforms and sponsored live streaming ticketed concerts.

While the energy of big crowds sharing those mighty pulsations that in-person live music experiences bring, we absolutely have viable interim outlets. Local women are still making music; local people are still making music. Support them, I implore you. Follow them on social media. Drop them a line of encouragement on their Instagram accounts and Facebook timelines and contribute to their virtual tip jar; tune into those live stream concerts when you can.  Supporting local live music is medicine for the soul; make no bout-a-doubt it!

Remember, my feature, Women Making Music is archived on thesofiamagazine.com. I cordially invite you to visit the website and acquaint yourself with the plethora of savvy professional female musicians I’ve written about over the past year. The November and December 2020 hard copy issues can be found in kiosks around town. There’s a list
of where they are located on the webpage.

Peggy Ratusz, writer, singer, vocal coach, coloring book artist

reverbnation.com/peggyratusz

loveisaroselive.com

paypal.com/paypalme/peggyratusz

Sunday, December 13th, Isis Restaurant & Music Hall – Love Bubble Christmas with Peggy Ratusz, Hank Bones & Paula Hanke, 8pm.

Sunday, December 20th, A Silver Linings Christmas live stream solo concert with Peggy Ratusz from her living room, 5pm – Facebook Live: facebook.com/peggy.ratusz

Peggy Ratusz is a vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter.
For vocal coaching email her at
[email protected]

The Splendid Table

The Splendid Table

by | Nov 30, 2020 | Asheville, Food, Recipes, Women

This is the season of joining together with friends and family.

If I close my eyes I can smell, taste, and feel the excitement in creating our holiday menu in my grandmother’s kitchen. This was a time to gather our family and cook together. The intention is to inspire you to join your family and friends, in your kitchen.

With so many mixed households and different ways of eating cooking can get complicated. Make your holiday gathering a no-fuss, unforgettable evening.  Create healthy, easy, elegant hors d’oeuvres, that will satisfy any lifestyle.

I like to think what we put into our bodies becomes part of us. Not just the food itself, but the energy that comes with it. With festive treats and sweets around every corner, we find ourselves eating more refined carbohydrates and processed sugars than we do during the rest of the year. Being mindful about the ingredients on your table will leave you feeling your best as you head into the new year. I think we would agree that keeping our health at an optimal is pivotal these days.

In my experience eating seasonally and locally is one of the best ways to achieve wellness. Good news is: there is a plethora of ingredients grown this time of year that will inspire you to assemble delicious colorful food for your holiday spread. To get things started here is one of my party favorites.

“The best food doesn’t come from the best cooks; the best food comes from the best people. People who love to eat.”

I wish you a happy healthy holiday season…

Red Pepper Jam with Rosemary Garbanzo Crisps
They are easy to make, flavorful, and can be made in advance.

Makes 64 chips

1 cup Garbanzo flour

1 1/4 cup filtered water

1/4 cup  good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup minced rosemary
(or other herbs)

Dash of fresh pepper

Oil for frying

Start by making the crepes that
will be sliced and baked.

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover with a towel and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Overnight is fine.

In an 8’’ non stick hot pan, heat enough canola, or grape seed oil
to coat the pan.

Pour a small ladle of batter into the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side.

When the bottom is a nice golden brown, flip and cook for 2 more minutes.

Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container.

Slice each crepe into 8 triangles.

Preheat oven to 350 

Lay triangles  in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 8 minutes,
or until slightly crispy.

Red Pepper Jam 
Turning roasted peppers into a luscious jam. It’s easier than you think.

Serves 8

6 roasted peppers

1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
then ground

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp. coconut sugar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp red chili paste

dab of melted butter, omit
for vegan.

Roast peppers with skin on, with the oven on broil, until all sides are blackened. Turn peppers every 10 minutes. Broil for  45 minutes.

Let cool slightly, then rub blackened skin off with a paring  knife.

Remove all the seeds and set aside. Can be made 1-2 days ahead.

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor and pulse until you have a slightly chunky texture. Stores well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve warm or room temperature with garbanzo crisps!

For scheduled Cooking Classes in Asheville, Visit:
LaurieRichardone.com

What Would You Give?

What Would You Give?

by | Nov 1, 2020 | Asheville, Body Language, Feldenkrais Method, Positive Change, Women

Sometimes we only focus on one definition without realizing a word’s myriad applications in our daily speech. In recent years, we’ve been conditioned to think “give” means material goods: giving gifts, money, stuff. But we use the word and idea of give in countless ways without ever noticing our boundless generosity.

I give up!

I gave her so many chances, I’m just not giving in this time.

I give her another month on this job before she gives me an ulcer.

I give you my word, it will give me great pleasure to see what gives when the boss sees how she gives new meaning to the word useless.

In an economy based on consumerism, suddenly products like tooth whitener for teeth no one will see, designer jeans you can’t flaunt, floating picnic tables with no guests and fruit shaped silicone coasters (whatever!), have become irrelevant. Some of us are actually getting rid of stuff, literally giving it away. As we purge, we may realize we also no longer need that potato ricer, the tennis racquet we haven’t touched in ten years, or the gold lamé jacket from our disco days. (Some things are harder to give up than others.) And we don’t need to buy another LL Bean jacket or orchid pot or giclée of a Tuscan sunset. If we don’t return to “normal” soon, stores and online merchants will drown in low rise yoga pants, Subaru Outbacks, wedding china and Louis Vuitton bags. I find myself thinking about Black Friday, the societal pressure to buy more stuff, and how to find a new way to give. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could inspire the quality of “thanks -giving” by actually inspiring gratitude? I have decided to start with my family. 

To one sister with whom I often compete, I’m giving up my need to be right. And to my youngest sister I give my word that I’ll never try to give her advice, (a double give that will be hard to fulfill!) I can’t wait till I tell my husband Ron I am officially giving in on our forty-five year battle as to who loads the dishwasher better. I am spilling with generosity.

Neurologist Antonio Damasio, in his book Descarte’s Error, wrote that altruism is a neurological survival strategy. When we give to others, they love us more and so therefore probably won’t kill us. It’s nice to know that we are wired to give.

What would it be like if all of us intentionally gave up, gave in, and gave promises we actually kept? It’s interesting to note that if you trace the etymology of our English word “give”, that it travels eastward where the root word actually means “take”, and finally lands in India where the Sanskrit root means “hand”. When I give up or give in, my hands are open, and when I give you my word, I give you my hand.  And when someone smiles at me and says, “I’ve got to hand it to you, you are awesome,” I feel like I’ve received a gift more precious than a pair of skinny jeans. What do you say, shall we give it a go?

Body language expert, Lavinia Plonka
has taught The Feldenkrais Method for over 25 years. 

For more information,
visit her at
laviniaplonka.com

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