1. Laughter is a stress buster.It reduces the levels of stress hormones epinephrine and cortisol.

    

2. Laughter strengthens the immune system.
   The immune system is important in maintaining good health by keeping infections, allergies and cancers at bay:
• Recent research into the effects of laughter by Dr. Lee S. Berk, Professor at Loma Linda University, California, USA, demonstrates that laughter will increase the count of natural killer cells (NK cells – a type of white cell) and antibody levels.
• Laughter therapy helps to increase antibodies (Immunoglobulin A) in the mucous of the nose and respiratory passages.
3. Laughter is anti-aging.
• It tones facial muscles and expressions.
• Laughter causes an increase in blood supply to the face, which is why some people look flushed. This nourishes the skin and makes it glow.
• People look younger and more fun when they laugh! 
4. Laughter is aerobic exercise.Laughter stimulates the heart and blood circulation and is equivalent to any other standard aerobic exercise.
   • Dr. William Fry, Stanford University, USA, claims one minute of laughter is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine.
   • The singular benefit amost everybody deries is a sense of well-being because more oxygen is taken in during laughter.
   • It is a universal exercise regime suitable for everybody, including people confined to a bed or a wheelchair.
5. Laughter is internal jogging.Laughter massages internal organs by enhancing the blood supply and increasing their efficiency. This is especially good for proper bowel movement.
• Laughter exercises the abdominal muscles and helps to improve muscle tone.
6. Laughter is a natural painkiller.Laughter increases the levels of endorphins the body’s natural pain killers. Norman Cousins, an American journalist who was suffering from an incurable disease of the spine, benefited from laughter therapy in a situation when all painkillers were ineffective.
• Endorphins released as a result of laughter may help in reducing the intensity of pain in those suffering from arthritis, spondylitis, and muscular spasms of the body.
7. Laughter can control high blood pressure.Laughter helps to control blood pressure by reducing the release of stress-related hormones.
• Experiments have demonstrated that a 10-minute laughter session leads to a reduction of 10-20 mm in blood pressure. This, however, does not mean that patients taking 2-3 tablets for blood pressure every day will be completely cured.
8. Laughter can help dump depression and anxiety.The stress and strain of modern life takes a heavy toll on the human body and mind.
• Better sleep
• Reduced depression—some people claim they can manage without prescribed anti-depressant pills and tranquilizers. 
9. Laughter alleviates bronchitis and asthma.Laughter improves lung capacity and oxygen levels in the blood.
• Laughter Club members report a marked reduction in the frequency of asthma attacks. 
10. Laughter just makes you feel good.Laugh and the world laughts with you. How you react to life is up to you. Live life laughing!

The man behind the scanwiches

I am so inspired and proud of my talented friend JMC.

visit the scanwiches website.

So I just cranked out my own custom page to see what it has to offer:

http://www.facebook.com/AllisonBoozerDesign

“These are going to be different, off-the-wall beers,” says Bob Baile, owner of the Boulder brewery. The first will be Surreal Stout, aged in bourbon barrels and decorated by artist and designer Allison Boozer, who has worked for Twisted Pine…

This album is like a fine wine: It’s immediately delicious, but definitely gets even better with age. Especially when performed live:

Watching this video inspired me to find out more about Bonobo; I just need to know where the magic comes from! Found out that he writes/composes all of his own music AND can play a variety of instruments. He starts by composing on the piano, then he plays and records each part for every instrument used in the song. Pretty amazing.

I spent most of April creating a tri-fold brochure for a local non-profit called Conscious Alliance. The project was bigger than I expected, and many hours were spent hunched over my computer perfecting this brochure. Once the initial design was completed, I began writing the content for the brochure. Like I said, quite the project. Anyway, here is the brochure:

The next project was a promo card for a company called 903 Smile Gear. Their shirts are amazing and very unique, and I wanted to show that. The goal was to keep the design clean and simple – let the shirts speak for themselves. (shown front and back)

Alright, it’s back to work for me…. stay tuned for a new version of my portfolio website!

College helped me really explore the artist within, and for that I have no regrets. Now the hard part is applying that knowledge and artistry to the outside world. At this point I realize this isn’t really a choice; I just have to continue to design and create. And more than that, I want to.

This past week has taught me some truly valuable lessons. One of those lessons is something we’ve all heard: It’s all about who you know. This lesson is applicable to other aspects of life, not just for finding a job. Basically everyone you meet can play an important role in your life and vice versa.

Another piece of advice is to read everything you get your hands on. It’s easy to be inspired by articles on topics that get you really excited. At the Austin airport I picked up a magazine called Austin Monthly. There are lots of stories about everything from art to music to parties. One article featured the work by an artist named Victoria Corbett whose background was in installation and illustration. She found a practical way of applying her artistic skills by creating screen-printed clothing (you can see some of her work here). Most of her designs feature trees and blossoms because, as she puts it, nature doesn’t really go out of style.

So to bring this all back around… I’ve always loved designs inspired by nature, and I think I’ll apply this to my new website design.

Today I googled ‘list of creative jobs’ and this is one of the links that came up. The last part ‘Think Outside of the Box’ really got me inspired. I was so inspired that I made a list of possible jobs I could do almost on my own: designing websites for friends (which I am already starting to do), taking engagement photos/professional portraits, entering into photography contests, selling my art at Etsy, teaching art classes, etc.

The list is pretty decent and now I’m ready to go!

Ah, crap.

So I googled it, asked some friends and brainstormed a little. I’m still stuck, but I’m going to come up with something soon. Here are some examples: http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/