Online stores to look out for:

Over the past few years, online shopping has become vastly popular as the demand for more convenient solutions to regular activities has increased. Online shopping has its pros and cons. It's great because you can order everything you need without having to step outside your front door, and there are a lot more options since you can order from nearly any international store available online. On the negative side, there are almost always added shipping fees, and the fact that your items are being shipped means that it will take both time and money. Another negative aspect is that you can't try on or see what you buy in real life before you've paid, so it can be difficult to tell whether an item will suit/fit you or not.

The following are a few online stores that are worth taking a look at:

Ripndip: An American skate store available to order online in Australia. They sell clothing, hats, socks, and boards. A lot of their stuff has cool prints your unlikely to find anywhere else, such as their cat prints and unique tie dye. All the items are also pretty well priced considering how unique and well made they are.

The Cobra Snake: This shops been around for a while. The creator of the store, Mark Hunter, has even made himself known to celebrities everywhere through his photography and online store. The shop sells a lot of one-off vintage pieces, and some Cobra Snake-branded stuff as well. Some of the items can be quite pricey but considering they're one-off its definitely worth the purchase.

Etsy: Rather than one shop, this is more of a website for individuals to showcase what they've made and are selling. Etsy is great for unique items that your struggling to find in all the mainstream stores. You can buy basically anything on Etsy, from clothes to jewellery and art. There is a huge range of prices for items on the website, so you can find some really great cheap buys.

Tiger Mist: Tiger Mist is an Australian online store that specifically sells party clothing like dresses, skirts and tops. Most of the items are generally more expensive, although the quality and styles of the clothing available make it worth the purchase. Tiger Mist is great for stand-out outfits that will definitely turn heads. Most of the clothes are quite bold, so they're only for those feeling brave enough to make a statement. 

Artist Spotlight: Ken Grimes

Born in 1947, Grimes is a self-taught artist living in Cheshire, Connecticut. Ken Grimes' grandfather was a magician and inventor, and left a long-lasting impression on Grimes, exposing him to the world of illusions and misdirection. A sci-fi movie he saw in his teenage years exposed Grimes to his first encounter with alien lifeforms, sparking an interest to find the answers to many of life's unanswered questions.
After having a psychotic break, Ken Grimes decided to put some of his ideas on aliens on canvas. His artworks deal with conspiracies and beliefs surrounding alien lifeforms. The schizophrenic artist believes that alien communication is subtle, and has looked for evidence of communication in contemporary texts about radio astronomy and the star Epsilon Eridani.
He first encountered what he believes to be alien communication when he was working at a public lottery where he lived. Another Ken Grimes, also aged 62 and living in Cheshire won the largest soccer pool in history. Since that extraordinary event, Grimes has been searching for inconsistencies too remarkable to be a result of chance. He believes these inconsistencies are a form of extraterrestrial communication.
Grimes changes the way his audience sees and perceives things, giving them a new perspective on alien life. Although over his career-span as an artist his styles of art making have changed, his artworks are always painted in black and white, as he believes this is most obvious way of distinguishing truth and deception.

"The sooner we start a pattern of global awareness and formulate a response to side-effects, the easier it will be to make a transition between a human-centred view and alien perspective"(Ken Grimes)

Feel Me by Groundislava

Jasper Patterson AKA Groundislava has created music like nothing heard before. His videogame, sci-fi beats and dreamy lo-fi vocals create a genre of its own. Groundislava has worked alongside electronic producers such as Shlohmo and Baths to create collaborative beats using his unique downtempo sound. 

His latest album Feel Me mixes elements of house and techno music with heavy bass drops and haunting vocals, creating a surreal experience for his listeners. Groundislava takes templates of 8 bit tunes and weaves them into his dreamy melodies and beats. "Suicide Mission"and "TV Dream" are two tracks to listen out for on this album, they'll change your perspective on music and introduce you to a whole new world of electro beats. 

The album features collaborations with other artists. Suicide Mission features the dreamy, ethereal vocals of Baths, and Bottle Service is a collaboration between Groundislava and Shlohmo.

Artist Spotlight: Grimes

Grimes is a woman of many talents. Born in Canada under the name Claire Boucher, she has recently become a well-known producer, artist and musician. She began recording experimental music while studying in Montreal, where she then became involved in the underground music scene. 

Although she is relatively new to the music scene and is yet to learn how to read music, Grimes has cultivated her own genre. Elements of her sound have been compared to the likes of How to Dress Well and Gang Gang Dance, although her music in its entirety is like nothing heard before.

Grimes' music has a wide range of influences, ranging from hip hop and R&B to electronic and pop. She describes her music as "ADD music" because of its frequent and dramatic shifts. Her dreamy, ethereal vocals and electronic beats give Grimes' music an unearthly vibe. Grimes is well known for her unusual, almost alien music and style. "I started being identified as being weird and then I was alienated, and then being alienated became part of my identity." 

"I mean, I think my sound is post-Internet... because genres are sort of disappearing, people just use bands as reference points. And if I were to describe my sound, I'd just say it's modern?"

She released her first album Geidi Primes in 2010 and has since released two more. She adopted her stage name "Grimes" from the artist Ken Grimes, famous for his alien artworks. 

Be sure to check Grimes out, her music and artwork is gaining recognition by the minute and she has her eyes set on international stardom.