Life Is Cake

Feeling happy, beautiful and whole is a challenge in our tense and demanding world. How to deal with stress and anxiety, how to breathe freely again and enjoy life every moment? We develop creative ways to switch your focus from processing stress to actively creating experiences to enjoy. “Life is cake” takes work in the kitchen. We find inspiration and motivation to cope with fatigue and overcome anxiety and depression by doing things rather than focusing on mental processes. We believe in self acceptance without giving up on yourself - celebrating what you have, and always pursuing self improvement. We learn and we teach how not to be lonely - inside and out, how to create your own positive affirmations, and be your own life coach. 

In our online “Life Is Cake” talk show video series we share video reports about experiences we create to break out of the exhausting daily routine, to shake off stress and celebrate femininity. We are girly girls, so rather than chant ‘om’ on a yoga mat, we seek healing and generate positive affirmations via girly activities such as dress-up, beauty, DIY fashion, makeovers, dance, fitness and more. We invest effort in creating moments of beauty and self-appreciation, sharing them with friends, and making sure that they are recorded in photos or video to form our personal portfolios of affirmations about being loved and never giving up on our dreams. Here you will find simple craft ideas, personal ritual, party and photoshoot ideas that don’t require any special skills or money, but only willingness to treat yourself to a gift. Recent episodes / synopses.

A lot of our career history revolves around arts and, especially, dance: Both of us, Neon & Tanna Valentine, are dance stars, performing mostly belly dance, and known for our pioneering work in belly dance instruction and fitness. Dance is a language we use to tell our stories, to share our feelings and to express our dreams and hopes. Jointly we have produced a series of music videos with lyrical, humorous and whimsical story lines featuring belly dancing and reflecting on the fantasy and reality of being a professional belly dancer. We keep adding new installments to our music video gallery. Please stop by, take a look, and let us know what you think! Catalog of all our music videos.

Being happy doesn't require a lot of time or money. It does require the right attitude. A willingness to stop and luxuriate in the moment, and a desire to sharpen one's gaze so that the moment is recognized and appreciated. Life is Cake is an ongoing celebration of the beautiful, the luxurious, the inspirational, and the delicious! As purveyors of Cake we are happy to share delightful morsels with you! Life should be full of moments of simple, pure delight. Like enjoying a piece of cake. It is not realistic to expect these moments to be the norm, and they would not be so treasured if they were. The whole point is to seize these tiny moments of bliss whenever they appear, and to savor them. Also, to make an honest effort to Join us on our online "Talk Show" where we share our progress in creating and/or seeking out such moments, to enrich our ongoing life experience, and discuss the roadblocks on the path to feeling your best.

I am a mom of a 3-year-old; I own and run a business, and I also run my professional dance career, performing and creating instructional video products for belly dance and stiletto dance. I work long hours, play trains and legos with my son, and look forward every week to saving my sanity by treating myself to a whimsical creative project that rekindles my commitment to live my life feeling beautiful inside and out. Cocktail hats, wild body paint, floating in the ocean in an evening gown are my escapes from the sameness of my work days, and my method of coping with anxiety and relieving stress. I am bored with yoga/meditation and other non-creative, mechanical stress management techniques. I need to play, to laugh, to have my mind fully engaged in creating something unique from scratch: Only then the shadows of fatigue and depression recede and I emerge happier. Travel, the geographical escape, doesn’t do this for me. Like watching TV, travel is a form of consumption: I prefer my imagination to escape via the fancy of creativity, while my body stays right here, in New York City.

We collect and publish motivational resources - positive affirmations and inspirational quotes - on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. If our work - ideas expressed in our talk show, dance / music videos or inspirational memes - strike a chord with you, let us know, and share your own experiences and ways of staying positive and depression-free through creative pursuits. The easiest way to reach us is on Facebook, on the Life Is Cake page or on our individual accounts. We hope to hear from you!