Fireflies & Songs

I just discovered Sara Grove’s “Fireflies & Songs” album this week and I’m in love with it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about this album that I like, or what about it that moves me so… but it does.

She sings a lot on this album about home, life and community. It’s nostalgic, and I think that’s what strikes a chord with me. I can’t get enough of the title track, “Fires & Songs” and “Twice as Good.” Watch/listen below and fall in love with a great album to round out your fall music collection.

have I got a story for you…

This past week I’ve had the privileged of visiting my Grandparents in North Carolina as well as my Dad’s brothers and their families down in South Carolina. If there’s one thing we all have in common (other than being family) it’s that we all have stories.

Whether they’re well told in great suspense and laughter, or whether the punch line is given too soon it became apparent to me that the people in my life (well, and everyone for that matter) have some incredible stories to tell. Stories of strength, honor, laughter, humility, vacation goof ups… the list goes on and on.

My Great Granny (my dad’s Grandmother on his dad’s side) wrote in her journal every day for years. I’m talking every, single, day y’all.  She documented everything from how many pints of pickles she canned in the smokehouse to processing her grief after her husband died.

My dad’s younger brother’s family now has her journals and diaries. Years and years of stories and every day encounters. And it got me thinking… what are people going to read about me when I’m gone? Will whatever legacy I leave behind be passed down to my great grandchildren? They’ll probably get some microchip from the Library of Congress that contains every blog, tweet, Facebook update (and whatever else comes along in years to come) that I’ve ever written. So there’s that I suppose. I digress.

Let me get to the point: everyone has a story to tell. And the cool thing is it’s YOURS. It’s your very own. It’s something that you can pass down from generation to generation, or write online about, or write a short story about, or make a movie about.

How are you telling your story?

- – - – -

Tomorrow I leave for Arlington, VA for another Inside|Out workshop. Inside|Out workshops empower students from many different histories to tell their stories to the world through film. We have filmmakers from literally all over the world come in and teach students every aspect of the filmmaking process.

Through a week-long film workshop, students learn how to tell their story through film and showcase their 5 minute short film at a red carpet premiere at the end of the week. It’s amazing to see students “come alive” when they get in and create through film.

Inside|Out is the same workshop that took me over to New Zealand almost one year ago. It was a time that turned my world upside down. I’ll do what I can blog about my experiences this year as I go through the workshop again.

For more information about Inside|Out and how to get involved click here.

21 accents

Amy Walker does a little tour of 21 accents in 2 1/2 minutes. From the UK and Ireland to Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, France, Australia, New Zealand, and around North America. She is spot on.

So, MY question is… where is she REALLY from?

tiny living

WOW! This is sooo cool. What an inspiration. I would/could totally do this!

Ten years ago, Jay Shafer downsized to an 89-square-foot house and reinvented both his lifestyle and career in the process.

flight MTS27 ready for take off… hello?

“Control, this is flight MTS27 ready for take off. Over.”

Nothing.

“Control, this is flight MTS27 ready for TAKE OFF. Over.”

Again, nothing.

“Control, this is flight MTS27 do you read me? Over.”

Still nothing.

—–

THE UPDATE

—–

It’s been one year. One year since my Jetta caught on fire and melted on the side of I-65 South. One year since I was forced to sell my beautiful home in the suburbs as part of a messy & expensive divorce settlement. One year (almost) since my trip to New Zealand that forever changed me.

In that year’s time I’ve sold all my possessions leaving me with just my clothes and a few bedroom items (I have more furniture in my office than at the house I’m staying in), I’ve given away my dogs to be able to move (the only thing that made that bearable was knowing they went together to a good home), I’ve lost a business partner and project manager. And I’ve been trying to figure out what to do next ever since.

My freelance business has dwindled down to a trickle with clients not having the money to spend on projects. Chalk it up to a bad economy I guess.

I made the decision, not to jump ship, but to pursue other options back in March and get a “big boy” job. Ever since then I’ve been applying to jobs on a weekly basis and probably have been on a few dozen interviews both on the phone and in person. I was able to get the attention of Southwest Airlines for their social media position and hold it for a little bit, but they chose someone else. The same goes with every, single, interview I’ve been on since. If I’m lucky I get a “Thanks, but no thanks.” Often it’s just… silence. Nothing. More waiting.

That I keep getting rejected is fine. I mean, it totally sucks, but at the same time I know that’s not what God has in store for me.

The question is, then, what have I been created for? Where’s my sweet spot in the puzzle where I fit perfectly and add to the beauty of the over all “bigger picture?” I want nothing more than to do that which God has created me for, but I’m having a hard time figuring out what that is. I know it’s in a place of influence, but the platform I’m currently on isn’t much higher than a soap box.

I’ve been created to fly. My engines are running. I’m just waiting for clearance.

—–

THE TAKE AWAY / IN THE MEAN TIME

—–

I love to garden so I can totally relate to this. In order to produce more fruit and a thicker, fuller foliage we often times have to prune back our plants. I feel as if I’ve been pruned down to the root ball… all my stalks and stems have been chopped off; cut down to nothing. I’m just a heap of nubs. (Heap of Nubs… that’s a good band name. I digress.)

However, while growth on the outside isn’t flourishing, growth on the inside is. The roots are growing deeper; stretching for life-sustaining water. They grow deep so that when the rain (the blessing) comes, they can hold on and not be overtaken. They can withstand the blessing of water and begin to grow again.

Plants that don’t have a firm root foundation can easily be overcome by the rain and be washed away. Can’t the same be said for our own lives?

So this is where I am. I’m growing deeper (while sitting on the tarmac – if you’ll allow me to mix metaphors here) and reaching for that life-sustaining water (for me that’s God Word) so that when the rain does come – and I believe it will – I’ll be able to grow and flourish and not be overtaken by it.

Where are you? Have you been cut back? Are you waiting for clearance to take off? What gets you through the hard times?

I welcome your feedback.

embrace life commercial

What could have been a very boring and expected PSA about car safety turned out to be something quite beautiful. This is so simple, but has such a HUGE impact. A great example of less-is-more.

What are your thoughts? Does this work? Is it enough? Too much? Do you “get it” right away or does it take a few watches?

t-shirt wars

This video is CRAZY! I love stuff like this… so creative.

The T-Shirt War from Ibrahim Nergiz on Vimeo.

the butterfly circus

This is the most impressive short film I’ve seen in a long time. Everything from concept to execution; story line to soundtrack; lighting to underlying message. Watch it and see for yourself why this film was winner of the 2009 Doorpost Film Project.

content-aware fill for photoshop

Adobe Photoshop project manager John Nack yesterday pointed to a new demo video posted by a member of his team showing off an impressive new feature in Photoshop known as “content-aware fill”. The feature utilizes complex mathematical algorithms to analyze digital images and assist users in filling in areas of complex scenes where undesired content has been removed.

The video shows a number of applications for the feature, from simple tweaks such as removing extraneous trash from an image of a park scene to far more complex tasks such as generating realistic looking desert landscapes and cloud formations.

Continue Reading

kuler: new favorite pallet tool

Wow! This is THE resource for color pallet options. Check it out when you get a chance: http://kuler.adobe.com