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My Spontaneous Creative Escape: Has it ever been hard for you to drop your child off at daycare or school? Have you ever come home to a previously loud and lively space, finding the house eerily silent and the toys completely still? Have you ever gone through a life transition that's left you feeling emotional? I’m still adjusting to dropping my kiddos off at school this year, especially since my son just started preschool. I’m enjoying getting more work done in 5 minutes than I did in two hours, but I’m sure missing my two little sidekicks. On Monday, I needed to do a quick solo emergency Creative Escape before I could come home and be productive. I wasn’t ready to face the quiet and still house, so I decided to turn cellphone photos into art! In this blog post, you will learn how to make easy adjustments to your photos to make print worthy wall art with just your cellphone! First things first, I needed an iced tea!  This photo was taken on a different day, but it's still the same delicious iced tea! My favorite drink is iced tea! I made the spontaneous decision to run through the Culver’s drive thru to grab an iced tea. Surprisingly, Culver’s has my favorite unsweetened iced tea! I felt a little silly just ordering a drink at Culver’s, but the person taking my order was really nice. When I said, “Thank you,” she warmly said, “My pleasure.” When I got up to the window, Gaby from the Waukee, IA restaurant, genuinely wanted to know how I was doing. I didn’t want to tell her that I had just dropped my child off at preschool and I was feeling a little emotional, so I politely said, “I’m doing well; thank you.” I really appreciated her kindness. She helped lift my spirits! It was exactly what I needed before I moved on to my creative adventure.  This photo was taken on a different day as well. This was the day I took my children to Culver's for a frozen custard treat! I had my treat too! ICED TEA! The next thing I decided to do was go on a flower hunt to take some photos. I didn’t have my “good” camera with me, so I decided to use my cellphone. I remembered there were some really pretty flowers by the library. That’s where I headed first.  After a few stops, I was ready to head home to be productive. Even if you are on your way to work, I bet you pass by some pretty flowers! This Creative Escape can take less than 5 minutes if needed. Seeing flowers/nature can really inspire good feelings. How to make photo art with your cellphone: There is a cellphone photo editing app called, Snapseed. Within this app, there is a fun filter that can turn your photos into art. This particular filter works really well on individual flowers or a group of flowers that appear separated. Be creative with how you shoot your photos. Take the photos from above, the side, or even from below! I haven’t tried this filter on everything, so please experiment and let me know what you discover! Maybe try photographing fruits and veggies or pretty leaves this fall! Snapseed instructions to transform your photo into art:
Now the fun part! 5. Tap the “Tools” button and find the “Grunge” filter. 6. Just tap “Grunge” and poof, your photo is now a work of art! Before  After with "Grunge" Filter  7. The last thing you need to do is tap “Export” and save the photo to your camera roll. I love seeing the transformation! It is a very quick and interesting edit that actually prints out nicely! Where to print? There is an online place that I recommend printing out photos. This place can handle a more diverse color range. Bay Photo Lab HAVE FUN! I would love to see your photos! My mother-in-law shot a stellar photo and used this “Grunge” filter. Check out her photo below! She has a Facebook page called, Iowa Back Road Images, if you would like to see more of her professional work. Before  After with "Grunge" Filter  After my little creative escape, I felt great and ready to work! Before I knew it, my son was home from preschool, my daughter was coming through the door after getting off the bus, and my chaotic life got back to normal! Transition times can be challenging! I saw a quote by Daniell Koepke on the Becoming UnBusy Facebook page that was really helpful. She said, “You don’t have to solve your whole life overnight. And you don’t have to feel ashamed for being where you are. All you have to focus on is one small thing you can do today to get closer to where you want to be. Slowly and lightly, one step at a time. You can get there.” Future Blog Post: I’m almost finished with my post regarding my Creative Escape with my son. We were working on his early reading skills with this adventure. I wanted to quickly get this post out first. It was an emergency Creative Escape after all. Check back later this week for the next blog post! Here is a new Creative Escape Card for you! Save this photo to your camera roll and start sharing it with your friends! 
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My First Official Creative Escape It has been 8 years since I have sung seriously! Mom life became priority and my passions were put on the back burner. In my 20’s, singing was a huge part of me because music was what I chose to study in college. A few months ago, I decided I needed to bring singing back and to find my voice again. Do you have something that you used to do, that you have put aside for another day? If possible, try squeezing in some time for the things that are a part of you! How it all started One morning, while getting ready for the day, I decided to start vocalizing again. I wanted to start my day with something that made me feel good. My musical influences (To find out more information about each singer, please click on their names.) I’ve spent years admiring Mary Creswell, my voice teacher in college, and Kerry Walters, a professor I studied with privately after graduation. I have dreamed about singing with both of them. Maybe one day, that dream will be realized! I have spent many hours listening to Anne Sofie Von Otter, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Audra McDonald, and recently Natalie Weiss. I admire different things about each singer.
I listen to all of these women for their emotional and artistic singing. I have learned that it’s important to find your voice and to take apart the song to express the feeling and lyric. A work in progress This Creative Escape was the beginning of getting back into shape, vocally, and embracing my own sound. I want to trust myself in going outside my technical box to make music. Kelly Clarkson, my favorite pop/pop rock singer, said two things that have really stuck in my head. She said to Maelyn Jarmon, the 2019 winner of The Voice, “The lack of control, on purpose, was what I loved about this…I want you to just let go” (in reference to Maelyn previously being in her head about the technical side of singing). I also heard Kelly say on “You Sang My Song” video on YouTube, after explaining she was trained in opera, “I had to really work on finding my voice emotionally rather than technically.” These comments were light bulb moments for me! I’m looking forward to maintaining a technical side to ensure longevity, but finding myself emotionally. One thing I learned this year, always keep yourself open, because you might see/hear/feel something that inspires you! How can I use singing creatively? With this Creative Escape, I wanted to do something I never thought I would have the courage to do. I have always wanted to sing in an empty cathedral. I decided to find an emotional song that would fit nicely being performed in the beautiful space. I asked my daughter’s piano teacher, Jenni, if she wanted to create an arrangement with me. I wanted to try finding my own style on this song, a mix between classical and contemporary. I wanted my accompanist to have the liberty to create her own style and arrangement as well. I listened to other artist’s arrangements of the song for inspiration:
Jenni and I loved the creative process. Each time we met, we bounced ideas off of each other. It felt wonderful being in that musical world again. The moment came when I could cross something off my bucket list! After a couple of months, I nervously emailed St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines, IA to see if I could come in and sing. They were SO kind and allowed me to use their cathedral one Friday afternoon. It was an amazing experience! Hearing the reverb back put me in awe of the architecture and it was magical. Jenni and I talked a little, but really, we just had fun making music for an entire hour. One thing we both noticed, even though we didn’t talk much, we were instantly connected. I love how this Creative Escape strengthened our new friendship. For this hour, I only thought about connecting with Jenni and singing what I was feeling. Jenni was so supportive and played beautifully! I was blown away with her arrangement and improvisation. She wasn’t even playing what was on her music! After this little creative outing, I feel recharged, motivated, and excited about singing with Jenni again in the future. Can you do something like this too? YES! If you enjoy making music and want to try something new, feel free to contact another friend who also enjoys music. Work on creating your own style and arrangement. Find a fun place to have a musical Creative Escape…maybe a band shelter at your local park, or at a local church/place of worship/theatre/auditorium, or in someone’s home. Take the time to make music even if you are feeling butterflies! I was definitely feeling some nerves, but I was so happy and excited that we were brave enough to pull it off. Future Blog Post: My next blog post will be an adventure I had with my son. He was 3 at the time. It is something we like to do together to help with his early reading skills. I will also list some ideas that we have done to encourage early reading. See what happens when you reintroduce yourself to something you loved doing way back when! * If you want to learn more about the Creative Escape Card Campaign, please refer to the 7/14/2019 blog post. *If you want to learn more about finding and expanding your creative side, please refer to the 9/1/2019 blog post. Since I have decided to bring singing back into my life, it feels like a new beginning. I thought this flowering tree was a great Creative Escape Card for this week. Spring always feels like a new beginning. Remember to save this card to your camera roll or computer so you have it when you need it!  Do you consider yourself a creative person? Do you think creativity only relates to having grand artistic abilities that are used in imaginative and innovative ways? Creativity has such a deeper meaning to me, maybe it’s because of what it does for me. Creativity, to me, is the ability to use your originality in an interesting and positive way. I believe that everyone has a creative side because EVERYONE has been given special talents and gifts that are unique to them; everyone has the ability to create inside of them. In this post, I’d like to help you find and expand your creative side so you can start generating ideas for your Creative Escapes! Why Strive for a Creative Mindset? Before we get into finding your creative side, I wanted to share what creativity can do for you and why I feel like it would be helpful if it was a part of your life in a significant way. We all crave to have healthy outlets that are calming, empowering, motivating, fulfilling, and exciting! Honestly, we need to have these feelings to ensure a quality life. I’d like to touch on how creativity can help in a big way. Creativity can help you express your emotions in a healthy way. Personally, the past five months, I’ve NEEDED to be creative! During this time, all 4 of my creative outlets were fully utilized. They are photography, singing, writing, and creating activities and adventures for my kids. By using my creativity, it gave my brain a chance to breathe when it was full of worry and my world was being challenged. Whatever creative outlet I chose to do, I felt like my activity helped my angst feelings…sometimes a lot and other times a small amount. Regardless, I welcomed whatever feelings the creative outlet helped me express. Releasing negative emotions frees up room for more joyful feelings! Creativity used for others is a rewarding cycle. When lonely and sad feelings creep in, a creative kind gesture to someone else warms your soul. I have definitely sent other people thoughtful and creative pick-me-ups when I’ve, actually, needed one myself. In turn, I felt positive energy flowing and it helped turn my day around. Creativity can help accentuate your positive personality traits. I believe that when our positive personality traits are used in a creative way, we can be inspirational to the people around us. For example, let’s say you are good at listening to others. What if you contacted a friend to go with you to a nursing home to listen to a resident’s stories? Can you imagine how much this would make their day? Can you imagine how you would feel doing this heartwarming act of kindness? Creating something can make you feel proud. It feels good to see a project come to fruition. Creativity can make you feel bonded to someone else. There is something magical that happens when you put something creative between two people. Below you will see the different photos I used to create this week's Creative Escape Card! This photo took many months to finish because I had to wait for a rainbow. All of these photos were taken off of my deck and then combined into one photo. How can you find your creative side? Do you struggle with knowing what your gifts and talents are? I’d like to try to give you some suggestions on how you can figure them out! Before you dive into a reflective time, please know there are many things that make you special, wanted, and needed. After all, there is only one you and you can do amazing things!
From this list you can start generating a new list of your gifts and talents. This is how you can start exploring your creative side. Once your lists are in place, start thinking about ways you can use your gifts/talents creatively. The best thing about going on Creative Escapes, you don’t have to come up with creative things on your own. Your friend will be contributing to your outing! I know it is really easy to get busy with your daily life and push your gifts and talents away, but you deserve to be able to use what you have been given and thought about in a positive way. One day your creative universe will be glowing with joy. Future Blog Post: My next blog post will be sharing my first Creative Escape! It took guts to execute, but I’m so happy Jenni and I made the effort and choice to just go for it! Embrace your gifts and talents and do something creative with them! * If you want to learn more about the Creative Escape Card Campaign, please refer to the 7/14/2019 blog post. Here's this week's Creative Escape Card! Have fun sharing! Remember to save this card to your camera roll or computer so you have it when you need it! Make sure to subscribe for updates and feel free to share on Facebook!  |
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December 2019
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