Emergency Creative Escape - Snapseed Cellphone Art

​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:

1. The app will ask you to open up a photo from your camera roll on your cellphone. You may need to give the app permission to access your camera roll.
2. Choose the photo you want to edit.
3. First check the crop. Decide if you like what is being shown. Tap “Tools” at the bottom to find the cropping tool. Once you find the crop that you like, hit the check mark.
4. Check the exposure. Is the picture light enough or dark enough? To change the exposure:

• Tap “Tools” at the bottom.
• Tap “Brush”
• Tap “Exposure”
• There are arrows at the bottom. I usually only adjust my exposure by +0.3 if it’s too dark. To do this small adjustment, I have to hit the down arrow once. Sometimes, I need to adjust the exposure by +0.7, but this doesn’t happen very often. You will see the numbers at the bottom by the arrows.
• Wipe your finger across the photo to correct the exposure.
• Make sure to hit the check mark when you are finished. If you hit the X, it won’t save your adjustment.

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

• bayphoto.com

 
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!