"Push Story"

Okay Red Inkers, I am here. I need your help, critique and input.

Basically, I have this assignment for a mentorship I'm in. I was supposed to write a "push story" for my photography - using my personal story/experience and my top 5 photography "values" to create something akin to a script for a promo video to show people why they would choose me to take their pictures. Ahem, it's supposed to be something like that. I don't know if I'm making sense.

Anyhow, if you could read it and tell me how it flows, if I make my point good and anything else you have to input me on, that'd be great! Here are my "values" that I was supposed to incorporate into the story:

Top 5 “reasons/words” why I value photography:
Moments - it encapsulates moments in time that are gone in an instant, but relived forever.
Life - life is a treasure and can be seen all around you - I love the beauty of life.
Communication - here among life, communication is important. We all long to be communicated with in some way.
Expressions - it captures expressions I would otherwise miss.
Memories - every passing day, is a memory. They are pieces of history that make up who we all are as individuals. I celebrate this.

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When I first picked up a camera I was so naive as to how it would change my life.

Without even trying, I took life for granted for a long time. It seemed as if life would go on the way I dreamed. In my dreams, the important people in my life were always there. It just seemed right that way. The summer of 2009 was to change my thinking.

My Papa got cancer and it was a quick nightmarish dream that ended up with us burying him in the fall. We always were a close family, and with my grandparents living five miles away we got together often. I never pictured any of my grandparents out of the equation of our family.
Back in the spring, before we knew he had cancer, Grandma & Papa were over at our house one day. My little sister, Mary, loved Papa so much, and loved to take walks with him. So off they went on an afternoon stroll. With a suggestion from my mommy to take advantage of the special moment, I soon had my camera and took a few pictures. Six months later their value was going to immensely multiply for me, even though I had no idea then.

One day, realizing how quickly Papa was slipping away, I printed some of those pictures and sent one to Grandma. She told me “they brought tears to my eyes and my heart.” It was sweet to know the message that had been communicated to her through a priceless picture. Their expressions and that moment are forever engrained in our hearts through those pictures.

For me, photography is a way to capture those fleeting moments that are quickly just memories. Through the medium of a photograph, memories can be relived so vividly over and over and over again. Expressions you would forget, communication that is so important, moments that are so swiftly gone, all can be preserved through a photograph.

Most importantly, it is my goal to help people enjoy the beauty of life and the sparkle of every moment. When I can do this with my pictures, I feel like I have succeeded.

Confession

To My Fellow Red Inkers:

I have a confession to make, and must make it public with all of you.

Lately I've had a hard time focusing on things. This has led to me being unfocused on a lot of things, some of which I really need to devote my time to better. Part of it does have to do with my failure to prioritize, make a schedule and not waste my time doing other things.

This challenge sounded great, and I really wanted to do it. However, right in the middle there came up an opportunity for me to take advantage of a mentorship opportunity. I knew it'd require a lot of me, but figured I could play scrambled eggs and fit all of this into my crazy life.

It's not working.

I'm starting to feel a bit better, after feeling really down about life and responsibilities. There are things I need to work on, things I need to really focus on, things I really need to make myself do.

All that to say, I am not promising any more posts on this blog until I find a better time. I don't want to do it halfheartedly, and that's what is happening. I really love to write, and I really want to write. This place is going to stay here so I can come and write whenever I can - and please do feel free to keep up with it, whenever I do write.

I don't like copping out or being a quitter. But I just wanted to share these things with you. I will do my best to read and comment on y'alls posts, but I've had a hard time keeping up with that too. It has been quite enjoyable to read what y'all have written - to see the variety and interests.

God bless each one of you. I'm not leaving - but I do want you to know some of the reasons that I really haven't written every day. I took too much on at one time.

Till Later, friends. I'm off to fix dinner and head to church.

March 12, 2011

Today was beautiful.

Went to a little prayer meeting at church. Saw a special friend.

Rode out to the country with my brother. It was so very quiet and peaceful. Visited with a dear Granny friend, took pictures of yellow jasmine on the fenceposts, and took a walk through the woods with a friend and my brother.

We drove to another country place, where we ate some food. Then we stopped by my friend's work place and took her candy and a card and visited for a few minutes to make her day a little brighter and make her smile. I think it worked.

I came home, folded laundry, took a shower and feel more rested.

Hopefully I can write soon. But life is beautiful. . .really it is!

I Don't Know What To Title This

Okay, let's set things straight:

I DO love words.

I AM lacking time right now.

I WANT to put my thoughts into words that make sense.

My brain IS mushy. {this is NOT funny}

My heart IS full.

I AM out of sorts with myself right now. {NOT a very cool place to be}

At least I can write here and y'all will understand me to a point. That makes me feel a little bit better.

But right now, this is where I'd like to run away to:

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I would love to grab my Bible, journal, and a passel of pens, jump into a car, don my sunglasses and turn on some melodious melody that would calm my spirits. My choice for the moment would be something such as "A Place Called Grace" or "Through the Fire", for such words would speak to my heart where I'm at right now. Down long highways I would go, till I found my spot.

This place I speak of is in my imaginations, and I don't quite know the entirety of what it looks like or where exactly it is located. But what I do know, I tell. It's well off the beaten path, a little cottage surrounded by woods, but the woods are not too close to the cottage. In other words, breathing room is plenteous. The sounds of nature come alive, along with the blooming colors of spring. There is no phone, internet, computer or any such thing available. It's a quiet place - a lovely place. There are several places that are beckoning you to come and rest: the wide porch, the swing out back or the gazebo down the wooded path.

If you were to go there, you would find rest, rejuvenation and relaxation to your heart's content. You wouldn't want to leave, for it would be a haven of peace and comfort and you would learn more about the beauty of life and the specialness of every moment in more ways than you could imagine. It's a happy place, and I cannot imagine anyone who would not want to go visit for at least a little spell.

Sometimes, sometimes, I really wish dreams would come true.

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Keep dreaming, you say? Eh, really? It's making me more out of sorts with myself and a little more bah-humbuggish. Blah. At least for this moment. But it was fun to write. ;) ha

I'm Alive

Dear Fellow Red Inkers,

I apologize for my failure to be 'here' in this challenge. It's not the way I wanted it to turn out. I really want to write. Yet I have tons of other assignments that I've been needing to work on which have been consuming my time and my energy. Yes, I want a break.

Anyway, I have not forgotten. I shall probably catch up when all of y'all are long since through and finished well. Then nobody shall be around to critique my writing.

Hopefully I can write something later today or this weekend. We shall see. There is a lot I need to learn and take in and get done.

Thank you for your kind hearts and understanding.

Here I Stand,

Your Fellow Red Inker

{Ruth Ann}

Tonight

It has gotten late.

It has been a long day.

It has been a good day.

Obviously, I cannot write this late.

I must get to bed.

However, I might [might] try to write two things tomorrow.

We shall see.

Life is full. But it is delightfully full, and oh so good.

I got a lot accomplished today.

Now, bed is calling my name.

God is so good to me. I don't think I can say that enough.

Till Later, Friends.

Scrambled Midnight Thoughts

I love words so much that my mind is mush tonight. :(

I really wanted to write...cause I really have something on my mind.

Yes, I avoided that last assignment like the plague. I clicked on the link and went "waaah!" :-/ Kelley told me it wasn't that bad but that she didn't like her response either.

I really like what I wrote yesterday. Just cause it's so real and true and what I've written in my head so many times. It feels good when something is out of my head and finally in words that I can read.

Sometimes I think I'm silly, cause I like to read what I write. Then I'll read it again and again and again. And sometimes I'll still correct or edit it.

Is it weird to like reading what you write?

Life is crazy full these days. My brains went mush tonight. It was not cool. I had tons of assignments and couldn't focus on any of them. Now it's after midnight and I really should be in bed.

Tomorrow is going to be so full. Wake up, prayer at church, preparations for Mema's birthday dinner, put together picture board for SS class, at least do an outline on a flier for church, finish a reading assignment, get some semblance of order in my life... And yes, I'm crazy for staying up so late.

But now I can say I wrote today. Even if it is scrambled. You don't even have to attempt to chop this one apart if you don't want to. I have a good feeling that it's not very good since I already admitted to it being all over the place.

There. It felt good to write. Even if it didn't make much sense.

Good Knight, dear Red Inkers.