I hope quarantine is going well for you. If it isn't, don't feel bad. It's getting hard--but I'm praying we'll have strength to push through. This is saving doctors and healthcare workers and even people's lives.
Last week, I did a "Rain" photoshoot because it was after it rained. (This was with my family, so social distancing guidelines followed, haha). I hope you like the photos! Here are some of my favorite things about rain. 1. It sounds so pleasant drumming on the roof. 2. Clouds create a beautiful light diffuser when you're taking photos! (like I did, below). 3. Chocolate chip cookies on a rainy day are the best. 4. Rain waters plants, so we can eat! Yay! If you're feeling lonely or tired of isolation right now, I want to remind you that even the rain exists because God cares. This video has wonderful tips on feeling better. Listening to encouraging music, praying, journaling, baking, exercising, or even watching the rain are all ways to feel better. There are so many beautiful things you can create--because you are beautiful. 🌙 Priscilla
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This post is overdue. After looking at my posts on art, (and hopefully y’all are feeling inspired--if not, check out this post) I realized it might be time to share some boredom-busting, inspiring resources for your art. :D Mainly I'll be sharing my favorites for photography, writing and drawing, but do you have any you like? Comment and let me know!
For Photographers I’ve been blessed with a lot of resources. Here are some of the most helpful. Build and Bloom by Jessica Whitaker. Have I mentioned her before? She has a Facebook group, but I honestly learn a lot from her Youtube videos. If you’re new to photography, I recommend her channel. Shoot and Share. I literally just found out about this, but I’m so excited. Shoot and Share features contests for all kinds of photographic styles, from newborn to wedding photography. I can’t wait to explore more. Skillshare. Can’t recommend it enough. With your camera, gel pens and a notebook, you’re well on your way to improving your editing, composition, lighting, and whatever other skills you need to improve. My favorite classes are from Frank Wang, Aundre (Something) and (the guy who taught the travel photography class). Keep in mind that even courses on flat lay photography or travel photography--while it may not be your preferred style, can be very helpful. Your Library. Does your library have any books on photography? Read them. I cannot stress this enough. Journals and videos are nice, but almost all of what I’ve learned is from books. Magnum Photos. It's a gallery of classic photographers. You could analyze their work endlessly if you’re looking for inspiration on composition. I had to learn that even though composition rocks, you need a subject to make it a real image. This is Henri Cartier Bresson's, and Chien Che-Chang. Jessica Kobeissi is entertaining and inspiring. Check out her channel if you’re bored. Pinterest is nice, but don’t stop there. .... For Storytellers--this includes writers, gamers, or animators--anyone with a story to tell. NaNoWriMo is called National Novel Writing month and I’ve participated for years. It was instrumental in developing my story writing skills and helping me understand writing more. You can sign up for their events (Camp NaNo is going on now!) but most of all, it teaches the importance of solid, consistent writing habits. Every storyteller needs this. If you never work on your stories, they’ll go nowhere. So sign up for Nanowrimo and get writing! If you’re doing it in November, give me a holler--I am too. Go Teen Writers. This is an awesome Facebook group where people share their story ideas, start word wars, or provide advice on various writing probs. Lately, it’s started “Quarantine Events” which are really fun and, of course, boredom shattering. Finding other writer or storyteller friends keeps you on track. Realm Makers Consortium, one of my favorite groups I’ve ever joined. Also on Facebook, it is a community aimed at Christian writers and storytellers--which means it’s pretty friendly to manga artists, animators, and storytellers of different mediums--as long as you have a story to tell, this group is for you. Everyone has great discussions analyzing art, or what makes antagonists great. I love it. dndbeyond.com I have only just found out about today. However, it seems helpful for anyone who likes playing DND--or getting inspired about fictional worldbuilding. Inktober and Terrible Writing advice are two other resources--one for visual artists, the other for entertaining writing advice. :D What kind of art are you working on? Are there any resources you love? Until next time! Priscilla 🌙 I had to check my spelling for Renaissance because I haven't seen the word in a while. So if you haven't heard of this term before, here's what it means! Renaissance man is based on Leonardo Da Vinci. You know him as an artist, but did you know he also liked-- --invention, drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, paleontology, and cartography? Great diversity. Today it's rare to see subjects like math and English coexist, but if you take a lesson from Leonardo Da Vinci, a successful artist, you might want to look into another area far different than your artistic interest to improve. Here are three ways to start becoming a Renaissance man of your own. 1. Pay attention to everything. There's probably subjects you hate in school, right? Don't limit yourself by thinking, "Oh, I'll never be good at chemistry, so I'm not going to try." Don't do this! Renaissance Man Step #1 is: Pay attention to everything. Especially in school. Learning is a gift, and you never know what subject might inspire you. 2. Pick a subject you want to improve. And work on it. For me, it would definitely be math. Since visual and verbal storytelling is my primary language, I often overlook my mathematical and analytical side--but I care about it a lot. Did you know that math doesn't just help you solve cool problems, but helps you think? Life is a lot more manageable when you approach it analytically. Not to mention--maybe it sounds odd, but--when I'm in a "math mindset", I find that communicating comes easier for me. Math helps me isolate the variable--the message I'm trying to get across--and make sure all the words I'm saying amount to it. Quarantine time isn't just for catching up on hobbies, but maybe strengthening stuff you're bad at. 3. Figure out how it connects to your art. Here's some cool facts.
Happy Renaissaince-ing! priscilla 🌙 Phi, RNA to Amino Acid translator, and Capacitance equation. (images not mine). bonus: me cropping a picture I took to a simplified golden ratio--the rule of thirds!
If you're stuck in quarantine, I reccomend trying a skillshare free trial. You can sign up here. Second--I'm grateful to have learned a lot about photography this week and I can't wait to share it with you! Some tips I've learned from a photographer: 1. Tell a story through your photos. You've probably heard this before, but stories mean that you engage the viewer. You use composition not to describe, but raise questions about the situation. Good photos make viewers linger--and imagine stories inside their minds. The most important way to do this is knowing who or what your subject is--everything revolves around them. 2. Sometimes, the right way to do this is cutting off part of the picture the viewer wants to see. You can add mystery by not communicating the full story. 3. "Layers" contribute to the story of the photograph. When you're doing this, look for the unexpected. Is there something off? Something you aren't used to? Whether you're in Paris or a suburban neighborhood, it's the little oddities that make a picture unique and make the viewer ask questions. 4. But layers aren't random pieces of junk. Carefully align the layers (objects) so they have a clear relationship to the subject. 5. Using a limited color palette and repeating shape patterns draw the viewer's eye more than a mess of random colors. Remember, you're in control of the camera--whether it's a smartphone or DSLR. Here are some images I took incorporating these ideas. First one--adding layers. Second one: an experiment with angles. The picture cuts off, but behind the girl is a fence post that creates a V shape between the edge of the paper (a layer), her arm, and itself. Third one is an experiment with "cutting off" a part of her face to add some mystery. I will probably end up cropping it.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this update! Is there anything you're learning during quarantine? 🌙 priscilla Hello, everyone. Today I'm appreciating an unlikely hero: my kindle! If you have one of those, now is the time to use it. Reading books is a great way to spend extra time.
Secondly: besides unlikely heroes, I'm learning to practice an unlikely mindset. Which is? Remembering my plans aren’t the ultimate goal. Often, I measure how “good” or successful a day was by how much I checked off my to do list. That's nice, but it doesn't work all the time. How satisfying would it be when I break away from that mentality and live each day for God and whatever he puts in my path? Because God does everything for a reason. I’m not speaking as well as I wish, but see the way the kindle is next to all these other things--how all these cluttered things somehow form a harmony? That’s to symbolize how my priorities don’t measure goodness or success or happiness. It’s nice when we can have our way, but it’s best when we serve God’s commands and keep them at the front of our hearts. When we remember why we’re here. How we’re valued. What matters. Because what matters isn’t our to do list--it’s serving Jesus and loving others. His love, not our anxiety. Plans can be canceled, but not God's. Goals can fail, but not God's kingdom. |