It really was nice to unplug for a bit and try to refocus. I’m not saying that I have it all figured out, but I’m learning, day by day, it’s all a process.
Be on the lookout for some design changes. I’m excited about a new theme and trying to customize it. I’ll be heading out to California in about 10 days and I’m gonna ask my cousin (@RowdyKittens) if she’ll give me a Blogging 101 crash course (and maybe 201 if I get lucky;) while I’m out there.
I’ve decided to take a few days and unplug. What from? Well…just about everything. Mainly, media. No TV, movies, emails, facebook or twitter. Yes, I said twitter and yes, I know it’s gonna hurt. I’m even going to turn my iPhone off. It’s time for some peace and quiet. To cut out the distractions.
Why am I, the media girl, doing this? Well, honestly…I need change in my life. I get so distracted looking at what’s going on around me that I forget to look at what’s going on inside me. I put off helping myself because I want to help others. While that may seem like a noble thing, it’s not. Why? Well…because I’m hiding. I don’t want to see the broken person that I am on the inside. I don’t want to see that I don’t have it all together. I don’t want to deal with the pain that others have caused me. I’d rather put on a fake smile and pretend I’m fine.
But really…I’m tired of doing that.
So, I’m making the time for prayer and meditation. I’m seeking God for what He has for my life at this time. I want healing for those broken places. Clearing my mind of all the lies I’ve been told and filling it with Truth. No matter the cost.
Please be praying for me during this time. Especially on Saturday. Some friends are getting together with me for prayer. I am expecting great thing to come from this.
(I’m still doing Project: Today. Just finishing up day #10. Learning so much through it.)
Hope you all are doing well. I’ll catch you again Sunday…at the earliest.
Today, I learned a few things about myself. Kinda funny how certain situations cause people to reflect.
What did I learn?
I learned that I’m not a complete scatterbrain – I’m a lot more “with it” then I’ve given myself credit for.
I learned that I’m still optimistic about life – even though I thought stupid stuff happens.
I learned that I shouldn’t take common sense for granted – not everyone has it.
I learned that I still have a temper – but I can choose to fly off the handle or calm down.
I learned that I see things differently – what is painfully obvious to me, is not at all to someone else.
I learned how powerful encouragement is – as I encourage others, I get encouraged.
I learned I am exceedingly blessed – with family, friends, provision and opportunities.
Here’s a little story about that last one. Today, I signed paperwork to begin classes for my Adobe Certified Expert Ceritication. When I moved up here to Nashville I went back to school, majoring in Graphic Design. All I wanted to take was classes on Adobe’s Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash and all that good stuff. But, as with many colleges…there were all this other lameo classes that I had to take first.
Unfortunantely, my money for college ran out before I could get to the “good stuff. I started to try to wrap my mind around the idea that I would never get to take these classes and learn, I’d just have to teach myself. But here I am today, enrolled for classes that start Monday. And I’m not paying a dime.
I learned that I’m overwhelmed with gratitude – and that’s a good thing to be overwhelmed by.
Pleasantly surprised. That’s how I would describe today. It’s the first complete day that I’ve put the Project: Today into action. So…what did I do?
I went to the pool, enjoyed the sun and relaxed with a book. I sent the email I had been putting off for months. Decided on a travel schedule and sent off another email to get tickets squared away (yes, Tammy…I finally did my part . Finalized my move out date (from my current apt). Booked a concert photography job. Helped a friend with a photography studio idea. I even went to a camera club meeting that I’ve been too scared to go to before. All in one day. And really, that’s only a few things I completed.
The thing that sticks out the most to me, is I feel better, lighter, accomplished. Not exhausted. Not burnt out. Not falling face-first-into-my-pillow-tired. I feel satisfied.
More to come tomorrow. I need a little more time to process all the thoughts and ideas that are swirling in my head! Thanks for all your feedback and encouragement…keep it coming! I love hearing what you have to say! Right now, I am just in awe of the blessings in my life. 2 Months ago, I didn’t think this life was possible for me (ie – free time, my schedule, opportunities). But here I am, not knowing all the future holds and being totally ok with that.
Today is a new day. It’s June 1st. (Well… “technically” June 2nd, but I haven’t slept yet so I still claim it to be June 1st.) It’s a new beginning. A new season. A clean slate. It’s filled with fresh new opportunities and adventures waiting to be lived. What better time is there to start a new project?
Project: Today
What is that? Well, it’s simple really. I’m a procrastinator. Big time. No, really…I put off things for months, years even. But that’s not who I want to be. So, after trying to read all sorts of self-help, organize-your-life, motivational, challenge-filled, change-your-life-now books…I’m gonna do something different. I’m actually going to DO something. I’m going to do something TODAY.
Basically, instead of putting things off – I do what I can today. I clean my room, today. I edit those photos, today. I go to the pool, today. I make the hard phone call, today.
Now…don’t get me wrong. I’m not turning into some crazy, legalistic machine. I just want to develop an environment for me to be free and creative. To not be “weighed down” by the cares of all the things I’ve left undone. I want to live light and lean (in more ways then one). To be functioning at my full potential, so that I can actually be of use to other people.
I’m planning for this to be a one month project. After one month, I hope it’s a habit.
Anyone want to join in? Or is this already a way of life for you?
Posted by SimplyAubs on May 29, 2009 in Photography
You should feel special. Why? Well…just because you’re you. But also, you’ll be the first to see this sneak peak of the photos I took today at the studio. Ok…so you’ll only get to look at one, but hey it’s a start.
I’m not a morning person. Not even by a long shot. 7:30am is early. Very early. Yet that’s when I received a phone call this morning.
I’ll admit it…at first I sent the unknown, interrupter of my beauty sleep to voice mail. Even when they called back, I tried to do the same thing…except I accidentally pressed the wrong part of my iPhone screen and answered it. I could hear someone on the other end saying, “hello…helloooo…?” Oops. Then while trying to hang up real quick, I couldn’t quite comprehend what was going on. (Have I mentioned that I’m not a morning person…and am almost completely incoherent when I wake up?) So, while trying to sound wide awake, said “helllooo?”
From the other end came this cheery, loud morning wake up song. (Don’t ask me what it was…I totally can’t remember.) I struggled through the song and tried to figure out what was going on. Then finally the voice said something I could understand. “Aubrey, get up…I have an amazing opportunity for you.” (one eye opens up) “Do you want to come to Curb Studio in Nashville and shoot some photos.” (other eye opens up) “So-and-so (famous music producer) should be there and we’ll also introduce you to so-and-so (famous) and so-and-so (super famous).” By now I’m sitting up in bed. I didn’t need to hear anything else. “I’ll be there!”
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that although living in Nashville for almost 2 years, I don’t know my way around music row. I passed the recording studio 4 times before finally getting in touch with the beauty sleep interrupter and getting directions. Once inside…I was like a kid in a candy store. Eyes and mouth wide open. Pure awesomeness! (Have I mentioned that I’m a musician too?) The music equiptment was amazing and the recording equiptment was straight out of my dreams. I think I might have even drooled a little bit.
Everyone there was super nice. I find that I’m always more creative when I feel comfortable in an environment. They sure provided that. The only problem? I realized very quickly the limitations of the equiptment I have. Don’t get me wrong, I have a great camera, but I learned that recording studios can be dark. It’s hard to take pictures in the dark with no flash. Especially when the subjects are moving around really fast. So…I didn’t get very many good, usable pictures today. Thankfully, I have a few more days to research and find the best way of making due with what I have. Awesome!
As I think back over the day, I can’t help but laugh. When I went to bed last night (ok, it was this morning at 3:30am), I had nothing on my schedule. I was going to sleep in late and enjoy a day of nothing. The phone call came first. Then someone twittered me about lunch. Next came an email for a tea time talk. Followed by a text asking about dinner. And finally an after dinner photo editing time with a friend.
What a day! But you know what? I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m so thankful and fortunate to have this amazing opportunity of life. Time for friends. Conversations with strangers. Crazy, busy “unscheduled” days. A chance to learn and grow…day by day. What can I say? This is awesome! Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Life is such a precious gift.
I had an amazing opportunity this weekend. I was interview by a LA Times reporter.
Now let me start about by saying…never in my WILDEST dreams did I think anything like that would happen to me. I mean, seriously. I’m just a small town Florida beach girl living in Tennessee. So, saying that I was shocked when she contacted me, is an understatement. I actually thought it was a joke. So naturally, I went online to check out her credentials. Sure enough, she was legit.
So…how did she find me? Through Twitter. Yup, that’s right. The very thing that so many of my friends (irl) make fun of me for. I am a passionate evangelist for Twitter, and now this only makes my case stronger. It’s a powerful networking tool. Period.
Ok, enough of all that. Why did she contact me? Well…she’s doing a story on people who are unemployed and making the most of it. In some of my tweets (Twitter “posts” for all you non-twitterers) I made reference to finally having time for friends and family. Being free to have coffee and great conversations with friends. Learning new things. Instead of calling it unemployment, I called it “funemployment.” And that’s what caught her attention.
Funemployment
(Gotta say…thanks Natalie Dee for this image and idea)
While chatting with her, she told me I’m not alone in the many things that I am experiencing. Such as learning to live with less, feeling like I have more freedom, my health improving due to less stress and actually wanting to be intentional about helping those less fortunate then myself. Also, placing greater value on my relationships. My friends and family are way more important then a job.
More then anything, I felt the interview motivated me. It caused me to reflect on how my perspective has changed in this relatively short time (almost 2 months). What are my priorities? What do I want to do? What do I want to be known for? What can I do to help those around me? I can choose to be positive or negative. I can choose to see opportunity or failure. I can choose help or hurt. It’s my choice. My future is laid out…one choice at a time.
I have realized how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family (both immediate and extended -to me it’s all the same). I have a wonderful Church family. A big eye opener to me, has been my friends who I have met online. They have been there for me with words of encouragement, prayer and a listening ear. They take time to check in on me, even if it’s just a quick message. I don’t care what anyone says…online community can be more real then those we encounter in our daily lives. For that, I am truly thankful.
I’ll keep you all updated and let you know when the story runs.
Enough about me. What about you? What opportunities have you had lately?
Yesterday, I jumped in on a challenge issued by Josh White (twitter @joshuawhite )to take 100 pictures on my cell phone. I didn’t realize how hard it would be, but I had a ton of fun. The freedom to just take random pictures was amazing! Even though I didn’t make it to 100 pictures (only 50), I still feel like I accomplished something.
Here’s a little slide show of the results.
P.S. Make sure you check out Josh’s photography. The boy is stinkin amazing!
