Be Kind. Be Different. Be You.

Last year I wrote Photography Recap posts each month to meet a goal I had set at the beginning of the year. I wanted to take more pictures, and writing those posts helped me achieve that goal. Throughout the year I realized that I really do enjoy putting into words my weeks. So, I began brainstorming on different ways I could improve the series and what I wanted to see from it.

First off, I knew I wanted a new title. The original title was too generic. Too logical. But what did I actually want to call this. I wasn’t sure. I thought about this quite a bit opted for a motto of words per say. What I want to live my life by. Be Kind. Be different. Be you. And bam, new title.

Secondly, although I love photographs, I wanted to incorporate more words into the post. More story and more of my actions each month. Creativity to me is an ongoing process. For now, I have come up with a few areas I know I want to write about each month. Areas that I find interesting and inspirational and are included in my everyday life. As to how I will incorporate photography, I’m not sure if I have thought one quite figured out yet. We will have to see what unfolds throughout the next few months and this series.

With all that being said, I introduce to you my updated monthly series. I hope you enjoy!

January 2016

A Few Kind Words. 

First off, I have to say THANK YOU for the sweet comments and amazing feedback I received from my last post! Feel the Love came about because of a topic emailed to me by BloomNation. As a blogger, occasionally you will receive emails asking you to write about specific topics so that businesses can use your writing on social media to market their products or services. This isn’t the first time I have received emails like this. When this happens I usually research the company or organization to find out more about them. Sometimes I have history with them. And sometimes I don’t. Either way, before writing any posts I make sure that the topics fit with me and my writing style and what I stand for. And if everything feels good, I write.

When I saw the topic of “my thoughts on love”, I was a little nervous. Love is interpreted so differently by people, and it isn’t easy to necessarily put the love concept into words. But, I enjoy a good challenge. So, I said yes to writing the post and began brainstorming. From there the post was written.

I’m so thankful that creatively I was able to put something like that together. Thank you for reading and following along and sharing your thoughts! It is because of you that post was a success!

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Point and Shoot. 

Because photography is something I love, I want to share with y’all any knowledge I can especially if you are interested in it as well. Each month I will share with you some tips and tricks that I found helpful.

The Collect App. This app is great if you completing a photo-a-day type of project. It allows you to keep track of your photos daily, jot down a few words from that day, and keeps them together see you can see how you are performing throughout the month. I downloaded this app in hopes I could complete a photo-a-day. Unfortunately, I am not there YET. I am about half-way to photographing a full month.

Here is how my January turned out:

My goal this year is to begin shooting more photographs each day with capturing more every day moments. Specifically at least 10 photographs a month (which is an increase from last year’s number). Hopefully, I will figure out how to make that happen.

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On My Nightstand.  

If it was up to me, I would read books every single day. Actually, for the most part I try really hard to get a few minutes in each day of reading. I just love it. It is my way of relaxing. I mean, getting lost in words and imagination and seeing life differently, sign me up. And writing I believe goes hand-in-hand with reading. There is something between the two. I’m not quite sure how to explain it, but there is something there. Because I enjoy writing, I read.

Here is what sat beside me on my nightstand in January:

The Finishing School by Valerie Woerner. I am a huge advocate for supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs around Louisiana. Being born and raised here, it is exciting to see those around you succeed. That was my motivation with purchasing this book because Val is based out of Lafayette, Louisiana. In addition to the local aspect, this was a great book to read at the beginning of the year because each chapter is based on incorporating better habits into your life. I chose to read the book in a few days. However, you can also read one chapter each week and easily incorporate the “lessons” in your every day.

Go Set A Watchmen by Harper Lee. Let me begin by saying this book is not To Kill A Mockingbird (and I was a huge fan of that one). It may have the same characters, but they have developed and changed throughout the years. This book had quite a bit controversy when it was originally published (mainly between the author and publishing company), but I preferred to stay clear of those issues and read it. Overall, it was an interesting read and the lesson behind it is applicable to almost everyone.

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Louisiana Love.

It is full on Mardi Gras season over here. Even weeks before Fat Tuesday makes her appearance, our state is full on prepping for that week with Mardi Gras balls and float loading days and everything else in between beforehand.

This year I was able to attend the Endymion Coronation Ball on January 9th in New Orleans. It was my first time attending and I had a blast – the band was great and it was overall a fun night! My  mother is part of the the Krewe of Galatea in Morgan City. On January 23rd, I attended their Mardi Gras Ball where the krewe entertained, announced their king and queen, and celebrated another successful show. Each time that I attended their event I have always had an enjoyable night!

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Give Me Five.

Have you ever heard the saying “Gratitude changes everything”? The concept behind it is you should be thankful and find the good in everything. Depending on the situation that may be harder than you think. Around November of last year, I really decided to give into this idea and began writing a few thoughts of gratitude each week. I thought to myself if gratitude changes everything, then sure I am open for a little change. Let’s see what you got. I am now actually around an every-other-day of writing gratitude thoughts. It is easy for the few days. Especially when the days are fun and lighthearted. And then you hit one of those days. You know which kind of days I am talking about. Everything goes wrong. Exhaustion enters. And you are waving the white flag before 9:00 a.m. Try thinking gratitude thoughts then. And that is where I found the purpose behind it. It really can change your mindset. Five seems to be the magic number when I write these, and that is how this section got it’s name.

Because it made a difference with me, I wanted to share a few of my thoughts with you.

January 1st: I am thankful for my story – my experiences, my people, my memories. I am thankful for the different ways I have been able to use my life as inspiration. I am grateful for all the happened last year, and I am grateful for all that will happen this year.

January 9th: I am thankful I get to place “dress up” tonight. It is not often I get to throw on a ball gown and feel this beautiful. But when I do, I really enjoy it.

January 18th: I am thankful for a holiday and a day off and extra time to relax and do nothing. I am thankful I spent time with my family and was able to use this time to laugh and have fun.

January 25th: I am thankful for a home-cooked meal.

January 30th: I am thankful for the moving and selling process. I am thankful a buyer was found and overall how smooth the process has been. I am thankful for a closing date and smooth transition whenever that happens in the future.

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So, what do we think y’all? Enjoying the new layout and concept and topics? I would love to hear your feedback! If you have never commented before, don’t be shy! Feel free to leave a few words and let this post be the one that connects you!

XOXO – Ashley