creation of the day

Just for fun, in an attempt to inspire myself, and keep my audience entertained :) Happy Friday! Here's to whats sure to be a great, wet weekend.

dear blog:

Blog, I've failed you.


Before you accuse me of making excuses, hear me out. This has been the MOST EXCITING CHRISTMAS OF MY LIFE!!!

 

  

And I promise to give my audience some new creative stuff soon. Its a new year and I'm inspired!! Now I need only find the time...

Christmas In Abbotsford

Tips for gettin yo creative on!

More accurately titled: "how Laura gets her creative on!"

Step 1: Get Inspired!
or get yourself inspired--achieved in any number of ways.
Step 1a-forget about everything else you planned to do.

Step 2: Turn on the music!
The latest thing that has you boppin and snappin should be at least moderately loud.  
(currently Rascal Flatts (yeah...i know) or Greg Laswell)

Step 3: Clean up the floor  
(for reasons beyond me, I love creating while sitting on the floor)


Step 4: Gather supplies.
Get more than you think you need because your direction might change mid-creating.
For this project I grabbed my "favorite fabrics" bag, buttons, and jar of lace/ribbon. Oh and pin cushion.

Step 5: CREATE!

 

In the end I've got more fabric decorative "things" that I need to find a use for. But these, I think, look really cute with my twine balls and make great decorative elements. If only I had enough room to display all the funky things I make...oh well! Its more about the process anyways.

Step 5: 

Blog about your enjoyable creating experience.

Step 6:  

Eat dinner, laugh and talk with your family and wonderful boyfriend, and then go celebrate 13 months with afore mentioned gentleman with a cup of gourmet coffee and perhaps some cheesecake.

Insights Magazine Goes Digital! ...a month ago...

I can't believe I havn't shared this yet! Insights Magazine has gone Digital! Each new monthly issue will be available for online viewing on our website. The November issue is probably my favorite so far, and the upcoming December issue warms my heart with Christmas cheer, so stay tuned for its launch!

The topic of this issue was a challenge to portray: sexual abuse and suffering. I needed to find images that conveyed the brokenness of these issues but weren't overly graphic or too depressing.

This cover photo has probably stolen the top spot in the lists of portraits I've taken, and is probably one of my favorite overall. It definitely stands out in my stack of magazines!

While I don't take all of the photos in the magazine (we use some stock, when they fit the article so perfectly, or its an image I just cant possibly capture with my timeline and resources), here are a few others from this issue:

 

This photo was taken with my good friend Jasmine (you may recognize her from her engagement/wedding shoots) in a back alley in downtown Abbotsford. I brought a bucket of ashes from my fireplace at home and she obligingly rubbed it all over her arms. While I originally intended to create a shot of hands covered in ashes (symbolic of dealing with suffering/carrying burdens), this image ended up stealing the show. It accomplished conveying the feeling and mood of the article much more effectively than other closer-cropped images, even though the ashes are not immediately recognizable.

 

For this article about bullying in the church, we took a more humourous approach to lighten the seriousness of the issue.

Insights went Digital! ...like a month ago.

I can't believe I forgot to share this! Insights Magazine went digital last month for the first time! From now on, every issue will be available for viewing on our website (http://www.insightforliving.ca/digital-magazine). The November issue is my favorite so far (as usual) and the upcoming December issue warms my heart.