Black Ink Writinga space for discussion |
Dear Reader, It has been a while since we last communicated and oh how I’ve missed you. Two years have gone by and I feel as though I’ve neglected a beloved friend. You were my confidant; always there to bear witness to my stories, ideas, and art. I can’t change the fact that we’ve lost time, but I can vow to do better. I promise to never leave you hanging again, as this connection we have is not for leisure but for necessity. If you can find it in your heart to forgive, I would like to begin again. Starting with a tale of a young adult reclaiming her twenties: I’m humbled to say I’ve traveled a multitude of times these past couple of years and have viewed the most extraordinary scenes in nature. Picture this, waking up early to make our way to the Oregon coast and explore sea caves. A steep wooden staircase leads you down to beaches whose waves retreat once a day to expose sea life. There are shells, coral, and tunnels carved by water. The sun is just beginning to rise, and the sand is cool under your feet. The cliffs make you feel small, but also being in this moment makes you feel on top of the world… Another great memory was when I took a ferry from Burlington, Vermont to upstate New York for a day trip. I spent hours exploring Lake Placid and the autumn landscapes. At 6:00pm the clock struck, and I could have sworn we would miss our ride back on the ferry. However, we were just in time and destiny was on our side. Standing on the boat deck, it was like a magical switch had been clicked and suddenly the sky went from faded blue to the brightest bursts of pink, purple, and orange. Painted from one side of Lake Champlain to the other side was the most spectacular sunset. There were no city lights, skyscrapers, or pollution blocking the view and when I tried to capture it in video, the colors were so vivid that it didn’t seem real. I’ll be chasing sunsets like that for the rest of my life… I remember driving through the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina hoping to look out from the peak of Mount Mitchell. However, when we reached the top, we were consumed by fog from a heavy summer shower. The air was so thick it could have been confused for wildfire smoke, if not for my soaked jacket. I hate being caught in rain and yet the fog provided a mystical ambience that would’ve been a waste to avoid. Visibility was down to mere feet, everything was gray, and I never forgot that experience... I also took my first solo trip to see Savannah, Georgia. I was told it was a walkable city (if you can survive the humidity). The cobblestone streets and colonial houses were preserved from the early days of our nation. Headstones from the 1700s can be found in Colonial Park Cemetery, which is equally grand with its iron fence as it is grim with its history. I was inspired by this trip to solo travel more, so I later visited Boston, Massachusetts. There I surveyed plenty of cafes, libraries, and art galleries. I also revitalized my spirit by spending many lazy days floating in the calm waters of Madeira Beach, Florida. Waves lightly massaging my body, Lorde’s Solar Power album blasting from my waterproof bag, and the sun caramelizing my skin - is it weird to call that perfect? Let me know. I’m proud to share that I was able to pay off my student loans during this time. I’ve always believed education is an important part of interacting with the world and that we shouldn’t be punished for wanting to know more. I’m blessed to have learned from scholars, but also want to shout-out the community members and friends who have taught me many a lesson. The college debt may be taken off my shoulders, but I will always owe you for opening my eyes. I’m also proud to share that I’ve taken a chance and moved to a new state. I’m taking a 5-month sabbatical in Nashville, Tennessee. It is partly a test to see if I like the community and, also just a test to see if I can survive on my own. I don’t know anyone from here, so while I work on building those relationships, I will also be reconnecting with my passion for the arts. I feel a creative renaissance brewing within, and I think it's time to let it shine.
Now, it would not be fair for me to share the joys without acknowledging the lows. I’ve heard people through the grapevine call me green for not experiencing life in the traditional way. Truthfully, I cannot understand this. How can one be unpracticed when having achieved what many do not have the privilege to. It is no secret that being able to see new parts of the world, land a “dream” job, up and start a new adventure whenever the heart begs is not guaranteed for everyone. Just as finding true love, building a chosen family, and locating a place that feels like home is not guaranteed. This is a gut-wrenching but truthful fact of life. I think people that speak of others being green are letting their own insecurities come out. I wish they would realize that being human isn’t one fixed thing. We don’t have to go through the same suffering to know what pain is. We don’t have to secure the same goals to recognize pleasure. Being vocal or visible does not equal understanding. My torments, learnings, and destinies are mine alone. Being conscious of our differences and still building connections is what makes us whole. And friend, I think there is beauty in that fact of life. I know you are busy and that this letter has run longer than intended, so I will leave you with a thought I’ve been pondering. I entered this world on December 21st. I used to think being born on the “shortest” and darkest day of the year was just another cruel, sick joke that the world played on me. But I've now realized it is a reminder of clarity. That even though there's a consistent 24 hours in each day, moments are incredibly fleeting. It is our job to be brave and seize these moments even if our heart is fluttering and hands are shaking. Time - it moves on. We must remember we can have a say in how it does so. With Gratitude, Olivia Farley, Age 25 In the first blog post of this year, I shared my plans to call 2021 the year of strength or rather strengthening. I wanted to focus on three areas – to strengthen my mind, my body, and my heart. I took more time to affirm my convictions, repel self-doubt, and to push myself to keep chasing my dreams. That dedication brought me to where I will be starting 2022 off and why I plan to call it the year of risks and opportunities. Things that I could only dream of are falling into place in my life and with that comes some hesitation around whether it is too good to be true. What if this dream turns into a nightmare? Or what if I fail? I’ve learned the lesson, though, that you can’t live in a world of what ifs. You can only live in the here and now and be thankful for every moment. With that in mind, I’m ready to take the risk of the dream not being perfect in order to say at least I tried. In 2022, I will be starting two great adventures. One will be stepping into a new full-time job that hits all the marks of being my dream job. This position is centered in the events/entertainment industry, with a small company/start up, it has a very strong community and justice orientated business model, and it is 80% remote! This position also allows me more flexibility to keep growing Black Ink Rising, take on other projects, and be supported by other entrepreneurs. I look forward to building and learning from my new coworkers while also enjoying the benefits that come with working remotely. This brings us to my second great adventure in 2022 – I will be embarking on a journey to visit all 50 states in the United States! So far, I have been all over the Midwest and Western part of the U.S. I have 27 states left to visit and am organizing my travels as weekend getaways. I want to spend enough time in each place to get a true feel of the area and that requires more than a day trip. Below is a map of the states I’m still looking to conquer. Technically, I’ve been to New Mexico and Virginia before but they were very brief stops. I’ve driven through the northern remote part of New Mexico a few times when going to Lake Powell and gotten out of the car at the Four Corner’s Monument. This monument is the only place where four state borders touch and it has a marker where you can touch all of the states at the same time. This is a cool thing to check off of the bucket list, but I don’t feel comfortable using that experience as reason enough to say I’ve really been to the state. Similarly, I’ve been to Arlington National Cemetery and Mount Vernon in Virginia, which are two of the major landmarks there, but those are the only activities I did. It was literally get off the tour bus and walk around the historical sites and then keep moving. We didn’t eat anywhere or visit any of the cities, so I don’t feel like I got a true sense of what Virginia is like. Other Updates:
While I’ve enjoyed sitting down to write every week, I have a goal to transition from blogging to vlogging. I already enjoy being behind the camera and know digital media is the way forward. Beginning in 2022, Black Ink Writing will move to a schedule of publishing two new posts per month to accommodate my travel and give me time to compose in-depth content. One will be an opinion piece, music review, or lifestyle piece and the other will be a travel post. Both posts will involve more video elements than before and you can catch behind the scenes content on our Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube pages. That's all for now folks - it will be an exciting time of growth for our Black Ink community and an adventure to remember! What are you looking forward to in 2022? Black Ink Rising's Film division has grown to be my favorite part of the brand and where I feel most excited about spending my time. I love designing concepts for photoshoots and being in front of and behind the lens. This year I feel like I didn't do as many photoshoots as I could have, but I feel like I've grown in what my aesthetic is and the quality of work. Below are my favorite photos from 2021 and anecdotes about what my photography experience has been like this year! *The photos are organized as a gallery view. Please click on them to open the full photo*. I travelled to California, Florida, Arizona and Colorado where I got to capture some beautiful street photography and landscapes. Not only were the unique buildings fun to photograph, but it also put my skills to the test to work with the different weather environments. Florida's humidity was a force to be reckoned with, as was the sudden rain in San Diego. I experimented with my editing style and dove into moodier styles. I'm a fan of making my street photography look digitized and less exactly what it looked like in person. I pushed myself to be more creative with my portraits and not be afraid to plan more extravagant photoshoots. I started using backdrops, light kits, and taking props out into the community. I have a goal to get more into fashion photography and just need to continue building my confidence with modeling and capturing photos that use more creative risk. I learned the hard way that not every photoshoot turns on how you want it to. Part of the reason I went to Arizona this year was because I had a vision of a cheetah/desert freedom shoot. I like the way the red and orange landscape complements my skin tone and was building up the trip in my mind for weeks. Fast forward to the day of the photoshoot, we were driving from Arizona to Utah and kept passing potential shoot locations in hope that there was a better one around the bend. We then hit an area of Utah that transitioned from red rocks to forests and I broke down in tears as the realization that we may have lost the opportunity for the shoot. Luckily, my family turned the car around and we went back to the last location we saw the desert landscape. We spent about 45 minutes in the 90+ degree afternoon weather taking photos which soothed my mood, but the good news only lasted until that night when I checked the photos on my laptop. Turns out in my fury of emotions I forgot to check the cameras settings before handing them off and the automatic focus was switched off. So every photo we had taken was blurry and could barely be helped with editing. I know now that I need to remain calm when things go awry with my photoshoots and no matter what, double and triple check the camera settings before beginning. I hope to travel back to the desert this year to redo this photoshoot and get it right. My other goal for the next year is to truly start taking photos for clients and begin making money from my photography. I'm so appreciative of my family for helping me build Black Ink Rising and help with my photoshoots, but it's time to take the next step and grow my network with those actually involved in the creative field. I want to collaborate with other photographers and models and build a community of creatives.
It’s that time of year again when music lovers receive recaps of their most listened to artists and songs. Sometimes these lists have surprises and other times listeners can predict exactly who made it. I spent 64, 441 minutes listening this year, which is down from my previous years but still more than 95% of listeners in the United States! Spotify also described my listening aura as wistful and confident, which I think sums up my mindset since this pandemic began. The music you listen to is literally the soundtrack to your life and while I’ve felt extremely confident in some areas this past year, I’ve also felt some regrets for what could have been. I know I’m not alone with these feelings either as so many people have experienced unprecedented amounts of change. Music has helped a lot of us get through it, though, and that is what we are celebrating today. My most listened to artists in 2021 were:
In general, this list of artists comes as no surprise because these are some of my favorite songwriters of all time. I’ve written numerous album reviews for them and even included their works on my list of “Music projects I can listen to all the way through”. In some ways, it seems I’ve regressed back to my freshman/sophomore year of high school because all top 5 of my artists really grew in popularity and are considered icons from the era. There is no arguing that they are still younger adults, but it is fair to call them seasoned vets at this point. My most listened to songs were:
It’s funny that Best Friend was my number one song because I wouldn’t say that was my favorite song of the year, but rather that it was a perfect workout hit. I found Ryan Bingham through the television show “Yellowstone”, which is full of modern cowboyism. I grew up listening to Bruce Springsteen through my mother, but I had never heard I’m On Fire until this year. The song came across my radar through a Twitter thread about songs that haven’t aged well. The thread included a debate about whether or not Springsteen’s use of “little girl” in the lyrics was inappropriately referencing predatory relationships or common slang for the times. There was pretty much a split between Gen Z and Millennials arguing it was inappropriate and Gen X’ers saying that was what adults called their significant others back then. I fall on the side that I don’t think Springsteen was talking about an actual child when he wrote the song, but rather had some misogyny from the times leaking into his lyrics. Women in the 80’s, no matter their age, were still looked at as dainty and dependent. Either way, I was a fan of the song this year and I’m open to hearing debates surrounding music. My top genres were:
As you can see, there is some diversity in the genre’s I listen to between Pop, Rap, and Country; but one vibe continues to ring true and that is that I’m a sucker for popular music. I listen to a lot of radio hits and commercially successful artists and I think I’m ready to own the fact I’m basic. There I said it. I’m basic! Who were your tops artists of this year according to your listening habits? Leave a comment below and let’s grow our music catalog! It is a little over two weeks until we hit the time of giving, receiving, and opening presents. Sometimes it is easy to decide what to get others and sometimes it can be really difficult. You may have known the person for so long that you’ve bought them a lot of their wants or maybe you are tasked with secret santa at work. Whatever the case may be, many of you may be having a hard time figuring out what gifts to buy when you should just leave it to experts! Today’s blog post shares four outstanding companies who’ve made it their jobs to organize the best gift items as well as made a commitment to supporting small businesses. POC Box – “Discover our unique collection of POC gift boxes curated with only BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and Womxn-owned products.” This company offers pre-curated gifts boxes in categories of self-care, cocktail kits, coffee and tea, cooking, and corporate settings. This is perfect for those that do not have a lot of time to spend researching products and building a gift box. You can simply choose from the many options in their shop and know you are supporting an equitable company. Giften Market – “We support artisan studios, small batch makers, and emerging and underrepresented entrepreneurs. Each of our products fall into one or more of the following categories: Unique, Not-on-Amazon, Emerging Entrepreneur, Underrepresented Entrepreneur, Handmade, Ethically Made, Eco-Friendly, Organic, or Charitable.” This Minnesota and women-owned business also offers pre-curated gift boxes but the kicker is patrons also have the option to custom create their own boxes. So say you know you want to support small businesses and you know what items you want in the box, but don’t have time to research and visit multiple stores – Giften Market is the perfect company to utilize for gift giving. Some of the more unique options that this company offers are new baby and new mom, pet, and gardening focused gift boxes. What I like so much about Giften Market is that they support new entrepreneurs. These are people still early in their business endeavors and may not have a large following, but are organized and dedicated to building their brand. The MN Blacklist - Now you can’t order items directly from the MN Blacklist website, but it is a directory of black-owned businesses in the state. They cover a range of categories from restaurants, to entertainment, event planning, and even health services. Frequently POC have wished they could support economic development in their communities or that they could find people that look like them in higher elevated professions like medical offices and now you can. MN Black Market – “The MN Black Market’s mission is to assist in closing the wealth gap in Minnesota and increase the development of black economics by providing a unique experience where community may eat, shop, gather and learn about the multitude of services and products available from the black community. “ Similar to the MN Blacklist, the MN Black Market is not a place you can order items online, but you can visit in person to shop. The market is hosted on the second Saturday of every month and visitors can shop, learn about community programs, eat food, and enjoy live entertainment. The event is operated by the creators of the MN Blacklist and vendors can register to participate through either website. There you have it folks - four great resources for help narrowing down what gifts you should give this year. There are a range of price options and this is a great way to support your local community. Have you shopped from small business lately? Do you have a favorite small business or BIPOC owned product? Leave a comment below and help us grow our resource list! This week Adele made her grand return after a six-year hiatus from the music scene. Her latest album, “30”, is full of sultry and candid hits that match the new aura she has. The lyrics show a transparency that hasn’t been seen before and Adele details all of the changes that have happened in recent years. If you are ready to be taken on an emotional ride or looking for lyrics that “just understand” the human experience, listen to “30”. Below is our review of the album: This is the first time Adele directly addresses motherhood on an album. In her song My Little Love she reflects on who she is as a mother, which isn’t a “perfect” person. She admits she has a lot to learn about herself, that she feels emotions like being anxious and stressed, and that she still loves her son even if she doesn’t love the father like she once did. This track contains recordings of conversations with her son, which makes it one of the most personal tracks that Adele has ever released. The album also contains a few faster paced songs where Adele reclaims her worth. On Oh My God, Adele takes control of her life by singing “I don’t have to explain myself to you / I am a grown woman and I do what I want to do”. In Can I Get It, Adele talks about no longer participating in casual dating and only making time for people that are serious about building a lasting relationship. The pre-chorus sums this up perfectly as she sings: I have promised I will love you 'til the end of time Through it all, the good, the bad, the ugly and divine I will be the melody, the rhythm, and your rhyme All I want is for you to be mine, mine I Drink Wine is a lighthearted song that pokes fun at how people get obsessed with their image and how outsiders view them even when they have a loved one that thinks they are amazing. Adele sings, “I hope I learn to get over myself / stop trying to be someone else”. She’s warning listeners not to get caught up on people outside of your circle and to be sure you treat the ones within your circle right. The 10th and 11th tracks on the album contain the heartfelt vibe that Adele is well known for. They use less production elements and her powerful vocals are accompanied by a restrained piano instrumental. In Hold On, Adele discusses feeling chaos internally and trying to find oneself while also yearning for love. It is a delicate balance that she sums up by realizing, “sometimes loneliness is the only rest we get / And the emptiness actually lets us forget.” In To Be Loved, Adele discussing divorce by saying “Let it be known that I will choose to lose / It’s a sacrifice, but I can’t live a lie / Let it be known that I tried”. She will bear the burden of being responsible for stepping back from the relationship if it brings her happiness in the end. My favorite songs are I Drink Wine and To Be Loved. What do you think of “30” by Adele? Ed Sheeran is one of the few celebrities that epitomizes the saying “be humble and make moves in silence”. He rarely posts on social media and noteably takes breaks from stardom to enjoy his personal time. Sheeran made his return to the spotlight this November by releasing his fifth studio album “=”. Fans are ecstatic to dive deeper into his world, especially as all the life changes that have occurred since his last project in 2019. See below for our review: Sheeran has a knack for penning radio hits and has been credited for writing for One Direction, Justin Bieber, Little Mix, and BTS. His two singles from this album were no different, with Bad Habits and Shivers receiving significant radio play upon their release. Both of these songs are catchy with pulsating instrumentals that are reflective of the 80s/disco renaissance that is happening in Pop music right now. The third song that fits into the category of conventional Pop is 2step. While this song was not released as a single, it resembles today’s Pop music with an 808 beat and a melody that mixes rap and singing flows. Sheeran has been known to have a rap persona that he dabbles with in at least one song on every album. If you are up for the mini challenge, you can try to find them. A lot of Sheeran’s most popular songs are slow love ballads, which he surprisingly steers away from on this album. Most of the songs on “=” are fast paced with high production. The song, First Times, however is the one ballad that made the cut and it lives up to the heartfelt feeling fans expect. The lyrics detail how Sheeran remembers “The first kiss, first night, first song that made you cry” moments with his current partner. They’ve been building a life together that consists of many firsts like getting married in 2019 and having their first child in 2020. Sheeran also has a couple other cute songs dedicated to his loved ones on the album. Visiting Hoursis in reference to his close friend that passed in 2020. It intimately shares Sheeran’s wish that they could still communicate with each other and that the friend could see his daughter grow up. Sheeran sings “Can we just talk a while until my worries disappear? / I'd tell you that I'm scared of turning out a failure / You'd say, ‘Remember that the answer's in the love that we create.’” Sheeran continues this intimacy in the song Sandman which is a playful lullaby written for his child. The lyrics talk about the parent’s excitement in preparing for the child’s arrival and then how sweet babies look when they’re dreaming as they sleep. The tone reflects that Sheeran and his wife hope innocence and happiness surround their child. Final Thoughts? Ed Sheeran continues to prove he is a strong songwriter with this album, though I don’t think this is the best project that he has released. I personally think the “Divide” and “No. 6 Collaborations Project” albums showcase his best work. Sheeran dove a little more into a fast paced, Pop feel on this album, but heartfelt ballads is really where he shines. I’ve come to realize I am a bigger fan of Sheeran’s music than I let on before and will continue to revisit his music time and time again. People are spending today dressing up, gathering with friends and family, and hitting the streets to trick or treat. In Northern states, October often marks the last few days of warm Fall weather to enjoy. This mixture of events makes for a wonderful way to spend the holiday. In honor of this spooky day, we are taking a moment to dive into the “darker” side of the holiday by sharing our deepest fears. Costume Characters The viral videos of young children being scared by costume characters comes around every October. I was no different than these squealing kids, as I was also not a fan of the creepy ensembles growing up. I actually wasn’t a fan of any adult wearing mascot attire. It didn’t matter if it was the school mascot or a company mascot, I wouldn’t go near them. One of these instances that is engrained in my memory is from elementary school. My school was having a holiday event and it was sponsored by Culver’s restaurant. They brought food, games, and of course, their mascot which was a pudgy vanilla ice cream cone. As non-threatening as the garment was, I was not having it and tightly held my parent’s hand whenever they came into my sight. Now, as an adult, I may not run away from these paid costume wearers, but I still get an uneasy feeling when they are nearby. Spiders Arachnophobia is one of the more common types of phobias with sufferers having an extreme fear of spiders and other arachnids. Medical professionals believe this fear starts in childhood, which I believe to be true for myself. There were two instances in my childhood I distinctly remember being the catalyst for my fear. The first came during a game of hide and seek with my daycare provider’s kid. Her daughter was hiding under a pile of blankets when I found her and as I lifted the covers off the toddler’s head a large spider was between her eyebrows. What made this experience even more terrifying was that the daughter didn’t even notice and was laughing manically (the way little kids do) because I had found her. The second instance came from recess at elementary school. The brick wall of our building frequently had daddy-longlegs crawling on them and some students would pull the legs off of the spiders as a “science” experiment because the legs would keep twitching once removed. Now that I think back about it, it was a seriously sadistic thing for them to do and it definitely contributed to my trauma around spiders. I think the spiders are getting their revenge now by dropping from the ceiling onto me (yes, this has happened more than once). Outer Space and Robots Space and robots are two topics that I feel divided about. On one side, I think it is cool that there could be a world outside of the one we know and on the other side, it scares me how much is unknown about space. Are aliens real? Is this all a simulation? Are there humans living life like us, just in another galaxy? Same thing goes with robots. Robots could make life easier, but what are the true consequences of relying on them for work? Will people still make money in some way to purchase things or will there be no costs? Who will have access to controlling and using the robots, especially in terms of the power structure of our society? What if iRobot becomes real? It is not uncommon to have a fear about the unknown, but knowing this doesn’t lessen the uncertain feelings. I’m also bothered by the idea of billionaires and large corporations investing time and money into space races instead of solving the current issues plaguing our planet like poverty, climate change, and medical issues. I don’t think exploring space and creating human-like robots should be a priority and I have a feeling the reason billionaires are chasing these ventures is because they want power, not to help society. There are very real and immediate ways they could help society today that they won’t commit to and that’s why it feels disingenuous. Final Thoughts: Now as scary as these items are to me, the purpose of Halloween is more than frights. It’s to have fun with your community (and eat as much candy as possible). Who knows - during this process you just might conquer some of your fears. What are some things that scare you? Do you like the "scary" aspect of Halloween or the community gathering part? Leave a comment below! Music soothes the soul and arguable contributes a lot to our society. Think about how the soundtrack to our favorite TV show affects our viewing experience or how the ambience of a party can change depending on what is being heard in the background. There is one more area music aids our life experiences and that is during our commute to work. The average US worker spends 26 minutes commuting one way to work every day (census.gov). This estimate is mostly calculating travel via cars and it doesn’t factor in environmental elements like traffic or weather conditions (or the employees desire to get to work for that matter). What you play during the car ride can make your mood for the day and what better way is there to pass this time than listening to classic tunes? Below are some of the best songs to listen to during your work commute: Usher isn’t considered an R&B legend for no reason – the man has amassed 9 Billboard number one singles, as well as 18 top ten hits. He will get you caught in your feelings with songs like U Got It Bad, Burn, Confessions Part II, Climax, and There Goes My Baby. Then he’ll take you to the club with Yeah!, DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love, OMG, and Scream. We must advise you not to krump too hard while behind the wheel, but do enjoy the vibes Usher brings. Adele’s powerful voice and ability to capture emotion in her songs makes her the perfect candidate for singing along to. People tend to know her classics like Someone Like You, Set Fire to the Rain, and Rolling in the Deep, but she has many lesser known songs that do just as good a job of bringing listeners to tears. Try out songs like Daydreamer, Crazy For You, Turning Tables, River Lea, and Water Under the Bridge. Adele even has some upbeat and/or happier songs for those looking to get over heartbreak. For these try out My Same, I’ll Be Waiting, Sweetest Devotion, and Send My Love (To Your New Lover). Ed Sheeran is an excellent songwriter and his catalogue of catchy songs is where he shines. Is your heart full of love? Listen to Perfect, Hearts Don’t Break Around Here or Thinking Out Loud. Feeling a little moody? Listen to you Give Me Love, The A Team, Don’t, or One Night. Want to dance? Listen to Shape of You, Barcelona, or Sing. There really are endless options when it comes to his discography to fit whatever mood your are in. Similar to Adele, Mariah Carey’s powerful soprano voice and ability to hit whistle tones will definitely lighten your mood on your way to work. Don’t worry about people hearing you try to hit the high notes - roll the windows up and go for it. The best Mariah songs to practice your vocal runs to are Fantasy, Always Be My Baby, We Belong Together, Emotions, and Touch My Body. If you are up for it, you could even throw in her holiday classic, All I want for Christmas Is You. These legendary artists will certainly keep you entertained during your commute and maybe even after you've arrived to your destination (hello earworms). All of this music is available on major streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Are there any other artists we should add to this list? Leave a comment below. Many people think just snapping photos is all it takes to being considered a photographer, but the truth is, capturing the perfect moment takes hard work, skill, and creativity. Photography is an art form that deserves respect and that is what we are encouraged to share this month. October is ‘Photographer Appreciation Month’ and it is the perfect time to show love to those that work behind the lenses. Below are 6 photographers you can start supporting this month and gain inspiration from in your own creative work: @moodydarkroom – San Diego based photographer focused on portrait work that involves unique lighting elements. @morten.clicks – Oslo based photographer focused on street photography and known for incorporating color into shots. @brennerjulia – Portugal based photographer focused on portraits and lifestyle shots. Known for having a signature desaturated and moody creative style. @marinawphoto – Utah based photographer focused on portraits and fashion photography. Marina is also an educator and provides photography tips on her website, Amazon shopping page, and through live classes. @nicovinx – Portrait and fashion photographer known for having a cinematic quality to their work. @killthecity – LA based photographer known for capturing street and landscape scenes with a signature film look. @blackinkrising – Shameless plug for our own photography division where we release portrait and street photography series. You can view our favorite photos here.
Show love to your favorite creatives by engaging with their work and sharing it with others. It means so much to see your work be shared and make an impact. Do you have any favorite photographers or feeds you follow? Leave a comment and let us know who we should pay attention to! |
AuthorCome here to read original poems, stories, and articles on news around the world. Archives
December 2021
Categories |