My life lately: In Pictures.

Sometimes, pictures really just say it better than words. 

Kandi's graduation!

Free Needtobreathe/Lifehouse show with Jordan!

Christina's wedding! My first childhood friend to get married so far.

I grew up listening to dctalk & the newsboys. For the first time ever, I met Duncan, Jeff, Jody, & MICHAEL TAIT. We had quite the moment. it was magical.

Free David Cook/Matt Nathanson/Felicia Barton show at the beacharooney!

Felicia:

David Cook! phenomenal.

Matt Nathanson. His songs have been the anthems of our summer so far.

Felicia took this photo. You can see Monika, Sarah, & I peeking over the port-a-potty elite seat way over in the distance. we were sitting on a sand dune.

Sunset at the beach.

Our friend Chadd came back to Virginia Beach for a couple of days. He's a stunt comedian. check him out if you've never heard of him before: Wackychad.com

He brought Becky along & we had many fun shenanigans together at the beach!

A few random cellphone shots!

We had a fun smoothie/movie night with our bff Tashia!

Our friends, Sanctus Real, played at Busch Gardens & we got to see them again after a couple o' years. it was fun indeed.

We met JD Chandler... KLove Dj.

This week our friends Sevenglory played at Busch Gardens & we were reunited for the first time in two years. They are a huge ball of FUN. We had a blast & a half during our photoshoot.

Meanwhile, I'm stressed, frustrated, & glum because i can't find a job & i'm still trying to get healthy. [I don't feel very well most of the time.] But moments & people like these make life sweet.

INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK #3: The Mixed Tape/Cds.

I make myself Mixed cds. As a gift to myself. Once or twice a month, I pick approximately 20 songs that have been tickling my fancy or songs that I've loved for ages, make a playlist on itunes, re-arrange the songs in an interesting way & burn myself a Mixtape, in CD form. Each handiwork is given a really quirky, usually stupid, album name. For example: April Anticipation, June Jubilance, The Splendour of September. This is how I remember what month/time of my life each cd respresents. A good Mix can light up the gloomiest & darkest of days.

Music is extremely powerful. The sonic sound of a song can soothe or stir one's soul. Wondrous words whisper loudly. The combination of lyrics and melody can transform emotions into something tangible. It says the things that we cannot put into words ourselves. It's a feeling. An expression. Music can make your heart beat stronger & the blood flow faster in your veins. Music takes a simple word & sound and runs away with it, far exceeding what we could ever speak in a normal conversation. I think our bones are made of music. It's inside of us. It connects us & keeps us alive. Even those, like me that are in no way musically talented... I can feel it in my blood. Music is magic.

The MixTape has been around since the '60s. Who doesn't like a good combination of stellar songs one after the other? This phenomenon has survived all the changes in technology... The 8 track, the tape, and now... the CD. I remember making my own mixed tapes when I was a little girl. I've been giving mixed cds as gifts to friends & families for years. If you select the perfect list of tantalizing tunes & arrange them in a specialized order, you can make a personalized present that someone will treasure forever. 

Pick songs that have meaning to you, or a theme, or maybe just songs that are really catchy. When you go back and listen years later, you might laugh at some of the songs that were your "favorite"... but music has this special ability to revive feelings and memories in an instant. There are songs that feel like Summer. Songs that make me melancholy. Songs that remind me of riding in the car when we lived in California. Songs that hit me in the heart. Songs that bring back the feeling of training in a hot, chalky gym in the gymnastics days. Songs that delight me. Even songs that make me remember what it felt like to be 3 years old. Some music is timeless... the sounds of The Beatles & U2 have been woven through my life like threads from the time I was in the womb until now. [But that discussion is for another day.]

So, if you're having a dreary day, add a little spice to your life and make one for yourself. Or as a gift to someone else. They make splendid birthday gifts. Just make sure you're not stealing music & burning copies for money, children. I am in no way encouraging illegal activity. :]

Through The Looking Glass: Final project.

School is out for summerrr! For my final photography project, I took photos of my friends using a mirror, in outside locations. I was inspired by Alice's adventures in Wonderland & through the looking glass. I didn't use all of these for my portfolio, but I thought I'd post a few. It was a fun little experiment & i'd love to expand the idea and take some more creative photos once i become a little more skilled!

I took some photos of Rachael & Abby in front of the Marlin fountain on campus. 

My favourite photos were the ones we took at the beach!

I also took some lovely photos of Kasey in her backyard/garden & the beacharooney. i couldn't have asked for better models!

Love,

Cherylyn in Wonderland.

Paint, collages, & transfers.

Our latest photography experiment in class was manipulating our own photos, not with photoshop, but with our hands! sidenote: I scanned all of these photos & they don't look so fab on the computer. they look much more colorful in person.

1. we turned our photos into sketch-like black & whites... we xeroxed our photos, used chemicals and transferred the photo onto drawing paper. Here are two of them. not amazing, but definitely interesting!

2. We painted on some of our black & white photos with thin layers of oil paint & turpentine. My photos probably could have been cooler if i did them at home and actually took time to make them look awesome... but anyway... it was lots of fun!

3. We made collages out of our own photos! this was my absolute favourite of the three, i've always loved making crazy collages... I am not very skilled at cutting with scissors or knives...[cherylyn + sharp things = scary.] so my cut-outs are a little choppy looking along the edges, but I definitely had a blast & a half coming up with silly combinations with the photos i brought to class.

The last one freaks me out the maximum. One Monika is enough! six Monikas? too much to handle!

p.s. All the photos used for these little projects are all my photography except for two: i just want to clarify that the giraffe in the photo used above was actually taken by my friend Jason. I had one almost like it, but i thought his was funnier. The zebra used in the collage was taken by my friend Rachel... the one i painted, was taken by me! <3

Rush of Fools & Lunch with the lovelies.

A few weeks ago I went on a little roadtrip to Mineral, Virginia to see the Rush of Fools boys with Monika, Sarah, & my mom! it was a fun little ride in the car, even though i was studying for an international film test. A glorious show too. Joy Lippard & Sarah Reeves were an absolute delight. Jimmy Needham was fab. and of course the Fools were the highlight of the night. We met the guys last year in Lynchburg, but they were all sick and had to cancel their set, so we were pumped to finally see them play live and they didn't disappoint us. They are the sweetest lads ever & it was fun to reunite with them!

Spring was in the air.

Country road.

Waiting outside in the sunshine.

The fools just started using twitter. Kevin was taking a photo of the crowd & sending it to twitpic. so I twitpic-ed him in return.

The tunnel on our late night drive home... 

Kevin Huguley the great & glorious.

Wes!

Jamie! as you can see we were running on very little sleep. i look wretched.

Love that Fool!

Last week we enjoyed a lovely little lunch at Panera with our friends Katie & Delia. 

Delia didn't want my camera in her face.

I love these girls. it was very refreshing. Girl time is very much needed every once and awhile.

Other than these two sweet little adventures, my life has been lacking in excitement. Less than a month is left of the semester. YIKES.

Studio Lighting Assignment.

INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK #2: Lanae Hale.

This week's inspiration is beautiful LANAE HALE. 

I have the pleasure of knowing this lovely singer songwriter & calling her a friend. Her sweet, gentle whisper of a voice resembles her personality [she really is a darling!], but it's the kind of whisper that hits you in the heart. Her voice is new, vibrant, and refreshing. Her tantalizing tunes have a way of soothing my soul & making my heart pound all at once. Lanae's vocal range blows my mind. She can sing a smooth, quiet melody and then transform her voice into a loud, resonating sound that hits you right in the heart & makes your blood flow a little faster. I think if you give her music a listen you'll feel the same way too.

You can buy Lanae's EP on her record label's site: Centricity Music.

While you're in the music buying mood you should also buy her new single, Back & Forth, which has already been featured on MTV's The Hills & is playing over the airwaves on radio stations all over the country. 

Lanae's debut album, Back & Forth, releases on May 19th. I've had the privilege of listening to the new splendid songs ahead of time. As usual, Lanae's voice is captivating, the lyrics thought provoking, and the ideas behind the music are inspiring. Every song is made of  the kind of magic that lights up your life. This girl is nothing but special. She overflows with wisdom and encouragement beyond description. Her ability to turn her personal experiences into music makes each song even more intimate and powerful.

This is one record you do NOT want to miss. Your collection won't be complete until Lanae Hale's new album belongs to you. :]

Find Lanae on:

Myspace.com

Facebook.com

Twitter.com

And spread her name like wildfire if you like what you hear!