Let's Go!

"I'll show you how to live." 

-I AM, I WAS, I WILL ALWAYS BE

It feels good when a decision you've been pondering over has finally been made.
It feels good.
It also feels good, not because the world around you suddenly exudes peace, but because you have a bit of that peace within you--and that's all you need.
It's all I need.
And it feels good.

Okay floaty intro over.
I'm deciding to end my time at Union College with the end of this semester.
And I'm deciding to share this decision/announcement with most of you via blog post because I'm just better at sharing my feelings and reason in written words rather than using the verbal ones.

WHY?

Why you ask? Why not finish the degree? Why not continue my schooling?
Well...

Because its finally a decision that I'm making for me. It's not that I was forced to come to Union. It's not that I haven't learned a lot in my time here. It's just that this decision to continue my education and "get a real job" was a thought fed to me continually in various interactions around me. Also, I am the biggest one to blame for the falsehood. Because I chose to believe the lie. The lie that my life was worth nothing if I didn't graduate college and get a "traditional" career-such as being a high school English teacher.

WHY?

Because he told me to blame it on him. And I won't entirely, but this is definitely a reason I'm leaving college. My boyfriend Robert. I swore I'd never be one of those girls to give up her education or career for a guy. And I'm still not one of those girls. However, I blame part of my reason for this decision on him because he definitely was the one who helped to encourage me to make a decision for reasons that weren't out of fear.

WHY?

Because I am continuing my schooling. Life is school. Time is learning. I don't end my education because I'm not paying tuition or living in a dorm. If anything, I feel that I've learned so much in my four years out of college than I have in my year and a half being away at college.

So to all my Unionites, I love you all. I have enjoyed being able to be a part of a school body. I have enjoyed learning what it means to live at school. Eat, breathe, work, and dream book-learning (no sarcasm here I actually enjoyed it all). I have learned what its like to be around hundreds of people your own age. It's been weird. It's been wonderful. It's been.

Thank you to my teachers, pastors, work supervisors out here in the mid-west. People I've danced with, laughed with. Thanks for showing me your Nebraska.
Okay I am still here until December the 14th so if you want to say goodbye in person I'll be around. Otherwise I'm excited and ready to head back home.

Back to ol' Virginie!
East coast here I come!

p.s. if you've read this far and haven't heard the song in the video above doom on you...lol not really but kinda!

So...let's make it official

One of the longer blog posts. But after being absent for several months you don't mind right? That's right all three of you who read this blog post--I'm looking at you guys.

Blue hues

Holmes lake on a Thursday night two weeks ago was gorgeous for the walker with her camera. A chilly yet comfortable 50 degrees, encouraged a sweater to be worn and then removed when the walking was fast enough to produce warmth. Pictures and videos of the scenery were taken which resulted in the following video. 

"Fire to Smoke" was a created project made in lieu of a research paper for my Biblical Literature class at Union College. Thanks to the help of my fellow students and friends, I was able to capture and interpret the moment of Moses' interaction with the bush in a way that I pictured it in my head. Floating and moving, a dancer becomes light as God's voice is heard calling Moses. The video is meant to be more of abstract moments. Imagine Moses at the end of his life on earth thinking back on that interaction which was the catalyst to the unfolding of events which we call the great Exodus out of Egypt.

It's been awhile...

It felt so rewarding to produce something that was an interpretive video featuring dance, narration, and music. The last project I had done similar to this one was probably five or six years ago for another college class. As I've been rethinking this entire education-to-become-a-high-school-english-teacher plan, videography is something I'm coming back to. 

Why videography?

     I first came across a High School Musical fan made video when YouTube was a baby back in 2006. When the new year began, I created my first YouTube account named "bluesalad" which was to become my nickname and brand name for this videography hobby turned career. From slideshows to actual music videos I began as a simple fan-vidder. Joining a community on YouTube helped me through those rough teenage years.
     When the real world was rejecting me, the online world embraced me. 9 years later (six YouTube accounts later), I'm in the process of editing two wedding videos, I've created over two hundred fan videos, videos for my church and youth-group, more than a dozen high school grad videos, and other extras here and there for the various friend groups and projects I've been a part of.
     Editing was my schooling for a good part of seven years and I've enjoyed trying to "perfect" the art. There is no such thing as perfection. Especially in editing. Things can always be better. And I love the challenge that is the editing game-a fight against time. You never are sure how much time you'll need on a specific project. Some projects take thirty minutes, others take 5-8 hours. Still others, need countless days to build up the courage to begin. Yet, this is why I love the art.
And the comments afterwards are worth those long hours staring at the screen. They are worth the repeated plays, memorized songs etc;
And I've realized. After 9 years, this is my life. I can't just put it away that simply. And so I'll continue.
In the world where everyone is a video editor I will push through and offer my skill set. 

So that's it for now folks!

I'm off to editing a few more projects here. I'm gonna try to push them out...then hopefully you'll see the results in the next month or so. 

My dream is to be able to make this into a steady business stream. Why? Because this is an art form and work I love to do. And it is something I find myself doing during college studies, during the times I should be working on something "more important" editing is still there. This is how I know its something that is not just a passing interest for me. It is something I have to do. So why not try to make the thing I have to do my job? Because it's already a job. 

So let's make it official.