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Parenting Themes

this image is actually one. If you guys remember the last creativelive. This is the mother we shot afterwards. She wanted some normal pictures. I don't blame her. I kind of went on a rampage with that one. We're gonna do that again, Say, But she wanted some. Normally, this was shot on the white wall here. Creativelive. She was a sweet lady. Okay, so let's look at some family and parenting themes. I know these ring a bell with you guys here in the audience. Okay. Adoption, infertility, runaway miscarriage, single parenting, loyalty, rescue, emptiness, devotion, sacrifice. Some of them are positive. Some of them have negative connotation. Some of them could be both. Okay, So what Parenting themes resonate with you they would want to share. Yeah, Joan, it's kind of funny, cause we were just talking this morning. I'm, um, a grandmother of these days and have gone through raising my own Children. And we were having discussions this morning about raising kids, and and I felt like, um, I can ...

I can kind of relate to the mother I was talking to has a five year old because I have a grandson who's five, but it's such a different perspective, and it's so cool, you know? So when I told her, in the end, I mean, get right to the point, lived through the parenting and you'll get to be a grandparent's someday you know, which is the best of everything. But it was so It's so cool because you can relate to the same age kid who does something in way different ways in ways, which is Sony. Everyone tells me the big program parent is like 10 times better than being a parent and being a parent's pretty cool. So, yeah, I can't wait to be grand parent. I hope I get to be Sunday. Thank you. That would be so awesome. But yeah, it's another beautiful theme. Generations, you know, when How did the generations see each other and their own experience of family? It's another great thing. Okay, you know what's your theme? I know you guys have something going on your head a little bit. Yeah, Becky. So my theme. We adopted four Children from Africa and they were older Children, and a lot of people thought there'd be no hope might. What I've seen from that is that hope is the theme of our family that there is hope in hopeless situations and you see the positive and the love and and all of that. And so I have noticing in my photography. That's what's coming out. Is hope beautiful? So let's think about how you can create an image from that. A storytelling image. One that says something about you. But is your art. What about other themes? Anyone else having other things I want to talk about? Yeah, we got another microphone over here. Um, so one of our themes is miscarriage. Yeah, I had five. Um and that's why I think I'm so drawn to new words because I know trust me, I'm gonna lose it, too. It means a lot to me. There's just in my core, but, um, I guess I struggle with, you know, the miscarriage has such a negative part. I don't want anything to be negative when it comes to them. So, um, I guess I still have to work at growing to bring out the positive because I don't want things to be dark E. Um, So, uh, I guess I struggle with There's nowhere to go with that. There's Belinda can I share your story? She around? I don't think she's around. I won't share it unless she is here to get permission. Um, miscarriage is so traumatizing. And so um oh, it's just it's you feel like it's your fault. You feel like you're not enough, Especially when there's five. And you just wonder why. And you see your family and your friends and other people having Children, you're like, Why can't I do that? What? Why can't I? And but on the it's such it's so hard, it's so shaming. But at the same time your babys are there. They're people just because they're not here on this earth, they are somewhere else, and you will see them again. And there is that hope and joy there to know that you have produced something, even if it couldn't survive. You produce something miraculous and beautiful. That still exists. Is energy somewhere in the world, somewhere in the universe somewhere. And that's a good thing. That's a very good thing. And again, what Becky said, there is hope. You're still healthy, you're still you. You still can do it. And there's other alternatives, like what Becky did so many women who can't do that. And then there's the whole topic of infertility. And how do we tell that story in a beautiful way? How do we say that you may not have been blessed with a child, but that you can still do beautiful things for Children? Sorry. We all go through these amazing experiences and they teach us and make us grow you on Lee. You die with love and growth, guys. That's what you leave the earth with. Love and growth. Forget. Embrace that and use it. Okay, Use it for good and use it in your art. That's why God gave you the talent of being a photographer. You to use that and send your message in your voice into the world. That's your purpose. Live with your purpose. They noticed I didn't put that one down here because it's too vulnerable for me. Okay, You guys caught me in a moment and there will be things that are too valuable. But I want you to think of the great stories. Okay? Thes air. Just movies. I pulled out of my hat, but notice they all have to his family to remember these movies. The Godfather I mean, come on. That's family to a T. Right? Heaven is for real, which is recent Anne Adoption, Mrs Doubtfire. Hello. That's a family movie If ever saw one. What a great scene. What a great story. Okay, let me rob is another wonderful family story with a whole different theme. The Curious case of Benjamin Button. You guys know that one? It's a cool in Kramer vs Kramer. This dates me. But that's okay. You remember that movie? It's about divorce and custody of a child. Okay, I'm raising Arizona. Hilarious. Hilarious. Little Miss Sunshine again. Very cute. So all these movies have different themes, different stories and different life experiences of the artists who created them, they're sending a message to, and we can do it as well. Like I said yesterday, movies and books have the advantage of time to tell their story. But it's also a disadvantage because it doesn't leave the viewer hanging. It doesn't allow the viewer to take part. Yes, we get to be entertained by what's falling upon us, but we don't get to get into it, especially with the movie, and think for ourselves what could be continue this story in our own imaginations and minds as viewers of art. Where is with imagery? Oh, yeah, We get to like, look at an image ago, thinking I can see it. Oh, wow, that really It's my own experience. What are you doing? What are you doing as an artist? When you create art and make someone think you're connecting, you're connecting other people to you through your art, and I happen to love family and baby. So I'm doing it through those themes, and that's what these courses about. Okay, an image has the advantage of doing this all in one moment, and some people think, Oh, it's a must do you know, I only have this much time, but it's it's ah challenge, and it's Ah, um, an advantage. So don't look at it as a negative, Okay, symbols or what's gonna help us illustrate that symbols. We can use them in anything we put into an image. Hair and makeup, clothing and styling set design the scene props, the characters, the subjects in the movie, the way you put it in the in the image, the way you oppose them, the environment. You put them in the colors the tones. All that has meaning and symbolism. I mean, do you see the world is your oyster Like I hope your minds are just exploding right now you're going. Wow, I could take this in so many directions. This is gonna be fun. That's creativity. You guys, you all have these ideas in your head. You all have unique experiences. You all have a voice and look how different you all are. Your art isas unique is you are and nobody's gonna copy it. They can't is you. But when you take all this stuff, the psychology of it, the learning to connect the embracing vulnerability, seeing who you are and then taking ideas that you see in the world from other artists from the wall, I don't care what it is. Take something and infuse your core values into it to change it and transform it into something new. And all of a sudden you got a work of art, that's all. I do it every day. That's my secret. That's that's all it iss. I'm just using me to create art by taking things from other people. That's really what it comes down to, and anyone could do it. This is not some elusive thing that only a few get. Everyone is perfectly capable of doing it. Okay, Exercises to free your mind. This will really help you. Michelle. Daydream. Give yourself permission to daydream for 15 minutes a day. This could be yoga. This could be meditation this convened. Just don't you know this is not being on Facebook. This is sitting here going. Oh, let's think about adoption. Don't just start talking yourself right continuously in a journal for 15 minutes a day. That will be run with a theme Mind map, rocks. You're gonna do that. Next word. Brainstorm line language. Take a line and write words on it, and then right words vertically and horizontally. He'll be interested how you connect things. It's very strange exercise. Look, some of these happen. You'll you'll know what I'm talking about. Take a new road home. For Pete's sake, don't take the same road every day. Walk instead, Walk half the way and have your husband pick you up. Write a letter to someone without saying me mine. I or my make a story, which is sticks who hurt. Make a story that has a beginning a middle, and then with six words, it's hard design. A new letter of the alphabet. Why not invent a new sandwich? What would you put into it? Okay, let's do a little quick exercise mind map. Okay, This is what a mind map is. You take a theme or a word, then you extend the branches of words. That means something to it, that I relate to that word. And then you just keep branching out. Okay? So I'm gonna help you do this for a second. I want you to choose a parenting theme. That means something to you. You're gonna write this down, so get out a piece of paper in the middle of the page. Just write the theme down. You don't have to show this anyone. Okay? So put your paper on a side on horizontal. Looked like this. Okay. If someone could Do we have another pencil and a piece of paper for Becky over there? No. Okay, Um, put your paper horizontal and write your word in the middle and put a circle around your parenting theme. Then I want you to branch off. You know what we're doing, guys, We're creating an image. Okay, so pick a theme that you love That means something to you that on the exterior. So here for love, he put dating, sex, romantic, wedding and family as the core words here that came from the first central word. Okay, so what I want you to do is put characters, styling, posing colors, props, symbols and environment as your exterior words around your theme. Okay, You're not gonna finish this, like all in the next five minutes here. But then from there from those words, I want you to write down other words that relate to. So face A for example, your theme was adoption posing. Let's see, characters would be one of these over here, and then from that branch, you would put the characters that you wanted to show in your image. So, um, you know Becky's case? It might be, you know, her Children or Children of different races to signify international adoption. Okay, you could be very specific about the characters who might be in your in your in your mind map. OK, but what you'll find is you'll go. Oh, colors. Yeah. This color could work this color. Oh, but yellow would work, but I want more of a muted yellow. So all offshoot from yellow and go muted that to me symbolizes more. But always choose your words with the central theme in mind. Okay, so I don't have you guys do that exercise before we get into our next shoot. But in the meantime, I want to leave you with this. Creativity is not a magical ingredient of personality. Granted to the chosen few. Creativity is an attitude you hold towards the choices you make in life as well as an art. There is always a better way of doing things, and creative people are out there looking for it. Okay, Next. Ah, conceptual shoot with a mother and a newborn around a Disney theme. If you will look at any Disney movie, they all have the same thing. Vulnerability leads to connection almost every Disney movie you think of. Not all of them, but almost every single one. Vulnerability leads to connection, not weird. So we're gonna use the movie frozen and the theme is love will thaw. Okay, then we're gonna create an image that is deeply personal.