'Tis Autumn!

Autumn is definitely the perfect time to take in the wonderful beauty of nature. 

I love when the colors of the leaves start to change. Even though I get so cold sometimes that I feel like I want to run away from it all, the mere fact that I am able to see and experience these moments such as the changing of seasons means that things are going according to plan.

Life is an endless development and it is a joyous necessity to include things such as change into the mix. I mean, in reality, we are not able to be sitting along a white sand coastline every day in bikinis while sipping margaritas with salt on the brim. But if we were, we would never truly appreciate the talents of gold we are blessed to recieve with things always being peachy; all the time.

Fall divides the future from the past. It gives us time to reflect back on the year as we prepare ourselves for the time yet to be born in the new year that is about to embrace us. Emotional scars are there for a reason. Some people may view them as glitches. Others may see them as the bare tree branches and the red colors that colored in the leaves that have fallen from those branches onto the ground. But for me, autumn has always been a great time for embracing change and I cherish the memories of it.

Here are some 

of those things 

that I am proud of.

1. I started crocheting and I got so good at it that while I was selling my merchandise at a fall street fair in Brooklyn, NY, a store owner saw my display and decided to purchase hats from me in bulk to sell at his Greenwich Village store. Though the store is no longer open, I am still happy about it because it was my first ever experience of being a creative designer and selling tings I made at that capacity.

2. I took my last sip of alcohol and this year makes three years since.

3. I started my last stretch of college and am proud to say that I graduated with high honors.

4. I sang my original tunes at the TCS NYC Marathon to enhance the athletes' running experience and it was awesome.  I will also be doing it again this year which to be exact will be on the first Sunday in November. If you are running, wave at me singing to the beat of your sneakers hitting the pavement where Bay Ridge Avenue and 4th Avenue meets. I am looking forward to being there, rooting you on.

5. I took my road test, passed and became the angry driver that occasionally writes blog posts about experiencing road rage.

6. I produced a music video for my friend Stuart Thomas for his song entitled “Can We Try to Live” and what went from him wanting to perform the entirety of it in front of a building, turned into a full production. I did all the editing and the video became a video. You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIkauL1qfYg

7. Producer Paul Garrod and I went into a park in Wyndanch, NY, and after three wardrobe changes in my car, we completed the filming to the video Paul produced for my song, “Harmony.” You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/Et2DjrOKJAo?list=PLtEabtb9kz4JfOcuFHckwPhoyjqiYJTdq

8. With this year being no different, I walked into the classroom and saw my students singing my song “Time Machine” (off the Finally JNote album) with the small band and it made me want to cry to see them. They know my lyrics. They know my inflections. So happy! You can check out this song and others from the album on Spotify. Here is the link: https://open.spotify.com/track/6PX6lWw1RWc115RkjmU72I

I feel invigorated. I feel alive. 
I feel like I’m getting old. 

But . . . 

I think that we’re gonna be alright. It is Autumn!

Have a great fall season everybody!

Capture That!

Without overlooking the details of the picture directly underneath this statement, you can see what the magic of a camera on a phone can capture. 

Not only is it capturing the stage but also all of the many people with their cameras out recording and taking pictures as well. When you think about, the cameras on our phones and tablets, it is an obvious truth that these devices are a welcomed investment. For this reason alone, my window has never been shut too tight on the idea of getting a phone with a great camera, aside from my regular camera that I often use to capture great stills and frames.

How Handy is the Camera on Your Phone or IPad?

 All the images that I have been able to capture with my phone flood through my mind and make me consider the importance of the device I have.

Selfies

Considering exactly what these cameras can really do, my initial thought is that we are all guilty of capturing striking selfies every now and then to show off our awesomeness. I still refuse to get a selfie stick because the selfie is definitely not the biggest advantage of having a great camera on your phone or tablet. But the flippable camera is probably an added bonus that for many, might make them take home a phone.

Moments

We all come to the special moments through which we make luscious strides and we find ourselves surrounded by old and new faces or places. For me, capturing some of these moments are highly favored than just simply having the memory in my mind, although some moments are unforgettable without the keepsakes. But think about it. Who wants to go somewhere like Niagara Falls, put on the rubber suits and stand almost directly beneath the waterfall and not capture it in the moment?

Sometimes the camera phone has its drama free moments if you do the right thing with the phone, keep it charged and ready for more than for simply playing candy crush.

Capturing Videos

You go to a recital for your little niece or nephew and want to remember what they sang; you capture it with your phone. You are walking through Little Italy in Old Montreal and see one of the greatest violinists you ever heard, bowing your favorite Michael Jackson tune and you want to rewind and play it again whenever you have the opportunity. You capture it. You are in a car and are stopped and approached with violence for no reason at all. You capture it.

Creating Videos

But then there are times when you want to make your own music video as an independent artist like my friend Stuart Thomas did, for his original song and then you capture that on your ipad but with a different purpose in mind. You are now capturing content to represent a song that you have written. The good thing is, these cameras record with such clarity that when you play it back, it actually looks nice on the screen and then on youtube. This also applies to when you are taking selfie footage and you are using the flippable video camera feature to add frames to your music video. 

With all that said, a year ago today or actually, last year on Labor Day, I captured the last leg of my friend Stuart Thomas’ music video for his original song “Let's Soca It Up” and a year later, it has over 2200 views. I took the footage home, did some editing, melded the frames together, added his sound recording to the frames and we had a music video sharable on youtube and other places online where videos can be published. A year later, "Let's Soca it Up" video is so appropriate for Labor Day Weekend and I invite you all to watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZDHd5JjRnw

Some Other videos I have produced with my ipad are:

"Can’t We Try to Live" by Stuart Thomas  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIkauL1qfYg

"Crocheted" by Stephanie Jeannot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjkGWjqJDvM

"All Night Long" by Stephanie Jeannot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC8Y8A6S6Nc