I’ve never had more fun shooting and creating. I felt like I was a 5-year old playing in a big box of crayons all day. It was extremely creatively fulfilling.

Huge thanks to All Sons and Daughters for being my first subjects for this series and a huge thanks to the attendees yesterday.

It’s not too late to sign up for the next 2 rounds of the Field Sessions! You can do so here.

You can sign up and get all the details at jeremycowart.com/fieldsessions

But I also wanted to give you a little video of me explaining the idea further…

Lastly, there have been some questions on what exactly tools and software I’ll be using and teaching…

Here’s a bit of an overview of what I’ll be covering:
• Shooting, directing and advanced lighting with subjects
• RAW conversion in Lightroom AND Capture One Pro
• Extensive Photoshop work and compositing techniques
• VSCO Film Lightroom Presets
• Cameras: Canon 5D Mark II and FujiFilm X-Pro 1 as well as several old vintage cameras

REGISTER NOW

I start with normal, store bought brown bags that are flattened out so the side without the seam is available for drawing.  Then, using a blue or red pencil the week’s image is sketched out and composed before it is inked and hatched, and finally markers and other media are used to finish up the image. The bag remains fully functional, with the image having no impact on the size, structure or capability to successfully deliver a regular middle school lunch.

The story is generally plotted out at the beginning with enough flexibility to incorporate changes that appear during the school year, such as the time when Sara got a new puppy, both in the story and in real life. The stories also try and address real issues that she has to deal with, such as stage fright or transitioning to middle school. They have changed a little over the years as Sara has grown older, but they still revolve around her family, friends, and school. The weekly adventure is written in serial form, printed on card stock paper, and cut down to the size of the lunch bag.  The card stock helps give the bag rigidity and protects the image from the food inside.

In Sara and The Broken Bean Bag, Sara is sucked into the books she reads while relaxing in a bean bag, but something isn’t quite right; the stories are slightly “off” and suddenly, she is meeting Maura Shingles instead of Laura Ingles and Gary Kotter instead of Harry Potter.  Soon she comes to realize the classic story characters are jealous of the attention that the newer characters are getting and are plotting to steal the books. Sara has to use her imagination to overcome these villains.

This year we find Sara exploring the world behind the locker, where she meets up with the Locker Gnome.  He’s that guy that steals your homework or picks up a misplaced coat.  She sneaks into his lair only to discover he is having issues maintaining quotas due to the amount of electronic media the kids are using today.  He may get downsized, and his storage facility is being threatened by the Gym Rat,who wants to move his equipment into the Locker Gnome’s territory. Sara’s family and friends show up in the story, such as her Mom, who always has a plan to help the situation.

Another tradition that has been added over the years has been the holiday bags.  After Thanksgiving, the story is put on hiatus while we explore different Christmas Carols.  A song is picked and I research where the song came from and create an image to illustrate a scene from that carol.  A brief history of the song is written up and inserted into the bag for that week.

These bags have been fun to create and Sara looks forward to each Friday when she can bring them in and share the latest chapter with friends and teachers.  I have been fortunate that she has allowed me to continue to make these for her, even now that she is a middle schooler.  They have allowed me opportunities to explore other avenues of illustration, just so long as I meet that weekly Friday deadline!

For more information please see: www.doodle-bags.com

It didn’t take long for this decision to smack me in the face. After a couple of days the realization hit me that my church should be the very FIRST priority for my creativity. Christians, sadly, aren’t exactly known for making great art these days. So I like the challenge of trying to create something good as a Christian, for my church.

Anyway, these thoughts could be expanded into a novel of a blog post but I’ll get to the point…

I created this piece last Wednesday, while having the flu. I still think it could be fleshed out a lot more but considering the circumstances and deadline, I’m happy with it. But most of all, I’m thrilled to be collaborating with my church.

This is a portrait of Mary.

First I’ll show you the Making-Of video…

Original Sketches… pen and charcoal on paper.

What it looked like during the service…

Type projected onto the brick wall… I have to give a shoutout to my intern, Judson Collier, who made the type for me. I have terrible cursive handwriting so I asked him to save the day.

A few details if any of you are curious. These were all shot at the same location and in the same big, giant room. I brought my own 2 backdrops to use for a few of the photos. But everything else was just utilizing what was already in the room…

One of my favorite quotes is from author Donald Miller.  He says, “The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: life is a story about me.”

We live and die in story.  It is our choice whether or not we live trapped in the small story of ourselves or understand our role in the grand story of humanity.  We can constantly compare our stories to others’ and contend for our own short chapter to rise to the top.  Or, we can humble ourselves and engage our talents to speak of those less fortunate than us. We can be the scribes of a better future, honoring the days of our neighbors.

Artists Inspiring Action is a company founded to tell the stories of the poor, oppressed and brokenhearted.  We are a humanitarian marketing collective using creativity and media to express the amazing good and the horrific evil happening in our world.  We help humanitarian nonprofits communicate their story better through design and marketing and we consult with businesses to develop ways their products and services can be more socially minded.  Overall our goal is to inspire people to take action against injustice and find their unique place in the narrative of change.

This year we are curating the interactive art installation, Justice Does,  at The Justice Conference in Philadelphia.  This 30-foot by 24-foot installation will be painted by 6000+ participants in the conference, each hand contributing to the image of justice.  An accompanying action guide features organizations people can partner with as examples of doing justice.

Here’s a short film we made to promote the project:

Using art and story to change the world is what makes us come alive and we hope you are inspired to join us as creative world changers.  To keep up on inspiring acts of creative activism check our Facebook page or sign up for our newsletter.

I strongly believe that the wedding industry can and should have a loud voice in the fight against sex trafficking. I want to see the wedding industry be full of people seeking to leverage their gifts, abilities, vision and talent to make a massive difference in the lives of those who have been sexually exploited and stand next to the organizations working to provide that restoration.

Check out our website at:  www.lovegivesway.com and feel free to contact us if you are interested in starting a conversation about seeing Love Gives Way come to your city.

When their landlord informed them the rent was about to nearly double, the two began to look for a new home for OMG. They found one with nearly 6,000 square feet on the main road running through their part of town. This would not only allow them to house all their classes and community events under one roof, but would provide ample space for all their furniture finds and refinishing projects, which had been scattered between storage spots and their homes.

Co-owner Kate Mills is the personality behind social media, where many OMG fans connect thanks to her hilarious knack for telling it like it is. So when the two ran into a bit of a problem with the new space, Kate turned to the virtual community for support.

Gold Glitter Floor (GGF)

The idea came from a pair of Kate’s shoes – her gold glitter-covered pumps provided just the right amount of glam to an outfit, and shouldn’t a shop floor do the same?

With that inspiration, they set out to create a gold glitter floor for the F OMG (Future OMG). They ordered the largest bulk quantity they found on the Internet, 25 pounds, so they’d have more than enough. “I was thinking, we got this; we’ll have leftover glitter for years,” Kate said.

That’s when the glitter hit the fan, so to speak.

With 2,500 square feet of floor space to cover in the main area, 25 pounds didn’t go far. So they went to local stores and bought “more and more” glitter. Even worse, the glitter kept coming up – even after multiple coats of polyurethane.

There was no blueprint for what they were attempting – no “glitter to floor ratio,” as Kate described. “It’s kind of like everything in the shop.  We just do it by doing it. We just decide we’re going to do it and then you just keep going.”

So they did. Folks on Facebook and Instagram doled out advice. Locals dropped off glitter donations to the store. Someone even mailed a note with a check toward the cost of the floor.

“Everybody told us, ‘Well, okay, lay down a coat of poly, that will do it. Okay, lay down another coat of poly, okay that will do it’ … We were all high for days. And so, we kept wasting all this money when the first thing [Ashley] said it should be was epoxy. And we both knew it, but epoxy is like–”

“It’s just seemed out of reach,” Ashley said.

“It’s ridiculously expensive,” Kate added. “The lesson learned is to go with what works if you know it’s going to work, because we would have actually saved money in the long run had we just bit the bullet.”

Glitter Done

About this time a friend of the shop suggested on Facebook that the two set up an Indiegogo campaign with some really fun perks to raise money for their project. “A lot of people were chiming in saying the same thing, and I kind of felt like it was strange as a business to ask for money. That really kind of felt weird to us.”

“Because it wasn’t like a cure for cancer or anything, you know?” Ashley said.

“But we realized that people wanted to do it, and they felt invested in it, and they want to see it,” Kate said. “At that point it really stopped being about us and became bigger than us, and that’s a really cool feeling.

“Everybody’s talking about gun control and politics and so heavy and serious – and we’re like, ‘Hey, we need glitter.’ I think it’s like a breath of fresh air. It’s lighthearted and funny and something that comes at a time when people are sick of all the heavy stuff that’s going on.”

Within 48 hours the “Glitter Done” campaign reached its initial $5,000 goal, thanks to exposure from a blog post by Nashville’s Style Blueprint. The girls hired a professional – Alfredo with True Foundations Concrete – and the glitter floor was indeed done.

Since the floors ate away at their already tiny budget, the overage from the campaign (which ends in 4 days) is going toward the rest of the renovation.

“We’re kind of at the break-even point,” Kate explained. “We had to postpone hiring craftspeople to finish build-out, delay buying new inventory, etc. We took the entire renovation of 6,000 square feet on with me acting as the GC – no loans and often us and our families doing the work.”

Kate and Ashley are counting on the generosity of their fans and virtual community to help them build “the most unique store this side of the Mississippi.”

With gold glitter floors, they’re well on their way.

“I guess there are worst things that you could be known for, but I would never ever imagine this happening,” Kate said. “Frankly, I don’t like glitter! It’s not like either of us are girly girls. I mean, it turned out beautifully. Once we put everything in, it’ll be kind of that juxtaposition of the very shiny and glam and high-end with just crap. I mean, really – we built dressing rooms out of salvage wood from a salvage yard, our counters are old general old store counters from whatever – so it’s really this mixed bag – kind of like we are.”

Which is why the community loves them. Local artist Herb Williams recently gave his “stamp” of approval as well. Best known for his 3D crayon sculpture of Barack Obama as part of the first inauguration festivities, Herb “stamped” the side of the F OMG building with one of his designs – a multi-colored fawn. When the girls discovered who was behind the art, they promptly invited him and the community out to sign and sell prints of the OMG fawn, and to celebrate new beginnings.

“It really has turn into a community space and we’re not even open yet, so that’s great,” Kate said. “Nashville is really helping us build this store. It’s kind of incredible.”

4 days left to help fund the Glitter Done Indiegogo campaign

Gettin glitter wit it – Photo courtesy OMG

Note and check from an out-of-town fan – Photo courtesy OMG

Glitter Lung illustration featured in the Indiegogo campaign video

The Royal Tenenbaums collage by Ashley Sheehan

OMG office

In Good We Trust No One

OMG exterior, with fawn stamp by local artist Herb Williams

Glitterville’s youngest fan, Ellenor, with Ashley and Kate

-Story, photos (unless otherwise noted), and baby in pink pajamas by Cara Davis

We are women living that day-to-day, sometimes non-glamorous life of motherhood and trying to tackle our businesses at the same time. Not an easy task. It’s hard, it’s beautiful, it’s trying, it’s a privilege … but overall we are living our dream.

Photography is a passion for the both of us. We value the art and importance of moms getting in photos with their kids! We usually find moms behind the camera, while looking at a shortage of images with them in the actual photos with their children. Many of us moms look at ourselves with a critical lens – we don’t like our bodies, we aren’t happy with our weight after having children, we compare ourselves to others etc. We do this while holding the sweetest treasures we could ever receive in this lifetime. Life is short and this season of motherhood quickly moves from one season into the other. Our passion is to document it: the Tuesday morning tea parties, snuggles in bed and homeschool sessions! This is life!

Our inspiration behind this project is finding the beautiful mess among the styled perfection, which seems to surround us everywhere we look these days. Life has begun to look all too perfect, which can make us feel inadequate at times. Can we get an AMEN?!? The vision is to be REAL, RAW and AUTHENTIC; to document our real life – just the way it is – and not how we think others want to see it; showing photos that display the love we have for our children and our passion for being great moms.

We want this series to be a hub for women to find encouragement and inspiration from everyday moms who do what we do and exude creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit. We have found some pretty inspiring moms who do their job so well. Some are well known and many are under the radar, but equally inspiring and deserving of a little spotlight.

How an Idea Became Reality

First of all…we had to DO IT… and not just talk about it.

We both completed our own interview – everything we were going to ask other moms to do. This was an important step as we know moms are busy and we needed to walk out the process first to see if it was doable. We also needed to release our own Q&As to see what the response was like – to see if there was interest. We knew there would be, especially on Instagram. Instagram really does a great job at giving people a glimpse into peoples lives. We love the way that many people have chosen to use it. It really breaks down walls of “fans” and embraces community and friendships.

Because of our own love for Instagram, we knew we wanted to utilize that platform, but also drive traffic back to our blog. As with any social media platform, things can change and we didn’t want to put all of our eggs in one basket. If Instagram were to change their policy in a way that every mom would jump ship, we knew it would be important to have a home base that we could control (our own blog). So, we feature 1-2 questions on Instagram and the rest of the interview on our blog. (We also do this to cut down all the text on Instagram. We know that people don’t want to read a super wordy caption under a photo, so two Q&As works great for us!)

Instagram is proof that we desire community and are interested in the details of peoples lives. So, our questions are focused on the little details: our backstory, favorite times of day with our kids, our go-to outfit choices etc. We wanted to keep the questions simple for moms because we’re all busy. Moms are able to answer questions and send IG photos all from their phones. We don’t know one mom who is sitting on their computer all day long, so we knew utilizing the mobile device was key.

As mothers it is inspiring to know that we are not alone on this journey. We are thankful for the community of women found on Instagram and excited that our blog can be a source of encouragement to so many, whether you’re a mom or dream of being one someday.

Our goal with the My Everyday series is to highlight inspiring moms who do their job well. Some may not be as well known as others, so we’d love to highlight someone you feel deserves a little spotlight. Nominate a mom that inspires you! Post your nomination on instagram.com/kelliandvanessa by leaving a comment with the mom’s IG name OR by leaving a comment on the Kelli + Vanessa blog with a link to the mom you’re nominating. All nominations should be submitted by Friday, February 1st & we will select three moms to feature on the My Everyday series in the month of February.