Tag: AIS

Journal, Life

Thanks for the Crayons

amarainseattle

img_2521When I was thirteen I overheard a father explain to his kids that they could only draw for an hour because he didn’t want them to get used to the idea that art was acceptable. It was the first time I felt sad about art.  It was also the first time I recognized that making art contains an element of fear.

The father limited the crayons because becoming an artist is scary, both for the artist and the people who care about them. The ground to an artistic life is shaky and the path is unclear. For many who make art, there is hardly a path at all.

I’ve found that creating the path to art is part of the art you end up making.

That day, the crayons may have been taken away from those kids but it also was the day my path changed. I learned about the defensive lurch to fight for art that lives inside me. A need for creation that motivates and inspires me to step up and try new things.

Sometimes I fail.

Sometimes I fail hard.

Learning is a process and art is constant learning.

Drawing your own course is easier when you are given crayons and surrounded people who believe you may be able to use them. I am more thankful than I can ever express for my community, those who believe in the spark of possibility, those who remind me that getting lost in the woods is part of many of the best stories, and those who share their art. You rockstars are the best and you make me, and the art, better everyday and I love you for it.

Thank you for the crayons!

IMG_2523.jpg

Best Adventures,
Amara In Seattle

Adventures, In Seattle, Not In Seattle

YouTube SpaceLA – Internet Magic

amarainseattle

I am going to LA in 2 days… I repeat I am going to Los Angeles in 2 Days!

New to content creation on YouTube I was delighted to learn that the YouTube Space in LA was having a YouTube 101 event led by Jacques Slade aka Kustoo open to all creator levels.

Was it too crazy to sign up for an event 3 states away that was happening in 9 days?! Unsure, I called my peeps doing a quick friend survey as to the feasibility of the idea. The result: It was just crazy enough to be brimming with the potential for an amazing story.

Excited about the idea of a whirlwind pop-up trip to LA, I decided to attempt to sign-up… and I got an error message… trying again and again with the same result.

Instead of closing my laptop and giving up, I made one last attempt, creating the video below to explain my wild idea to directly to YouTube.

I’d pretty much figured that would be the end of the story… but for some reason the next morning I tried one last time… and managed to register.

Since then it has been a delightful series of moments of pure #internetmagic.


I am typing this just 2 days away from the adventure and I couldn’t be more excited!

You can follow the adventure as it develops on my twitter @AmaraInSeattle  & on my Instagram (also @AmaraInSeattle).

And there will be all kinds of videos across the Amara In Seattle YouTube channels:

Main: Amara In Seattle

Vlogs: Amara In Seattle Vlogs

Travel: Amara Not In Seattle

And of course I’ve created some hashtags: #internetmagic & #ais2la

Best Adventures,

Amara In Seattle… for now 🙂

 

 

 

Adventures, In Seattle, Journal

Happy Halloween Scare-attle & Beyond

amarainseattle

I am writing this dressed as Captain Amar-ica at Ada’s Technical bookstore in Capitol Hill, Seattle… or Scare-attle as I am calling it today. It is Halloween and it is raining, natch.


In just a few days life gets even busier, at Midnight tonight Nanowrimo begins, I am suddenly going To LA in just a few days (see Nov. 2nd), and later this November is VloggerFair , the YouTube creator convention in Seattle.

But before November takes hold I am going to revel in Halloween magic. For me that began with the creation of the story time video below where I tell of few of my favorite 90’s Halloween memories.

May yours be spooky and inspiring, filled with creativity, adventure, and excitement.  Now I’m off consume a whole lot of pumpkin spice, while I still can.

Best Adventures,
Captain Amar-ica In Seattle Scare-attle.

P.S. behold the raindrops on my glasses…even as Cap I cannot escape the rain. 🙂

Adventures, In Seattle, Music

My New Bae is Beethoven

amarainseattle

When was the last time you were submerged in classical music? If you are like me, the answer is simple: never.

Emerald City Music would like to change that by making classical music accessible and part of the lives of all music lovers. They provide access to top notch chamber music that is comfortable and affordable. Classical music experiences where no tie is required and you can feel totally at ease wearing your comfy sweater and jeans.

img_7121

Intrigued, I grabbed my camera, threw on a bright orange skirt, and headed into the light sprinkle of Seattle rain to experience an Emerald City Music concert for myself. And I am so glad I did.

It started with mingling around a photo booth. There was popcorn, chocolate, and an open bar. There was a general ease in the atmosphere.

img_7120

The program showcased The Dover Quartet who played through Beethoven’s life with small educational chats in-between pieces. The musicians took turns explaining the life and history of the music, their roles as performers, and even touching on what made these particular pieces valuable to them personally.

img_7124

As the music flowed, I began to see Beethoven in a new light. First as a student of music displaying a hint of oncoming dissonance. Then as the evening moved on, I felt his evolution into full force rebellion further complicated by the knowledge and emotion of his encroaching hearing loss. The gripping sounds of an all-consuming calling being snuffed out by a cruel unstoppable deadline.

img_7127At the end I stood up with all the other attendees, we were astonished. Violin, viola, and cello strings had been shredded. It turns out The Dover Quartet doesn’t just play classical music, they tell human stories in song.

img_7124

Filing out of the concert space, the rain continued to softly beat down on the roof of 415 Westlake, it was a perfect Seattle moment; unexpected, gripping, and calling on me to grow as a person. Beethoven was no longer the name of an old dead classical musician relevant only to the upper crust but kind of punk rocker from long ago. He felt the things that inspire artists, he took chances, and he created a story I needed in my life.

img_7122

Invigorated and with a bit of popcorn in my teeth, I instagramed in joy at my new love for Beethoven. Emerald City Music had been victorious and I was happy, there was new music in my life.

Invite more music into yours by learning more about Emerald City Music and checking out their Twitter, Facebook Page, and Instagram.

Experience the astonishing Dover Quartet on their website and find them on Twitter and YouTube.

Adventures, In Seattle, Journal, Not In Seattle, Uncategorized

Now Uploading – YouTube Channels!

amarainseattle

I am so excited. I just keep saying that. At the start of this month, I begin uploading Amara In Seattle videos and within a week I had launched all three Amara In Seattle channels.

Making the decision to start early, while I am still in a learning phase was hard, but I find that creating is about learning as you go. There are many things I am working to improve, but I am thrilled to dig in and grow. To start. To take one step at a time. But most of all, I am excited to start interacting with all of you, amazing digital rock stars.

I hope you will join me on these of strange, beautiful, and fun adventures by subscribing, liking, sharing, and interacting with the three AIS channels:

Amara In Seattle (#AIS), the main channel. Here we adventure in the pacific northwest looking at history, events, pop culture, Americana, geekery, music, books, technology, social media, DIY, thrifting, vintage, retro, nostalgia and all kinds of other cool stuff.

Amara Not In Seattle (#ANIS) is a travel channel. A place for us to get lost traveling from exotic locales to local experiences, these are life enriching journeys. And to help your travels, there will also be travel tips, tricks, books, and reviews.

Amara In Seattle Vlogs (#AISV) is the catchall. A place to do random stuff like unboxings, DITLOs, super random talking, bloopers, internet trend videos, behind the scenes fun and other such vlogish things. http://bit.ly/2dTHKZF

As I keep saying, I am… well… so excited and I hope you are too. It’s going to be such fun!

Questions? Ideas? Leave me a comment on one of the channels above or send an email to: amarainseattleinfo@gmail.com

Business, Press, Events or Collaboration Inquiries, please email: amarainseattlebusiness@gmail.com

Best Adventures,
Amara In Seattle

All, Journal, Life

Adventures Of A Lifetime

amarainseattle

Amara In Seattle (AIS) finally has a landing pad and I couldn’t be happier.

Yesterday marked my first post on this website, so the beautiful wild strange adventures have begun.

Here you will find a plethora of interesting content covering stuff like:

  • Pop Culture
  • Americana
  • Local History
  • Geekery
  • Nostalgia
  • Technology
  • Music
  • Crafts
  • Books
  • Social Media
  • DIY
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Thrifting
  • Travel
  • …and so very much more.

Some of those things my be familiar, the Instagram and Twitter accounts that have been going for years. Then there are the glittering gems like the mixtape project, Mixed with Care, and  Shiny Stuff & Wild Things, a Tumblr sharing small moments of inspiration, joy, and strangeness.

Others adventures are going to be brand new, like my three (yes, three!) new YouTube channels:

But Amara In Seattle is much more than individual videos, projects, and moments, Amara In Seatttle (AIS) is series of adventures led by innovation, creativity, and delight.

What you have found is a community of rock stars forging creation and inspired lives! Have cool ideas? Want to share your inspiration? You can always find me here & by tagging your projects with #AIS

See you soon (I’m so excited!!!)14264076_10105239335017522_7120550377866818869_n

Best Adventures,

Amara In Seattle