restricted.

As I mentioned in the last blog {so sorry I haven't caught up lately}, I'm taking a photojournalism class. I was so excited about it - the challenges especially. In a five-week minimester, it's difficult to have tons of events in which you can take pictures for the expected curriculum but I think I've succeeded in that challenge. Most of the photographs were pure luck - being at the right place at the right time. I haven't felt nearly as challenged as I wanted to, which has been a massive disappointment to me. I tried to experiment with creativity and lighting for some pictures but my teacher said if I wanted a good grade for the project I shouldn't turn it in. If I could show him simple, I could give the rest of my talent to the world. As most of you know, I grew up in Georgia Bulldog country... and this class has been the one and only regret I've ever had in choosing Auburn over UGA. My teacher said he looked at UGA's curriculum and how they had the challenge of taking 35 portraits of strangers - on one roll of FILM - and if they didn't turn out, they failed. He said he would never do that to us. Oh, how I wish he had challenged us with that! I miss not having to use film. Our generation has become so digitized and immersed with using only the best technology that we forget that sometimes, the classic way of doing things is truly the most beautiful. This class, has however, instilled a passion in me which I never knew existed - the passion to reach the world through documentation. We watched a video in class today about photographers who travel overseas to capture the trenches and the depth of war. Adrenaline was rushing through my veins. I know it would be immensely dangerous but I would love nothing more than to let my photographs cry out my heart and my passions. A man on the video said, "A struggle without documentation is not a struggle." There are so many things going on right now, in America and beyond. How incredible would it be to scream out those things, those struggles, the hearts of the people which have no voice to the world through photography? 

For our final project, we have to tell a story. From beginning to end. I'm actually in the midst of shooting photographs of my roommate's boyfriend making a stencil, but if I had more time, my utmost desire would be to document a day in the life of a homeless person or someone who feels as if they have no hope {and of course I would take someone with me... not go alone, mom}. Not to embarrass them or to call them out - but to show people that life is so far beyond our own selves.A photo essay that would move society to action. The title of this blog is "restricted". Sometimes I feel restricted in the sense that I can't take creative photographs in my class, but most of the time, I feel restricted in the sense that I'm not doing enough for people. I'm not reaching out to people enough. I'm not giving people who can't speak, the ability to speak through documenting their situation. If I were to do photojournalism for a living, it would look something like this...

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These were all pictures I took throughout Auburn. I LOVE the one of the kid. A few of my friends go out to the government housing every week and play with the kids down there. Jump rope, play basketball, draw with sidewalk chalk - doing anything to show these kids that they are loved. That's the only message I desire to portray. 

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These are some photographs I've taken thus far for class. The first ones are of my brother, Chase, in which I used different types of lighting for: butterfly, 45 degree, and split. The two below him are complete strangers. The one with the leaf in his mouth... well, he was just excited to be getting his picture made. John Doyle, a guy I work with, is below those two. 

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And these pictures were taken on my way back from home last Sunday night. One of those pure luck moments. I was 5 cars behind this accident, so by the grace of God I not only lived but I got some rockin' pics {and made friends with a couple of Georgia State Patrolmen}. 

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"There are plenty of people who are miserable in their jobs, for they have not listened to God's call. And I would add there are many Christians who are not fulfilled in their spiritual lives because they have no sense of their gifts or purpose, and they just run to the mission field to save souls rather than transform lives and communities using their gifts and those people they live among. Both lead to emptiness and burnout... Often wealthy folks ask me what they can do for the Simple Way. I could ask them for a few thousand dollars, but that would be too easy for both of us. Instead, I ask them to come visit. Writing a check makes us feel good and can fool us into thinking that we have loved the poor. But seeing squat houses and tent cities and hungry children will transform our lives. Then we will be stirred to imagine the economics of rebirth and to hunger for the end of poverty."

Shane Claiborne - Irresistible Revolution

PhotoJ.

This semester has been fabulous thus far. I LOVE summer classes! Short. Sweet. To the point. I'm taking a management class as well as a photojournalism class. The photoj class has been great in the way that it's forcing me to take pictures and grow as a photographer through seeing different things  in different ways - capturing an exhilarating moment in one portrait. I don't feel so challenged in the fact that I'm learning layouts or photoshop but I have thoroughly enjoyed taking some pics. Most of these are flowers I think are breathtaking but I enjoy taking pictures of flowers... so sorry about that. Enjoy! Oh, and pictured below are pictures of a squirrel I saw jump out of a trashcan with this Chick-Fil-A waffle fry in its mouth. I HAD to take a picture of it! It portrays the immunity squirrels have toward human beings in Auburn. They barely flinch if you walk up to them. 

makes my heart smile award!

My precious mom gave me this awesome award and 

I'm so excited to pass it on to the other people in the 

blogging community I've fallen in love with! 

Thanks so much, mom! 

You truly are the greatest mom and best friend ever!

I am so thankful for you.

So here are the rules for the award:

1. The winner may put the logo on their blog (just right click on the image and copy, then paste to your blog post)

2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award

3. Nominate 10 blogs

4. Put a link to their blogs

5. Leave a message for your nominee's

Blogs that make me SMILE~

*Before I begin, my mom's blog (the one who nominated mine) is by far the one who makes me smile the most! I'm so proud of who she is and what she stands for. Her blog and artwork surpasses my imagination! 

1.http://lakelaughlove.blogspot.com/ ----> Ok. So this isn't exactly an "artist," but she was my best friend in high school: Katelyn Bridges. Her blog is the way we've been able to keep up with each other recently. She's one of the funniest people I know; and therefore, never hesitates to make me smile. 

2.http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com ---> Miss Elsie Flannigan: I took a class from her and fell in love with drawing and painting people... and doodling. Her entire site is packed FULL of inspiration to no end. I didn't realize how many other people loved her until I entered the yellowbarnart contest. She's a pretty popular lady! Everything about her site brings me happiness... and a smile. 

3.http://www.formula2911.com/ ---> Steve Hill: He's just an awesome guy with a beautiful outlook on life. He sees God in everything... and that makes me smile. 

4. http://yellowbarnart.blogspot.com/ ---> So these girls have just made my month. Even if I hadn't won the contest, I would still love their work. They make me smile because they inspire me to reach my dreams as they are reaching for theirs (to own an art supply store!). 

5.http://vintageindie.typepad.com/ ---> Who doesn't smile at vintage goodness?! I also love this site because it has the "vintage wedding guide." I mean, let's be honest... all girls think about their weddings... even when they don't have a fiancee, much less a boyfriend. Because of this site, ideas about my big day are rolling in. 

6.http://spark-journal.blogspot.com/ ---> This group of girls is new to me but I immediately wanted to go make a quilt... which I have no clue how to do. Thanks for making me smile about the quilts I've been dreaming of making since I looked at your blog! 

7.http:/thompsonfamily.typepad.com/ ---> Danielle Thompson: Her children are precious! I love her photography - her use of colors is PHENOMENAL! 

8.http://kellykilmer.blogspot.com/ ---> I love Kelly's work! I would really love to take one of her classes soon! She uses mixed media and it is beautiful work! All of her journals make me smile. I hope to have a collection of journals like that one day! 

9.http://createloves.blogspot.com/ ---> Holly Neufeld: Her art is similar to Elsie's but her's makes me smile just as big. Great photography and an abundance of inspiration. 

10. http://timewithtascha.blogspot.com/ ---> Tascha from Canada. This blog makes me smile because she has a skill in painting that I fear I may never achieve. As an artist, I think we can learn and add our own touch to things, but this woman has an incredible gift! I just love it. I don't know how else to explain it. 

a tribute to the blogging ladies of yellowbarnart:

Today I won my first blogging contest!

The beautiful ladies at Yellow Barn Art (www.yellowbarnart.blogspot.com) put it on. Because I didn't have a video that showed just how excited I was about winning this incredible package of art supplies, I decided to show you one of equal equivalence:

Little Miss Sunshine - I Won | Academy Awards | SPIKE.com

Please stop by their site and encourage them; read their story of their goals; and show them some love... even if I hadn't won this contest, they would still be super awesome in my book!

Thanks again girls!!

this is the moment that we know.

My dad took my mom to the Art & Soul Conference and they brought me back this precious doll and a rockin' awesome guitar /art t-shirt. I get so many compliments when I wear it! Thanks again mom and dad! 

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I saw this on a t-shirt once from www.onetruth.com. It is just that: Truth. So I added my own detail and style... used the watercolor crayons my mom gave me... and used my own font. In the little part, it says: 

Our focus as a society feeds on beauty. It has become a goal & obsession. As girls, we entangle ourselves in the latest fashion & the smallest sizes. However, deep down what we really want is to be loved, to feel loved. We've bought into the lie that looking beautiful will make us happier & bring us fulfilling love but what we really need is the unconditional love of Jesus. He is the one who makes us beautiful, the One who paid the price for our beauty, and we need to see ourselves as He sees us. It's not about what we do or how we look, but who we are...

and we are His Beloved. 

because you never look more beautiful than in His eyes. 

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This is a close-up of the coffee warmers: 

I'm thinking about setting up an account and selling them on Etsy as well. 

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These are pictures from the dinner Sarah and I cooked the other night. Sorry it's not a terribly beautiful presentation but I was still excited about it anyways. 

A New Transition for me this time.

Today my manager /great friend, Sarah, from the coffeeshop rode with me to the grocery store. She taught me how to create a well-balanced meal with ALL fresh veggies and meat (exception occurs during the dessert portion). We made mandarin ginger breaded & baked chicken, sauteed zucchini & poblano peppers, garlic mashed potatoes, and lovely three-layered brownies separated with sweetened condensed milk and topped with fresh fanned strawberries. In order to develop a well-balanced meal, you should have a protein, a fibrous green veggie, and a carb. Desserts are a must - in order to maintain a healthy sanity. 

In the midst of cooking, she told me that I had the entire summer off at the coffeeshop because I'm the only employee who doesn't live off their paychecks & of course, because we had to cut hours. She offered me some of her hours because, as I hope you can tell, I don't work at a coffeeshop to make money but rather because it's what I love to do. It looks like I won't be working there again though. She also told me that the owner has been buying supplies to change the coffeeshop into a... hot dog stand. There's nothing wrong with working at a hot dog stand... BUT I love working with coffee, not hot dogs. The hot dog stand transition is estimated to start in July so that things will be swinging by August (football season). 

It's easy to be frantic about such a transition, but the Lord works in ways I could never imagine. Yesterday, it finally hit me that I have no clue what I'm going to do when I graduate - I don't even know for certain where I'd like to do my internship. Really though? What else could I do but go to the Lord? I certainly didn't want to make a decision for my life like that on my own. I spent time in prayer over it - and what does He do? He changes the place I work into a hot dog stand. I'm intensely excited about this transition and seeing what the Lord holds in the future. I will be pursuing my career options and be responsible about it, but I also know that our Savior is so faithful in opening the doors in our lives to make it happen. What an awesome adventure He's about to take me on - I'll be sharing it all with you in detail! 

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Also, my roommate / one of my closest friend, Courtney, went to visit her family in Portland this past week. There was a lot involved in the flight situation on her way back to Atlanta and Birmingham... but the point of this is that the airport lost her luggage. Over $2,000 worth of her stuff - including an expensive camera her dad asked her to give to her boyfriend for him AND the first few paintings she's ever done in her life - was in that bag. We've all been praying in complete confidence that the Lord will somehow put it on our front doorsteps, so right now I'm asking that you'll join with me in this prayer. A blogspot of full-throttle prayer warriors can have a big impact. She sent in her claim today stating all of her possessions and their costs - and has been on the phone with Delta since Friday. She knows there's nothing more she can do and has fully put it in the Lord's hands. Please shout a prayer out for her today. She'd really appreciate it, for sure. 

Home. FINALLY.

Home was amazing! If you haven't been able to tell yet, my family is so incredibly important to me. Chase and I went to the climbing gym Thursday night - it is one of the most challenging and liberating sports in my mind. I wish so bad that I was an athlete in the sense of a tennis or soccer or basketball player but my heart is in the extreme sports -  I feel so much more hardcore that way. Dad made coffee every morning for me (except for the ones I slept SUPER late into - he makes the BEST coffee; I try to make the same but he adds the touch of love *aww*) and brought home awesome movies. Sadly, I fell asleep during two of the three of them (sometimes I think I have a sleeping disorder). I stayed awake during Taken... it kind of creeped me out but it was a very intricate and well-made movie. Honestly, I loved it. Mom and I also hosted a bridal shower for my cousin, Lauren Larson, who is getting marred in mid June. Pictures from that later! 

I spent the majority of the time home crafting with mom. This was my main project: coffee sleeves. We decided to call them "Whitney's Coffee Warmers" but the name is subject to change. I'm going to start selling them at the coffeeshop I work in but will be extending to the rest of Auburn / possibly the internet if they start selling well! 

I made these things for my mom - for Mother's Day:

1. Drew dandelions on a vintage gardening book. 

2. Painted a picture.  

Finally, this is the rest of the Transition series I made for my roommates / "bff" Brandy. It was so special to give to them before everyone leaves. 

Update Numero Dos

Good morning my lovely friends of the blogging world! 

It's a beautiful, yet muggy and cloudy day on the plains of Alabama this morning. I'm currently working, or rather just waiting for customers to serve super early in the morning. The city is dead in between the Spring and Summer semesters - which I suppose is expected. However, this gave me the perfect opportunity to write this blog - the one I have been highly and intensely anticipating on sharing with you. 

There have been some very *magical* moments this semester for me. Although I couldn't completely capture or ever partially convey just how incredible these moments were for me, I at least attempted to do so. Here we go:

I went to see one my top three favorite bands in concert: Copeland. As soon as I went, I found that it actually got moved down a little to top five while an opening band took its spot. Brooke Waggoner, Paper Route and Providence opened for Copeland - Paper Route quickly moved up to my top 3 favorite. They just put out a new record. Check it out. This is a compilation of small videos I created from the concert. It's almost like you're there.

copeland concert from Whitney Adams on Vimeo.

Most importantly, my awesome brother proposed to his... suspense is killing you, huh? So here's the video of that: 

For Real, For the Bro from Whitney Adams on Vimeo.

More to come soon! 

Update Numero Uno

First of all - a VERY Happy Mother's Day to each and every single woman that has lived their lives as a wholehearted servant dedicated to their children. I am so thankful for my mom and everything that she means to me. I could never ask for a more beautiful woman to follow in the footsteps of one day. Sure, we've had our ups and downs and bickerings here and there - but she is, by far, the closest and dearest best friend I have in my life. To be even a morsel like her as a mother will speak words to my children AND my husband - and they will be deeply blessed. I wasn't able to spend this day in honor of her WITH her because of work / the distance barrier, but I took off work this upcoming Wednesday through Sunday so I can spend it with her (and the rest of my family, of course) and play with all of the new things we've learned in the world of art! I will put up pictures of our Mother's Day celebration in a few days. I can't wait! 

In the meantime, I must deeply apologize for neglecting my blogsite this semester. It's been pretty rough with classes and, well, life, so thanks for your patience. With that being said, I am so thankful for this semester - even though it entailed the most intense growth period I've ever encountered in my life. Some of you are thinking... "Right, 21 years... you've got A LOT more to grow and encounter." This, my friends, is so true. And as tough as it's been on my heart and even mental state, it's been sooo good. The Lord has been faithful in refining me and showing me His truth. Therefore, this has turned out to be the most beautiful season of my life. My roommate, Hannah, encouraged me to read 1 Peter because she saw my heart in it as she read it. In chapter 5, verse 11, Peter says, "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen." Please don't jump to assumptions that my sufferings entailed that of physical suffering or ridicule or loss of someone that I hold dear - rather, it was suffering from a mental state, a disease - the disease of doubt and of heartache. That - that - is a disease I would never wish upon anyone. The Lord is still in the process of healing it - but as Peter said, He has been and will continue to be faithful in restoring, confirming, strengthening and establishing me. What a beautiful promise! Through this restoration, He has brought people into my life that have been deeply encouraging - people that I have no clue how I've even lived without until this point - people who I joke around about, but truly believe that they are my soul mates - not the "man-husband-like" soul mates, but the soul mates who know your heart just by looking at your face and know to sit and listen rather than try to solve the problems. For each of you, I am eternally grateful for the confidante and safe place you have been for me. 

Now that the semester is over, I need to share with you my "adventures" since final exams. I wish I could say I travelled to great lands and stood under the most extravagant waterfalls, in awe of the One who created them. Rather, I've travelled into the depths of my imagination - which is always pretty adventurous - and delved into the interior of the right-side of my brain. First, I finished the book "Noah's Ark" by Judy Baer. Know, that if you start to get into the Chick Lit genre, you will most likely be criticized because it's a romance novel. Sure, there is a handsome hunk involved that sweeps the girl off her feet - but normally, the girl is too busy with her focus on the Savior that she barely even realizes the guy's around. If you're into the sappy retreats from reality, here's a little teaser from the end of the book - but I won't give away any names.... "I don't know how God manages these things but He knew _____ and I needed to be together and He let nothing stand in the way. It took a while, of course, and it wasn't without trauma, but the results are definitely worth the wait." I'm not much for receiving Truth from fictional books, but I sincerely believe that statement. If God intends for it to happen, He'll make it happen - there will be tough times, refining times, but when it's in His plans, it will happen. There are the cheesy statements too. The statements that classify it as those "that will probably never happen, and if it did... well, I might think the guy was joking" statements: "Norah, if I'm going to be set adrift at sea on an ark, there's no one I'd rather travel with than you." Regardless, it's an incredible book and I had a pretty difficult time putting it down - but then again, I go weak for books like this. 

I decided to do a small series of paintings called "transition" because there are so many people in my life going through... well, transitions. Some are taking it well, and others are having a terribly tough time with it. College draws in way too many opportunities for people to journey in and out of your life and I'm sad to say that there are a few special people that are - or will be - doing that within the next few months. Some are moving to near cities like Birmingham or Atlanta... and then others will be moving to the other side of the world - Hong Kong. To each of you - I will miss you terribly. I cherish you but am so proud of the steps you are pursuing in your lives. May the transitions in your life bring you joy and an abundant life in our Savior. 

And finally... these are a few sketches from my sketchbook I've been working on. Nothing too big - just a few starting steps and inspiration for the future pieces I'll actually have time to work on this summer!! Yay!