#discoveringsarahjane

Rest

At half past seven my body decides it's time to begin the day. It's a Saturday morning with no alarm set, no meetings, work or pressing assignments. 

Today I am grateful for rest. 

A slow morning of coffee and music was just what I needed. The week was more strenuous than I anticipated it becoming, and as a result exhaustion hit home. By Thursday "spent" described my physical, emotional and spiritual standing. Tired was not a strong enough description of the haze that clouded my mind, the aches that radiated my body or the weakness in my spirit. 

The weariness began to affect me otherwise by leaving me, quite simply put, sad. 

Once in the sanctuary that is my apartment Thursday evening, tears escaped. Things weren't especially bad, they were just overwhelming. My previous post on living life at full capacity still stands true, but the enemy had decided to try to turn that against me.

What a wonderful thing to be loved and protected by the Creator God.

That evening I was blessed by a visit from my boyfriend. Through conversation and relaxation my spirits were lifted. That night I slept like a child after a full day in the sun. Curled up under my blanket, I slept well for what felt like the first time in ages. 

Yesterday was marked by the celebration of Good Friday, yet another reminder of the love of God. 

Encouraged by the message delivered by my pastor and cheered by an evening with my parents and boyfriend, today is beginning with a much brighter outlook. 

Today I am grateful for rest.

My God has sustained me through a trying week and is building me up to face the one coming. For that, gratitude pours out of this tired yet encouraged soul.  

Curiously,
Sarah Jane

#discoveringsarahjane

Life at full capacity

My email accounts hit full capacity.

My cell phone keeps warning me that there is no more storage space.

My Dropbox account is 98.3% full.

These technological maxes are symbols of the fact that my life is at full capacity. As you lovely readers saw in my previous post, the day begins for me at 5am and there isn't much in the way of free time until I am able to fall into bed.

Everyone tells you that college is going to be this amazing time for learning, personal growth and discovery. They joke about extreme homework loads and late nights. Nostalgic stories of life-long friends and campus spirit bring a reminder of all the memories current college students should be making.

Then you hit full capacity.

No one warned me of this.

Getting up early to be productive and work on good habits for my future career. Going to work before class. Responding to emails during lectures. Rushing from campus to my internship with no time for lunch. Having a few precious hours to do photo shoots, homework, be involved at church and attempt to sleep.

No one told me about what it would feel like to be so close to being done and being a complicated mixture of terrified, excited and confused. Feelings of disinterest creep up from within, wishing to be finished with classes, but they are followed by a throat clenching realization that completion only means job searching.

Failure is an ever present fear. But failure is not an option.

Welcome, to full capacity.

Somewhere in the midst of these emotions and full inboxes there has grown an appreciation. A liking. Living life at full capacity has been stressful and disheartening at times, but it has taught me much. Suddenly this college gal is more aware and more engaged than ever before. I am thankful for those moments of free time, am proud to look back on my day and see that things were actually accomplished, am throughly enjoying my job and internships, and am blessed by friends and family.

Weekends are marked by church, time with my boyfriend, trying to see friends and family, running errands, cleaning my apartment, and whatever else didn't fit into the regular week. Needless to say, there isn't much downtime then either.

As much as the rushing wears me out, at the end of the day I know I am getting more out of life by living at full capacity.

Why didn't anyone tell me about this?

Curiously,
Sarah Jane

#discoveringsarahjane

Big dreams means a crazy schedule

As a visual learner, I have to write things down. Before anything becomes a concrete goal or idea it has to be put down in some form of ink. 

Yesterday this resulted in the creation of a complicated document that blended three major goals with steps to achieve them along with a rigorous time schedule. Why? Because graduation is fast approaching and there may be a certain degree of fear creeping up in me.

For those of you interested, here is my new schedule:

5:00 am - Quiet time (reading my Bible and journaling)

5:30 am - News (watching and reading)

6:00 am - Writing (for you lovely blog followers)

6:30 am - Emails (reading, writing and clearing out)

7:00 am - Social media (scheduling Tweets and Tumbr posts, as well as a bit of pinning)

7:30 am - Get ready for work 

7:45 am - Leave for work

8:00 am - Work

10:00 am - Class

12:30 pm - Leave for internship

5:00 pm - Finish internship, go home

9:30 pm - Bed

Yes, you read right. With this new plan I get up at 5am and am in bed by 9:30pm. Few college students go to bed that early, but anymore I am hardly functional after that point. Instead of tuning in to random sitcoms, I've decided to hit the hay. 

In those four and a half "free" hours between finishing my internship and going to bed, youth group, working for my university's publications, showering, decompressing from the day and doing that thing called "homework" will take place. 

Tomorrow will be the first day I implement this lovely schedule, I can't wait to see how it works out. 

Perhaps later those three big goals mentioned earlier will be revealed to you, but until then I am going to continue working towards them privately and attempting to better utilize my time. 

Curiously,
Sarah Jane

#discoveringsarahjane

Instagram, Typic, Snaspseed, AfterLight, Hipster and Reel 

To whoever invented these glorious apps: thank you.

In October of 2011 I purchased my first iPhone. The iPhone 4S had just come out and I snapped up a iPhone 4 while they were on sale. Yes, I realize this puts me a bit behind the times, but it didn't (and doesn't) change the fact that this phone is one of my favorite possessions, especially for the fact that it is most often used for photography purposes. 

For this #discoveringsarahjane post, the photography apps I use and enjoy most will be the topic of discussion. 

Instagram

Is there anyone who isn't enamored by this photo-sharing-genious of an app? Working on my second year-long daily project has made me realize that this app is easily my most used. I'm not the most popular user, but I think my 194 followers is a pretty good audience. This app taught me how to properly use hashtags (and yes I am aware that they don't actually work on Blogger, it just made sense to keep the theme going), as well as how to use multiple apps in conjunction with one another. 

Typic

This is my newest obsession. The ability to use text and graphics on my photos is amazingly fun and has allowed me to further explore my budding love for graphic design and typography. After having the free version of Typic for less than a month I wound up purchasing Typic Pro for $1.99. Easily the best two bucks I've spent in a while.

Snapseed

It's like having a simplified version of Photoshop in your pocket, which is perfect for quick edits. I have used this to correct horrible backlighting and grainy photos, as well as create perfectly contrasted black and white images. The filters and effects are useful, but I tend to use this app for cropping, color correction and general editing basics. Handy is the perfect word to describe this one. 

 AfterLight

Not knowing how people posted landscapes and portraits on the famously square Instagram platform, a friend introduced me to AfterGlow, now AfterLight. To be honest, I haven't played with this one too much but I can see the potential for some creatively framed and edited images. Seemingly endless ways to crop images to shapes and playing with filters are just a couple of the things I hope to further explore on this app.

Hipster

For this postcard-loving-gal this app is ideal. Every time I open it up it's like opening my mailbox to find fun images from friends around the world. Lately I haven't posted as many images myself, so I am hoping to get back on track soon. Images are turned into postcards with filters, text, and even messages like you would write on the back, creating unique postcards from everyday life. People can view and "like" them, with the cards that have the most likes being labeled as popular (proud to say I have about 10 labeled as such). 

Reel

A new Instagram? While not as easy to navigate, this app seems to be up and coming. Photos can be sorted into categories (ideal for my OCD nature) and photos are not limited to a square crop (ideal for a real photographer). Learning how to better use this app is on my to-do list for the time being, but I can see this app being a hipster's alternative to the ever popular Instagram.

Well folks, I hope you have enjoyed learning about my adoration for photography apps. Try them out for yourself and let me know what you think. 

Until next time...

Curiously,
Sarah Jane

Did I mention New York?

Part four of a mini series - the final installment

New York was great.

New York was grand.

New York was swell.

Can I go back now?

That final night I did just what I had said I would. Sitting in the lobby of the hotel until after 2am was a good experience. Watching the people filter in and out from their evenings of entertainment in the city was intriguing and relaxing, writing helped me to clear my mind, and staying up late made me feel as though I had squeezed just a bit extra out of the city.

When I did finally turn in I laid on my daybed under the window of the 48th floor hotel room and just listened. Dozing off for, at most, two hours, I was lulled into that slumber by the sounds from the streets below. Sirens, horns, people calling for taxis, music and the slamming of trash trucks were a sweet melody. What an odd combination.

As I knew it would, 5:20am eventually rolled around. With my camera backpack slung over my shoulders and dragging my carryon suitcase behind, I made one last ride down the elevator to the lobby below. Walking outside to the shuttle was perfect, rain was falling and had created a glistening shine on the pavement. Through the dark of an unfortunately early morning Times Square's lights reflected off the puddles and bounced off the raindrops.

It was a perfect morning.

Now that I'm back to my Southern California home it is time to return to college classes,  two jobs and an internship. With my suitcase sitting on the floor of my closet, chances are I will start daydreaming of my next adventure.

Where will I go next?

Curiously,
Sarah Jane

Did I mention New York?

Part three of a mini series - last night in town

These last few days have been amazing.

I have tried my best to embrace every moment - taking in the sights, sounds and smells to the point of sensory overload.

New York City proved to be more than I thought it would be, and goodness knows my few days here didn't allow me to come close to covering the entirety of this amazing city. Throughout the past few days my mind has been quietly absorbing all that it possibly could and considering the possibilities the city has for this daydreaming girl.

Perhaps this is the "last night blues" talking, or maybe the sugary frozen yogurt (which I shouldn't have eaten), but I'm not sleeping tonight. Writing, Instagraming, and laying in bed listening to the sounds of Times Square below me is how I will spend my last few hours here.

It's nearly 2am and I'm expected to be in the lobby of our hotel at 5:20am "ready" to go. I'll be there, but I won't be ready.

Curiously,
Sarah Jane

Did I mention New York?

Part two of a mini series – 30 minutes to landing

This post is being written while a mere thirty minutes away from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport – a joint I just passed through last weekend. I have discovered that flying is quite relaxing and something I truly enjoy. Michael Bublé is my go-to artist for traveling tunes and is, as always, treating me quite well.

Dallas, while it will be nice seeing you again so soon I’m looking forward to passing through.

Twenty-seven minutes to landing…

Curiously,

Sarah Jane

Did I mention New York?

Part one of a mini series - the decision

This adventure has inspired me to do a mini-series of posts centered on my time in New York City. Posts may be short, but this adventure is one that I have long dreamed of and do not want to let it pass without at least a little reflection.

Curiously,
Sarah Jane

#discoveringsarahjane

Traveling days

Last week I packed up my carry on and camera backpack and took off to Texas. When I came home I didn’t bother to unpack it, because last night I packed it up and took off to New York City.

These are my traveling days.

Early in the afternoon on Friday I joined most of my photography staff on a trip to Ft. Worth, Texas for the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference. Having been the year before I knew what to expect and was looking forward to having my portfolio reviews by industry professionals.

While a short trip, it was well worth the time. One of the highlights of the conference are the two-minute shows that attendees are encouraged to participate in. For two nerve-wracking minutes your photos are shown to students and award-winning professionals alike. Never have I been so anxious for my work than in those short moments.

Deciding to share some of the portraits I had taken while in Turkey (scroll down if you are curious to read a bit more on that) was a wise choice. I received positive feedback and for once felt confident that my decision to pursue photography as part of my career was not completely in vain. There is obviously plenty of room for improvement, but it was encouragement I needed to receive.

Today my traveling days have me in route to New York City.

Headed to a journalism conference in the city sounds like such a “grown up” adventure, and I couldn’t be happier.

With only a few days to experience the city I have so longed to visit has be determined to avoid being the tourist and embrace the New Yorker attitude.

Coffee shops, cutting through Central Park, art museums in the evening, pretzels from street venders, hopping a train, catching the subway, hailing a cab – what this 21-year-old is looking for is a unique experience that creates a new perspective on a potential lifestyle.

Keep an eye out for posts on this new adventure, and if you follow me on Instagram (sarahjaneokeefe) explore the hash tags #travelingdays, #didimentionnewyork, and of course, #discoveringsarahjane.

Curiously,
Sarah Jane

#discoveringsarahjane

Playing catch up

It would appear that I am far from the ideal blogger. My posts are few and far between, not to mention lengthy.

Before posting the latest entry in my Discovering Sarah Jane project, let me refresh your memory as to who I am and why on Earth I started this endeavor.

Last year a daily Instagram project changed my outlook on life. Posting an image of one thing that had made me happy in one way or another helped me to appreciate the many blessings in my life and find happiness in the everyday. When the new year rolled around I knew that even though #onehappythingaday had ended I wanted to continue along the same path of discipline and self discovery.

Hence the birth of #discoveringsarahjane. With the intention of learning, exploring and challenging myself every day, the project was to include daily Instagram photos and frequent blog posts.

What I have discovered is that my life is crazy hectic.

Having previously resolved to post on a more regular basis and failed I obviously have not done much for the value of my word. That being said, it seems I have come up with a more achievable plan that will allow me to post on a regular basis. Sunday evenings will be my new post night – that way I can reflect on the events of the week and share my discoveries. Should time become available during the week I may post a short update, rant, blurb or announcement, but with my schedule that won’t be often.

Here’s to (another) fresh start. I’ll get the hang of this blogging thing one day.

Curiously,

Sarah Jane