Adam Kirk Smith

- A. Smith Blog - Leadership in Life

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Instagram: Creativity in the Day to Day

MtHoodFromOHSU

 

As I sit here, waiting to board my plane to Portland to see my brother, I think about creativity and all that it entails. Is it really something that can be defined? Science has had a difficult time being “scientific” with much of the creative process, as we know it. Is creativity something that can happen in the spur of the moment? I believe so. I believe that happens more than we realize.

Take the application, Instagram, for instance. This one application has revolutionized the way in which people interact with each other, but also displays their creativity to the world. You don’t have to be a well-known photographer, a fashion designer, or a world-renowned filmmaker to be noticed on Instagram. What I mean is, Instagram pushes the envelope for everyone and anyone. Take my own story for instance- by trade I am a visual story teller (a fancy term for videographer) and a writer. I dabbled in photography about three years ago when I first found my passion for multimedia, but after trial and error figured out that digital and film photography maybe was not for me. I found my passion in video (also referred to as film). Then came Instagram, which at the time did not have video capabilities. My first post was a terrible lo-fi filtered picture of the end of a guitar. Over time, I found other Instagrammers whose work I loved and grabbed bits and pieces from what they did and made it my own. That application has stretched me in creative ways more than I could have imagined. I now notice different light settings. I notice different scenery. I appreciate the outdoors. I love portraits. All because of the application known as Instagram, I now have a love for so many things I did not have before.

It also taught me to live in the moment. Sometimes beautiful pictures and moments are not planned. It has taught me not to take life so seriously. That does not mean life isn’t serious; it just means to find beauty in the simple things. Value the face-to-face interactions you have as well as the digital interactions. Everyone has a story to tell. Listen to their story. I promise you will find value and wonderful lessons throughout life if you will just listen to people and reflect. Reflecting allows our minds to find that value.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” – Søren Kierkegaard

In an article titled, “Nurturing Creativity” by allpsychologycareers.com, the writer gives some great advice on how to nurture our creative thinking. I believe the advice given from this article ties into what I mentioned about reflecting.

“Schedule some quiet time each day, every couple of days, or once a week if that is all that’s possible. Just breathe, daydream, or doodle. Turn off all electronic devices and just relax.”

This week I challenge you to sit back, relax, and reflect on your surroundings, your relationships, your passions, and your dreams. Seek out new ways in which you can enrich those relationships. Seek out well-known people in your field of work and see what they are doing that you might could do as well.

How will you find beauty in the simple moments this week? In what ways will you make an effort to examine life and the world around you?

If you would like to know more about Instagram, find me at: @thevincerussell

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Jawbone UP Review

The Jawbone UP bracelet is a rechargeable (via USB), water-proof bracelet that helps you track major health aspects in your life and makes it a social event. It has two modes, sleep and active, which you can change by pushing a button on the bracelet. It lets you know which mode that you’re in on the bracelet. Active= green light and Sleep= blue moon. You just have to remember to switch the modes before you go to sleep and again when you wake up.

I have had the Jawbone UP bracelet for a week now and wanted to give a review on what I thought of the product after using it.

First of all, I guess I should tell you why I bought the bracelet.

I got it because of the reminder to make healthy choices. Of course, people can be healthy with or without the bracelet. But, having it on my wrist all the time has deterred me from making some unhealthy choices.

Next, it gives some pretty awesome data.

It tells me how I slept. It breaks it down into how long I actually slept, how much of it was heavy sleep, how much of it was light sleep and how much of it that I was awake.

It shows how each meal counts towards my daily food totals just by taking a picture of it, which I have no idea how it can be accurate from only a picture. But, it seems to know what it’s talking about. After inputting the meal, it asks how I feel after eating it about ten minutes later.

It also shows how many steps that I have taken throughout the day. It definitely shouldn’t be a substitute for daily cardio, but it does help you see that your daily routine can provide some activities that end up burning calories.

Even with all the data that it gives me, right now my favorite feature has to be the silent alarm. With Jasmine waking up with Colbie during the night, the UP bracelet vibrates until I turn it off which wakes me up, but doesn’t wake up anyone else. Pretty cool, huh?

With all that it does, it lasts ten days on a full charge. Seems like great battery life to me.

Oh, and after watching this video it looked awesome.

There have only been two downsides to the bracelet that I have found so far.

The first downside has to do with syncing. It’s not hard to plug the bracelet into your iPhone, but I just wish it synced wirelessly. I would have figured with Jawbone making bluetooth devices for the most part, they would have figured out a way to do this. Maybe they’ll have this available with the next UP bracelet that they come out with. When you do have to sync UP, you have to do so with a separate USB cable. It’s just weird to have a piece that’s not connected to the bracelet that you have to keep up with. Also, when you have to sync the bracelet there is a cap that you have to remove. The cap seems like it would be easy to lose, but they sell a 3-pack set of replacement caps in the online store.

The only other downside that I’ve found has to do with the app. They’ve come out with an update to the software already that has to do with better accuracy, but the way the info is delivered seems a little behind other equipment like fitbit and it’s app. But again, I like the UP bracelet idea over the out-of-sight, out-of-mind fitbit.

Some things that I do like about the app is that it allows you to create teams with others that have UP bracelets already. This is a great thing because it offers accountability especially with the pictures of your meals. You don’t want to post pics of tubs of gravy on it. The app also allows you to accept challenges that will help you reach your goals.

If you want to find out more about the Jawbone UP check out the FAQ, the website and check the forums.

Purchase the Jawbone UP here.

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We All Need To Be More Intentional

 

Sometimes I’m so busy living for the future, that I forget about today. I take the time to plan all these huge goals and try to setup the future to be bright. I probably miss out on opportunities on a daily basis that I would have seen if I would have been more intentional about them.

I forget how important it is to make Jasmine’s day.
I forget how important it is to make sure others know I care.
I forget about the kid whose dad isn’t around to play catch with them.
I forget about how important it is to just smile.
I forget that some people just need me.

People need you, too. They need you to be you. This is what “being intentional” is to me.

What are some other examples of how all of us can be more intentional each day?