I recently was really inspired by a photo series created by Rowena Meadows in Australia. Quarantine has me coming up with all of the crazy ideas but this was such a fun way to get the kids involved. You can see her series here.
This is our, “I’ll Tell You a Color Story” Series.
This time in quarantine, sheltering in place or social distancing has been interesting for me creatively. As my blog has grown over the last few years I have reached out more for professional help with some of my content. Most of my photography is done professionally and for the last two months that hasn’t been an option. This had me reaching back for the tripod and timer or using Justin and the kids as my photographers.
I used this time to create content that inspired me creatively and less time worrying about what was esthetically pleasing or what fit my brand. I really stopped doing a lot of sponsored content too just to be more sympathetic of the situation. People were seeking interesting images to look at and not ads.
I spent time writing each day. I also spent time using my camera. I took a few short classes online to get myself more familiar with my equipment and lens. I spent some time finding new preset edits that would highlight what I was photographing. I found that photographing food makes me very happy.
Being in a place where you are being creative all the time can be overwhelming. What used to be my outlet became my job and toward the end of last year I felt myself feeling tired from being creative rather than reenergized. This time of just letting the creativity flow naturally has been refreshing but also inspiring for my mind.
I have always tried to keep my finger on the pulse of what my followers wanted while still doing what I loved.
Color Me the Gamemaker
Whether it’s a quarantine, several rainy days in a row or school holidays there are times as a parent where you are reaching for the ideas. They call me the Gamemaker at home because I can come up with a game in a moment’s notice.
Acting like a fool? Cool, let’s all play Mommy Says. Everyone is crying? No problem, let’s do ring around the rosy in English accents with costumes. There is no limit to my ability to come up with a game to entertain the kids or snap someone out of a bad mood.
Color My Rainbow – Pictures
This is what I turned our photo shoot into. The kids are all on board with some fun family photos but this definitely made it easier to get them to participate. I set a timer for three minutes and everyone in the house had that time to dress head to toe in the color I called as well as pile their color appropriate accessories by the door. Boom. Done.
Color Scavenger Hunt – At Home
Doing the head to toe color with pictures was fun but messy. Everyone wanted to take things out and then no one wanted to put them up. I get that sometimes it’s just easier not to open the can of worms up so I came up with a less messy version.
Have everyone sit in a central location. Call a color have each kid run and get an items that is in their color. When you call the next color have them return the original item and then pick a new one. Hopefully this will make it all the fun and none of the mess.
Texture Scavenger Hunt – Outside
I love working on the kids with colors. It’s always interesting to see how they interpret color and also what they name it. We have been working on textures too. Bumpy, fuzzy, hard, rough, tender, slimy and so on. Rather than giving them an object or color to look for I will give them a texture to find. Sometimes we will take our collections and bring them home to draw, trace or press into art.
Games don’t have to be complicated. It is usually easy to grab kids attention for 10 or 20 minutes and get them to focus on something new. The next time everyone is out of sorts throw out a new game and see if it helps redirect their frustrations.
XO,
Tiffany
