JUMP TO SECTION: 1. Unplanned with Alexis 2. Flora and Son 3. Jesus Drives an Astrovan
FAVE PHOTO: Unplanned with Alexis
I hate winter. To be more accurate, I dislike cold weather. A beautiful snowy day is great. I’d be fine with a couple of those scattered throughout the year. But my dream is to live by a beach and have 70 degree and up temps running year round. A couple of years ago I added a bathtub to my house as a way to deal with the drab and chilly winter months. This year, I built a studio in my garage as a way to keep my creative juices flowing during the dark and dreary months.
As I wait for Spring, I’ve been hosting photo, podcast, and video sessions each week in this new space I’m calling the Beech Sandbox Studio. Above is one of my fave photos from a session with my friend Alexis. We had no plan and honestly thought the session did not produce anything special. But then I went to edit the pics and was extremely happy with the results. As much as I like a plan, sometimes it’s just playing in the Sandbox that results in beautiful, creative castles. Only one of the images below came from a planned look.
When the temps get warmer in the coming weeks and months, I’ll be excited to get outside more. But I still aim to spend time in the Sandbox playing. The beauty of this space is I can use it anytime...day, night, cold, hot, rainy, dry - creativity will not be defeated by what’s going on outside. Want to join me? Let’s plan a session...or we can wing it.
JUMP TO SECTION: 1. Unplanned with Alexis 2. Flora and Son 3. Jesus Drives an Astrovan
VIEWING RECOMMENDATION: Flora and Son (on Apple)
MY RATINGS: SCALE OF 1-4
Intensity: 😮😮 Comedy: 😂😂😂 Drama: 😢😢
Writing: 🤔🤔🤔 Originality: 🧐🧐🧐🧐 Cinematography: 😍😍
Flora and Son is not a mainstream movie. I loved the raw and damaged relationships laid bare. I tend to enjoy dysfunctional family stories. And this one is plenty high on dysfunction. Throw in a bit of a long-distance love story, a heap of creative music making, and a large dose of sarcastic humor and you’ve got me hooked.
The film has an indie vibe but contains strong acting and a beautiful soundtrack. A single mom raising a rebellious teenage son reminds me of some of my friends who have similar tensions between parent and child. I’m also a big fan of the British slang. If you’re looking for a sweet romcom or endearing family portrait--this one is not for you. However, if you enjoy a raw, sarcastic, comic story that still pulls on the heartstrings...go to Apple TV and check it out.
JUMP TO SECTION: 1. Unplanned with Alexis 2. Flora and Son 3. Jesus Drives an Astrovan
VIDEO PROJECT: Jesus Drives an Astrovan
The Sandbox has given birth to more than just photos! The first thing I produced in the space was actually a podcast recording for the Burkholder Agency. Next I shot 7 photo sessions over a weekend. Then I shot 6 music videos in about 90 minutes. I got some of my talented musician friends to cover songs I really like and that I thought fit their voices. One of my recent favorite songs is Astrovan by Mt. Joy. In the video above, I tried out my first ever green screen production in the studio with Alex crushing the song.
Check out the other 5 music videos:
Jae Jin: Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince)
Jason Melani: If We Were Vampires (Jason Isbell)
Sadia: Killing Me Softly with His Song (Fugees)
JUMP TO SECTION: 1. Unplanned with Alexis 2. Flora and Son 3. Jesus Drives an Astrovan
If you dig what you’ve read...please subscribe (at the top of the page) and send a link to folks you think might enjoy it. Contact me at michaelivan@loud-communications.com with any questions, comments, or if you’d like to have me produce a video or photo for you. Check out my instagram and website.