Tag: Videos

Amira

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Amira Willighagen in Venice

I’m a complete sucker for music that moves people and brings people together.  For decades I’ve cried tears of pure joy when people get up and sing the National Anthem.  When I was a young child obsessed with The Beatles, I knew I was experiencing magic when watching videos of them perform.  And now, looking back, I don’t even know if it was their music so much as the way it affected people.  But, I guess that’s really one and the same though, isn’t it?

I stumbled across Amira Willighagen in the most random of ways on the YouTube.  And while she’s been well-known throughout the world for many years now, I just fell in love with her.  In the past, especially as a former music major, I feel like I’ve been surrounded by people who are cynical of young musical prodigies.  Arguments abound as to why these young children shouldn’t be doing this.  Sometimes it’s concern for their vocal cords or for their emotional well-being.  Maybe it’s the argument that they shouldn’t be singing about the big things of life before they’ve experienced them.  And while perhaps some of these arguments might hold some validity, I think these mostly stem from places of jealousy.  And my older self sees that these young musicians are actually (often) much closer to a more spiritual and pure place than most adults.  They can connect to the Other World that is music in a much more natural way.  So, I say Huzzah to that.

But, wow.  This video.  Are you kidding me?!  A gorgeous, picture-perfect evening in Venice.  Audience members dressed in their best and members of the orchestra and choir dressed in actual ball gowns!  Oh, my heart.  And then this beautiful, calm angel walking onto the stage, in a dress that I would freely wear every single day if I could, sings the lovely O Mio Babbino Caro.  Oh, how I love this song.  I don’t really care what the translation is or if a 10-year old “should” or “shouldn’t” sing it.

But one of my favorite parts, always, is watching people’s reactions.  I can’t help but swell with a love for humankind when people connect over a shared experience like this.  Wiping away tears or gasping with amazement.  Closing their eyes in pure peace and joy.  (By the way, I realize a camera would never ever show a close-up of me at something like this, as I would be a mess of sobbing tears mixed with slightly psychotic laughter at the sheer beauty of it all.)  Anyway, give a pause and watch this.  Seriously magical.

(And I don’t often scroll through comments, but I did a little bit and fell in love with this one–“Does God know he’s missing an angel?”)

Programming with Purpose

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

This is an amazing keynote talk my friend Ish gave in 2019 at Swiftfest Boston.  Swiftfest is a conference for iOS developers, but this isn’t a talk about formulas and code.  It’s a talk about Life and Goodness.  About breaking out of boundaries and fears and taking steps towards following our dreams.  It’s about enjoying life’s moments and not taking our loved ones for granted.  It’s about the actions we take that can change people’s lives.  And it’s about finding our purpose.

I know that in our rush society, people seem to want short snippets of videos and audio while they’re going about their days, so 25 minutes is an investment.  But–if I may–you owe it to yourself to watch this.  If you notice the tags below, this video covers just about everything.  (The original talk isn’t allowed to be posted, so I’m beyond grateful Ish has put this together.)

Ish has a way of speaking and thinking that puts people at ease and helps them tap into their true selves.  Even before I became close friends with him, he’d ask me how I was doing in such a sincere way, that I always stopped in my tracks to truly reflect and consider how I was, instead of resorting to the automatic, “Fine. And you?”.  He’s the guy people meet for the first time and feel like they’ve known forever.  People open up to him with stories and questions and conflicts and joys, because he really listens without judgement or assumption.  He helps people through their problems, not by giving advice, but by listening to what they say and holding the space for them to find their own conclusions.  I can say with absolute certainty, I would not be where I am today without him.

I realize I’ve digressed a bit, but I wanted to take a moment to share a little bit about Ish, because I am hoping it will inspire you to take a pause and watch this video.  A beautiful reminder about what is good in life and how we can help make it even better, just by being ourselves.

Video Gifts

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Update:  There are so many wonderful services that do all this for you now!!   This post (below) feels outdated, because given the choice I feel it’s definitely worth it to use a service to do this!

Get Montage
This one is brand-new to me, and I am in love with it.  It lets participants add their own pre-recorded videos or use their site to film.  It stitches all the videos together with light music and even offers a reaction video.  The site sends all participants a copy of the final video.  Having made these on my own for years, I’m just beyond grateful for this option!

KudoBoard
While the GetMontage above is focused more on videos, I like that KudoBoard offers itself more to a combination of videos, old photos, and even visual “cards” and typed messages.  I’ve been a participant and organizer for a few KudoBoards, but I’m sure there are still features I have yet to explore.

 

I’m positive there are other great, similar sites out there, but those are the two I’ve come across.  Here are the steps I used to take to create these “from scratch.”  While I probably won’t do many this way anymore, it might be a good option if you have a specific vision or you want more control over editing other people’s videos or the background music choices.

I love making videos for people!  The idea is simple– I reach out to friends and family asking for a short video message for the recipient.  I compile the videos.  I send it!

The process doesn’t always feel as simple…but it’s always worth it.  I’ve done this for friends and family when it’s a birthday, a graduation, a wedding, and, a couple of times, for people who were very sick.  It’s a way to show someone you love how much they’re loved.  And, it’s something they can watch again and again.

This digital world has made it easy for us to gather messages from friends and family, no matter where they are.  And this year, especially, the video projects have been a great way to “be there” for people when we couldn’t actually be present.

–I start by sending out an email or texts to friends and family asking them to record a short message.  I explain who it’s for, who I am (if some of the people may not know me), and what occasion it’s for.  I like to let people put their own spin on the message, but sometimes a bit of guidance helps.  Letting people know it doesn’t have to be long or fancy.  Letting them know it can be silly or creative, if that applies to the celebration.  And, then the important part–setting a deadline.  It feels weird creating a deadline when I know I’ll usually be compiling these at the last minute anyway, but many of these projects would be impossible if every video came rolling in at the end.  And, people tend to need reminders…

–Send a gentle reminder as the deadline is approaching.  Remind the people who haven’t turned a video in yet, how much it will mean to the recipient to see them.  Also, remind them their video can be as simple as a selfie wave and “Happy birthday!” or whatever the occasion is.

–Start compiling the videos on iMovie, or whatever program you have, as they come in.

–Don’t forget to acknowledge and thank each participant as you receive the videos!!

–Leave time for technology to be difficult.  It happens every time, without fail.  It seems so straightforward, and then technology gives me the runaround-argh.

–I load the completed video onto Dropbox so I can share the link, since the finished videos are usually too long for any message.  Perhaps Google Drive works for these too?  And others, I’m sure.

–Remember to send the video on the special occasion!

–I like to reach out and thank all those that have participated one more time and let them know how much the recipient enjoyed the video.

 

I mentioned some of the occasions I’ve done this for, but the possibilities are endless:

-Birthday (especially milestones, but doesn’t have to be..)

-Anniversary

-New baby

-Engagement or wedding

-Graduation

-Retirement

-Holiday (This one has become especially timely this year.  If someone is forced to spend a holiday alone, holiday messages or songs could be a wonderful way to cheer someone.)

-Mother’s Day or Father’s Day from the kids

-Congratulations for an accomplishment

-Someone who could use cheering up (You can ask for jokes or silly/unique videos.  Or just messages of love)

-Someone who is hurt or sick (Again, especially in this time when those who are sick aren’t always able to see visitors.)

-Someone who deserves extra appreciation (Videos of gratitude are so wonderful to collect and send!)

 

Other ideas:

–You can also do solo videos, obviously.  While there’s definitely something special about a heartfelt handwritten message or a phone call, a video can be a nice way for your friend or family member to “see” you, and it allows you to have a chance to speak from your heart and say what you’d like to say.  This works great for those times or occasions when you might like the idea of a video message, but might not be up for making a whole video collection.

–The videos don’t have to be messages, necessarily.  You could ask people to tell jokes or stories, perform songs or dances, read poetry or book passages, teach a skill, etc.

 

For someone who shies away from technology, I sure do appreciate what it can do.  Watching the messages people contribute for these projects warms my heart so much.  I love this memorable and free group gift.

 

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