I love it when people inspire me. Most of the time, they have no clue that they’re actually doing it. But I tell you, the feeling that consumes my insides when inspiration strikes is a total rush – I love it; I crave it; I need it in my life. Although so much inspires me, I don’t usually think of myself as the one inspiring others so seeing this writeup by Loise on Aussie Scrap Source this morning was awesome – thanks Loise! I am so glad that something I did prompted a spark of inspiration within you! xox
That’s what it’s all about hey. Inspiring each other. Getting the juices flowing.
To see some more of Loise’s AMAZING creative juices, (and I mean, you will DIE at how amazing she is) visit her personal websitehere. To see more of her Aussie Scrap article featuring moi, gohere.
I was also happy to see Shriners Hospital for Children using some of my Kelly-Rae inspired art for their holiday cards this year. It makes me so happy when others enjoy my creations.
To see the other e-cards made from my art or to donate to Shriners, feel free to visit here. I love Shriners, my children get exceptional care there and, it’s free. Shriners have been like angels to me. While we struggled to figure out ways to pay mounting medical debt in the US, Shriners were like this amazing beacon of hope for us giving the children care without the worry of a bill at the end of each visit. Thank you Shriners! xox
Now, here is what is inspiring me personally today:
1. City and Colour’s facebook photos – I love them! Especially this one. I don’t know who the photographer is, but I find this picture thoroughly inspiring. I love ev-er-y-thing about this photograph. EV-ER-Y-THING.
And get this, my friend Ryan took this picture of Haun’s Hill Massacre recently – it was his first pro still-photo shoot (he is a filmographer and usually works with moving images – he is making the transition into still images look so easy!) His composing skills put mine to shame! I am so inspired by this picture and him!
2. I haven’t been able to stop listening/watching this: Montserrat Caballe “Casta diva” at the Thèatre Antique d’Orange. July 20th, 1974. I find this performance completely mesmerizing in not only her vocal perfection, but the enchanting way the breeze brings the whole stage to life. Beautiful. (Just listen to that crowd roar at the end.)
3. And lastly, I have been inspired a lot lately by David, my friend with the beeeeeautiful tenor voice (he is currently with WA Opera). He has also begun giving me classical singing lessons (brave man!) and has been on the other end of my lens quite a lot this week. Here are some of my favorites:
(As you can see, we’ve been having a bit of fun – haha)
So has anything inspired you this week? If so, please share! Maybe it will inspire me too!
(By Jasmine Bailey-Barfuss; starring Jasmine and David; Photos by my 9 yr old niece who we discovered really, really, really LIKE-likes my new b.f.f. – bless)
I have a BFF and his name is David.
Yes that’s right, The David Woodward – you’ve heard of him? The beautiful Tenor with a voice so warm he could melt the polar icecaps?
Yep, that’s him.
The guy with high notes so dreamy he could bring even the coldest of hearts to tears?
Yuh-huh, that’s the guy.
With a smile so inviting it could stir the masses into spontaneously hugging each other and, ultimately, inspiring world peace? (It is one of his many super powers.)
Yes sirree! That’s David and yes, he is that powerful.
And cute.
And wonderful.
And I am so in love.
The Blissful Happy Gooey Kind of Love. You know, the kind where you just can’t get enough of every little thing that comes out of that person’s mouth? (Especially when they’re singing?) The kind where they could have a big huge yellow pimple on their swollen chin and it wouldn’t even matter? (Not that he of course would ever have a pimple on that beautiful face of his – but if he did, I swear I wouldn’t even notice!)
And whether he wants it or not, he is most certainly my new bestest-estest friend.
Forever.
I mean, how could I not want to be surrounded by his creative genius and cute eyelashes. It was like love at first sight when I saw him standing there, waiting for his turn to sing at WACO rehearsals the other day (it was as if my sub conscious screamed, ‘this man will be fabulous for your self esteem Jasmine, you must meet him and claim him for yourself – now!’ But of course my conscious mind didn’t hear that, it just slowly gravitated towards him like an electron zips around the outer edges of an alluring atom) – as it was with my other two men-friends who preferred shopping with me, over making out with me.
It’s quite strange actually, the magnetic pull that presents itself just a few times in a lifetime – the pull that drags you to a person even if you are kicking and screaming trying to run the other way. The pull that dragged me to JB in the lunch-line in the cafeteria at Brigham Young University in 1995 – the second we found out that both South Africa and Australia have both vegemite and milo, we were fabulous friends for life; the pull that dragged me to the eccentric and passionate deep-thinker JC in 2000 – the second I heard his booming laugh, I new that I wanted his laughter in my life for the rest of my life; you know that pull that only happens a handful of times? I can count on about six fingers the amount of times I have made an instant bff – the kind that just clicks perfectly like a missing piece to your puzzle, at very first contact – and I can recall vividly the moment each of them entered my life.
And changed it, for the better.
One thing I have recently rediscovered (and my parents knew from birth) is that my personality is the type that craves, well, umm, how do I say this… attention. Maybe its just vanity, maybe I just like to be called ‘Pumpkin’, but I think that people who think that I am fabulous are, well, absolutely positively unbelievably fabulous too!!!
Sigh.
I like friends. I miss friends. Why am I living in America again? She wonders quietly to herself. I have so much a history here, so many more special friends than I ever truly realized. And now I’m making special new ones and it feels so good! Will I ever make friends in America? Am I too confrontational, too independent and non-conformist?? Maybe it will just take more time… maybe… maybe I just need to get out more in America… maybe…
As my new friend and my niece took turns serenading us with their musical voices, I sighed a happy contented sigh and thought, life is good.
I am grateful for good friends. (Especially the kind with big muscles that carry my heavy shopping bags whilst Christmas shopping in the city yesterday.)
