Sharing the LOVE...Hashtag Authentic

Cafe time...
Hashtag Authenic, a latte and a bookmark
created by my daughter, Miss Claire

I recently stopped in a local cafe to breathe in the words of creative Instagram guru, Sara Tasker  @me_and_orla. I discovered Sara by chance last summer along with two bears. I was listening to her podcast, Hashtag Authentic, for the fist time, while walking along a country road, taking in the the fresh country air (as you do)... feeling inspired by her interview with Flore Vallery-Radot  @the.flo.show. They were talking about France and creative workshops and suddenly....ROAR... a very large bear jumped out onto the road ahead of me in hot pursuit of her cub who was having a case of the sillies. I stood stunned...trying to remember that slip of paper I had studied years ago on what to do when you encounter a black bear. My mind was miles away in a creative workshop in France...and to be honest, I was feeling a bit inconvenienced by having to lose that train of thought. I know...crazy!

A country road in my neck of the woods

I stood rock solid, stopped breathing and stared...and lucky for me, neither bear took any interest. I knew that look...that mother bear was pissed. She leapt over her cub, cornered it and roared and the cub quickly tuned around and high tailed it back into the woods...with mother in hot pursuit. I glanced over in the distance and saw the cub clinging to the upper branches of a tree with mother standing straight up alongside the tree, looking at me. We stared at each other and I had the distinct feeling that she wanted me to move on. So I did. I kept my pace steady, slipped my thoughts back to creative workshops in France and occasionally glanced behind to make sure I had read the signals correctly. I reckon if I hadn't I was going to be out of luck either way.

At a safe distance, I replayed the part of the podcast I had been distracted from and walked merrily along. And I haven't walked that road since. ;)

But I have continued to listen to Sara's podcast and have become a big fan. She recently published her first book and I was truly just as excited to receive it as she was to publish it.

Her book, Hashtag Authentic, is about Finding creativity and building a community on Instagram and beyond. I just finished it and know it will be one of those books I keep close at hand. If you enjoy Instagram and have questions about creating and publishing posts, you will find it very helpful. Beyond that it is a wonderful creative tool, full of inspiring thoughts and photographs which will send you off thinking about your creative life and how you can expand it. 

The book has four chapters: Storytelling ~ Archiving Your Life ~ Making Pictures and ~ Sharing Your World. Sara writes about finding inspiration in everyday life, composition, chasing light, identifying those things that inspire you, planning your IG gallery and finding your "people".

The following list are words found in the pages of Sara's book and beyond. I love collecting words...especially ones that resonate with life at the moment. Knowing that many of us are kindred spirits, I thought you might enjoy this collections of words too. I keep the list close at hand when I am looking for creative inspiration. 

Words and Hashtags

WRITING

composition

narrative

journal
voices, stories

expat notebook

pen and paper

grace notes
the writing room
the edit

life

thinking about

love at first sight

caught my eye

retrospective
stills with stories

gatherings like these

storyteller

hello storyteller
slow travel stories

CREATING

photography notes

chasing light

creative space

finding community

mindful

 artful, creative

connection

 communication

community
designed by nature

tapestry

common threads

export to create

be boundless

LIVING

soul of place

food and ingredients

gentle, quiet

everyday rituals

the old house

a table

towns and markets
energy

gratitude

harmony

inner peace

joy

authentic moment
fabric of life
a still lifestyle

calm_collected

the slow down collective

a seasonal shift

simple and still 

seek the simplicity

a quiet style

pockets of my home

local

a seasonal shift

heart of the home

NATURE
weather and seasons
night sounds and night dreams
mud season
plant dreaming

landscape and nature
the wonder of it all
the wood

penetrating light

observations

gentle on the land

wild and tame

retreat

spirit
forest bathing

flora and fauna

botanical creativity 

found and foraged

inspired by nature

small moments of calm
curated_nature

TRAVEL

curiosities

the road home
seeker

sojourner

food and travel

the wandering tourist

travel details
road trips and travel

If you enjoy collecting words as well, 

please feel free to grab from this list. 

If  you have words to share, 

I would love to read them. 

You can write to me jeannecollageoflife@gmail.com

~~

Lastly, on the POSTCARD front..

I have been happily overwhelmed by the requests!

Who knew we all loved snail mail so much!

I have been a busy writer but admit to getting 

distracted along the way.

If you would like one I am still happy to oblige!

Here is one that I collected in my travels...

so poignant as many of us reflect back on the years of our life.

It is a postcard of a painting by Amy Cutler

entitled "Army of Me"

Army of Me, 2003
Amy Cutler

To which I added the following quote...

I wonder who will get this one...

or if it will ever leave my desk.

What do you think?

 Keep or send?

On that note, I am off to follow that passion!

Hope you are too!!

Jeanne xx

As always, you can write to me jeannecollageoflife@gmail.com

Apologies to those who are struggling to leave comments,

that darn Blogger!