Name That Creature: Creative Imagery, Part 1

     I posted this image on Facebook and I asked, "Can anyone guess what creature got caught in this photo?" A few of my fb friends took a guess, but no one got it right. I soon gave them 2 hints... 1st Hint) Not everything is as it is presented to be. Hint #2) The creature might not be a living creature at all.

       Take a good look at the photo and see if you can figure it out before reading any further. Can you see its arms and hands, and its head, face, ears, and eyes? Are you sure you see these features? Actually, no, you don't. The fact is, the "creature" is not a creature at all, period. If you believe that it is, then the creature you think you see is just a figment of your imagination - an effect of being prompted by the power of suggestion. (Please stick with me here, and I will reveal what actually IS in the mystery photo. And I also want to share a few specific points that I would like to make, as well as a few reasons for posted this article.)

       Reason #1) I thought it might be kind of fun and that maybe some of my Facebook friends and blog readers might enjoy it. Reason 2) To be perfectly honest, in preparation for soon launching a brand new entrepreneurship, I need to boost the algorithms of my social media platforms, for more page visibility. So, I'm trying to post stuff that others might find a bit interesting. And I, personally, love things that are out of the ordinary and different from the norm. And reason #3) To make the following few points...

       Not everything is as it seems, or as someone is presenting it to be. Most of us have the tendency to take things at face value. But unfortunately, we can't always trust what we believe we see. We actually should be very careful to not just assume that anything or anyone is as we initially think they are. Because to judge accordingly can lead to unfair and undeserved conviction of others. And, on the flip side, it can cause us to trust and believe in things and people that we shouldn't trust or believe in at all. Sometimes, what we think is something positive is actually negative. And what seems to be a bad thing could be, in fact, a very good thing, instead.

       We may frequently misinterpret other people's words, behaviors, and actions. We can easily misunderstand their motives. Or we may fail to recognize that their motives might exist - unconsciously - in their heart and mind. And therefore, we might not realize that the results of what they do and say are actually unintentional consequences. This can create a lot of negativity that, perhaps, could be prevented - if only we were not so quick to make a judgement call in the first place. So, we should strive to look beyond the obvious and see what is actually there, which is often covered up and hiden. Or, due to our misjudgement or someone's misrepresentation, what we think we see could be very obscured, as in the case of the photo above.

       And last, but not least, I would like to encourage others to create and share something beautiful, interesting, and inspiring - by using their talents, gifts, and creativity, as well as their skills, abilities, and their experience. Photography and Graphic Design is just one of so many pathways through which that can be accomplished. In the image above, their is no creature, only a photoshoped snapshot of ice on the windshield of my car...

Don't see my little creature?

Let's zoom in a bit.

See it now?

One more time...

Ah, there he is. Lol

       Here are a few more versions of the same photo, which could be used for eye-catching backgrounds or visual effects. I created them all with the combined use of 2 very easy to use, free Google Play Store apps - BeFunky and InShot...

       Pretty neat stuff, don't you think? For more examples of turning ordinary pictures into fascinating images and graphics, click the link below the last picture. And if you have anything interesting that you would like to share, feel free to post a link in the Comments Section. Thanks so much, Martin Ann

To see more creative images, click here.

What's in the Photo? Discovering Your Creativity, Part 1

Can you tell what this is a picture of? ...

What about this one? ...

       Simply using my phone's camera, I took some photos of something that most people would probably see as nothing more than a piece of junk. But I saw it as a photo & graphic image opportunity. So, I snapped a few pics and later used them to create the above images, with the help of a couple of free photoshop apps. Take a look at one of the original photos...

       That is nothing more than a thick piece of broken clear glass that has been thrown in the grass, on top of a small piece of cement, beside a convenient store that I stopped at the other day while out driving for Uber and Lyft. I suspect that it was probably from a glass-top table or maybe some other piece of furniture. But the different patterns that I saw in the cracks of the glass looked interesting to me. So I took a few moments to capture them on my camera. I cropped out a small piece of one of the photos and used it to create the first image you see above. Here's that small cropped piece, after I gave it an icy/cloudy look by using some photoshop effects...

       Now, whether you find this photo and imagery kind of thing interesting or not, you might be wondering what someone could do with such images. For starters... I, personally, find it relaxing and enjoyable to take pictures of things that appear interesting to me, and also to see what neat stuff I can create with a simple photograph on my photoshop apps. But also, you can sell photos and images online, on websites such as dreamstime.com and many others. Or you could become an online web designer for others who need pictures, imagery, and designs for their webpages. I use them for many things, including designs for coloring books, scrapbooks, and for images to put on items like throw pillows and coffee mugs (which you can sell on websites like zazzle.com). I also use such pics for projects like this...

       All of the graphics in this picture were created from the first image you saw above, including the backdrop. The backdrop (background photo) is simply a smaller cropped piece of that first image, to which more colors were added, and then I slightly blurred it all for the background image. This picture (including captions) is being put in a video that I'm working on.

      As for the second image above - the one that looks like a piece of green glass...

Can you see it?

Yep, it's in there. Somewhere.

       This is Martin Ann saying, life never has to be boring, as long as you use your imagination to figure out what you can come up with by simply using your innate creativity. So, get out there and see what you can find to create something neat and awesome! Peace and love, y'all.

       P.S. If you are struggling to get started in your endeavor - whatever that might be for you - and you find it hard to simply begin, perhaps you will find some encouragement in my article, "Why Am I so Chicken".

Click HERE to read it.

A HEALTHY BRAIN IS A SMART BRAIN.

SO, FEED YOUR BRAIN THE SMART WAY... WITH HEALTHY FOODS. SEARCH THE TITLE "AMAZON FRESH" AFTER Clicking here 

 

Why Am I So Chicken? 🐔

       Tell me if you can relate... So many times, I have been right on the edge of starting to do something and just at the last moment, I chicken out. Ugh! So frustrating! Right?

       I gave this blog a very casual title, not just to be all cute and funny, but for a more specific purpose. I want you to just forget about the rest of the world, even if only for a few moments, and relax into a moment of honesty - Not your honesty, my moment of honesty. Don't worry, no pressure on you here. Lol.

       But seriously, although this is a rather serious matter, I want to just be down to earth about this for a bit; not trying to be all proper with my words or anything, but quite raw with my thoughts. Why not? It's my blog; I can write whatever I wanna. Hahaha! I don't like to always try to be so politically correct anyway.😊
       So, here's the thing... Although I have been writing since just before I turned 12, I have just recently decided to get really serious about doing something real with my writing skills, and with starting up a new entrepreneurship. First problem - I'm so indecisive about so many things. 😫 I completed 2 books, and I even self-published them and put them on Amazon for sale. But then, I decided to take them down and make some changes in both of them. All of the details are not important here. My point is, I keep wondering, "Why am I so indecisive? Why can't I just complete something and put it out there, and advertise it and see how it goes?" I mean, being a perfectionist is one thing, but this is to the point of ridiculous.
     In my thoughts about my entrepreneurship, I keep getting hung up on the question, "Precisely where should I start?" One problem - the thread that runs through everything that I would like to do is my desire to help others find there true potential and live a better life. But the question keeps popping up in my mind, "Who am I to try to help anyone else? My life is certainly not so great. How can I help others live a better life?" Another problem - I find myself constantly worrying about what others will think about anything that I might do. But the truth is, no matter what we do, there is always going to be someone who comes at us with negativity; someone who doesn't like us, someone who puts us down for everything we do, and all of that "blah blah blah!"
       In my head, there is an ongoing argument with myself... "I don't have enough money. And, not yet having completed my degree, I don't have the education. Who's gonna want to listen to ME and anything that I have to say? I don't have connections. I don't have a huge network of friends and family to back me up and cheer me on for encouragement. I really don't know squat about what I'm doing." And on and on it goes. I have been learning a lot about advertising & marketing strategies, entrepreneurship startups, and how to be successful. But do I know enough yet to even give myself a real chance at a good start?
       In trying to decide exactly where to begin, I keep hearing a small still voice saying, "Start with where you are right now." So, I have the feeling that I should simply start with what I currently have to work with, who I am in this moment in time, and just share my experiences and tell what I currently know and what I have learned, and speak the wisdom that life has given to me (although the amount of wisdom that I actually have might be quite debatable. 😕 Lol.)
       I can't help but wonder how many people would benefit from and find encouragement in written content, as well as audio and video content, in which there is someone that they feel they can relate to from right where they are in the current moment in time. So, I think I'll just start sharing my journey, beginning with where currently am and continue from this point, sharing the experience every step of the way.
       Well, I guess that's it for now, folks. Please share with me, in the comments below, your recommendations to me or anyone else who might be struggling with this kind of situation. Tell us if there is anything that you find helpful in your own life when facing fear; what your fears are about and what you find helpful in dealing with them to move you forward. Thanks so much for reading my rant blog. Lol. I look forward to hearing from you.
                                                  Peace and love, y'all
                                                  Martin Ann

       P.S. I encourage you to strive to find the strength to not get caught up in spending non-beneficial time on arguments that might actually cause harm, instead of helping anything. In my article, "Lay Down Your Guns", I share my thoughts on the massive amount of personal attacks we are now seeing in the public arena, on social media, and even in mainstream news. Please check out my "half a cents worth" in
 Lay Down Your Guns

Lay Down Your Guns

       I see so many people fussing and carrying on, especially on social media, and it is so heartbreaking to me. Every where you turn, there is someone arguing over what is truth and what is lies; what is racist and what is not; which piece of news is fake and which is the real story; who's opinion matters the most, and even who's life is valuable and who's should not be cared about at all. It's getting outrageously out of hand.
       I get caught up in the arguments myself sometimes, although I try not to. But the truth is, if we don't find a way to stop the hate talk and lashing out at one another other, all of the facts; opinions; statistics, or anything else will do us no good. We must strive for a better day, when we can all put a stop to hate crimes, hate talk, and acts of vengeance and violence. Making our world a better place will require us to be empathetic with one another's pain, see the other side of the story, and imagine ourselves having to walk in the other person's else's shoes.
       We, each, should adopt an open mind and open heart. From there, we must educate ourselves, the best that we can on where the hate, the fear, and the pain is coming from. I am all for standing up for what is right and speaking out against the wrong. And respectful debate is certainly appropriate when all parties involved are open to discussion. But we need to be careful with our words. I have to remind myself of this every single day. But that is where making the world a better place has to begin - within the hearts of each and every one of us.
       Be kind with your words. There are many ways to say what we need to say without being cruel. Speak the truth and give your opinions, but try to not cross the line into indecent and disrespectful attacks on each other. There has got to be a better way. I'm challenging myself to be a part of finding that way. Will you face this challenge with me?
     If we really want to see positive changes, we must lay down our guns - not only literal guns, but "guns" that come in the form of hate talk; judgemental attitudes; false accusations, and words and actions driven by alterative motives. When we are in the middle of a heated argument and say things that only cause more pain, more anger; and more hate, what are we actually accomplishing? It only makes matters worse. It can not come to an end until we ALL end it within ourselves. It is hard sometimes, but we must try. This is the only way to calm it down. So, stay calm and keep your communication as peaceful as possible. The next generation will thank us for it. Peace and love to you all, Martin Ann