Inspiration is Everywhere: Story Walk

For this week's Inspiration is Everywhere layout, I wanted to be inspired by my surroundings. I took what I'm calling a "Story Walk". It was just a simple walk through my neighborhood. One that we take all the time. I took my iPhone with me to snap photos and shoot video. This was not a beautiful walk. Winter's trying hard to turn into Spring, if you know what I mean. But I looked at my surroundings through different eyes.

I paid special attention to patterns and textures. We walked slowly (well my daughter rode her bike) so I could really let my mind wander. I was looking for a train of thought that would lead me to a story. For some reason I was really drawn to this rusty, blue pole.

To most it probably just seems like, well, a rusty blue pole. Because I had my mind open, I took it for more this time. I saw the pretty blue color and a hard world eating away at that beauty. I thought about how sometimes it feels like the world is eating away at me. But I can still stand tall and strong. That may be a stretch for some, but I'm just telling you what I saw. :)

I recorded a bit of video from my walk and added it to the beginning of my process video for this layout so I could share my thoughts of inspiration along the way. You can watch it below, or over on my YouTube channel.

Here is the layout I created.

The result of my Story Walk was a session of deep thinking and reflection on those who have gone before us and the ways they make us strong. I knew I had my Ali Edwards Tough Story Kit waiting for me at home, and I think that definitely influenced me.

The blue pole with the rust spots definitely played a role in my decision to use the negative part of a piece of cardstock I had cut a bunch of paint splatters and swooshes from (that's a free cut file in my shop). I love the way the paint lines house the journaling about each family member I wanted to talk about.

I used pieces from the physical Tough Story kit as well as the digital and ended up adding the words "Strong because of them" to my photo in Photoshop before I printed it. I also printed a 4x6 card from the digital kit for my journaling and changed the color from grey to white.

This layout was very much about the photo and the words, so there are very few embellishments. I'm finding that I really love that look when I want the focus to be on the story.

I hope that you'll try taking a Story Walk. Here are a few ideas for places you can be inspired and I definitely plan to try out all of these.

• Around your neighborhood
• A favorite park
• Inside your house. I think there are lots of stories hidden in the places we see on a daily basis.
• A hike
• Your old stomping grounds. This could be an old neighborhood, school, etc. This would be great for a reflective layout or story.
• An art exhibit...so much inspiration there!
• Anywhere. Really, if you're looking for it, you can be inspired by anything.

Thanks so much for stopping by! All available products are linked below, except AE products, which are linked throughout the post.

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