blog highlights – 2012

this blog is my creative catch-all. just like an athlete goes to the gym everyday, this blog is my attempt at a consistent creative workout. in order to write my best songs, i have to be processing ideas and thinking out loud – that’s just how my brain works. i love art and its power to explore your emotions and take you to a place you never imagined. i love art that startles you with beauty and reveals it in the strangest places. that’s the art i’m trying to make and i really gotta work at it if i’m going to get there.

this has been a year of inspiration, discipline and courage for me. thank you to my readers – i hope you find something here that can inspire and challenge you. in 2013, this blog will become more about writing, workflow, ideas, advice and new music!  don’t get me wrong, i’m still going to post gift guides and the occasional style update, but the conversation will shift a little. hope you’ll chime in. if you ever have any suggestions, ideas, comments, please email me and let me know what you’d like to see here. i would love to hear from you.

here are my favorite moments from the blog this year–

MAKING VIDEOS and sharing them with you. since i’m not exactly touring right now, think of it as your own personal house show.

all iPHONE VIDEOS: a valentine’s day cover | a hymn for holy week | an original postcard song

OTHER KINDS OF WRITING – writing personal essays help me flesh out ideas and hone my skills. i am really hoping to do more of this next year.

my favorite OTHER WRITING posts: my history with irony | it’s hard to write a love song

ALVA LEIGH IN NASHVILLE – i enjoyed writing the BEHIND THE SCENES posts for the free covers album i released in september. that project was the perfect bookend on my seven years there.

i started some COLUMNS in 2011 and revised them this fall. i think i’ve finally figured out what i’m going for, and i’ve put them and some seasonal features in the sidebar for easy access!

FILL THE WELL interviews other songwriters on their creative process -finding out more about the tools & workflow that help them write their great music. i want to know how people work and how they fill the well to stay inspired.

FILL THE WELL with brooke waggoner | sanders bohlke | heidi feek

LONDON LATELY shares a few photos of the london i’d been exploring – sometimes it’s a date night, an afternoon spent wandering, a visit from my mom. you can see the city as i’ve been seeing it.

my favorite LONDON LATELY posts: camden lock night market | harry potter studio lot tour | primrose hill

WORDS TO LIVE BY” a column sharing inspiring/challenging quotes. all my books are full of dog-eared pages, stars and notes in the margin. i pair my favorite quotes with a single image that illustrates the idea. this idea from conscious loving has challenged my marriage all year long and inspired several ideas for songs.

 

WORD ART, a column sharing a passage from (usually) a novel paired with consecutive images. when i read something that really stands out to me, i like to reframe the action & emotion of the story in the context of another medium. this is how i write lyrics: i read, watch, experience something and put it back together in the context of my narrative. (sorry, i was an english major – it’s words and art!)

favorite WORD ART posts: THE HISTORY OF LOVE | THE BLIND ASSASSIN 

 

 

4 Responses to blog highlights – 2012

  1. You are inspiring! Happy 2013 x

  2. that quote from CL is a home run. i keep thinking about it. great stuff this year allie!

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