December 11, 2017

Heartbeat: Ashes & Heirs

December 11, 2017/ Jennifer Blair

Today is the day (almost 2 years in the making) that Jonathan and I release our first album, Heartbeat as Ashes & Heirs. In all honestly, I feel a great lack of words at the moment. Our family is in the midst of great sadness, loss and thankfulness for the preservation of life. One family member almost lost their life, a cousin was shot and killed, and my grandfather will meet Jesus very soon. As Jonathan's uncle underwent emergency heart-surgery Monday night, I was hit yet again with the title of our album - Heartbeat. The heart is such a fragile thing. To think that it simply stops beating and we are suddenly lifeless. One moment is all it takes. Here one second. Gone another.

October 06, 2017

Upside-down: God cares more about the depth of your roots than the brightness of your blooms

October 06, 2017/ Jennifer Blair

Everyone loves surface things. It's easy to show what is on the top, the growing, beautiful things. We love to see what is blooming. We put it out there into the world, not necessarily in a bad way, but it's out there. We see it. Stuff. Achievements. Happy moments. Beautiful adventures. Snapshots and stories of what we can see and quantify. All the things that are beautiful. Our world is obsessed with what grows above the surface. Stay on social media long and you'll see things like "how to grow your platform" or ads saying "you need this" or carefully curated ways to get more likes and acceptance in this world. And it's all based on what you can see. Happiness is found in enrichment, enjoyable things, abundance, leisure, travel, a cute house, a cute family, a cute wardrobe, cool friends and just the right balance between killing it and exploring the world. (Among other things of course.) These things are the measure of success. Do what makes you happy and show everyone your wonderful life, with just a touch of real thrown in so we know it's legit.

August 31, 2016

Colorado Adventures | 6 Years Together

August 31, 2016/ Jennifer Blair

It's hard to believe the immensity of the things I have yet to post here from Spring and Summer. Today I had to share a few of our adventures from Colorado this Spring. We flew out for my 1:1 workshop and spent a few extra days driving all over what felt like half of the state, which may or may not be true! We drove over to Crested Butte (where we had an anniversary session with Laura Nelson -she's amazing!) then to Telluride, Silverton, Colorado Springs and down to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We saw as much as we possibly could in four days. I don't get to do as many adventures with my husband, so these memories are so sweet for me. We had a lot of time together in the car, talking about life and dreams. And bonus, we'll plan on using the memories that we created as album art for our upcoming album, which many of you probably don't know. Some of these places were inspiration for writing and have had a big impact on our lives. Travel is incredible that way. It's so refreshing to get away from the "normal" and experience something fresh, let it seep into who I am and harness what truths become vivid for everyday living. I wish I had more poetic words for these images, but that will probably have to wait for the music that goes along with them soon.

August 02, 2016

Rest: Revealing a Divided Heart

August 02, 2016/ Jennifer Blair

Exactly one month ago I entered into a month of rest from work (except for email checks once a week) and all social media. I knew I needed to do it, but to be honest, I had more than a little trepidation about what my days would look like without the things that usually fill them. I did not expect to be catapulted into an old way of life that felt like how I was meant to be living. It took me by surprise that I didn't miss the companion of constant distraction. (Because let's be real, with a little one running around I have plenty of that already.) In my foolishness, I hoped to be "productive" and "get a lot done" during this time. I wanted a more clarity about the next 6 months and hoped to gain new insight. I didn't expect to come out on the other side with even more questions and craving even more time for true rest. However, I did come to understand more of what real rest looks like and that rest revealed the true state of my heart.

June 06, 2016

Sandcastle Kingdoms

June 06, 2016/ Jennifer Blair

What is the point of "making it" or "having a name" if it doesn't have deep-seeded meaning or lasting impact? I can't get this image out of my mind - of vast sandcastle kingdoms that won't last, that cannot be transferred to beyond the grave. I knew the views of the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado would be incredible, but it moved my heart in such a powerful way. I cannot escape the imagery and it's parallel to life. The sand seemed unending. Peak after peak continued as far as I could see. In a moment, the wind would come gusting through the enormous sand mountains and valleys, changing the landscape and reconstructing the best way to climb to the top. Does that not sound like our world? One moment success is xyz, the next week the world is different, changing the path to the top by something as small as an Instagram algorithm. What if it is all gone tomorrow? All the "names" and "fame" that has been constructed around a grand facade, all gone in a moment. What then when then great sandcastle kingdom has blown away, every piece small granule scattered in the wind?