// Finding Eden //

Eden Chasers: Novaleen

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 06:18:00 +0000

We're rolling out an exciting new feature here at Finding Eden Media...a special interview series for creatives called Eden Chasers! Writers, musicians, designers, artists, actors...they're all involved in creative arts in some way and we want to showcase some of their work and passion with you!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, we're introducing husband and wife duo, Taylor and Rachel and their band, Novaleen!

Thanks for joining us, guys! You know Nate and I love you to pieces and we're blessed to call you friends in real life, but share with our readers a bit of the back story...you're creative in so many ways, but music has become your home base. Share a bit about that with us!

Rachel and I have both loved music our entire lives. Music makes us happy. We are, in a sense, music nerds. We hear songs on the radio and instead of just enjoying them, we say how much we like the EQ of the snare or how the engineer tuned the vocals, or how good (or bad) the electric guitar tone is. Music is something that we don't do to become famous, but something we do because deep down, we enjoy sharing it with each other!

We completely understand that listening process! It can be maddening to not be able to sit down a just listen to a piece of music without dissecting it! But let's take this all one step further: Here at Finding Eden, we're passionate about partnering with others to realize their "Eden" —that space where passions, gifts, and purpose all converge! Tell us about the Eden you were created for and how that ties in with your music!

We were all created to worship God through something. For some people, they are supposed to be Christians in the business world, some are supposed to be Christians in construction, and others are meant to be Christians who create. Rachel and I were made to create music. We are both passionate about writing and recording quality music that people WANT to listen to! In Psalms, David writes, "Play skillfully for the Lord and sing a new song!" I believe that means that in whatever we do, we are supposed to do our best, and that we are supposed to always be finding new and innovative ways to create and to worship.

That's beautiful — love that verse, Tay! So, if that's your "Eden" or sweet spot in the creative world, what do you hope to communicate through your music? What is your overarching message?

We want to communicate that life is beautiful, but it's also the hardest thing you will ever do. We want to write songs about life, and about how through relationships and through love, and always relying on God — you WILL make it through. Our music is predominately slow(er), we connect with music in a very emotional way and the products are slow-ish songs with lyrics that really make you think!

As you work on honing that message and getting out to the world, give us a sneak peek into the process behind your creativity. Do you prefer to make your music in chaos or structure?

We prefer to create in chaos. Life is chaos and the best way to portray life is to create in it. Sometimes it's hard, but music isn't about being able to read score after score of sheet music, it's not about recording in one take; music is about feeling and emotion, and making something that at the end of the day, you feel proud to show to the world.

What about the times when you're not really creating much of anything? I know there are moments when Nate and I "create" something that I doesn't necessarily capture that sense of pride you described. And every creative experiences "dry spells" — what do you do to breathe life back into your creative journey?

You just have to do it! You may have to change the environment you work in. I know sometimes it is hard to write music in our apartment, so we'll go outside, or go to a park; find a way to change your perspective and the ideas will start flowing.

That's such a simple, yet profound piece of advice. A shift in perspective can make all the difference. Where is your current go-to source for inspiration?

Rachel and I both love sad/slow songs. We joke around sometimes and say that depressing songs make us happy. We love life — all aspects of life — the good times, hard times, happy times, sad times, and we believe all of these different seasons of life inspire creativity in their own ways. We always get spells of creativity really late at night when the world is asleep and everything is quiet. We find that when it is quiet, and when we are supposed to be sleeping, our minds wander and songs come alive!

The night does have a certain allure for the creative. I (Alle) do my best writing and designing when it's dark and quiet and that sense of peace and calm have settled over our house! As we start to wrap up here, care to share your dream project with us?

Novaleen has been working on writing and recording a full length album. It's a huge work in progress and we can't wait to show it to you. We'll keep you updated on what's happening and have some fun stuff to share with Finding Eden Media (read: giveaways!) when we hit that milestone!

Any advice or resources you'd like to share with others in the creative field or even someone who is approaching the music industry and would like some "first step" ideas?

I always say this to creatives, but I'll say it again: keep doing what you love. If you go through life doing something that makes you unhappy, you will live an unhappy life. You only have one chance at this, don't waste your time on this Earth — do what makes you happy, do what God has called you to do, and through whatever you do, remember who gave you the ability and the passion to do so. More specifically...Rachel and I are both into music and writing, but also recording music. I would say someone who wants to get into studio recording needs to do something a little out of the ordinary: read...read, a lot! I have read hundreds of blogs and articles on compression, EQ, mixing, mastering, and the whole process in general. There have been hundreds of hours of trial and error to make the sound that we have now and I'm sure in the future that sound will change even more. I would just say that the music industry is all about timing. You never know when something is going to go your way; it could be in 15 years, it could be tomorrow. If you love something, never stop doing it.

Thank you so much for joining us, Taylor and Rachel! Before we send you off, we want to share one more important thing with our readers! Novaleen is currently involved in an exciting competition that could end up giving them some incredible recording equipment and systems and even the chance to have their music produced at the famous Abbey Road Studios!!! We would love to bless them with a huge rush of votes! So, here are a few ways you can help!

Head over to the competition page and vote for Novaleen with your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts! (If you use both, they get two votes!)
Share this interview with your friends (via social media, pin the image, shoot an email off) and let them know about this incredible new duo you've found out about today!

Novaleen's Twitter // Novaleen's Website

// We're Cooking //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 01:58:00 +0000

Just popping into give you a quick update! We're so excited about all the new things happening here at Finding Eden! We've got classes we're creating for newbie bloggers, finishing up the design on our studio site, + we're finalizing all our packages!

Shoot me an email if your interested in joining our Beta Team (read: great discounts/perks) for upcoming services + products! We're putting together a Newbie Blogger workshop, some mini blog critiques, and social media design packages!

alle@findingedenmedia.com

// Project Life: M1W2 //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 04:29:00 +0000

Ta-da! Here is my first 2-page spread for our 2013 Project Life album! I'm so excited that I decided to share this project as one of our creative endeavors! By having the accountability of knowing I'm going to post the finished spreads here at Finding Eden, I kept my camera out + accessible at all times!

I loved the various stages of snow-gear preparations this week (excuse the blurred out photo of "stage 1 - the diaper," I know my boys will thank me one day for not sharing every little thing)! The second part of the spread is a simple showcase of some of this week's highlights - dinner with a friend, funny napping stories, + sweet wake-up smiles + hair! I love the joy that comes from having "littles" running around my house!

// The Muse: January '13 Edition + Some Updates //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:57:00 +0000

Welcome to the next edition of The Muse feature here at Finding Eden - the first in our new year, 2013! We've got a great lineup in this mix + we are excited to share some old favorites + new finds with you today! As always, the playlist is over in the sidebar to the right, or you can always snag it over at Spotify! You can even hit the "Subscribe" button at the top of the playlist + have it saved for your listening enjoyment at any time! Before we layout the details of the mix, we have to give a special shout out to #8 "Another Snowfall" by Novaleen! The best gift you could give yourself in this new year is to check out this up + coming duo + the incredible music they're cranking out in Nashville. Taylor + Rachel (Novaleen) are dear friend of ours + we excited to see what is next for them in the music scene! Head over here to check out some incredible covers they've done as well as their original pieces! Without further ado, here is the breakdown of this month's mix:

// Dance (Caedmon's Call) // People Change (For King + Country) // Waiting on the World to Change (John Mayer) // She is Love (Parachute) // Human (Jon McLaughlin) // Gravity (Shawn McDonald) // Never Say Never (The Fray) // Another Snowfall (Novaleen) // Oh No (Matt + Toby) // So Afraid (Bebo Norman)

In other news, you may have noticed some new digs here at Finding Eden - we're moving closer + closer to the studio's official launch + we're tidying up the design as we go. We're loving the chalkboard look + those splashes of yellow! And speaking of our launch, we still have some room for a few more Beta Clients + we'd love to have you join us at this exciting part of our journey! We'll be posting some more details of our services in the coming days, but in the meantime if you're looking for branding, designing, or story crafting support in 2013, we'd love to partner with you! If you're interested in more information (no commitment necessary), just send an email to Alle or leave a comment here (be sure to link to your email address) + she'll give you a sneak peek at what being part of our Beta team is all about (including some exclusive perks + special pre-launch rates)!

// Desktop Calendar: January '13 //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 02:45:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago we gave you a sneak peek at one of our personal projects for our Christmas gifts, a 2013 Scripture Calendar. We did some maneuvering in Photoshop + decided to recreate these pieces in a downloadable desktop version, exclusively for our Finding Eden readers! The adorable calendar featured in the lower corner is from one of our favorite graphic shops, The Ink Nest.

To download the January 2013 Calendar, click here + save the image to your computer.

We hope you enjoy this first "freebie" here at Finding Eden! Be sure to check back on January 1st for the next edition of The Muse, our monthly playlist highlighting our new favorite artists + music!

// Project Life: The 2013 Start Up //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 07:11:00 +0000

Back in middle + high school (good heavens, has it been 10+ years?!), I dabbled a bit in the scrapbooking culture. I had the decorative scissors, the myriad of stickers + coordinating papers, + I spent hours tweaking my layouts until I achieved the "perfect spread." Between you + me though, I hated memory keeping. It was too much work, cost insane amounts of money, + now that I look back on those pages...eek. So 90's, man.

Fast forward to earlier this year when a friend of mine ~~completely ruined me forever with~~ introduced me to the wonderful world of Project Life. Oh. Mah. Word. This is the way memory keeping was meant to be done, friends. The concept is simple -- grab your photos, one of the core kits, a pen, a binder, + the handy page protectors. The End.

The selling point for me...check this out:

My Original Scrapbooking Method: A two-page spread of 12x12 = 2 hours on average
My New Project Life Method: NINE two-page spreads of 12x12 = 2 hours!

Yeah, you do the math. This system is so flexible + easy to implement + I cannot recommend Becky's work enough. The community surrounding this form of scrapbooking is so incredibly diverse + helpful + I have spent the past year perusing blogs, reading Becky's updates, + generally getting my feet wet again. I've been working with the Clementine Edition of the hardcopy version + I love everything about it! However, for 2013, I'm taking my Project Life experience in a different direction + going all digital! My reasoning for this switch is three-fold:

I have so much of my life organized online already. To complete my Project Life pieces on the computer cuts out the middle man + allows me a bit more flexibility to change things up as I want - sans paper cutter!
Part of our Christmas presents to our families this year was a promise to send them updated pictures of our kiddos! Doing Project Life digitally allows me the freedom to send them spreads as I complete them + they get the choice of saving them to an online file or getting them printed for a binder.
I get to share my journey here at Finding Eden! I love the creativity that can be poured into this system + since we're committed to sharing that "creative journey" here, what better way to do that than through a year-long series! So, without further ado...I give you...

The goal is to post an update 2-4 times per month with the progress I've made on our book for the year! Because I'm doing the digital version, I don't have to worry about taking photos of the layouts I create, I just flatten my PSD files for the blog + voila! If you have any questions about Project Life + how to get started (either with the hardcopy or digital versions), shoot me an email or visit Becky Higgins' website here!

As a bit of a sneak peek, here is my one-page layout design for our 2013 album...

Supplies: Project Life Template Design A // Digital Seafoam Edition Full Collection // Font: Simplicity by Vanessa Bayes // Font: Kraft Nine by KC Fonts

// 2013 Calendar Sneak Peek //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 01:37:00 +0000

We love the creativity that comes with gift giving at the holidays!

This year, we opted to stick with experiential or consumable gifts instead of running around from store to store! So we're spending a lot of time in the kitchen + behind our computer screen creating + designing!

Here is a sneak peek at the 2013 calendar we're working on for some of our family. The template came from one of our favorite graphic design studios, The Ink Nest. If you're are interested, we could make this available as a freebie download for Finding Eden readers! Let us know if this is the kind of thing you'd like to see offered here.

// A Creative's Christmas Gift Guide: Tools of the Trade Edition //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 23:21:00 +0000

Here is our last installment in our gift guide series for designers, writers, + musicians. We had so much fun pulling together all of the pieces for our Inspiration Gift Guide + Continuing Education Gift Guide + now we'd like to present our selections for Tools of the Trade! However, after pulling together these options, I'm starting to wonder if it might be a better idea to ask for a money tree for Christmas!

// 1 // Vintage Typewriter // 2 // Macbook Pro // 3 // Nikon D3200 // 4 // Pantone Capsure // 5 // Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones // 6 // Zoom H4n // 7 // Coda 2 // 8 // Adobe Creative Cloud Membership // 9 // Scrievner //

// A Creative's Christmas Gift Guide: Continuing Education Edition //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Yesterday, we were so excited to debut our first curated collection of Christmas gift ideas for the creative in your life! Take a peek at gifts that will inspire your resident designer, writer, or musician here! Below, you'll find some ideas for those who want to continue their education in their respective field - personally, the ALT Channel classes + A Book Apart offerings are high-up on my own Christmas list! Be sure to come back tomorrow for our last gift guide!

// 1 // ALT Channel Online Classes ($15/each) // 2 // Your Darling Blog Design Workshop ($203-$308) // 3 // Eats, Shoots + Leaves ($14) // 4 // A Book Apart Books ($9-$18) // 5 // HTML + CSS: Design + Build Websites ($29.99) // 6 // Gotham Writer's Workshop Online Classes (~$150-$300) // 7 // Berklee Online Music Courses ($1200-$1400) //

// A Creative's Christmas Gift Guide: Inspiration Edition //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:12:00 +0000

I'll be the first to admit that creatives are a hard group of people to tackle when it comes to gift giving. Typically speaking, their wish list items either come with a hefty price tag or the specs are so detailed on the technical side, it makes you break out in a cold sweat!

Case in Point // the top three on my Christmas list this year?

// Macbook Pro
// Adobe Creative Cloud
// Wacom Inkling

Good luck with that one, Santa!

Never fear, for the next week or so, I'm gonna be sharing a small handful of gift guides for the creative in your life! Note: Creatives come in all shapes + sizes + fields of specialty are limitless. For our purposes, these gift guides will cover designers + writers with a little bit of stuff for the musician thrown in, because that's what we know at Finding Eden!

// 1 // Shirts ($24) + Earrings ($10) from The Unrefinery // 2 // Le Pen Drawing ($1.99/each) // 3 // Field Notes 3-Pack ($9.95) // 4 // The Sketchbook Project ($25-$70) // 5 // Spotify Membership ($9.95-$119.88) //

Bonus // Some extra ideas include a gift card or art print to inspire from Etsy or even a Project Life set to help them organize their photos without the hassle of traditional scrapbooking!

Check back soon for more editions of our "A Creative's Christmas Gift Guide"!

// The Muse: December '12 Edition //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 18:57:00 +0000

The countdown has officially begun // 25 days until Christmas! Here at Finding Eden, we're working on a couple of new blog designs + plugging away on an exciting new Re:Brand project! You can take a peek at one of our Client Inspiration pieces here. We can't wait to show you the finished products, but in the meantime, we're rocking out to our December Edition of The Muse + decking our halls! We hope you'll find some inspiration in these tunes - our favorite album highlighted in this playlist is a new compilation record titled, A Very Special Christmas - click on over to Spotify to listen or you can listen over in the sidebar!

Bethlehem Skies (Dara Maclean featuring Dave Barnes) // Baby Boy (For King + Country) // Last Christmas (Wham!) // Jesus, Savior (Chris August) // Go Tell It On The Mountain (NeedToBreathe) // Christmas - Baby Please Come Home (Michael Buble) // Marshmallow World (Francesca Battistellli) // Little Saint Nick (She + Him) // Once a Year (Josh Wilson featuring Andrew Peterson) // Christmas Tonight (Dave Barnes featuring Hillary Scott)

// Client Inspiration: Annabelle's Blooms //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 04:35:00 +0000

Today, we're excited to give you our first sneak peek at a client inspiration board!

We ran into Anna two summers ago at our local farmer's market + fell in love with her beautiful flower arrangements! While she's done a great job using Facebook to connect with her customers, she's in need of an online "home" to showcase her creations, tell her story, + expand her reach! That's where we come in...we're currently in the design process to craft a simple + beautiful blog space for her that complements the creativity + care she pours into her blooms. Check back soon for more updates on this project!

// flower display (client photo) // basket of flowers (client photo) // sunflower (client photo) // shower curtain // color crush // burlap bunting // lace handbag // chalkboard sign // pharmacy font // peach sundress font //

// New Feature: Continuing Ed //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 01:26:00 +0000

One of the things we're excited about sharing here at Finding Eden are the online workshops + classes we're working through to help further our design work + launching our creative business. There are so many incredible resources on the interwebs + I wish I had unlimited resources to partake of them all, but this past season we were blessed to work through three special ones:

// Personal Branding from Braid Creative + Consulting
// Products + Cash from Ashley Ambirge
// Your Darling Blog Workshop from Jo Klima

We have so many good things to say about these women + the online courses they have created to equip + empower creatives. We could take an entire series to showcase what we've learned + sing their praises...

...in fact, that's exactly what we're going to do! Here at Finding Eden we're unveiling another feature to highlight these types of experiences - we're calling it Continuing Ed.

It can be overwhelming to sift through the myriad of online classes to choose the best of the best, so we're going to help narrow that down by giving you a sneak peek into what we've learned in the hopes that you'll find some gems to add to your own life-long-learner's tool belt! There maybe a few discount codes thrown in there, too for you to snatch up! Be on the lookout for reviews of the classes we mentioned above in the near future!

Here's to sharpened pencils + fresh notebooks!

// The Muse: November '12 Edition //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:51:00 +0000

In this home, we allow music to shape our day, but that's to be expected, right? As musicians + songwriters, music weaves its way into every part of our life + home. Nate's drumsticks are currently adorning my mantel, my guitar is propped up on his side of the bed, + my toddler's iPod is currently blasting out his favorite lullaby album. Yes, we rock lullabies all day over here!

So, it's no wonder when I'm working on design projects or copywriting, I've got something streaming through my earbuds in the background. We've decided to showcase those songs here at Finding Eden in a monthly feature called The Muse!

Without further ado, here is the lineup for November '12 - we're loving the albums Crave (For King + Country) + The One You Need (Shane + Shane), so we couldn't help but give each of them two slots in our playlist!

Blessed Are the Ones (Audrey Assad) // Pushing on a Pull Door (For King + Country) // Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Simon + Garfunkel) // Future Version (Shane + Shane) // Turn Your Eyes (Adam Hundley) // Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens) // Spotlight (Mutemath) // Love's To Blame (For King + Country) // Grace is Sufficient (Shane + Shane) // Better Than (HeartSong)

Let this music genius tickle your ears by clicking here for the playlist or you can listen in the sidebar (we'll update this each month).

I'm already gathering up the goodies for December's Muse!
Do you have any favorite Christmas music you'd like me to consider? Leave a link below + I'll check it out!

// Done Waiting for Perfect //

noreply@blogger.com (Alle McCloskey) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:55:00 +0000

Hitting the publish button on a post always brings an odd combination of emotions for me. The nail biting nervousness + the rush of excitement intermingle as I send out my little creation into the online space. Too often, I let my perfectionistic tendencies take over + that publish button doesn't get as much action as I'd like because I'm too wrapped up in the "not good enoughs" of what I've created.

I've wrestled with this as I build Finding Eden + rebrand my personal blog. I've got so many things to share, but I keep waiting for "perfect." Waiting to finish my design work. Waiting to build up a complete portfolio + testimonial base. Waiting to finalize all the post series I want to include.

Bleck. I'm done with waiting + last week I realized something that was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me. My favorite bloggers to follow + the posts I enjoy the most all include some aspect of authenticity showcased in the unfinished or imperfect. It's those behind-the-scene peeks into the life of someone else + the transparency that comes from being honest that knits us together.

As a mama, I find comfort + camaraderie when I discover I'm not the only one cleaning up a toddler's latest experiment in dumping as I scoop up an entire box of Cheerios off the kitchen floor. *true story*

As a creative, I find inspiration + new resources as I glean from the studio peeks, favorite tools, + tips showcased by other designers, business owners, + writers.

In keeping with that type of open sharing, I'm flinging wide the back door of Finding Eden to start building this community. Please excuse the boxes + cans of paint, but I'm done waiting for perfect. I want to share the journey...along the way.

// What makes you pause when you're about to share something online? //
// What kinds of things are you interested in seeing here at Finding Eden? //