amber hezlep – photography design music illustration style

So my sisters and I have been in a band since 1997. Fifteen years of touring our globe, meeting new friends, sharing our faith through song and having some incredible adventures.. Now the adventure is coming to a close with our final record (for now…) and we’re raising support to complete it thanks to Kickstarter.com.

Here’s our video. If you like what you see, please re-post or retweet our Kickstarter link!

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

My sisters and I love to sing. We were recording a video for the release of our new O Holy Night Medley we released and Julia decided we were taking things too seriously. (She was right.) So this was the result of taking a break from the serious.

As much as I have performed and traveled, I don’t get to see many concerts…

I’m excited next week to see one of my musical inspirations, Jon Foreman, along with this group Seryn

I’ve only heard this one song.. and I’m clamoring for more.. Can’t wait to experience this live!

Just wanted to share..

I love to sketch. It’s the one creative thing I’ve done the longest in my life… Music happened around 11 years old, photography bug bit me at like 17.. But sketching has always come naturally to me.

I watched a Doctor Who episode last fall called “The Empty Child” while I had the flu. On the couch with tea and my sketchbook out… and this is what happened…

So then a whole year has passed. I forgot about my silly sketch of the 50′s mom and her weird roots… Then the other day my sister and I re-watched the episode (she’s just now discovering the series) and eureka! I remembered her..

So after some fanagaling in Illustrator and Photoshop, here she is.

Hope you like her. I do.

-A

I absolutely love being creative.. Sometimes so much so that I get overwhelmed with all of the ideas swimming in my head, then I accomplish nothing. Which is crazy, because that means the ideas are stuck.

As much as music is part of who I am in my creative space, it doesn’t stop there… Sketching, painting, design, photography.. Really it’s about capturing moments. Important, small moments in life.

But sometimes, it’s just about slapping a new coat of paint on something to give it another go round.

Now, I’m not really a DIY idea kinda gal. (I’m more so now that Pinterest has grabbed hold of me) But last fall my pal Sharon came to help me revamp an old vanity that had been in my family since I was a kid.. It was lovely as is.. but very ‘loved’. Tons of nicks and scratches from when my sisters and I were younger. So I decided to give it new life to match my silvery/black/blue/cream bedroom.

So here’s the photo journey through the first time I spray painted furniture. i LOVE how it turned out. Fantastic!

Things I learned:

1. Gotta shake the Kilz Primer Spray a TON so as to not get little bumps in the finish.

2. Rustoleum brand covers great, however, Krylon’s nozzle is MUCH easier to hold down for long periods.

3. i adore glossy grey paint, especially on this plastic Goodwill mirror (which was actually my baby sister’s mirror, I didn’t know that until after I painted it. whoops.)

4. Sharon is a trooper.

Enjoy!

So a few weeks back, myself, my girl Britt, her sister Lindsey, and our friend Jess embarked on a cross country journey.. We decided to help Britt move to Los Angeles..the four of us in her Honda Civic, crammed full of all her wordly possessions, and us. I have to admit I was a tad nervous.. ‘What?!’ you exclaim, ‘Nervous to travel on the road? Isn’t that what you’ve done for 14 years?’ Well, yes, actually it is. But in all that time, I have never taken a “girls roadtrip”.

See, traveling with my lovely sisters is different than most people just hopping in the car for a vacation.. I really kind of see us as more like “band guys” than girls when it comes to the logistics of travel. We are like robots, almost.

Last year when Sarah and Julia and I (and Fella) took the same trip from Nashville to LA, we were 2/3 of the way there after the second evening. The next morning we woke, went to Denny’s in Flagstaff AZ and Sarah kinda blankly stared at the both of us. “We are rushing through this trip like we are late for a show. Maybe we should relax” So then we went to the Grand Canyon and tried to chill out.

Kind of funny right, worried that I wouldn’t be able to relax? (I know I just read that and saw how ridiculous it sounds. I probably should have written that down before I left.)

Well, turns out, I had a great time. New experiences, no matter how old I get, are still freaky to me. I’m a homebody at heart, yet I sought out the road and music and adventure for most of my life so far. I love meeting new people and learning new things! And yet, there’s always a bit of precaution and pause in my mind when I do.

I had a fantastic time even though the trip was bittersweet since Britt was moving permanently to LA. Even though the world gets smaller each day, it still feels far.

Here are some snapshots to let you in on our little epic journey through the U.S…

I’ve been excited to post about my recent trip across country to California to move my friend Britt to LA!! I moved as soon as I got home from the trip, so needless to say I’m just now getting all my thoughts and photos together.

In the meantime…Here’s a quote (from an adorable Etsy store) I think I need to remind myself daily..

Be who YOU are…

Love -A

Our friend David Whetstone with Mentor Leaders brings us at Conduit Church an update about the project we’re helping with in Togo, Africa!!

Building, feeding, loving and teaching the Gospel. I’m proud to be supporting this. Take a look!