Loving this moment

I am having so much fun at this moment in my life it hardly seems fair!  I get to play with my sweet baby Augustine, who is 11 months old TODAY, and I get to play at work too.  That’s a heck of a lot of playtime!

I am moving full speed ahead on a number of wonderful projects, with more on the horizon.  Life is definitely a balancing act of work & family, but if I take it one moment at a time, I’m okay.  Sometimes I have to stop and tell myself to enjoy each itsy bitsy millisecond, don’t think about what you’re doing next or what happened ten minutes ago.  Just enjoy this moment.

One of the mystery’s gifts to me is the opportunity to create videos for families.  When I put together a life story video I’m granted exclusive access to the family photo albums, which is like a window into their lives.  The passage of time never ceases to astound me.  Babies grow up in the photos, from infants, to children, to teenagers and adults.  I think of my own beautiful baby and how fast this first year of his life has flown.   I am constantly surrounded by and reminded of the timelessness of life.  What a remarkable journey we each get to take, and what an incredible task I’ve been given to try to preserve it. 

I’ve been writing about a few of my recent projects in this blog.  I hope you can check out some of the short video clips – from helping author Michael Koryta create a visual synopsis of his latest novel, “The Ridge”, to uncovering the history of Black Christian Churches in America, to learning about what it means to “Channel” for someone.  Hope you enjoy!

Maryellen

May Videography

www.mayvideo.com

info@mayvideo.com

812-330-3301

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The Ridge

Michael Koryta's latest novel, The Ridge, is a feast for the senses. Lions, Tigers, homicide, a scandalous love affair, ghosts, the devil. What more could you want in a novel?

The Ridge from May Videography on Vimeo.

But what I am even more impressed by (and I love this book, as well as all of Koryta's works) is Michael's real-life devotion to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. Since befriending the center's director, Joe Taft, he has helped to raise hundreds, (maybe thousands?) of dollars for the center, not to mention boosting a heap of awareness about their work. And it doesn't stop there! As I understand it, Koryta has also been accompanying Joe by driving all over the country to bring exotic cats back to the center to provide them with a permanent home. Now that's love!

Here's a quick interview with Joe about the Exotic Feline Rescue Center:

Interview with Joe Taft from May Videography on Vimeo.

The Wisdom of Women Volume 2: Melvia A. Fields

One year ago I shared an amazing weekend video session with Melvia A. Fields in Paris, Kentucky. Melvia was being interviewed for the second installation of "The Wisdom of Women" series conducted by the Office of Disciples Women, Disciples of Christ.

Melvia's life story and knowledge of black christian churches provided an excellent learning experience. I had no idea the beginning of black christian churches, and the roots of all christian churches, started in Paris, Kentucky. Here's Melvia's description of Cane Ridge, the first christian church:

Cane Ridge from May Videography on Vimeo.

When I drove down for the video session with Melvia last August, I was 8 months pregnant. It had been an extremely hot summer, I felt ready to pop, and I was not really looking forward to the drive and sleeping alone in a hotel in rural Kentucky. But Melvia's interview totally transformed my attitude! I relished listening to her story. Melvia has led an incredible life. She's a peaceful, unassuming, Southern black woman, tough, true, brave and wise beyond measure. I loved learning about the choices she made in her life and how she made them. I love hearing about her faith in something greater, and belief that we are a part of that greatness. And I loved her beautiful Kentucky accent!

In this video clip, Melvia talks about all of the creation that happens at the Kitchen Table:


At the Kitchen Table from May Videography on Vimeo.

Melvia's story is now the second installation in the Wisdom of Women series sponsored by a grant from the Women's Endowment Fund of the International Disciples Women Ministries .  To purchase a copy of the DVD and accompanying study guide, go to:
www.discipleswomen.org  or contact odw@discipleswomen.org

JourneyWork with Cinda Crull

Last week I encountered someone who shook my understanding of reality. I always like to meet people who offer a new perception of what is real, and what it is I’m supposed to be doing on this planet. Her name is Cinda Crull, and she’s a channel. That’s right. She is someone who receives information from other worldly “beings” that channel through her, and she relays that information to others. I can already sense your skepticism rising.... and to tell you the truth, mine does too. But I hate to be the one to shatter your own perception of reality - people with intuitive capabilties exist and this one is very tapped in. How do I know?

Cinda asked me to create some videos for her website, because she wants to offer her channeling services to more people. And I thought, what a great gig! But after interviewing Cinda, the tables turned, and she interviewed me! Or should I say, her guides spoke with me. It was a fascinating experience. Cinda describes what it means to channel in this video:

What is chaneling? from May Videography on Vimeo.

When Cinda channeled for me, a woman’s voice spoke through her.  She described a past life of mine (and I was thinking, are you flippin kidding me? yeah right.). It was all fun and good and a nice trick. And then the voice asked me what I would like to know. Which I wasn’t quite prepared for, but I started tossing out questions anyway. Then it started to get a little intense. Somehow, I was receiving information about personal events in my life that I had not shared with anyone, based on the questions that I was asking. It was actually really amazing. I asked about how I could be a better mother, how I could improve my career, how I could come to grips with events that happened in the past. The information that Cinda was channeling for me was very personal and very useful. She gave me insights and new understandings about my life that I would not have been able to come to on my own, and she validated many things I had felt but never really let myself fully embrace. I appreciate that all of this is sounding rather woo woo and vague, but suffice it to say, I'm a believer. Cinda Crull is the real deal, and if you don’t believe me, try her yourself!  You can learn more about Cinda's services on her website:  www.journeywork.us

In this video clip, Cinda shares a message about global change that she received:

A Message about Global Change from May Videography on Vimeo.

You can learn more about Cynda's work on her website, http://www.journeywork.us

Beth Piekarsky is a dancing diva!

This winter Beth Piekarsky, approached me about making a special video for her.  She was learning how to ballroom dance so that she could perform at Dancing with the Celebrities, an annual fund raiser and dance competition hosted by Bloomington’s Arthur Murray dance school.  She needed a promotional video about her experience and her mission to raise money for the Foundation for Monroe County Schools.  Mrs. Piekarsky, a teacher at University Elementary school and did a fabulous job both performing and fund raising!  Here is the video I made for her:

Beth Piekarsky Dancing with the Celebrities from May Videography on Vimeo.

The Wisdom of Women

The Wisdom of Women.

Great title, awesome project!  This Wisdom of Women project started in 2009 when I was hired by the Office of Disciple Women (Women’s Home Missions, Indianapolis, Indiana) to create a video about the life of Reverend Nancy T. Heimer.  A very skillful team of women was assembled for the project, and I played the role of videographer and video editor..  The result of our work became a DVD titled, The Wisdom of Women Volume 1:  The Reverend Nancy T. Heimer, which we finished in 2010.  

Nancy’s story is inspirational and powerful.  I hang on her every word.  She is a beautiful feminist matriarch, with a fabulous Massachusettes accent and a fantastic, quick sense of humor.  I came out of the project feeling totally respectful of her era of feminism, and grateful for all of the work that women have done to pave the way for the lifestyle I enjoy!

In this short video clip, Nancy talks about the use of the term “men” to describe both women and men, and how confusing it becomes for women when the generic masculine form is supposed to include women too.

It's All About Language, Isn't It? from May Videography on Vimeo.


As a mother of three very young children in the 1960s, Nancy began to lose her ability to see.  She became legally blind and over the years lost her sight entirely.  But Nancy raised her children, went to seminary and became an ordained minister.  She had a meaningful career in the Disciples of Christ, Office of Women’s Ministries and travelled the world in order to learn about the lives and missions of women of faith, and to bring the lessons home to integrate.  

The video we created was a huge success and was shown during the Quadrennial Women’s Assembly in North Carolina in 2010.  Nancy was there to experience the event and sign autographed copies of the DVD!  The video and accompanying study guide is now used widely as a discussion tool within Christian women’s groups.  

Nancy lives in Bloomington with her husband, Roger, who is also a retired minister.  One of the things I find most fascinating about my work is learning about how people become who they are.  In this video clip, Nancy describes growing up in the church:


BelongingBeginning from May Videography on Vimeo.

Back to the Office!

I made it back to the office. It took about 8 months, but I finally made it. It feels way too good to be at work. I had no idea how much I would miss my office! I am having a blast being a mommy to Augustine Zachary (who is now 8.5 months old). Now after coming home from being super productive at the office, I feel refreshed and ready to love Augustine all the more. It's a great balance, which took me 8 months to find, but it's here!

And as far as projects go....

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to work with Michael Koryta on web videos to promote his novel, So Cold the River.

Here is the result of that collaboration:

Barnes&Noble.com - So Cold the River from May Videography on Vimeo.

I've been working with Koryta again lately on videos for his latest novel, The Ridge.

I'm not at liberty to post the video just yet (the book comes out in June - it's excellent!) Koryta's novel is a supernatural mystery set at a feline rescue sanctuary in the woods of Kentucky . We spent the day at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Indiana capturing footage of big beautiful cats.



I am fairly particular about my reading materials, so I didn't immediately pick up Koryta's book, So Cold the River. When I finally did pick it up, I couldn't put it down! It was especially fun to read because the protagonist, Eric Shaw, is a videographer! It's kind of a funny story. When Koryta was a reporter for the Herald Times, he wrote an article about my business which was just getting started (the article is posted on my website www.mayvideo.com). My service of creating family videos was the inspiration for the career of the protagonist. In the book, Eric Shaw creates slide shows for funerals, and was hired for a very special documentary project when things took a turn for the supernatural down in West Baden, Indiana. This book is so great!

By now I've read all of Koryta's other books, when I find reading material that I like, I wolf it down. His writing is entrancing and delicious. I can't recommend his books enough, my favorite is The Cypress House. Koryta will be signing books at Barnes & Noble in Bloomington on June 6th, so come out and get your autographed copy of The Ridge! It's also a fund raiser for the cat rescue center so show up and help a big kitty.

I have a lot of exciting projects going on that I'd love to tell you about, but right now I've got to get back to my baby:) Maybe I'll have a spare moment when I make it back to the office...

Thanks for reading!
Maryellen