how I edit my instagram photos

I've been getting some questions lately on how I edit my Instagram photos, so I decided to make a video all about the process- from composing the photo to shooting and editing! These are the final versions of all the photos I shot in the video!

winter notes

It's finally starting to feel like winter here in Alabama, and I'm loving it. Jaron and I decided to go out and enjoy the cooler weather by exploring downtown, stopping by a warm coffee shop, and then taking a walk in the park. By the time the sun went down we were ready to head home and cozy up with some blankets and hot tea. Check out the end of the post for a little video diary of our day.

yellowstone

As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a coffee shop in a little town in Montana, just outside Yellowstone. The weather is sunny and warm, I'm surrounded by mountains, and I'm drinking the first real coffee I've had since I left Alabama.

I won't say my first week of work has been easy, nor has being so disconnected from my family and friends, but everyday I step outside my cabin door I am stunned by the beauty around me. Most people come to Yellowstone to visit for a day or two, and I get to live here. I can't believe I get to spend my summer exploring one of the most beautiful places in America!

I want to show you all my cabin and where I live, but I will save that for another post. For now, I'll share some photos from the exploring I've done in my first week here.
xoJordan

appalachian trail

The Appalachian Trail. 

I did not expect the endless beauty of the trail. I did not expect the energizing feeling I had even after hiking everyday until I thought my feet would fall off. I did not expect the dozens of fascinating and kind people I met, all wanting the same escape into wilderness. I did not expect the mountains to actually be "mountains" (but when you're carrying a 35 pound pack on your back even a small hill becomes a mountain). I did not expect to miss the trail so much when I left.

I spent spring break hiking a section of the Georgia AT, from the approach trail, to Springer, and all the way to Blood Mountain. The day before the hike we all sat around with piles of our gear strewn across the living room, figuring out how to fit everything in our packs, sorting through things we didn't actually need, and wondering how we were going to carry all that stuff on our backs for so many miles.

The drive to the approach trail in North Georgia was exciting. As we got closer, the mountains became more and more prominent. We were going to be in them soon.

We threw our packs on our backs and headed out on the trail. Now if you haven't heard anything about the approach trail to the AT, it's about 7 miles of constant climbing and descending, and it is hard. In fact, we talked to a ranger on the second day of our hike and he told us that if we could do the approach trail, we could do the entirety of the Georgia section.

It was such a relief when we finally reached the top of Springer mountain, the official beginning of the AT. This was our first night at camp. It was a foggy and damp evening since it had rained earlier in the day, but we still managed to get a fire started. It was beautifully eerie, as we sat around the fire surrounded by a dark, misty forest on top of the mountain. The clouds cleared by nightfall, so we had a starry sky to sit under and enjoy the excitement of our first night on the trail.

I was completely unprepared for the enormous challenge the second day would bring. I knew we had 14 miles planned for the day, but I did not know exactly what those 14 miles included. The first 4 were a breeze. We traveled through tunnels of green, hopped on rocks across streams, and passed waterfalls and springs and so many beautiful sights. We found a perfect log to stop and sit on for lunch- but we didn't want to stop for long since we still had 10 miles to go. By 10 miles in, I was pretty tired. My feet hurt, I was getting low on water, and I had no idea what was coming. We still had two mountains to climb (and that was after 10 miles of hills that could probably also be considered mountains). I stood at the bottom of the first one wondering how I was ever going to make it. But I had no choice, so I trudged on. And then began the real test on my endurance.

When I finally descended the second mountain, I felt numb to the pain and exhaustion. All I could think about was making it that last mile to camp. When I finally reached camp, I almost couldn't believe it. My entire body ached, and I passed out in my tent not long after the sun went down.

I thought I was going to be too sore to continue after that second day, but the days following I started getting into a rhythm with hiking, and I felt great. I knew I could face whatever the trail gave me. The days were long but the sights were beautiful. And there's no better feeling than reaching camp and ending the day with warm food and a big fire. No emails to check, no phone calls to catch, no worries except if that blister on your toe will feel better in the morning. I was starting to realize why thru hikers put themselves through 2,000 miles of this. 

On our last day we climbed the highest mountain in Georgia, and as I was standing on the rocks looking out into the Appalachian mountains, I felt like I had accomplished the impossible. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if I had completed the entire AT. As dirty and tired and sore as I was, I was sad to say goodbye to the trail. I had gotten into a routine and it began to feel like my normal life. 

On our drive back home, I don't have the words to express how I felt after looking back at the mountains I lived in for a week. I knew this wasn't the last time I'll be seeing the AT. In the future I want to make the AT my home for a few months, not stopping until I reach Katahdin.

I hope these photos conveyed at least a little bit of how incredible this trip was. If you've ever thought about hiking the AT, go do it. Even if it's just a section, I promise it will be worth it. Getting out into the wilderness for a little while is the best way to refresh your life and reconnect with yourself.

xoJordan

weekend backpacking adventure

Saturday morning two friends and I hopped in the car and drove two hours to Bankhead National Forest to begin our mini backpacking excursion. We parked our car at the trailhead, put our packs on our backs, and headed out. Our plan for the first day was to hike an easy 7 miles. After fording a river, climbing past waterfalls, and hiking until the sun began to set, we realized our map very much underestimated our mileage and we actually hiked 10 miles before we reached camp.

We set up camp next to a small spring, started a fire, filtered some water, and began cooking our dinners. We were ravenous after hiking so much. After dinner, we settled down around the campfire and enjoyed being outside under the stars. When the fire went down, we tucked ourselves into our sleeping bags to rest before another day of hiking.

The next morning we woke up early and had some oatmeal before packing up our supplies. After camp was all cleaned up, we headed out for what we thought would be a 4 or 5 mile hike. After walking for at least that many miles, we realized we made a wrong turn and went down the wrong trail. And of course it was at that moment that it began to rain. So then began the real adventure, as we waded across the river searching for our trail, only to spend an hour bushwhacking our way through unkempt forest and wading back across the river when we decided that wasn't going to get us anywhere. We headed back the way we came from, and decided just to backtrack on the trail we took the previous day. By the time we got back to the trailhead, we had hiked 14 miles. We were wet and cold and hurt everywhere and all we could think about was what a huge, delicious meal we were going to consume.

And yet, even with the extra mileage and the rain and fording a river four times, it was such a fun trip. Not only is it a relief to just be out in nature, but hiking so much and pushing yourself to do what you didn't think you could do is so rewarding. And getting lost is not so bad when you're in such a beautiful place.

nashville roadtrip

For Valentine's weekend, my girlfriends and I decided to take a trip to Nashville. We spent our visit going to way too many coffee shops, exploring the city, eating lots of delicious food, and crashing a couple's romantic engagement on a hill at sunset. It was the perfect weekend and I wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way.

holiday in the mountains

As I wrote last week, my family and I took a roadtrip to the Ozarks in Arkansas to celebrate Thanksgiving. My grandparents rented a cabin on a mountain and we all drove up there to spend the holiday together. It was so nice to get away from school for a little while and spend quality time with my family. And we were in the mountains so of course we had lots of outdoor adventures! It was absolutely beautiful, so I wanted to share a few photos I took while I was there. I also put together a short film about the trip, at the end of this post!
xoJordan

kittens

We've got some new additions to our family... two adorable kittens! My friend was giving them away and I'm the biggest cat lady so I desperately wanted to keep them myself, but unfortunately I can't have pets where I live. My mom however, decided to adopt them, so now I get to see these little furballs everytime I go home! I got some pictures while they were napping- the only time they're still enough for a photo- so of course I had to share them with you!
xoJordan

wildness is a necessity

We live in an age where we're constantly connected, plugged into a device, reading status updates and posting pictures of our coffee, responding to texts and commenting on someone's photo. Our minds can never be quiet because we always have something to check, some update to read or message to respond to. Our phones are never more than a few feet away, our laptops always ready to be opened. We're distracted from the beautiful moments in life because we're trying to get the perfect instagram picture. And if we don't, we're disappointed. The beauty of that moment has somehow diminished. We've become chained to our technology, we're living our lives through our screens.

Now don't get me wrong, I love that we have the ability to show our friends the amazing sunset we saw on our way home, I love that I can write a post on my blog and connect with people who have the same interests as me, I think it's incredible that we can make friends with people from all over the world.

But there comes a point when it all just becomes exhausting. Filling our minds with who ate what for breakfast and how many followers we have and why a photo doesn't have a certain number of "likes". We are dissatisfied with our lives and feeling detached from ourselves. And the only cure to this is to turn it all off and get outside.

Nature is rejuvenating. Spending time amongst the trees, by the water, under the golden sun, is the cure for the anxieties and stresses of everyday life. And though it might not make your problems go away, it will clear your mind so you can handle whatever comes your way. Fresh air is good for your spirit, and gives you back the energy your technology has taken from you.

I've been making it my point lately to get outside and refresh my mind. I've been taking days to hike with my friends, going for runs on the trail by the river, sitting under trees to read, and watching the beautiful sunsets that happen every single night. I didn't realize how disconnected I've become with myself until I spent more of my time outside than inside. Life is passing so quickly, I want to make it full of as many beautiful moments as I can. And these moments won't come when I'm staring at a screen.

 I've been leaving my phone at home more often. I've been trying to stop mindlessly scrolling through social media, and just let myself be with my thoughts. I've been figuring out what makes life meaningful.


There is so much out there in the world that you miss by wasting your time inside. We're all going to waste time, but we'll never feel fulfilled by wasting it in front of a screen. Waste your time outside instead.

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity".   -John Muir

online portfolio

I'm excited to announce something I've been working on for quite a while now- my new website dedicated to my artwork! It's an online portfolio of sorts, where I post my photography and design work- everything else I do besides what you see on my blog. I've been wanting to do photography professionally for a long time, and I've slowly been getting there by doing small shoots here and there. I also create both digital and print media, such logos, graphics, and posters. All of this will be showcased on my website!   jordaneclark.com

I would love if you check it out! ♥

xoxoJordan

moon magic and new beginnings

I don't know if it was the lunar eclipse (which was especially significant for my sign, Aries- if you follow astrology), the start of a new month, or just the changing weather, but I have felt reawakened by these new beginnings. Much like the beginning of a new year, I feel like it's a chance for me to start over and be refreshed by new directions.

It has been a perfect first day of October. It was finally cool enough to wear a sweater and boots to class. I'm listening to French jazz and burning cinnamon incense as I write this, and I have soup simmering on the stove. Later tonight I have a dessert date to celebrate a friend's birthday. A perfect autumn day.

I have to say, I'm not sad to see September end. I look forward to a new month, a new season, a new chance to begin.

sunday morning

Slow Sunday mornings are my favorite. Waking up early before the rest of the world has opened their eyes. Laying in bed with a cup of tea and listening to a quiet album. It's exactly what I need at the end of a long week.

I think we all need to remember to slow down every once in a while. Take time to enjoy your solitude. Your life may be messy, but that doesn't mean you can't still appreciate the beauty around you. Make sure you have at least one morning every week where you can put your responsibilties to the side, forget about all your worries, and just be. Buy yourself flowers, take time to make a delicious breakfast, enjoy the hazy sunlight coming through your window.

Song for early mornings: "Emissary" by Keaton Henson