Wow! The last few days have been a whirlwind for me of cameras and kids and opportunities and learning! Life sure can catch you by surprise.
A few weeks ago, I was invited by Kristen Ivy and Reggie Joiner to travel to Georgia and help with a video shoot for the Orange Conference (coming up April 25-27!!!). I knew immediately that this invitation was a nudge from God. I had been contemplating moving to Atlanta for only a few weeks when I got the invite, and this felt like the beginning of a journey God was preparing for me. It excited and terrified me all at once.
To say I went in blind would be an understatement. Aside from the fact that I was raised in an "Orange" household, I had no clue what this trip would entail or how God was going to use it for my future, but He was working through each detail and affirming my decision to go. God provided for my needs to get me where He wanted me and continuously asked me to trust Him.
The first test of my faith was when my plane got turned around mid-way to Atlanta. We were experiencing pressure issues, and the delay caused me to miss the beginning of the video shoot and an important meeting with an editing house in the city. Even aside from thinking I may fall out of the sky, this shook me. I wondered if I would be able to recover the lost time.
God does not disappoint. He had a plan from the very beginning and I had to trust Him. Once I finally made it into Atlanta, the trip became a whirlwind of opportunities. God provided connections, experiences, confidence, and excitement in me. He took me beyond "networking" and gave me true friends in this city and in this industry that can help me with my transition when I am ready to move.
He affirmed my career desires and even threw in a personal meeting with that editing house, which gave me some amazing tools moving forward to break into the field. I have never been so floored by what truly trusting God and giving up any sense of control can do.
The shoot itself was amazing! Orange's theme for the conference this year is One Voice: We can do more together. The project will be broken into several videos that will premiere each night and tell a story about teamwork. I can't give too much away as the story is still in development, but what I can say is that it takes a lot of kids to build a 7,500 piece Lego Millennium Falcon in 3 days!
I got to learn from the amazing Tripp Crosby and his team. They were professional and impressive at every point, creating a true work of art. The kids on set were so much fun and we all had a blast creating this content. I cannot wait to see it at Conference when it's completed!
I've attached some behind the scenes photos of the set so you can be as pumped as I am to see the final videos!
I still don't have a concrete plan for when I will move to Georgia or what I will do here, but if God taught me anything on this trip it's that I can trust Him no matter what. (#252reference) I'll be sure to keep you posted on where He sends me next!
Until next time,
Gabby
