What Should You Look For In Studio Headphones For Your Young Guitarist?

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It is nice to see a child that has ambitions and dreams even at a young age. And the good thing about this is that they are not only talking about their ambitions but also starting to work on them in their own simple ways. Do they want to be an astronaut? They will surely be always looking up the stars and asking for trips at the planetarium or looking through telescopes. A scientist? They are the ones always interested in what is happening in the world around them and observing. They are the ones that should be watched out for because they just might conduct an experiment. An athlete? They sure play their preferred sport out there. Then some would like to be a musician and maybe be in a band as a guitarist, and they may even already have their own guitar. It is never too early to start.

The problem with practicing the guitar is that it can be a disturbance. It could be a disturbance for you, your spouse, your other children, your pets, or even your neighbors. A nice solution to this is for them to use headphones. By doing this, they will be able to practice and play their hearts out without the fear of disturbing others. Having headphones will also be helpful for them to learn and develop their sound. 

How can you find the right headphones for them? Help them reach their dreams with the following tips.

1. Headphones should be comfortable

Practicing will surely take a lot of time especially if they really get into it and enjoy. It could go on for hours. You do not want them to have aching ears or a headache that would stop them from using their headphones or just stop altogether. So that is why when choosing a pair headphones, comfort is a must. When looking for the perfect pair consider the materials that they are made with, particularly the padding around the ears. Another factor is the weight. If the headphones are heavier, it is likely that they will be less comfortable after extended periods of use.

2. They should also be durable

A nice pair of headphones is no small investment, and you want a pair that will last a long time. Not only it will be nice for your young one, but it is also nice for your budget. Having a pair that will be easily broken can be really expensive in the long run. You can also consider having a set of headphones that has replaceable parts. That way, if some part gets broken and needs to be changed, it will be less expensive than buying a whole new set.

3. Headphones should have a great sound

Of course, you do not want your young musician to have a pair of headphones that will produce sounds like they are coming from a tin can. For your rock start to be a great musician, they should know their own sound and develop it. As a growing musician, it would be better for them to have a high-quality pair of studio headphones than a consumer-grade set of headphones. Consumer-grade headphones often boost the pleasant frequencies, artificially enhancing the sound coming from your instrument. On the other hand, studio headphones offer more accurate tones, and this is important when they are developing their own sound and technique.

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Best Practices For Power Washing Your Home’s Exterior

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Most people can recognize when their vinyl siding needs to be cleaned, but few people know exactly when and how to clean vinyl siding properly. Unless you live in an area with poor air quality or that has an abundance of dirt roads, you should clean your vinyl siding once every other year. If you live where the siding is prone to get dirtier, it’s best to do the pressure washing annually. With modern electric and gas-fueled pressure washers, it is possible to clean an entire house in one day. With sufficient planning and supplies, you can have your whole house sparkling clean for less than $300. 

Safety is the most important consideration when cleaning your vinyl siding yourself. Wear protective gear such as goggles to protect your eyes, use earplugs especially if you use a gas-powered pressure washer. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the cleaning solution you’ll use. Make sure your ladder is sturdy. 

Your safety concerns extend also to the condition of your home exterior before washing as well. Before washing the house, inspect the siding. Check for cracks and loose patches. Unplug any electrical components and cover the outlets with plastic that’s been secured with waterproof tape. Make sure all windows are closed. To ensure the health of any plants growing around the house, trim away parts of the plant that touch the house and water them before you cover with a tarp. Soaking the soil will dilute chemicals that may be absorbed. Covering them with a tarp will prevent soap splatter on your plants. 

Next, make sure that your outdoor furniture, lawn decorations, and grill are out of the way. If you can store them somewhere else on cleaning day, that would be best. Otherwise be sure to cover them with a tarp to prevent damage. 

Before you begin the pressure wash, you’ll want to remove the mold by hand using a bleach solution made up of one part bleach to ten parts water. Put the solution in a spray bottle. Spray where the mold and other dirt buildup is heaviest. Allow this to sit for a minute or two before wiping with a soft cloth or sponge. 

Now it’s time to put the cleansing solution into the pressure washer according to manufacturer’s instructions, attach to your garden hose and powerwash your home exterior. Start off on the lowest pressure settings and increase pressure gradually. Always keep the nozzle pointing straight ahead or slightly downward. Avoid high pressure on windows or exterior vents. If using an electric pressure washer, make sure the cord remains dry and out of the way. If using a gas pressure washer, point exhaust away from vents. 

Wash your vinyl siding in sections. Let the soap sit for a few minutes before scrubbing with your brush. Do not let the soap dry as it will leave streaks. You can use brushes with extendable handles for two-story houses. You can always rewet a surface if you let the soap sit too long. After you have cleaned a section, empty the pressure washer. Be sure to rinse any leftover soap residue out of the pressure washer. Fill with clean clear water and rinse the section off. Dry with towels before moving on to the next section until the entire house is finished. 
Pressure washing your vinyl siding is best done when the weather turns warm. It is best to do it on a dry day. Pressure washers can be rented from home and garden stores or make a great investment for any homeowner. Cleaning your vinyl siding is a home maintenance chore that can be done yourself. With the right preparation, it can also be a pleasant experience as well.

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5 Ways To Make Your Creative Space More Conducive to Writing

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Some may call it a studio, others may call it an office, and still others may simply call it their kitchen table. Regardless of where you go to write at home, you want to have a place that encourages you to write at your best. In general, writers perform best when they are in a calm, reasonably lit environment where they can be full of energy and produce their best works without distraction. Here are five tips you can use to make sure your personal writing space is giving you everything you need to finish your next piece of art.

Location

First and foremost, you want to have a place that you can dependably retire to in order to get the creative juices flowing. Many writers enjoy going to cafes or outdoor locations such as parks, beaches, etc., but there is something to be said for having your own oasis right in the comfort of your own home. The physical location within your home might be a spare bedroom where guests rarely visit, or perhaps a loft or a section of a finished basement.

There are obviously no strict rules when selecting the location of your creative space, but you want to make sure that you can have easy access with everything in order. When inspiration strikes, you want to have everything ready to go so that you can get in the flow as fast as possible. This brings us to the next point.

Setup

Not dissimilar from a cook’s often-discussed mise en place, there is a load of benefit for having everything ready to go for writing at any time of the day. If you write on a computer, this means having a keyboard and word processor ready to go at a moment’s notice. If your computer takes seemingly forever to boot up, you might have lost your train of thought by the time you actually get to writing. Consider decluttering your computer or upgrading to a more dependable model if necessary.

If you’re a bit more old-fashioned, or you just like the feel of some good-old pen and paper, this would mean having a notepad and your favorite pen ready to go at a moment’s notice. Make sure you have plenty of lighting, a comfortable seat, and anything else you might need to be comfortable, productive, and ultimately to get the job done.

Ambience

Once you have your location picked out and your setup in place, the final touches should focus on creating an ambience that will really help you keep your peace of mind. Visually calming aesthetic touches can be incredibly soothing, and can give your eyes something to focus on while your mind wanders into the depths of creativity. If your home has a fireplace, for example, this can be a great focal point for a writing room. These days, electric fireplaces can be a fantastic alternative without breaking the bank or remodeling your home. If this sounds like a good solution, you can check out Tim Arnolds’ detailed guide to find the best electric fireplace for your creative space. Other alternatives can include dancing lights, candles, small waterfalls, etc. Paintings can be a great way to improve the visual ambience, provided they are not too distracting to keep you from working.

In addition to visual ambience, you can also experiment with audible ambience. Plenty of writers love writing to music, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be music in the traditional sense. You can also try soundtracks or field recordings such as rain forests, ocean waves, or city sounds.

One final type of ambience that may be worth looking into is sensory ambience in the forms of aromas. This can be accomplished with essential oil diffusers, burning incense, aromatic candles, or even something as basic as fresh flowers. Giving yourself something beautiful to smell can certainly help you get in touch with all that is good in life, and give you everything you need to keep the creativity at maximum output.

So what do you think, do you find these tips for designing your creative space helpful? What are your favorite tips for making your creative space your true space of productivity? Let us know in the comments, we’d be very happy to hear from you.

Thanks for reading and happy writing!

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Creative Ways To Get Your Kids Writing Creatively

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Creative writing is a great skill for children to obtain and carries over into adulthood. Learning how to write creatively is beneficial for kids who have an interest in working in a creative field or for those who simply enjoy expressing their thoughts, feelings, and ideas using writing as their vehicle of choice. In order to get your kids to begin writing creatively, getting creative yourself is essential.

Provide Idea Journals

Give each of your children an idea journal to carry with them when attending school, visiting friends, or taking time away from tech and traditional activities. In order to encourage more involvement with the idea journal you provide, allow your children to decorate, color, and create covers for their journals in a unique and individual way.

Set a time aside each day for your kids to jot down ideas, inspirational thoughts, or doodles that they want to share with the entire family. Openly share and discuss idea journal entries (unless your child prefers to keep them private) to promote conversation and discussion. Offer magazines and print images of relevant items your child wishes to include in their idea journal to create a full and lively book for them to read and reflect on in the future.

Join a Reading Program

Enroll your kids in a summer reading program when they are out of school or in need of additional extracurricular activities. Reading programs provide children with access to thousands of books while also encouraging them to complete the books they have chosen with rewards and incentives. Keep track of the books your children read each week and ask questions about the plot, characters, and story arcs involved. Create a dialogue with your kids surrounding the books they read to get their imagination going while encouraging new creative ideas, thoughts, and opinions. Offer rewards such as prizes or additional in-house incentives to keep your children reading throughout the year.

Watch Inspirational Videos

Watch inspirational videos that pertain to creative writing and storytelling with your children. Discuss the content of the videos you watch together and ask your children their favorite methods of writing and why. Show videos of top authors your kids enjoy reading to spark inspiration and to keep them interested in the world of reading and writing.

Tell Stories

Storytelling is one of the best ways to get the creative juices flowing in both children and adults. Learning how to tell stories is essential for children who are interested in writing creatively. Create a time each week to share stories whether they are scary, silly, or dramatic. Ask questions about the characters in the stories your children tell and what lessons there are to learn from each individual story. Offer praise to your child when they complete a story from start to finish and provide encouragement to your child if they are struggling with a plot point. Share different paths and ideas for each story arc or plot point to stir up creativity and ideas in your child’s mind.

Brainstorm Together

Spend time with your children brainstorming ideas, thoughts, and new storylines. Allow each of your children to provide input when telling stories or sharing ideas of your own. Share in the excitement your children have when telling you new ideas or thoughts on projects they plan to write. Create lists of ideas, plots, and characters together with idea journals you have already provided. Bouncing ideas off of one another encourages out of the box thinking and more creativity when writing or developing stories in the mind.

Read Stories Aloud

Reading stories aloud with your children is another way to encourage creative reading and writing simultaneously. Ask your kids to participate in reading their own creative stories to help with improving their abilities to tell stories and share dialogue. Read your children’s favorite books and expand with new authors each week to broaden their horizons when thinking creatively or coming up with exciting, unique, and relevant stories that are interesting to them.

Artistic Hobbies and Activities

Discovering creative ideas is not limited to simply writing or reading. Get creative with your children by painting, working with clay, or indulging in another hobby that requires abstract thinking and the process of discovery. Creative hobbies and activities help to keep the minds of children active while providing them with more opportunities once they begin writing on their own.

With the right creative methods, provide your children with the ability to discover an entirely new world when putting their thoughts on paper.

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For The Layman: How To Write Your First Poem

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Poetry is so many things. It’s a source of self expression, an opportunity to say something wonderful and an exercise in precise word control. If you’ve never written a poem before, the very idea of writing one can seem quite scary. However, you’ll quickly realize that writing a poem is a terrific way to reveal your thoughts to everyone else. Writing a poem is a highly specific form of writing. Every single word has to count. When you write a poem, you’ll find that you’re free to do all sorts of things including use wild metaphors, experiment with word forms and get very personal. You’ll also realize that writing a poem can open doors and make easier to write a second poem and another poem after that one. When you tap into your inner creative person, you’ll find a whole new source of satisfaction.

Finding a Type

One of the most amazing things about poems is that there are so many forms of poetry. From limericks to sonnets and haikus, poetic forms are varied and fascinating. It helps to think about your message when you want to write the poem. If you’re aiming for humor, limericks are a traditional way to convey it. If you like to stick to poems that require careful structure and attention to detail, a sonnet might be the form that suits you best. Many poetic forms do not use rhymes while others require them. It’s a good idea to look up some examples of the kind of poem you have in mind. Read them aloud and get a feel for how the writer conveys their thoughts. This will help you decide what works best for your own planned poem.

Your Planned Theme

Most poems have a theme and an overall idea. Your should as well. Think about what inspires you the most. If you love nature, think about specific experiences and what you like about them. Perhaps you love being outside on a snowy day or walking through the changing leaves in early autumn. Now is the time to think about the details that will make your poem come alive. Think about word choices such as the kind of colors you saw and the way you felt as you saw the world around you.

Start Writing

Once you’ve decided on a vision for your poem, you can begin to write it. Many writers sit down and let the words flow. It’s a good idea to review the rules of the type of poem you want to write. This way, you’ll write a real haiku and not one that just looks like a haiku but isn’t. It’s a good idea to set aside a specific time frame to write. A late afternoon day when you’ll feeling alert or early on a Sunday morning work for many people.

A Final Draft

After the initial draft, it’s a good idea to think looking at it more closely. Read it out loud. Check for any grammatical errors as well as spots that may not quite rhyme or may be awkward. A second draft makes it easier to see where the polished poem will come from and how you’re going to get there. You might decide to rewrite the poem entirely or realize that you’re happy with the end result.

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