Dreamer ENT » Inspiration

Class of 2010 Graduation Song – From Josh Shipp

Young Dreamer — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:50:14 +0000

For all of you graduating this year, check out this inspiring and fun rap song dedicated to the Class of 2010. The song was produced by Josh Shipp, a hilarious youth motivational speaker (called “the next Dear Abby” by MTV) who really connects with young people what’s going on with the world today.

Also check out his online show “Hey Josh” where he always gives down-to-earth, honest and funny advice for teens about life’s issues, and shares how he overcome hard situations when he was a teen. For his advice column and videos visit his site at www.HeyJosh.com.

Some of the Lyrics from Class of 2010 Graduation RAP Song:

Proceed to keep it moving got to shake off the stress
I heard it takes ten years to be a overnight success
Five years of grinding five more of perfect timing
But zero years feeling guilty or even whining
About past circumstances
You gotta take some chances
Life is full of opportunities make advances…

Ramona & Beezus Movie Starring Selena Gomez & Inspiration From Beverly Cleary

Young Dreamer — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:22:37 +0000

April 12 is the birthday of beloved author and Newbery Award winner Beverly Cleary, and this year she celebrates her 94th birthday. Many schools also celebrate the day as “Drop Everything and Read Day” where students do just that – drop everything and curl up with a good book, something I like to do all the time.

When I was younger I loved the books by Ms. Cleary, like the Ramona Quimby books and Dear Mr. Henshaw. Ms. Cleary is one of the authors who inspired me to read and want to become a children’s author one day. She also has several books for teens you can check out, like The Luckiest Girl which I read and thought was a cute love story.

You can visit Beverly Cleary’s website at www.beverlycleary.com for more information about her life and her works. Have you read any of her books?

Beverly Cleary Tip for Young Writers and On the Love of Reading

Read widely. Master the tools of writing. I know that spelling, punctuation, and grammar are boring, but they are necessary.”

“I think I was fortunate in growing up before television and before many people even had radios, because my mother read aloud every evening to my father and me, and I was — I — I don’t know what I would’ve done in the evening if she hadn’t… She really read quite a variety of things, and I loved those evenings. I wish more people read aloud.

- Beverly Cleary (From her website)

This summer the movie Ramona & Beezus based Ms. Clearly’s books, will be in theaters starring Selena Gomez as older sister ‘Beezus’ and Joey King as the little sister ‘Ramona’ who always finds herself in a new and crazily imaginative situations. (Click here to read the book for free online; even though the book is aimed at kids you could probably relate with Beezus the older sister and it’s a pretty fun read for people of all ages).

Watch the trailer for the movie “Ramona & Beezus,” in theaters July 23rd, below:

Graphics Credit: “Ramona & Beezus” Movie Website

Inspiration from Dr. Seuss

Young Dreamer — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:52:43 +0000

We all loved his playful and eccentric characters and rhymes in books like “The Cat in the Hat” and “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” when we were kids (and maybe saw some of the movies based on his books). Today, March 2, would mark the 106th birthday of beloved author and illustrator Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.

Below are some inspiring and fun Dr. Seuss quotes. Visit http://www.seussville.com to learn more about his story and for fun memories from some of your favorite Dr. Seuss books. It’s also “Read Across America” day, so be sure to curl up with a good book.

Tribute to Sojourner Truth by Ron Clark Academy

Young Dreamer — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:47:17 +0000

Black History Month Spotlight: Sojourner Truth

You may remember the Ron Clark Academy students from their “You Can Vote However You Like” video that went viral around the web and was picked up by CNN during the 2008 Presidential Election. In the video below the students perform a tribute to Sojourner Truth, who was an influential civil rights leader of the 19th century. They did their creative performance at an event a few month ago to unveil a bust by sculptor Artis Lane of Sojourner Truth. Esteemed guests like First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Members of Congress, were attendance.

The bust is the first sculpture to honor an African American woman in the U.S. Capitol and was donated by the National Congress of Black Women. You can learn more about the bust at http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/truth_bust.cfm.

Sojourner Truth

“Sojourner Truth was perhaps the most famous African-American woman in 19th century America. For over forty years she traveled the country as a forceful and passionate advocate for the dispossessed, using her quick wit and fearless tongue to fight for human rights.

“She traveled around the east and midwest speaking out for human rights. This illiterate ex-slave was a powerful figure in several national social movements, speaking forcefully for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights and suffrage, the rights of freedmen, temperance, prison reform and the termination of capital punishment.”

Find out more about Sojourner Truth at http://www.sojournertruth.org.
Photo Source: http://www.nps.gov

Inspiration On Dreams From Langston Hughes

Young Dreamer — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:11:16 +0000

February is Black History Month, and we wanted to present inspiration from Dreamers who have impacted many through their work. Langston Hughes was a writer and poet who greatly shaped American literature during the Harlem Renaissance. Below is part of one of his poems called “Dreams”.

Dreamer Profile: Langston Hughes

“Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance, which was the African American artistic movement in the 1920s that celebrated black life and culture.

“Hughes’s creative genius was influenced by his life in New York City’s Harlem, a primarily African American neighborhood. His literary works helped shape American literature and politics. Hughes, like others active in the Harlem Renaissance, had a strong sense of racial pride. Through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and children’s books, he promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and celebrated African American culture, humor, and spirituality.” Click here to learn more about Langston Hughes.

Bio Source: http://www.americaslibrary.gov

Dreams

“Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams, For when dreams go
Life is a barren field, Frozen with snow.”

- Langston Hughes

In this quote, part of one of his poems, Langston Hughes reminds us to keep our visions alive, because it’s so important to have hope for the future. Don’t just follow along with the crowd, but dare to be different and follow those creative ideas in you. With hard work, faith and perseverance, dreams can come true.

Inspiration From Actress Alyson Stoner: “Dare to Dream…”

Young Dreamer — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:42:53 +0000

Alyson Stoner, the talented actress, dancer and singer who you’ve seen in music videos, Disney movies like Camp Rock and shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, shared some inspiration for young people on her blog a few weeks ago.

Here are some snippets from the post:
“It pains my heart to see my generation lying around, using their teen years as an excusable “transition-phase” so they can avoid taking on responsibilities before it’s necessary. This period is intended to be the launching pad for our futures!…”

“…Invest your time and money in something purposeful. Everyone has a gift, along with potential to use it. And it’s unfair to the millions of lives you were created to touch if you don’t follow your calling. Please, friends, I encourage you to look at yourself in the mirror and ask, “Who do I really want to be today? tomorrow? in 10 years? What small steps and giant leaps do I need to take to get there?”

…Dare to dream. We have an imagination for a reason. Write down your wildest dreams and then create an action plan to make it happen. Stay focused on improving your character and skills (instead of nit-packing others’ flaws) so you’ll be prepared to fly when the opportunity arises. You were created to do amazing things, and I’m not going to let you fail. You are strong. You are valued. You are loved, and you are gifted. Do not waste your life…”

That’s some great and powerful advice to take into the New Year! You can read the full blog post on her official website by clicking here. You’ll be able to see Alyson doing what she does best when Camp Rock 2 premieres on the Disney Channel in the summer of 2010.

Dr. Maya Angelou Speaks About Finding Your Creative Voice

Young Dreamer — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:49:19 +0000

The Dream In Color African American Heritage project is sponsored by Target and Scholastic, Inc. It features various videos of Renaissance woman Dr. Maya Angelou, poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director. Here are some of her words from the video entitled “How can students find their creative voice?”

Dr. Maya Angelou: “I would say to young people and to old people or upper middle age, that we have seriously crippled ourselves and our children by telling people, ‘don’t try all these different things. You’ll become a jack of all trades and a master of none’. That’s ridiculous. You can become the master of everything. The best you can be.

“You know, we don’t understand talent. We don’t understand electricity. We probably use about one millionth of one billionth percent of the electricity around us. However, you can plug into two little holes in the wall, or three. You can light up a church, a cathedral, a synagogue, a temple. You can light up a surgery. You can light up a…a bedroom. Or you can electrocute a person strapped in a chair. Electricity makes no demands. It says if you are intelligent you will use me intelligently. If you’re not, you will use me destructively. But I’m here.

“Talent is like that. If you study the craft and you like…think you’d like to paint, study the craft, respect it, and then get the best materials you can afford and paint. You will do a good job. You’re not going to become maybe John Biggers or Matisse or Van Gogh, or Romare Bearden, but you can do a good job. Well, I believe that for all the arts. I mean I might not be able to sing because of my voice. I might not have the voice, but if voice was in it Ray Charles and Willie Nelson wouldn’t even be listened to. So, it is something other than that which has made certain singers beloved. I think I would say to young men and women study.

“First, study yourself. See who you really want to be and as soon as you say, see it, say it, put it out into the universe. I want to be a dancer. I want to be a mathematician. I want to be an inventor. I want to be a doctor. I want to be a writer. You must say it, and then go about the business of becoming it. Study it…and bring all your energies to it. Sooner or later someone will say, ‘Are you the kid over there, I think I heard you speak one time. Well, you know, I have an opening in my school for someone just like you, or at my plant, or at my job’. You see?”

(This was taken from the transcript on the Target website).

The parts in bold are what impacted me the most. Truly amazing and inspirational… There are several other powerful videos of Dr. Angelou that you can view here.

Famous Failures

Young Dreamer — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:33:58 +0000

Here’s a really inspiring video about famous failures. The video shows how many well-known people failed or were rejected when they tried to pursue their dreams, but kept pressing onward. Looking at all these people inspires us to go forward with our dreams despite fear of falling and failing. The video ends with, “If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived”. Check it out:

Creative Career: Puppeteer Kevin Clash

Young Dreamer — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:44:24 +0000

Dreamer Profile: Kevin Clash:
Puppeter, Author and Producer

This Creative Career post is brought to you today by the color red, and the letter P – for Passion.

Kevin Clash is a puppeteer you may not know, but you definitely know some of his work. He’s the creative mind behind the lovable character Elmo on Sesame Street, and many other playful personalities we’ve grown up with and love.

Clash’s pursuit of his puppeteering career didn’t come easy. In an article online he talked about how he was teased as a child for his passion to make puppets, while other kids in his Baltimore neighborhood dreamed of playing basketball or going into the music business. He had loved puppets since age 10 after watching Sesame Street and had been enchanted with them ever since. In his book he said kids threw taunts at him like, “Look at him, he’s playing with dolls. He sews. He sleeps with his puppets.”

Even so he kept doing what he loved with the support of his parents who continually encouraged him. After doing puppet shows in his neighborhood starting at age 12, he got the chance to go on television and eventually made his way to Sesame Street in 1985. He came up with Elmo’s distinctive voice and laugh, making Elmo one of Sesame Street’s most popular characters. (He also did the voice of “Baby Sinclair” from the “Dinosaurs.”

His work also won Clash an Emmy Award, and he appeared on Oprah in an episode about obscure celebrities. Now he serves as Sesame Street Muppet Captain and co-executive producer, and he’s in homes worldwide teaching children life lessons through his lovable characters. Talk about passion!

Clash says he hopes his book will “inspire everyone to hit their goals.” In this interview he talks about how he never imagined he would be doing something he loved as a career, and how it doesn’t even feel like work. He’s truly living his dream.

Here are some of the videos and articles about Kevin Clash and his work:

In this interview in the New York Times Clash talks about how people react to him when they realize he’s an 6-foot-tall man, about his life, and about the art of puppetry and making stories relevant to kids lives today.

This interview with Kevin Clash and Elmo was tickling & hilarious:

Kevin Clash on “Reading Rainbow:

Kevin as the voice of the Dinosaur’s Baby Sinclair, “I’m the Baby, Gotta Love Me”

Video Pick: Mary Mary “Get Up”

Young Dreamer — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:54:40 +0000

“Get Up” by Mary Mary, is off of their new CD “The Sound”. The song is about being your best self and not wasting time to follow your dreams.

“It’s your dreams / Your choice, Your time, Your life
So don’t you, Don’t you miss it
What are you afraid of?
Don’t you know what you’re made of?” – Lyrics from Mary Mary’s “Get Up”

Dreamer ENT » Inspiration

Class of 2010 Graduation Song – From Josh Shipp

See Also:

Ramona & Beezus Movie Starring Selena Gomez & Inspiration From Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary Tip for Young Writers and On the Love of Reading

See Also:

Inspiration from Dr. Seuss

See Also:

Tribute to Sojourner Truth by Ron Clark Academy

Black History Month Spotlight: Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth

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Inspiration On Dreams From Langston Hughes

Dreamer Profile: Langston Hughes

Dreams

See Also:

Inspiration From Actress Alyson Stoner: “Dare to Dream…”

See Also:

Dr. Maya Angelou Speaks About Finding Your Creative Voice

See Also:

Famous Failures

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Creative Career: Puppeteer Kevin Clash

See Also:

Video Pick: Mary Mary “Get Up”

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