Art from the Hartt

Filming the Parade: How It All Started

The Parade of Lights in my hometown is an amazing community event! How does a nurse, nurse-midwife, and nurse educator get involved in filming the annual Parade of Lights? All in beautiful downtown Montrose, Colorado.

It all started in about 2008, when I was the nursing program coordinator at the CMU Montrose Campus. In academics, we always strive to stay current in our area of knowledge. I was considering getting a post-masters in mental health advanced nursing practice.

I became a nurse-midwife in 1990, and things had changed as far as pre-requisite courses. They call those pre-requisites the 3-Ps. Pathophysiology, Physical Assessment, and Pharmacology. My first step was to enroll in these courses and finish them within a year.

The physical assessment course required that we do a physical exam on someone. Then we were to send it (on a CD) to the school for grading. My school was University of South Alabama (online). Techno was the most difficult part of this assignment – and my cheap video camera attempt didn’t work. I had to redo the whole exam! So, I bought a nice camcorder for a few hundred bucks at the local Target.

The camera sat gathering dust. Other than a few cat videos, it sat unused. So, I decided to see if it really did as advertised with night shots. I love community events and always dress in my warmest gear to watch the parade. That year, I hauled that shiny, new camcorder to the parade and it worked pretty well. IDK if I posted to YouTube the first year or not – but I do have one posted from 2010.

The Journey From Then To Now: 2010-2024

I have recorded that parade every year since then. One year, I had a techno glitch and didn’t get the video – but I tried. The first year, I got 500 views. It keeps growing and last year, I got over 9k views. It’s crazy. PS – I now have a blogging camcorder that is much easier to use.

During this time-span, I have worked for several organizations. These include CMU, Montrose County (W End nurse practitioner), WCCC (Now CMU Tech), and Colorado Community College Systems Online. I have also worked for Western Governor’s University, Technical College of the Rockies, and Colorado Mountain College. I also returned to school and completed my doctorate in nursing from Frontier Nursing University.

I retired from traditional employment. Then, I started Art from the Hartt. It is the business I always dreamed about during my 40+ years of nursing. I stay current in nursing through my human resilience business – Resilient Stuff. (The resilience business is very new but will be a focus in 2025.) The business focuses on teaching resilience skills to various groups of people.

Even with all those life changes, filming the parade has become a constant. I am so happy that so many people who can’t see the parade can still enjoy it in their homes. Curiosity about a camera started the tradition. It is connection to the community that keeps it alive.

Thank You: Christmas Shopping Coupon for Etsy

I want to say “thank you” to those who watch my video. I have a coupon for 35% off in my Etsy shop. This offer is available through Christmas. Here is the link to use for the sale: https://artfromthehartt.etsy.com?coupon=PARADEOFLIGHTS24 or enter PARADEOFLIGHTS24 at check out – not valid with any other offer.

Also, please check out my booth (number 80) at Country Flair in Montrose, CO for ongoing sales events!

Please enjoy and feel free to share this post and/or the video link!

PS – I am opening a Shopify store soon – please watch for an update! Follow this blog by signing up for email notifications below!