A light in a stormy month was getting the Guiding Star Creative Contributor award.
I was so honored and appreciative of the award, and in the video below- I share the unboxing of the swag received. The sunglasses and cap will be great when I explore parks and the outdoors. The plastic bag is great too for holding my snacks… as I’m not only an explore-aholic but also a snack-a-holic The picnic blanket is currently being used as my bedroom blanket to keep me warm. In the second half of the video, Ido a lookback on this year 2022 and recap updates on two projects I’ve been working on, as well as what’s next.
You may watch the video or read the written recap I’ve typed out.
Goal: promote awareness of Google Maps/ Local Guides through a fun challenge of consistent uploads
How: upload a video a day of a different place in Arizona- parks, malls, museums, etc.
Result: built out a visual library of places in Arizona: playgrounds, museums, Maricopa Regional Park trails, etc. While doing this, I took pictures and wrote reviews as well as contributed relevant edits for Google Maps.
This was actually a sub-project that was part of the “video a day a year” challenge above.
Goal: Add drives of highways and local cities within an hour’s drive.
How: made the “Matrix" which you can see below. It’s a Google Sheet with a list of major local highways and local cities. I would then film the drives in those areas.
Result: added drive-through views of cities and highways within an hour’s drive radius, and completed the Matrix. (Some of the highways did not extend into certain cities, so N/A was put in those boxes.)
What’s next?..
I want to finish the year strong, and so while my goal of a video a day a year was reached in September, I want to do a Christmas challenge where I upload a video a day for the last few remaining days of the year.
The theme will be: playgrounds in Chandler, AZ. It will be a way to full-circle complete the challenge. My challenge started with a 90 day challenge video posting streak on playgrounds and now it will end with another (shorter) video posting streak on playgrounds.
The added hope of this is to add more content to my visual library in the category of playgrounds, let users see visual walkthroughs and encourage everyone young and old to embrace their inner child and play!
I love to hear from you. Yes, my friend- now I have my James Bond gear. Good call on the Guiding Star logo on the bottle- love it!
Actually, I started the Tempe, AZ playgrounds/parks photos in 2019; I printed a list of the ~50-60 parks in Tempe, AZ and would go to a handful “whenever I felt like it.” (Some of those parks were not video’ed as it was before my Youtube days). I started doing some videos in early 2021, and finished the rest of the Tempe parks.
Then, I thought why not visit the parks in other nearby cities. I printed out the lists. Some cities like Apache Junction had less than 5 total parks and playgrounds, so those were easier lists to complete.
With the videos of playground + trail + museum exploring started in early 2021, it took me about 2 years to get through all of them. My video a day upload though started in September 2021 and will be ongoing until Dec 31 of this year.
How I was able to do it was: map it out and then make a list of ~10 parks that were close to each other that I would want to see over the weekend, or maybe after work on weekdays I could go to 1-2 parks. For trails, some trails are interconnected, so I would map out a loop, and then walk the trails that were connected and get the videos. Then, throughout the week, I would take about an hour or two a day at night to clean up my photos and videos and reviews and get it all uploaded to Google Maps and put the videos on Youtube. Over the holidays like Thanksgiving, I had more time to do more exploring.
I’m naturally a big couch potato and love to watch my movies and read, but Google Map encourages me to get up and out. And as I was in a kind of emotional low those two years, being able to explore and visit places and getting stuff crossed off my lists just felt cathartic.
You are too kind to me my friend to take time to read.
That is too funny. You are right, a lot of people thought I was a man too because they would respond in the comment with “bro.” Now, I know why. Azeez is Islamic name for guys, and I never included my photo in the posts.
@SharifImran yea right! Please remind her. Call her that way, I am here for it.
P.S. - Ashley, I have to pay you back a little, for making me scroll through those pictures one after the other and do permutations in my head to discover who my ‘Azeez explora-holic’ was. I am never able to show girls pepper for long, so, I am sure you will be off the hook soon. It feels so nice to call your name! Finally!!!
By the way, I love that you never revealed your name or gender. Often times, we, ladies have an undue advantage over the other gender especially when we are innovative, smart, creative, beautiful and go all out to meet other people. All the respect you have earned you earned on your terms! Can’t say for those ‘bro-ing’ you in the comments, Ashley Bro
Many Congratulations @AZ_2021 for getting the wonderful title of Guiding Star 2022. Your posts are so good that we are compelled to read them, and that’s And this is what makes them unique from others.
Congratulations again Ashley.
Like others, I saw your name and picture very first time, before you were like a mistry Contributor for me, even I’m follower of your YouTube channel too
Aw @Ewaade_3A You are too kind. Your comment warms my heart, and your humor always makes me laugh.
Oh yes, a lot of scrolling since I use different nicknames of AZ and Exploreaholic.
Yes my friend, I agree with that how women can have undue advantage, and you read my mind. When I first started my profile or even Youtube, I created it without showing my face; this way, I thought if people upvote, I want it to be for the reason that content truly resonate with them. I love how we think alike my friend.
The picnic blanket is currently being used as my bedroom blanket to keep me warm. In the second half of the video, Ido a lookback on this year 2022 and recap updates on two projects I’ve been working on, as well as what’s next.
Stars?
My day is made!
shine as brightly as only you can 
You are right, a lot of people thought I was a man too because they would respond in the comment with “bro.” Now, I know why. Azeez is Islamic name for guys, and I never included my photo in the posts.
