I was having a particularly rough day last semester. I was late to class, completely spaced on an assignment, lost my student ID in the depths of my backpack twice and also had a splitting headache to make everything more enjoyable. Somehow I ended up at the post office to check my mail, and I received an unexpected card from a sweet friend. And even though it was one of the cutest cards ever, the note inside was infinitely more special.
"Keep on creating beauty." She said. "The way you see the world is one of a kind. Keep sharing that view with us."
Creativity and college courses don't go hand in hand, especially when you're a biology major. A week will go by and the only photos in my camera roll are ones of textbooks and whiteboards. My real camera rarely see's the light of day. It's been hard to let that part go.
Her card was more than a note and a cute graphic. It encouraged me that even though I'm busy, even though for now most of my time is dedicated to understanding chromalveolates and electrophoresis,
I am still creating beauty. I am capable of continuing to create more. I have the ability to take an ugly hard life and find the good and share that.
I'm documenting my creative journey in 2017 for days like that. For days when the flashcards seem endless and the concepts unbearable to comprehend. I want to remind myself that there's more to life than biology and there's more to me than grades, assignments and GPA stress dreams.
This is my creative journey. This is how I've created beauty. This is my story.
SNAP AND FLUTTER // PART ONE.
My insta friend Sydney reached out to me and asked if I would model for a styled shoot. My first thought was "Why me?" and my second was "What if she's actually a 39-year-old man who lives in his parent's basement?!" Though the answer to the first question is still a mystery, I'm happy to report that she wasn't a he and that she, Syd, is actually so so cute and so talented. (I mean, clearly, she's talented because she made me look good!)
The first images I took on my own at a wedding at my internship were scary. I was sneaking around the room, trying to not be noticed. It was so fun though because there was no pressure. I could shoot whatever I wanted. And even though these are the only 3 photos I was able to get, I love them so much. I never imagined I'd shoot a wedding, much less intern with such amazing photographers.
The only reason I'm includng this is because my favorite local photographer, who is kind of a big deal took, this photo. And even though I wasn't at the wedding, the sign I lettered for the bride was! And Katie took a picture of it! So she basically loves me and want's to be my best friend and I'm 100% okay with that.
It's always interesting to see which photos are my best 9 at the end of the year. (Best being decided by number of likes and engagement...obviously if I were picking the best ones would be all dessert but alas.) I think it's funny that a.)the top nine all have me in it and b.)all my different haircuts and colors over the year hahaha.
SHOOTING WEDDINGS //
In 2017 I shot two weddings on my own. And while it wasn't quite as glamorous as I had envisioned as a child (I forgot to factor in the sweat, running around and yelling at people that is unfortunately involved) it definitely fulfilled a childhood dream and for that I am grateful! It pushed me and challenged me and I wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe not forget my deodorant.
MOMENT TOP 50 //
Moment, an online iPhone accessory shop and creative company, featured me in their top 50 influencers for 2017. I got to send in my favorite pictures, blab a little bit about how much I love color and basically, it was my dream come true. There was even a typo in the copy they wrote for me in the magazine printing, which obviously was a sign that this was meant to be because Typos are my native tongue.
SNAP AND FLUTTER FOREVER
Without a doubt, this was my favorite day of 2017. Probably because my hair and makeup was done professionally. Nothing makes you feel like you can conquer the world quite like a pair of properly applied false lashes. This workshop was MUCH different than the first one I did. For starters, there were 15 photographers taking photos of me at once which was slightly intimidating. It was also at least 10 thousand degrees outside, so that made it interesting. It was seriously so fun to be surrounded by so many passionate, creative people who care about the little details as much as you do.
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