Why is writing about yourself so difficult? How do I condense years worth of history in just a few short paragraphs? Let’s start about 10 years ago. Actually, let’s start even further back….

I have always been a creative person, always making something, learning a new craft/skill and starting a new creative endeavour. Some of my first memories were me going around collecting beautiful colorful leaves in the fall from our backyard to dry out by the fireplace. This was probably when I fell in love with color. At about 12 years old, a friend and I used to LOVE making friendship bracelets. You know the ones, made from embroidery thread? I loved selecting the color palettes for my bracelets and LOVED coming up with new designs. Back then the internet didn’t exist so all the designs came from what I saw in magazines or where my own designs. We used to sell them in the many craft fairs our small town held several times a year. This led to all sorts of jewelry work as I started creating beaded jewelry and eventually evolving into basic metal work.

Over the years I have always had some sort of creative gig going on the side in addition to my full-time day job. I have a degree in Design and fell in love with interior design my senior year of college. I did many interior design jobs for a few years before the market tanked in 2008 and my focus shifted.

In 2009, we had our first son and after DIYing his entire nursery I decided to open an Etsy shop selling handmade, custom paper mobiles and jewelry I was still creating. During this time, I also discovered blogs and decided to start my own, sharing all of my DIY projects we were creating for our home, and showcasing my jewelry and mobile creations. Some of my favorite DIY projects landed on popular blogs like Design Sponge, Apartment Therapy, and even Bob Villa’s blog!

My husband bought me my first ‘big camera’ during this time so I could take pictures of our quickly growing baby that wasn’t blurry because he was moving SO FAST and our dinky point and shoot camera just couldn’t keep up with him! At this point, I FELL IN LOVE with photography. I devoured as much information as I could on the subject and practiced, practiced, and practiced some more. At the suggestion of a friend, I decided to see if other families wanted me to capture moments for them. Over the next few years I had a budding photography business that had me capturing moments for friends and families, weddings, events, senior portraits, and even boudoir. My DIY blog evolved into more of a portfolio to share client sessions. I loved my clients and all the memories I was able to capture for them. But at some point, I was working almost every weekend plus my 9-5 job and I was getting burned out- and fast. I decided to slowly transition out of my lifestyle photography business to spend more time with my growing family.

During this transition, my photography work turned toward nature. Our family loves spending time outside; gardening, hiking, camping, and floating the Shenandoah River are some of our favorite things to do. It was the photographer in me, always seeking beautiful light and shadows, textures, and the shapes that are found in nature fascinate me. I found that the natural rhythm of nature and its connection to all things is what is inspiring me most these days. It was during this time as I was learning so much about nature and the gifts she provides, I started making and selling homemade soap from the medicinal plants and herbs that are found locally in my area.

In 2018, our family made a HUGE change. Practically on a whim, we found the most beautiful home on a few acres of land outside the town limits. You know when something just feels right? That’s what this place was for me. It just felt right. Everything about it. My intuition said “this is it. What you’ve been looking for.” So we made an offer, sold our other house and moved 45 days later. It was a few months later when I decided admitted to myself after all these years, that I wanted to be an artist. I was ready to make the shifts needed to get out of the hobby, side hustle stage, and pursue art as a working artist.

Making that mental shift in 2018 has given me so much space to create. During this time, I have also been on a spiritual journey you could say and I believe my work is a direct correlation of this journey. Spirit/God/The Universe/The Divine/Mother Nature (whatever word you resonate with) has shown me her magic almost daily these last 2 years and I am so grateful I get to share it with you!

I have spent the last 10 years practicing my craft. Experimenting and mastering different techniques to find my own style and voice as an artist. I often compare my lenses to that of a painter’s brushes. Each lens when paired with my hands can be used to create a different look and feel to an image.

My ‘studio’ is often outside. Many times when I get studio time, I don’t always have a shot in mind. I often just roam outside, looking for inspiration, following my intuition. Looking for the sunlight to fall just right on a flower or leaf to highlight its shape; to look for color, texture, or a unique composition. I believe in co-creating with Spirit in my work. Many times while I’m out shooting, the wind will start blowing and I’ll start swaying with the breeze and I know we are creating something purely magical.

Because of this co-creation, I don't feel the need to heavily edit my work in post-processing. In fact, I actually dis-like editing my art. Besides some basic tweaks in post-processing, I actually strive to get everything right in camera so I don’t spend hours in front of the computer editing. I prefer pure honesty and authenticity in life and it’s the same with my work. Besides, I’d rather be out exploring, experimenting, shooting new work to share with you!

About Me - Part 1 - Art

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