cassidy

these are clearly a little different than my normal thing. but this was hands down one of my favorite things I have ever shot. I love them. because they're my own labor--hair, makeup, styling, location, shooting, editing--I had a hand in all of it. and so I love these images. because they're me. the work of my hands.

a little over a week ago I put out a post on instagram asking for models and I was amazed at how many girls reached out. it was super encouraging to see so many of you ready and down for whatever (and if you did reach out, your name went on a list for future projects). cassidy was one of those who responded and it fell into place so fast. it just felt right. literally a week after my post we were in my apartment at 7:30 am, drinking coffee, starting on hair and makeup, becoming fast friends. its rare you meet someone and you click like that. something so easy. conversation that just pours out in waterfalls and life experience commonalities that bond you. never did I expect to make a dear friend out of this. but I'm so stoked I did.

* a week or two ago, VSCO released its 7th film pack. I never have intentions of changing the way I edit, but I always buy the latest pack just to play with. well my oh my I am so into these! GOOD GRIEF. there are some real freakin good ones in there. particularly in the agfa set and the kodak set. (these were edited with an agfa preset that I modified--if you've never made your own presets you 100% should. I always start with a VSCO preset as a base and then tweak till it's my kind of honey gold then save it.)*

so here they are. taken in my tiny suburban apartment in the early hours of the day with natural light and an outfit I bought the night before at a mall and all my furniture pushed to one corner of the room. 

I have been slammed lately--working many many hours (sometimes 17 hour days)--trying to get to all the emails and editing and invoicing and contracts and educational materials I'm building out and shooting and so on and so on. but it is during those periods of time where you don't have a single second to spare that I think shooting personal work is the most important. it revived me. restored my love for what I do. inspired creativity for future plans. let me pause and breathe and then plunge back into all the other stuff. 

I wouldn't trade in those 17 hour days for nothing. owning your own business ain't a cake walk. people aren't going to do your job for you. you're going to have to put in the time and blood and guts and sweat. but you owe it to yourself and those out there who work for someone other than themselves to put in that time. be the grasshopper, never the ant. see that goal and charge ahead full force after it. and I bet you'll get it. the difference between you and the rest of the world is that you're going to go after what you want. you're going to do it. because you can. we are capable of so much more than we allow ourselves.

this is why I love doing mentor sessions--I love so much to encourage others wherever they're at in the business. I like to cheer on and say you can freaking do it. because you freaking can. 

I praise the Lord for this job. 

let's hold hands and run ahead and do exactly what we've been dreaming of.