I remember sitting at a cafe with a few of my artistic friends, hashing out a new photography project almost ten years ago now. That night changed the entire trajectory of Studio Bliss. No longer was I just someone with a camera. I KNEW what had conspired would change my life, my business, and the people I served. THIS was what I was meant for. My purpose behind using my camera and my gifts was fully formed in my mind, and it was the first time I really thought about being a photographer with intentional purpose and a whole lotta heart behind it.
I was working in two different schools, teaching art at the time. One was in a residential neighborhood with fantastic parent involvement, tricycles and little helmets everywhere, moms waving and striking up conversations at pick-up and offering support in my classroom. The other was in a neighborhood where cops were stationed, I had a bullet hole through the glass of my classroom door, and a washing machine to help wash uniforms while I taught so that the kids had something clean to wear each day. And it occurred to me that it doesn’t matter where you come from, what environment you live in, or how much support you have- middle school is freaking hard on everyone. You are trying to figure out how you fit into this world, what your friendships look like, you are worried about how you show up, and you are pushing away from the family you have even though you desperately need them, and no one, NO ONE takes out their middle school picture to proudly display.
It bothered me. I know I can take a beautiful image of anyone, at any age. There was this trend in my business of families showing up for photos every single year until their oldest hit those tween years, and then they just dropped right off the face of the earth…and during a time that, regardless of push back, their child desperately wanted and deserved to be seen as a part of that family. The more I worked through this idea of celebrating life in the messiest stages, the more I realized that storytelling had to be a part of the whole. I could take a beautiful contemporary portrait, but what I really wanted to do was to let everything that made them who they are shine right through. If your grandmother was your rock, bring her. If science beakers were your happy place, let’s show that. If listening to music or playing with legos or reading was what felt like belonging, then let’s creatively find a way to add those small pieces of your journey to the images. It sparked something in me I just couldn’t let go.
So, on a very cold Super Bowl Sunday, the owner of Cafe Moxo gave me his store front downtown to shoot a promotional video in. I will forever be grateful. The artist Immanual Ahiable (incredibly wise and talented beyond his years) brought his video gear and a group of very sweet girls, who called themselves the “Little Ladies Who Lunch” showed up for a session that will forever have my heart. They started out together and life had spaced them out in different schools in Springfield, but they remained the best of friends and continued to impact each other in profound ways. What made them tick was the relationship with each other. And Storytelling Sessions were born.
The best part- while we were working through the photography process, their family wrote letters about what it meant to have them in their family. Those letters were recorded and a vocal recording played those beautiful, heart-wrenching affirmations while the kids got to see their images for the first time. And here’s what I didn’t expect…while I thought whole-heartedly that the kids would be deeply affected, it was actually the parents who openly cried and then it hit me. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in life, that we forget to say the things we should and frequently enough.
***You are going to want to grab a box of kleenex and a pint of ice cream and then watch our little promo video to the end for the full impact.*** Promo video link
Each kiddo received a beautifully printed wall portrait of themselves to take home with the handwritten letters attached to the back so that they could proudly take middle school imagery home and display it on the wall as a sign of belonging and beautiful worthiness during a challenging stage in life. Each time they needed to be reminded of the love and light that surrounds them, they could take that photo off of the wall and read those letters.
It’s been a bit over 9 years since the release of that project, and it still drives what I do in my business. Connection, storytelling, love, and championing the world as we step confidently along our journey. This project has evolved because I realized during the pandemic that the whole world needed care like this- didn’t matter what age you were, what your background was- humans deserve to be seen, heard, and tell their stories. This all came full circle for me when my grandmother passed away last year, and I felt the regret of everything I hadn’t taken the time to say, of all of the stories that were shared after her passing as we tried to move through healing. And so this project expanded into something I now call LEGENDS. Legends, because to the people who love you most, your stories are legendary. This project is quite literally for everyone, and if you are ready to show up for yourself or if you have someone in your life you want to shower with love, give me a call. There could be no greater gift as an artist than to show up as the mirror for all of the good you are in this world! I would be truly honored.