"Cup of Joe with Jo!/Have a Holly Jolly...

... Christmas."

*This is the first installment of what will become more of a regular thing. Jo and I have partnered up to bring our clients some light hearted banter between two creatives, and to also motivate and push eachother. Its actually become quite a cool experience to have someone as like minded as she in my life. I hope you enjoy our crossovers. :) *    (also this is a two part blog... but there are pictures!  Stick with me folks ;) )

Whats in your cup: It should be coffee. It is not coffee. Why is it not coffee. I'm clearly doing this wrong. *pause*
Okay I now have coffee.

What have you been up to?
Well, its been sort of a busy few weeks as it is always during the holiday season. But since I found some new energy in the fall, I haven't really felt drained from things like I usually do. I mean, I'm fucking exhausted, don't get me wrong, but I do not feel drained. There is a significant difference.

Whats on the agenda today?
Well, I was thinking about the holiday season that just passed and how thankful I am right now. The holidays have always been a big deal in my life, but since I took a step back from my own personal family, there has been a little bit of a shift for me. But this past Christmas was really special. And I think that was mostly because of all the things that happened that I didn't expect. So today, I'm going to touch on that a little.

How was your Christmas?Oh ya know. Wine. Lots of wine. And food. And silly gifts. Ya know, the usual. Socks. Chapstick. An Avenergers cup.. annnd...


a shirt about how t rex cannot row a boat... ;)
TWO camera mugs. And it still wigs me out when I see them in the sink. WHY IS MY CAMERA LENSE IN THE sink... oh right...

I also got a trip to one of the local caves!!

We are clearly cave ladies. Look at Ians face!! He is totally mystified. 
Seriously the coolest place I've ever been. I want to go and take pictures of it and in it forever and ever.

We also had family game nights wherein Jo and I drank a lot of wine (possibly too much) and shared with me some pictures from Christmas morning that I missed (because I don't care what holiday is, I am never waking up at 5am voluntarily. Sorry, kids.)

The thing about hanging out with Jo, is that I find a lot of inspiration in her. She's very "new" (comparatively to many photographers I admire), but she has developed a brand far beyond her experience behind the lens. Its almost as if it was meant to be. She's created packages and a solid price list, that was intimidating for her initially, but she's sticking to her guns and she's saying "hey, I'm worth it". And she is. She very much is. When I hang out with Jo, I find myself doing a lot of the talking, and thats likely because I'm around kids so much, I enjoy having adult conversation. And its also likely that its because I've just been so saturated with information about all of this photography stuff that I'm literally chomping at the bit to share it. But I think its mostly because Jo WANTS to hear about it. And its not just because she's going to be my sister (ahh hell, she already is). Its because Jo wants to learn. Thats not to say that I'm some wise sage photographer, its just that she wants to be inundated in ideas and thoughts and strength. She wants to immerse herself in the craft and she'll listen to all the things the world has to offer and then decide what to do with the information.

She wants to swim in ideas. She wants to be saturated in all things photography. She wants to take new ideas and old ideas and merge them into her own business. Her thirst for knowledge and her ability to seek out opportunities to do so is a testament to the kind of person she is. Its also why I am completely taken by her. Because I know that once she sets her mind to what she's doing, she will be unstoppable. She is fierce, and she doesn't even know it. <3

And here's the thing; he's already doing what she set her mind to. She's already finding clients, and increasing her network. She's meeting people every day that value not only her ability behind the camera, but who she is as a photographer. And its so beautiful to watch. Seeing her come into her own has been quite a fun time. And its just the tip of the iceberg for her too.

And its kept me on my toes, a little. Its like "well dayum... if she can, I can.". Which is why, when I read her blog I literally cry laughed because it seems like we see a lot of the same things in each other. And its just such a neat thing. Anyway, I didn't meant this blog to turn into an Ode to Jo... but here we are!

Anyway, the holiday itself was full of family games, of which I will not be posting pictures. There was a lot of incriminating evidence (because Gin and Tonics and Wine and Whiskey, although not mixed together ;) ), lots of movies and laughs, and aforementioned cave trip, and just... my stomach hurt from laughing and I think I got more smile lines just from those days over Christmas.

It wasn't all fun and games though, I did spend a big portion of my break finishing editing images of Lady J, and creating new and updated PDF's for pricing and model releases and contracts to keep things fresh and more brand focused. 

I adore her Lady J. But of course, I do. Jo brought her to me! It was meant to be!


Following our stay in Va, we took a little detour to southern MD to visit MikeG's sister, brother in-law and nephew. I'm particularly found of the Boswells for reasons I cannot accurately explain. I've been so lucky to find a deep connection with them from the beginning and its just... its been really neat. Its made all of the parties and vacations we've taken together full of laughs and memories. For instance, they're the ones that went out into the hurricane with me when we were at the beach, and then we got spotlighted on the news for wearing our "crazy hats". Because we like fun. ;)

Anyway, after a long time in the car we got to the Boswells and were welcomed by pizza rolls, beer, soda and some chill time. During this nice break from the road, I was handed a smallish, nicely wrapped box. I was confused. FOR ME? A PRESENT. COOL. And when I unwrapped it... I found this.



UHH. I AM SORRY. IS THIS SERIOUSLY A NEW CANON LENS. A NIFTY FIFTY. WHAT.
Literally speechless. This ISN'T a coffee mug? Like, I can put this on my camera and use it? OMG. GAHHHHHHHH. <3 <3 <3 <3 *swoon* *passses out from happiness*

But wait! There's MORE.
I'm almost borderline overwhelmed already. But then when Rico got home he took me upstairs to his photography studio and then gave me ALL OF THIS TOO.


Yeah, Thats two light stands, with bulbs, 2 soft boxes and 4 umbrellas. He told me it was equipment he doesn't really use any more and its a great start for me. So yeah, they just basically gave me a new photography studio. That. Just. Happened. I'm still having trouble processing it all. And if they're reading this? thank you. A thousand times thank you. I can't wait to show you what I do with all of these amazing gifts. :)


So what about AFTER Christmas?
The next thing on the agenda was new years! So, there was new years. And since being at my new years parties is like being in vegas, these are the only two pictures I will share publicly ;)

 This me and Heckman. He's one of my favorite humans. #heltman


You seem good, flave, amirite?
You're right anonymous interviewer that is actually me. Its been a good month. Well, its been a great few months, actually. But this was just such a wonderful way to end and begin the year. It sounds so... disingenuous to say "I just feel so lucky! I'm starting the new year off great!" because the internet is saturated with that right now. But its really the truth here. Its not marketing, or bravado. It accurate.

But, I don't think it had anything to do with the calendar turning, its just that things lined up in such a way to allow me to experience such generosity and love. And I plan on giving it back 10 fold.

Aight, Flave, time to close this blog out... final thoughts?
This blog is a little unfocused, but I wanted to put "pen to paper" on this weird cold rainy day and have some "current nostalgia" for how wonderful my holidays were. I talked a lot about the monetary things I received, because they are wonderful. But for me, it was more that the people around me knew me so well, and that they not only wanted to put a smile on my face, but although help me with my next adventures. I just feel so warm and fuzzy. And I think I'll choose to stay that way for a while. <3

Go forth and be awesome,
~the flaveinator, mflave, Martha


*Martha is a photographer for Mflave Photography, which is a photography studio based out of Maryland, dedicated to giving a luxurious and intimate boudoir experience*

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