every body is a work of art.

"𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 / 𝘛𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 / 𝘛𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 / 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 / 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘺 / 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 / 𝘛𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭." 𝘏𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 - 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 . \\ Costumes: @audreysreveries \\ Tiara by @sweetvcrown \\ Sirens: @ginaomellette @audreysreveries @a.cow.story \\ Emotional Support Humans: @demon.ravioli @senoracebolla @datalisk2010 (and Kama!) . . . While these photos may look serene, please know that these amazing women were FREEZING. Skies? Overcast. Wind? WIMDY. Clothing? Soaked. Water? Glacial. Between these photos, there were four other amazing humans keeping everyone warm, carrying equipment, fording rivers, taking photos/video, flying drones, brewing hot tea, and just overall making our lives so much easier so I could only focus on creating art. I'm so glad to have met and befriended these wonderful humans, and none of this would have been possible without their help and support 🖤 Audrey, Gina, Hannah - you ladies are fantastic and 100% the siren queens you channeled. Mother nature was all up in our business, but you all endured and THRIVED. Thank you for trusting me and diving right in 🌊 🌊 🌊 P.S. - Peep the last photo to see the wet, chaotic aftermath of our day! . . . #fantasyphotography #fantasyphotographer #costumephotography #cosplayphotography #pnwphotography #pnwphotographer #notai #oregoncoast #sirens #greekmythology

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 / 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯' 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺." . \\ Costumes: @audreysreveries \\ Tiara by @sweetvcrown \\ Sirens: @ginaomellette @audreysreveries @a.cow.story . . . Funny story, but right before we drove to this shoot, my husband insisted I needed to watch O Brother, Where Art Thou? to really prepare for the Siren portion. I had never seen the movie and didn't really know anything about it at all, so I agreed... How do I have a BA in English and never knew this movie was a retelling of The Odyssey?! The screams I scrempt while watching this fantastic movie, well, let's just say there was no way I was NOT going to use this song for at least one of these posts. This song, while beautiful, has a very dark undertone to it, no matter how you want to interpret it. And that's just how the sirens lull you in 😜 . . . #fantasyphotography #fantasyphotographer #costumephotography #cosplayphotography #pnwphotography #pnwphotographer #notai #oregoncoast #sirens #greekmythology

"𝘔𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 / 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘺 / 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘴 / 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 / 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘸 / 𝘕𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳 / 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 / 𝘏𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘦-𝘮𝘦𝘯 / 𝘏𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘦-𝘮𝘦𝘯." . \\ Costumes: @audreysreveries \\ Tiara by @sweetvcrown \\ Sirens: @ginaomellette @audreysreveries @a.cow.story . . . Real talk: I may have photographed weddings for 10+ years, but that doesn't mean I still don't get nervous before photoshoots, especially after such a long hiatus. Even now, I look at these photos and question whether or not I was standing in that freezing water for 2 hours photographing absolute goddesses, or if it was a fever dream. The verdict may still be out. In all seriousness though, this photoshoot and these amazing women were such a joy to work with. I met Audrey last year on a photo retreat by @lizabetroberts and @julie_floro, and let me just say, car rides up and down a mountain can be a true bonding experience 😝 I met so many amazing women, artists, and friends there, and I'm so glad to have stayed in touch with a lot of them. That retreat was supposed to be a jumpstart to getting back into my creative shoes, and one year later, here we are. Another huge shout out to Audrey on this though, who made all the costumes, did all the planning and coordinating (aka, coercing her friends to do this), and really made this vision come to life. I can't wait to show you what we created 🖤

"The furies are at home in the mirror; it is their address. Even the clearest water, if deep enough can drown." - 𝘙. 𝘚. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘴 . . . Furies: @ginaomellette @audreysreveries @a.cow.story Costumes: @audreysreveries⁣ Earrings: @profrosecreations Bare Bones Corset & Choker: @sloaneadamsofficial . . . It's kind of wild to me how easy it is to slip back into a photography state of mind during shoots. It's almost like a switch that flicks and I become a different person - anyone else feel like this when they slip into a role? My art very much feels like its in a growth stage, but those around me tell me I'm too hard on myself. I'm so glad to have such an amazing group of people around me, but growth and change are good things to me. I always want to keep growing. The Furies and Greek mythology have been showing up in so much media around me, and I hope you find the next few shoots as exciting as I do 💜

"Death and hatred to mankind / Poisoning their brainwashed minds." - 𝘞𝘢𝘳 𝘗𝘪𝘨𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘚𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩 . . . Furies: @ginaomellette @audreysreveries @a.cow.story Costumes: @audreysreveries Earrings: @profrosecreations Bare Bones Corset & Choker: @sloaneadamsofficial

"Hold out your hands, if they are clean⁣ No fury of ours will stalk you,⁣ You will go through life unscathed.⁣ But show us the guilty—one like this⁣ Who hides his reeking hands,⁣ And up from the outraged dead we rise,⁣ Witness bound to avenge their blood⁣ We rise in flames against him to the end!"⁣ -𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘶𝘴⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ Furies: @ginaomellette @audreysreveries @a.cow.story Costumes: @audreysreveries⁣ Earrings: @profrosecreations Bare Bones Corset & Choker: @sloaneadamsofficial

𝘼 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛; 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙𝙮, 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡? / 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙯𝙚𝙣, 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡. There is so much I could say about this series, but the biggest shoutout needs to go to my husband for being an absolute trooper throughout this entire concept. He just blindly trusted me to create his outfit/character/concept from start to finish. I swear to you it wasn't just an excuse to photograph him shirtless...probably. . . . #cursedking #desertking #desertroyalty #blackart #blackmodel #dndcosplay #desertphotography #dndphotography #fantasyphotography #darkaesthetic #whitesandsnationalpark #nmphotography #pnwphotographer #bodymod #bodymodart #scarification

"𝙉𝙚𝙖 𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙙𝙞 𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙖𝙠𝙮𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙞 𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙖." / "𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚." For those curious, that's the meaning of Daniel's chest scarification. It's a symbol from an African proverb and was the inspiration for this entire shoot. The blood is also real because my wonderful husband gets injured everywhere he goes and is committed to the bit. . . . #cursedking #desertking #desertroyalty #blackart #blackmodel #dndcosplay #desertphotography #dndphotography #fantasyphotography #darkaesthetic #whitesandsnationalpark #nmphotography #pnwphotographer #bodymod #bodymodart #scarification

𝘽𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙨, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 / 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠, 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩. . . . #cursedking #desertking #desertroyalty #blackart #blackmodel #dndcosplay #desertphotography #dndphotography #fantasyphotography #darkaesthetic #whitesandsnationalpark #nmphotography #pnwphotographer

Thank you, Sierra, for trusting me with your first ever photoshoot. I cannot wait to drag chairs through the woods with you again soon 🥰 . . . #amongtheivy #takeupspace #plussizemodel #plussizephotography #bodypositivity #pnwphotography #fatart #fatphotography #yourbodyisart #tacomawa #mudpuddle

"There'll be mornings when the ashes and embers are cold / But you'll fight with a passion and you'll never stop 'cause you know." . . . #amongtheivy #takeupspace #plussizemodel #plussizephotography #bodypositivity #pnwphotography #fatart #fatphotography #yourbodyisart #tacomawa

"𝗕𝘂𝘁, 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘃𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀." ― 𝙈𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙮 And we're here to take up space 🪐🪐🪐 . . . #amongtheivy #takeupspace #plussizemodel #plussizephotography #bodypositivity #pnwphotography #fatart #fatphotography #yourbodyisart #tacomawa

May we all have miles and miles to go before we sleep 🖤 . . . Thank you for loving the frost and fog as much as me. And a special thank you to my @demon.ravioli for always spontaneously adventuring with me and helping me snap photos. #milestogobeforeisleep #robertfrost #morningfrost #foggymorning #pnwphotographer #fatphotgraphy #fatart #selfportraitphotography

When I'm shooting, sometimes I have to remind myself that not every photo has to be a mind blowing piece of art. I'm allowed to enjoy the little photos in between. I'm allowed to not aim for perfection. I don't have to overthink every single word or post. I'm allowed to simply just express through whatever art medium I chose for the day. Because at the end of the day, I'm selfish about my art. It's for me 🖤 . . . . #fatart #fatphotgraphy #plussizedart #foggymorning #fogcore #bogcore #pnwphotographer #photography #selfportraitphotography

"𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 / 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻." - 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨, 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩 . . . #lostinthefog #lostintheclouds #wintermorning #frost #photography #fatphotography #plussizeart #plussizephotography #itwascoldaf #ibledforthis #artispain #pnwphotographer #foggymorning #fogphotography

I really can't wait until we can work together again, friend! Thank you for always being someone willing to let me dig through your wardrobe and throw things together...even if it requires a CVS run or blue lipstick 😅 💃: @francescafinsta.jpg . . . #fashionphotography #grunge #grungeaesthetic #badbitch #throwbackedits #pnwphotographer #allentownpa

"𝐀𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐨𝐨." — 𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 (𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙨) We'll be looking at the sky until our lips turn blue 💙 💃: @francescafinsta.jpg . . . #fashionphotography #lookingtothesky #skyreflection #pnwphotographer #throwbackphotos #allentownpa

It is wild to think that this series was taken over 4 years ago (and that it has been that long since seeing my beautiful friend). I took the time to go back and re-edit these with my 2023 styling, and I'm even happier with them now. Stick around for a few more soon 🖤🖤🖤 💃: @francescafinsta.jpg . . . #fashionphotography #throwbackpic #pnwphotographer #allentownpa #photographer

"𝙎𝙝𝙚'𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤'𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩 2,000 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚." — 𝘋𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘞𝘩𝘰 . To my amazing husband, partner, dragon, and best friend - thank you for waiting for me to find you. Thank you for reaching out in the dark, for taking off the mask for no one else but me. Thank you for taking the leap, for not being afraid for a single moment, and for loving me as hard as you can. I love you because of your flames, teeth, and bones, even when you don't think I do. I love you for putting 110% into everything you do, for loving just as hard as me, and for never backing down from it. The world is dark, but I'll always be reaching for you. Even if it means getting a few papercuts 💜💙 . . . #paperanniversay #papermasks #wintercroftmask #photography #pnwphotographer #surrealphotography #fantasyphotography #firstanniversary #monsterphotography

"𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙮, 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚." — 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘥𝘪𝘦, "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴" . . . . #paperanniversay #papermasks #wintercroftmask #photography #pnwphotographer #surrealphotography #fantasyphotography

"𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 / 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚? 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 / 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚?" — 𝘈𝘴𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺 - 𝘛.𝘚. 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘵 . . . . #paperanniversay #papermasks #wintercroftmask #photography #pnwphotographer #surrealphotography #fantasyphotography

They hate the rain, but for some reason, witches love finding natural springs to rest their tired feet. I know - it doesn't make sense to me, either. A big shoutout in this series to my wonderful friend Sabrina, who has never modeled a day in her life - not even for wedding photos! She also never wears makeup and was a trooper for me. Really, she is a natural and I can't wait to shoot with her again. And to hop back into this waterfall in warmer weather. I hope you enjoyed this quirky little journey and can't wait to share the next one with you all! Enjoy silliness at the end ☔️ . . . #photographer #photography #pnwphotography #waterfall #witchinthewoods #witchyaesthetic #seasonofthewitch #autumnphotoshoot

After being so anxious about foraging and the rain, an autumn witch will seek out the most comfortable and secure area for a light nap. The moss would be my choice too 😴 . . . #photography #photographer #pnwphotography #witchyaesthetic #autumnwitch #nappingwitch #moss

In the late fall, you can sometimes find little witches trying to stay dry while they forage for ingredients in the woods. They are constantly watching out for rain and absolutely hate being surprised - don't startle one or she might turn you into a fluffy orange cat. . . . #photography #pnwphotography #photographer #witchinthewoods #foragingformagic #rainydaywitch

"𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯? / 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 / 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 / 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 / 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦." — 𝘍𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘢 . . . Everyone knows the forbidden fruit is the sweetest 🍇 Thank you all for supporting and following the turning over of this new leaf.

"𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵, 𝙄 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩." — 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺, 𝘈𝘴𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘬𝘬𝘰 . . . Part 2 of 3 of the Veiled series. Because I have no patience.

“But I can't be alone, can I? Of course not; I'm not that special. Anomalies like me exist all around the world. So when does an anomaly quit being an anomaly and start being just the way things happen to be?” — 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 . . . Since I can remember, photography has always been a huge part of my life. As a kid, I'd immerse myself in my father's National Geographic collection, tracing my hands over the glossy photographs. It inspired me to become a journalist, to write, to pick up my first film camera. And so from middle school onward, you could hardly find me without a camera in my hand, and eventually, it turned into my career. During college, I continued to shape my career around photography. I started dabbling in other styles, branching out my skill set to weddings and client work. Eventually, my weekdays were dedicated to journalism, and weekends were for photoshoots. I sustained this for a few years before my career in journalism took a sharp, unexpected turn to marketing. Yet, I still had photography to lean on. Over time, my passion for photography continued to grow, but I found myself grappling with the all-too-common: "My hobby is now my job, so it's no longer a hobby" trope. My enthusiasm fizzled, weddings broke my body and spirit, I moved across the country, and then the pandemic happened. Like most of us during the panini times, I began focusing on other areas of happiness in my life. I started working to heal my inner child. The child who wasn't encouraged enough to draw; the child who dreamed of being an artist and going to art school; the child who shoved herself into boxes that would make others happy. As a result, I started writing again, drawing again, watching whatever nerdy shit I could, wearing whatever I wanted, etc. And the whole time, my wonderful muse and shutter, @demon.ravioli, helped me grow into the person I am still getting to know. This piece is to peeling off dead skin; the process of revealing something raw and new. To allowing myself to grow again. To becoming comfortable in myself and my art. Here's to creating, with the hope that I can still inspire, even if I'm only making this for myself.