Handmade

"Make a list of all the things that are pleasurable in your life and make an art form out of it.  Then, if you're courageous, make a list of all the things that are difficult in your life and make an art form out of it." - Paulus Berensohn

It's like a handwritten letter, or a box of old faded photographs,  All the romance, the sadness of nostalgia, the beauty of ritual, of a craft passed down through time.  Placing my hands into the clay of the earth reminds me to stay awake, even when the world feels dark.  

To always be thoughtful as a maker, of what I bring into the world.  

Cady

Women. Artists. The beauty in the mess. 

Women portraits have always been a big piece of my personal work.  I have always had a portfolio filled with beautiful smiling women.  But earlier this year I found myself questioning the intention of that group of images.  In a world full of images of perfectly dressed and airbrushed women, were my images just adding to the room of screaming voices saying "this is what beauty looks like"?   Is only the polished version of yourself worth celebrating? 

I constantly live in a state of tangled hair, shirts with coffee stains. and a little blush thrown on from a beat up make-up kit.  I feel most at home with bare feet and my husbands sweaters.  Most at peace when I am lost in my art not squeezed in a formal dress.  

And I know I am not alone in this and I want my portraits to honor that more raw and real beauty.

*Thankful for Michelle Gardella's B&W presets for making these images come alive.  In her words "These presets and tools are for the ones who feel the fear but never let it stop them. The ones who cherish the imperfect and the brave; the low-key tones; the windblown hair, the muddy fingerprints, and the wrinkled hands." and in my words, HELL YES. 

Aubrey

I love what I do and am so grateful for the beautiful weddings I get to witness and photograph.  Because I have a day job as well, I have been able to create a wedding photography business as close to a dream job as you can get.  I am filled with gratitude constantly for what it has become. 

It also, sometimes, still has that job part attached; the part that means requirements and expectations, answering emails and managing my schedule.  The not so glamorous side of any work. 

As a creative, being able to listen and create the art I feel called to is the center I am always trying to find.  Lately I have found the courage to say yes and chase every creative pulse that stirs.  It has brought me to a pottery wheel, to inviting mothers and their babies into my home, photographing  families everyday.  None of which helps pay the bills, but through simply creating from the heart I am centering in on what makes me feel most alive. 

And this.  A woman and artist, pouring her energy and light into her craft.  These images feel like both our hearts cracked open.    A powerful and brave statement of this is what I am here to do.  Thank you Aubrey for sharing that space.  

Aubrey's shop is White Mountain Ware, or follow her Instagram @whitemountainware