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FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET
I originally wrote this for Patreon on November 25th 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3
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You may recognize this location, last month I posted a set I took of Colorvibes in this same house. I’m so lucky that I know some really wonderful and talented artists locally. I really enjoy being able to create with people multiple times, I feel like each time we come together we’re able to pick up where we left off, nurturing a deeper sense of connection and making more meaningful images each time. This location was special to her, an abandoned house owned by her dad that we had permission to shoot in. She was hurt when he had contractors start tearing it up for renovation and we were lucky enough to be able to shoot there before it was changed forever. We photographed each other and she used expired film to shoot me which gave all of the images a really interesting green hue. I love being surprised by film.
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I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday! I’ve been spending time with family and friends, which is the only thing that’s important to me during this season. I love and appreciate each and every one of you! <3
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I’ve got lots of awesome silks videos for you this week! 9 to be exact… with lots of drops! Chair drop, 3 different fuseballs, & tick tock drop. Tick tock was the hardest for me so the exit is pretty messy but I’m really proud that I did it! I can’t wait to do it again next time we’re in that unit so I can see all the progress I’ll make!
You’ll also find 35 of my favorite Instastories including some time at an art show, exploring Asheville, pondering the internet vlog, and some BTS from a recent shoot.
All members have access to this complete 26 image photoset by clicking here, the 6 image Instax set by clicking here, the aerial silks videos by clicking here, and the instastories by clicking here.
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FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET
I originally wrote this for Patreon on August 5th 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3
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When I was planning my trip to Philadelphia I reached out to several models I know that live there, and it worked out perfectly that they were all available on the same day! So of COURSE we had to all get together for an epic group shoot! Tiffany Helms, Vex Voir, Caitlin Michele, Luna Dahlia, Jeff Waters and I all met up at Fairmout Park after roaming around trying to find each other for a little while. The place is huge! Once we all converged in the same spot all 6 of us squished into my 5 seat hatchback (yeah it was pretty tightly packed in the backseat haha) and drove to a parking area near some trails. We didn’t have a solid plan for where we were going to shoot so we just started walking, knowing we would find a place. After stopping a couple of times considering different parts of the trail as a background, we stumbled upon a large open field surrounded by trees and on the far side of the field was a graffitied abandoned building! We KNEW this was the place, it was perfect! We crossed the field and explored inside. Vex brought a portable speaker and played some music while we smoked and chatted and I put film in my cameras. I took photos of all 4 models together, and then Jeff and I took turns shooting everyone individually. We weren’t interrupted the entire time we were there, which was several hours, but we did have a small scare when a couple of people walked into the field next to the building. I think they were just looking for a smoking spot and they didn’t come near or bother us at all before they went along their way. At the end of the shoot Jeff took photos of all 5 of us, some with my camera and some with his. I’ve included the photos he took with my camera in this set along with the photos I took of the group. =]
I had so much fun that day and I’m glad I have photos and a couple of videos to look back on and reminisce.
I’ll share the individual shots I took of them in the next few weeks, so look out for those soon!
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I’ve added 2 behind the scenes location videos from this shoot to the video folder for your viewing pleasure. The videos really help you get a sense of the space!
And just because, I’ve also included 17 cheeky fun boomerangs of me in various stages of undress. =]
All members have access to this complete 18 image photoset by clicking here, the 12 image instax photoset by clicking here, the BTS videos by clicking here, and the boomerangs by clicking here.
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FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET
I originally wrote this for Patreon on July 8th 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3
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I’ve been up and down emotionally a lot lately (probably because I’m coming up on my period) so the other day I took a bath for some self care time and to release negativity. Anything you do for yourself and for your happiness is always wonderful, but when you can include ritual that’s even better (in my opinion)! I wanted to share this with you guys because it helps me feel 1000x better after a really shitty day.
Self care bathtime ritual:
- Set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour for yourself when you won’t be disturbed
- Gather anything you would like with you while you’re in the bath: candles, incense, crystals, soft meditative music, a glass of water/tea, a good book
- Draw your bath. If you have them, put some some epsom salts and essential oils in (lavender is great for relaxation!), or a bath bomb, flower petals, or bubble bath
- If applicable, light your candles and/or incense, arrange your crystals, place your glass of water/tea and book within arms reach of where you’ll be in the tub
- Get in and relax for at least 10-15 minutes either doing nothing, leisurely reading, or meditating. For meditating, I like to lay all the way in the water so that everything but my face is submerged and listen to my heartbeat underwater. I take deep breaths in rhythm with my heartbeat, keeping each inhale and exhale the same number of beats and trying to lengthen my breaths. Inhaling counting 5 heartbeats, exhaling counting 5 heartbeats. Inhaling counting 6 or 7 (or more) heartbeats, exhaling counting the same number of heartbeats. If I want to meditate with my crystals I pick one up and look at every part of it, noticing the colors, textures, the way it feels in my hand, the weight of it, if it reflects anything, or seeing if there are any rainbows inside. I’ll do this with each one in turn, seeing how they make me feel and letting my mind become quiet as I focus on my senses of vision and touch.
- Once you’re in a calm relaxed state, either happy and content (or at least neutral), think of things you would like to release and let go of. What would you like to cleanse from your life?
- Cup your hands together so they create a bowl shape and use your hands to bring water to your face. Run your hands from your face, up past your temples, up over and down the back of your head, down your shoulders, chest, and thighs.
- Say to yourself either out loud or in your mind (I prefer to say it out loud because it’s more powerful) “I release *insert that which you would like to let go of* from my life. I allow this water to cleanse me of that which no longer serves me.”
- Cleanse yourself this way as many times as you want or need to, or for however many things you’d like to release. Examples of things I cleanse myself of: negativity, self-doubt, comparing myself to others
- I suggest meditating after cleansing yourself, a lovingkindness meditation would be a wonderful meditation to start with.
- When you are ready to get out, unplug the drain but stay in the bath. As the water drains, visualize all of that which you want to release and let go of going down the drain with the water. Watch as all negativity, self-doubt, and comparison disappear down the drain.
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I’ve added 2 videos showing a couple of the crystal grids I’ve used for bathtime rituals. I’ve also added 17 fun boomerangs I took after a recent bath… lots of booty boomerangs! Make sure to check those out. =]
All members have access to this complete 27 image film photoset by clicking here, the 20 image digital photoset by clicking here, the 22 image Instax nudes set from an NC mountain trip by clicking here, bathtime crystal grids videos by clicking here, and post bath boomerangs by clicking here.
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FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET
I originally wrote this for Patreon on July 1st 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3
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When I learned that Liv Sage & Nova Amour would be here at that same time I knew I had to see if the 3 of us could all get together to create! We hosted Liv while she was in town and Nova met us at my house to shoot. Random fun fact: all 3 of us were on our period at the same time! We talked probably over half of the time we were shooting, about all kinds of things like crystals, astrology, and who our favorite people to create with are. Liv took some photos of Nova & me, and I took photos of the two of them. We were chasing the light in my house so we started downstairs and ended up going upstairs by the end of the shoot. I forgot and only took a couple of Instax! I usually like to take at least a pack (10 photos) but only ended up taking 3. Oops. I was just having too much fun. =D Afterwards we went out for dinner and hung out for a while before Nova went back to her airbnb and we went to bed.
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I’ve uploaded 2 behind the scenes timelapse videos so you can watch the whole shoot! One video is from when I photographed them and the other is from when Liv photographed Nova & me!
All members have access to this complete 21 image photoset by clicking here, the 3 instax by clicking here, and the videos by clicking here.
Not a member? Click here to join for instant access and other member perks!
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FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET
I originally wrote this for Patreon on April 22nd 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3
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*CONTENT WARNING: Health scare*
So for whatever reason I want to share my health journey over the past few years with you. I’ve never had health problems except for the occasional sickness or cold every so often, but then within the past 5 years I’ve had to see several specialists for new health issues I acquired.
It all started when I got a weird rash on my arms, torso, and legs that wouldn’t go away for several days and got worse when I was hot (outside, in a hot shower, etc). I went to a dermatologist who took a sample that he sent to a lab and had me use some creams until he got the results back. The results came back and showed that I had a positive ANA, which could indicate Lupus or something similar, so they referred me to a rheumatologist. The first rheumatologist I went to did some more labs (that were not conclusive of anything) and pretty much just told me to pay attention to my symptoms and call if anything changed. The rash had been long gone by then and I was feeling fine so I didn’t go back.
Fast forward to a year or two later, I had my annual physical and got a call about my lab results: my thyroid levels were all over the place and I was being referred to an endocrinologist. Oh, and I had protein in my urine so they referred me to a nephrologist as well. The nephrology visit was uneventful, he looked over my chart and labs and took some more labs and said I was pretty much fine but to just pay attention to symptoms and call back if anything changed. Familiar, huh? The endocrinologist visit gave me a few more answers. She diagnosed me with hyperthyroidism and had me start taking thyroid medication daily. My hair was falling out, I was tired all the time, my joints hurt, I had no motivation…. so she wanted me to see another rheumatologist. I scheduled an appointment with a different one than the one I had already seen. The new rheumatologist diagnosed me with an “unspecified connective tissue disorder” and put me on another daily medication. This medication was kinda scary because it could mess up my eyes so I had to ALSO see an ophthalmologist to make sure my sight wasn’t being affected by this new medicine.
Fast forward another 6 months to a year or so, I wasn’t feeling bad at all and I really don’t like having to take medication, especially something that could mess me up more than heal me, so I started talking to the rheumatologist to see if I could either decrease or stop taking the scary eye-messing-up medicine. He was fine with it after I told him I didn’t really feel any different on it anyway so he tapered me off. I also wanted to go off of my thyroid medication if possible so I talked to my endocrinologist who said it would depend on my labs.
Fast forward to about a year or year and a half ago, it was time for me to have my IUD replaced with a new one. The night before my appointment I saw an article online about reasons people’s hair falls out. This was the symptom that bothered me the most because my hair was already thin and it freaked me out that it was falling out so much so of course I clicked through to read the article. There were several reasons listed but the very last one jumped out at me the most: hormonal IUDs can cause your hair to fall out. My appointment to replace mine was THE NEXT DAY. I researched the IUD I currently had because it had been 3 years since I got it so I didn’t remember some of the details. It was a hormonal IUD, Skyla, the smaller version of Mirena which is for people who haven’t had children. I did more research to see if there were IUDs that are non-hormonal. There is! It’s called ParaGard and it’s made of copper. At my OBGYN appointment I had them replace my hormonal IUD with the non-hormonal ParaGard.
OH MY GOSH what a difference it made! After my body worked out all the hormones from Skyla ALL of my symptoms subsided. My hair stopped falling out, I had more energy, I didn’t hurt all the time… yay! And guess what? My thyroid labs started evening out and my endocrinologist lowered my medication dosage each time I did labwork until finally I was taken COMPLETELY off of medication and told to call her if I had any issues.
Such a simple thing that seems harmless can really wreck your body. My body does NOT like hormones and did NOT do well on a hormonal IUD. One “harmless” thing caused me to have to see a dermatologist, rheumatologist, nephrologist, and endocrinologist. That’s FOUR specialists who didn’t know that something so simple as an IUD caused all my problems.
I could go on a long rant about conventional/Western medicine but y’all probably don’t want to hear it. Haha.
I’ll share photos instead!
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These photos are from my time with Quinn Sanguine, a model from Boston who is traveling over the next several months all across the country before they move to Washington state. I had a great time hanging out and creating with them, and of course I had to incorporate some of my crystals in our photos!
All members have access to the complete 25 image film photoset by clicking here & the complete 21 image Instax photoset by clicking here.
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Amanda Jane Maternity
Video members now have access to:
- vlog with the story behind this photoset of Amanda Jane during her second pregnancy
- 25 image complete film photoset
- 9 image complete Instax photoset
- 13.5 minute body awareness meditation at sunset in Goblin Valley
First Look members now have access to:
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everything above
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61 image complete self portrait photoset of sunset near Canyonlands
- 28 image complete self portrait photoset of sunset on the edge near Canyonlands
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2 minutes of BTS video
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FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET
I originally wrote this for Patreon on February 18th 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3
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I am so excited to share this set with y’all! It was not planned at all, but somehow the very best of everything seems to always happen when there’s no plan for it.
I went to my parents’ house to meet up with a model and shoot because my parents are awesome and the house is really pretty….. but the model never showed up. I was a little upset at first but not for long because I decided I was going to make art anyway. I took self portraits with the help of my mom!! <3 <3 <3 The first half of the shoot I had the camera on my tripod and I set up the shot and the focus and everything, got into position, and had her click the shutter when I was ready. The second half of the shoot we put the tripod away and she took the photos! She shot a pack of Instax too! The shoot took a couple hours because I would set up a crystal grid, set up the camera, take a few photos, and then break down the grid, set up another one, take some photos… the process was really fun, creative, and rewarding. And I always love spending time with my mom, she’s one of my very best friends.
Not only is this set special to me because I created the images with my mom, it’s also special because we incorporated crystal grids! I have always loved crystals and stones and have been collecting them since I was little. I love making crystal grids, meditating with crystals, displaying them in our house, using them to send positive healing energy to others when they are not physically here, collecting them, looking at them….. ahhh I love crystals!
-Into to crystal grids-
A crystal grid is an arrangement of crystals, usually in a geometric pattern (most often sacred geometry), created with a specific intention in order to direct energy toward manifesting a goal. Individually, crystals have their own energies and power, and when combined with other crystals in a grid, their energies combine and strengthen your intention, sending that energy out into the universe. You can make a crystal grid to help you sleep, to attract wealth and abundance, to assist in healing… whatever your intention is you can create a crystal grid to enhance it.
There are many different ways of creating crystal grids, and not one specific way is the ONLY way to create one. The best way to make a crystal grid is to follow your intuition and do what feels best for you.
-Basics of setting up a crystal grid-
1- Cleanse the area where you’ll be creating your grid. You can use sacred smoke, reiki, or whatever you prefer to cleanse an area.
2- Choose your intention, what do you want this crystal grid to do for you? Enhance peace & happiness? Attract wealth & abundance? Assist in healing? You may want to write your intention on a piece of paper or keep it in your mind while you set up and activate your grid.
3- Choose crystals that work for your intention, make sure they are cleansed.
4- Choose a place for your grid. You want it to be somewhere that the crystals won’t be disturbed. Maybe on a table, on a tray (so you can move it to different rooms in your house), or maybe even in a special place outside. You can even make or purchase a sacred geometry grid layout made of wood or fabric (like these here and here).
5- Arrange your crystals in a pattern that feels right for you. If you wrote your intention down on a piece of paper, fold it up and put it in the center of your grid. Some people like to place their center/master/focus stone in the grid first (it has a lot of names), and some people like to place it last. Most grids are circular with the center/master/focus stone in the center and all the other stones around it, but your grid doesn’t have to be circular if that doesn’t feel right for your intention. Do what feels right to you! <3
6- You can arrange other special/magical objects in and around your grid, such as feathers, bones/skulls, oracle/tarot cards, etc to enhance it and its energy.
-Activating your grid-
Take a few deep breaths, focusing on your breathing and letting go of any excess thoughts. Hold your intention in your mind. Using a clear quartz crystal or crystal wand, hold it over each crystal and imagine it awakening and activating each crystal’s energy. Use the quartz or wand to “connect the dots” between each crystal and visualize them connecting energetically to amplify your intention. Some people like to “connect the dots” from the outside in, some like to do it from inside out, some like to do it clockwise… whatever feels right to you. If you have time, meditate in front of your grid for a few minutes while continuing to hold your intention in your mind. Visualize the energy of the crystal grid flowing up and out into the universe. Meditate with your grid every day if you can, and keep the grid set up for at least a couple of weeks, but a month or more is even better. Reactivate it whenever you feel it needs it, maybe every other day, every week, or every couple weeks.
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Looks like I need to make another post about how to cleanse crystals and how to choose crystals based on their energetic properties/which ones are used for love, abundance, protection, etc. I’ll do that soon!I haven’t forgotten about making the positive affirmations/meditation/metaphysical videos! I haven’t had time this week to make a good video but that’s coming soon! I have some ideas I want to try… =]
Ok now it’s time for photos!! <3
All members have access to this complete 36 image film photoset by clicking here.
All members have access to the complete 10 image Instax photoset by clicking here.
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A Variety of Throwback Sets!
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A Variety of Throwback Sets!
Photo members now have access to:
- blog post talking about these photosets and my current thoughts about life and the unknown
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an image of Nadine Theresa
- 7 image complete photoset of VikTory
- 12 image complete photoset of Jordan Bunniie
- 10 image complete Instax photoset from The Maidens Song book cover photoshoot
Video members now have access to:
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everything above
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18 BTS videos & 2 BTS photos from The Maidens Song book cover photoshoot
First Look members now have access to:
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everything above
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143 image complete photoset of me taken by ExhibitPhotoPDX around the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon
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a short BTS video
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FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET
I originally wrote this for Patreon on November 19th 2016. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3
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We had such a wonderful time with Kyotocat when she was here a couple months ago that she came and visited us again at the end of October! She stayed longer this time and we took her to the mountains so she could see some of our favorite places. We drove around the Blue Ridge Parkway (she had never been there before!) and marveled at all the leaves with their brightly changing colors: so many reds, oranges, and yellows! We took her to Asheville and ate at some delicious local spots. We stayed overnight at a Motel 6 that was super greedy and had a sign out front “Wifi here” but made us pay for it! That was super annoying. The next day we took her to the top of Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. Finally, we hiked to one of our most favorite spots in Linville Gorge. It’s not an easy hike, you literally hike down a mountain, up a stone tower, and then have to hike down the tower and all the way back up the mountain to get back to the car. It’s 100% worth it every time. We shot each other with my Instax, I took 35mm film photos of her, and she took medium format film photos of me with her giant Mamiya that she lugged up and down the mountain! AD was our trusty lookout and did such a good job distracting other people and keeping them from coming over to our spot that we had 2 or 3 uninterrupted hours of shooting and hanging out naked on the top of the tower. =D
Here are some of my favorites from the Instax and my 35mm film!
All members have access to this complete 32 image film photoset of Kyotocat by clicking here.
All members have access to this complete 20 image Instax photoset of Kyotocat & me by clicking here.
You can even purchase a bundle of some of these one of a kind Instax by clicking here!