Striving for Realness

Lately, I've been evaluating what I envision for my blog. What do I want it to evolk? How do I want people to feel when they visit? What do I want people to see? Most importantly, how do I want to come across? Over the past couple of weeks I have put a lot of thought into this, and I have finally come up with my answer. I desire nothing more than to be real. There are so many blogs out there today that people swoon over, and it can be tough to find ways to stand out amongst the crowd. I want to do this for me. So many times, I'm scrolling through the pages of blogs, looking at all of the beautiful pictures of the perfectly placed crumbs on the crisp clean countertop for the lemon bar recipe, the pristine bedroom flush with ironed pillow cases and the curtains blowing in the wind, the seemingly perfectly captured cup of coffee with fresh blooming peonies on the counter, the list goes on. Even I am guilty of obsessing over these peoples' lives that are hardly even real! This morning, I spilled my coffee on the floor of William Sonoma (and it didn't forget to make it's way down my shirt on the way down), and I am wearing the same sweater that I wore yesterday. My nail polish is cracked, my laundry is piled up, I'm living off of a clothes rack in my cousin's bedroom at my aunt's house, and my dinner usually consists of Yogurtland.

While there is nothing wrong with creating beautiful photos, I don't want people to come to my blog and lust after a life that I quite honestly do not have. I as a photographer have to find a balance between being real, and creating REAL, beautiful photos. I can still make a stunning photo without manipulating it's every subject to perfection. What I want is for people to come and to see that you are not the only one who ripped a hole in the butt crack of her (too tight) leggings because you had just put lotion on and you were pulling too hard. I want this to be a place of beauty, creativity and light, but I also want it to be a place of authenticity, vulnerability and realness. I want to share with you everything from what my quiet times with the Lord look like in the morning, to the office I am renovating in my aunt's home, to how to take successful photos on your iPhone. I'm looking forward to getting to share my life with you guys, and hope that you are too. I promise, I will try to make sure that my posts/pictures will always be pretty, but I assure you, they will not be perfect. They will reflect me and who I am as accurately and as genuinely as possible.