Author: alison@tinyblueorange.com

People are like stained glass windows — the true beauty can be seen only when there is light from within. The darker the night, the brighter the windows.
–Elizabeth Kubler-Ross~

One of the best things we can do for ourselves when the world seems to be crashing down around us is to, pause. Take a deep breath. And find the thing that nurtures our mind, body, and spirit.

I’ll be taking a moment to pause this weekend.

And for my baby-loss moms who need help rediscovering nurturing, inspiration, and light, the Illuminate class may be just the pause you are looking for. Click HERE if you want to learn more about when the first Illuminate experience will begin and how you can be a part of it.

I absolutely adore little girls, especially my own! (I am a little biased I know). The best part about little girls? The clothes. The shoes. And….the accessories!! When Brie was born one of the first places we frequented for her accessories was UnBOWlievable.  The fact that I could find a hair piece customized to match any of her outfits was amazing. We started with headbands, and as she has grown and begun to spout beautiful thick hair we’ve been able to upgrade to velvet clips. When she gets a bit older she’ll be able to retire the velvet and move on to a new kind of clip.  But, this presents us with a different problem. What do we do with all of the beautiful newborn headbands she is no longer wearing and probably won’t wear again?

Well…UnBOWlievable is gearing up to launch a new product this fall that aims to fix this problem. A product that allow hair pieces to grow with a child and be used for years and years and years. I’m not allowed to say to much, but I can show you a little sneak peek of a shoot we did this past week modeling their new product. Same bow. Eight Ways. Soft bands. Hard Bands. Velvet Clips. No Velvet Clips. Hair Up. Hair Down. The possibilities are endless. And they will be coming to UnBOWlievable soon.

Oh and I couldn’t resist this one…I little slice of spring to start your Monday off right. 🙂

People are hungry for stories. It’s part of our very being. Storytelling is a form of history, of immortality too. It goes from one generation to another.

~Studs Turkel~

This year I hit a milestone in the aging process. 30. During the same time frame I was blessed with a baby. And my mind all of a sudden was gone. Double whammy. I seriously can’t seem to remember anything anymore. The day of the week, what I ate for breakfast, where I put my keys the night before. What we did last week, last month, last year. I constantly feel like I am in a race with time right now, and time is always winning. All I have to do is blink and and our baby Brie is another month older, is reaching a new milestone, and is becoming a toddler before our very eyes. I don’t ever want to forget any of these precious moments that seem to be slipping away too quickly.

In the same vein, last year, I took a devastating blow after losing Bella. I was in a constant fog. Time and I were in a different kind of race. The days were passing but each one was more grey than the last. Joy was missing and I really didn’t care what day of the week it was, what I ate for breakfast, or where I put my keys the night before. I wanted to forget last week, last month and last year. But at the same time I did want to be heard. I wanted to mourn out loud when everyone else had moved on. I wanted to curse the curve-ball we were thrown and demand my old life back. I wanted to scream out to the world that I was hurting.

No matter the time or place, we each have a story. We yearn for understanding, connection, and a way to remember.

big. little. exciting. mundane. peaceful. bold. brave. fearful. lonely. healing. happy. desperate. loving. thankful. freeing. spirited. curious. frustrating. uncertain. passionate. sad. warm. optimistic. confident. tense. pained. miserable. hopeful. determined. eager. liberating. satisfying. cheerful. wonderful. courageous. calming. tragic. terrifying. fascinating. amazing. inspired.

The stories of our life are what bind us together.

Today I invite you to share your story. Any story. What do you want remembered? Big or little. Exciting or mundane. Tell it. Link it. Share it here.

When your name is Brielle, and you are baby, this is what Happy Hour looks like. Cheers!

(a big thank you to guest photographer MeMa for capturing this moment)

 

 

 

I am a glass half full kinda gal. I love people. Hate conflict. And I strive to nurture and preserve positive relationships and positive attitudes in all aspects of my life.

Blogger Susannah Conway had an incredible blog post this week that had me digging deep into my soul, contemplating my positive nature, my PERSPECTIVE in the blog world, and the effects this has on me as a photographer and teacher. (and can I just add that I am now even more super stoked to be exploring these concepts further in her Unraveling e-course next month)

She states :

“It’s very tempting to turn our blogs into an on-going affirmation of what we want our lives to be like, hoping that if we share only the good stuff we can make it real.”

She goes on to share that she like bloggers to BE REAL, put a little more honesty and grit in their writing, and tone down the attitude of being so positive and grateful for what they have. She encourages the expression of raw feeling and true emotions instead of sharing only when we feel all is right in our world.

But what if we truly feel our overall PERSPECTIVE is “Smile when it hurts most.”? Now I know this is a pretty extreme statement. I am not so optimistic as to not realize that everyone is entitled to a bad day, we each have our own baggage we carry with us, and we can’t put a smile on our face 24 hours a day 365 days a year.  (When I slipped and fell in the middle of a Target store while shopping on Mother’s Day ended up in the ER instead of enjoying family brunch I was certainly not talking up how grateful I was to have a freshly bruised black and blue sprained ankle to contend with for the next 6 weeks).

So this begs the question, can we both SMILE through pain and BE REAL about our emotions?

I think the answer is YES. Losing Bella for me meant the crumbling of big plans, hopes, and dreams for the life I thought I was to live. When I was BEING REAL this single event made me stumble, stutter, and question everything I ever felt was positive and right with my world. It took losing her to strip me of my rose colored glasses and realize that life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. In the weeks and months following the loss there were tears. Many many tears. There was anger. Hopelessness. Loneliness. Guilt. An endless stream of negative emotion.

But instead of allowing myself to hide from the world, I decided to hide behind my camera.  That little black box helped me SMILE through the pain. I posted all the REAL stuff here. The open wounds. The raw emotion. The images I created.  I took the experience as an opportunity grow as an individual, expose myself, and and use a terrible experience as an OPPORTUNITY to build a new life and a new plan.  Affirming these wishes for a new life of happiness has allowed the opening of many new doors, the nurturing of new relationships, and has allowed for a ton of gratitude to seep in to this new life. There are days where I still struggle with the loss. The life we left behind. The person I’ve become. I am working 70 hour weeks or more to achieve these new dreams. Sometimes I still want to cry. I want to throw in the towl. Release these new dreams and let them go. I want to SMILE less and be more REAL.

Even so, I still press on.  I fully believe that the sun can shine on us daily even when there is rain. I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe in the power of positive affirmations and hoping for a better tomorrow. And I believe that even when we are REAL we can still find something that makes us SMILE and discover the path to our own personal happiness. That PERSPECTIVE is what I have always intended to share here. My stories of survival, growth, inspiration, and gratitude.

Is your glass half full? Or half empty? Can positive affirmations turn into positive outcomes? Share your PERSPECTIVES here today, I want to hear them.

If you’re a mom suffering from pregnancy or infant loss who is looking to get REAL but also looking to SMILE again I encourage you to get on the Illuminate VIP list HERE. The details on how to be a part of our first Illuminate Experience is only a week away. It’s going to change your PERSPECTIVE and get you living again.

I am NOT a videographer. At all. I repeat. I am NOT a videographer. So please excuse the poor video quality. I am sure you’ll forget all about that though once you hear her infectious laugh.

 

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. Henry David Thoreau

If all has gone according to plan today you should be viewing this blog post on the freshly updated be young photography site. If you’ve been following along for awhile you know this is v.4 of my online photography journey. That’s four sites in less than 2 years. Indecisive? Yes. Inspired? definitely. Visionary? without a doubt.

VISION can be a funny thing. I’ve decided of late that it’s impossible to be 20/20.

In my mind, my life was already planned out. school. college. job. marriage. kid(s). stability. retirement. Somewhere along the way I forgot about unpredictability.  That storm cloud up ahead ready to rain out my photo shoot scheduled for the afternoon. Ready to bring on the bad hair day. Soak the cuffs of my jeans and leave a chill in my bones.  Bella was my storm cloud. She was more like a hurricane, quietly building intensity, charting her course toward us, winds whipping around, leaving a path of devastation, and a whole lot of broken dreams.

As the clouds began to part, I placed my camera in hand and saw an opportunity for evolution. The camera that was our first baby gift. The camera I was going to use to learn to shoot like the pros. The camera that would take beautiful pictures of our first daughter. Instead, I used it to show I was emotionally drained. I used it to hide. I used to to create. And I used it to heal.

It was a time for a re-VISION.

What I was looking at during that moment of unpredictability was loneliness. sadness. grief. My camera took the pain I saw and processed it into beauty.  Photography allowed my emotion to be transformed into VISION. A new vision for the present. A new vision for business. A new vision for the future.

Think about the possibilities for unpredictability in your life. Good or bad. Getting married. Starting a new career. The death of a loved one. Car accidents. Surprise parties. Having a child. Losing a child.  All of these events may be a call for your own re-VISION.  We need to learn to be ok with re-VISION in our lives to move past unpredictability, be forward thinking, and process emotion. Think about how you would feel during any one of these unpredictable instances. Dream up your own.

What is your VISION looking like these days? Share in the comments.

The VISION for be young photography has its own unpredictable turns over the past few months.   I hope to be shooting less, teaching more, and inspiring you on your creative journey. The freshly launched be young photography site is only the start of this re-VISION process. New classes, new surprises, and a special launch party are on the way. But if you want in on the celebration you better get on the mailing list by CLICKING HERE.

Baby P.’s mommy and I have been friends for just about 18 years now. We met the first day of 6th grade, we bonded over being the new kids in town and kept each other afloat as we swam through the awkward sea that is middle school. We used to have marathon phone dates, playing MASH to plan our future (anyone remember that game? anyone?), swooning over this week’s crush, and imagining what life would be like when we were “old and had our own kids”. Well looks like that day has arrived (whoa what a thought!). Little did we know back then that we’d still be so close now, still live in our hometown, have husbands that get along swimmingly, AND have babies 8 months apart from one another.  MASH couldn’t have planned it any better.  Now we’re onto plotting how these two adorable girls are going to be best buds as we all grow older together.  Born at a healthy 9lbs 8oz, Baby P. was just 7 days old when I had the opportunity to shoot her session, but she’s already looking so awake – alert – and adorable!

In 2009, my world came crashing down around me. This easy-going optimist was forced to deal with the loss our first baby and be challenged by feelings grief, anger, sadness, and solitude. I was 20 weeks pregnant at the time when our plans, our dreams, and our future were whisked away in an instant. I was not prepared to embark on such a lonely journey and deal with the emotional roller coaster that was to follow.

My first baby gift, during my first trimester, was a shiny new camera. A dslr.  A camera that I longed to learn to use like the pros so I could take beautiful images of Bella once she arrived. Instead, I used it to learn how to process my grief.

After Bella was gone, I scoured the internet looking for bereavement resources that spoke to me. I searched for a community that could relate to my pain. I needed someone to talk to and I wanted an audience who could understand the source of the imagery I was creating. I came up with nothing.  I learned photography on my own, as I grieved, and slowly grew from amateur to professional. I vowed that one day I would create a photography experience like the one I was looking for after our loss.  And now I can not believe that only 2 years later it’s finally here.

Illuminate has arrived. And registration is open.

Here are all the details you may be wondering about before you begin the registration process:

What exactly is Illuminate?

Illuminate is an online based 4-week creative photography journey designed especially for the grieving mother. Together we will learn to find beauty in our world and heal after the loss of a baby in pregnancy or early infancy. Through a series of weekly photography and journaling assignments presented via blog and video cast, participants will learn how basic photographic principles go hand in hand with the bereavement journey.

What photography concepts will be taught during Illuminate?

During the four week e-course you’ll explore the art of photography through storytelling imagery. You’ll learn to find light and shadow, use mood to convey emotion in your images, vary your perspective to add interest, and play with processing for enhancement. Each technical or compositional element we discuss will align with your own personal healing needs.

What are the dates for the first class?

The first class will run from July 6 – August 10

What kind of camera do I need to participate in Illuminate?

Whatever camera you feel most comfortable with. Point and shoot, dslr, or camera phone even! As long as it takes pictures you will be prepared to participate and will be able to work on your photography skills and think creatively.

Are there any other requirements for participation?

All participants need to have a computer, be able to access the internet, and have a connection fast enough to allow for the streaming of video content. Participants will be asked to create a blog in order to share assignments. However, Beryl will provide a video cast with instructions on how to create a blog and even make it password protected if you are uneasy about sharing your work for public view.

How large is the class size?

Class size is limited to no more that 15 participants to keep our community intimate, safe, and special.

How much does Illuminate cost?

Registration is $150 with 20% of the class fee donated directly back to Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope.

Pre-registration began last week for our Illuminate Interest Group and I am already so inspired by the women taking the leap and joining in on the Illuminate journey. Are you ready to be a part of the experience, improve your photography skills, think creatively, and begin to heal from your loss?

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

I am also thrilled to announce that I’m teaming up with non-profit Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope for a truly inspiring contest. The contest officially launches tomorrow but if you are a be young photography follower you can get a sneak peek and enter today by clicking HERE.  Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing awareness to the emotional challenges surrounding miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. As part of the Illuminate kick-off we’ll be awarding one special baby loss mom with a free registration. However, due to the limited number of participants for the e-course I wouldn’t wait to register if you’re interested. If you register today and go on to win the contest, we are happy to refund your registration fee right away.

Let’s begin the healing journey. Let’s explore our world behind the camera.  Let’s shine together and begin to live again!

As I sat down to write this post, I all of a sudden had a vision of Julie Andrews in my head: “Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things.” I think I need to add tiny baby toes to her lyrics too. And then, the song would be perfectly fitting to be my new theme song.

When was the last time you took a picture of your favorite things?

In life it is so easy to begin just going through the motions. Wake up. Shower. Commute. Work. Commute. Dinner. TV. Bed. Rinse. Repeat. Life becomes stale really quickly using this formula and we begin to lose sight of the details all around us. Day, months, or even years go by. And we realize something has put us in this rut. We’ve lost our sparkle. We eat the same things for dinner every week. Watch the same TV lineup. Our kids are growing bigger. The seasons keep on changing.  And we have not stopped to take a breath or explore the entirety of the world around us.

Details get us out of the rut.

Details help us see creatively.

Details allow us to gain a new perspective.

When we photograph the details in our world we find beauty in the insignificant. We are able to remember the way our cats love to be nestled up in our laps – tickling our legs with their long whiskers, the mess we made in the kitchen baking cookies with our kids – flour leaving a blanket of snow across our counter tops, or the way the sun was shining dew on the grass in the morning just for us – as if it was beckoning us to be bathed in warmth.

Go photograph the details in your life right now. Regain your sparkle. Get out of the rut. And come share your new found beauty in the comments.