Derreck + Emily | Engagement

 

In this week's installment of pictures-I-took-and-forgot-to-share we have Derreck and Emily! These are two of the kindest souls I know. We had so much fun taking these pictures, even though it was a weird snowy-but-sunny Nashville morning.We took a few pictures on campus, then walked around Hillsboro Village and went to the dragon park. All of this was, of course, followed by chili dogs from Cori's Dog House. Priorities, people! Anyway, I'm so excited for the journey these two are embarking on together!

xo,

Katy

Maddie | College Senior

 

So, it's funny. I blogged constantly when my little photog biz was pretty small and slow...but now that I've steadily had shoots over the past few months, I've just completely stopped blogging. So I'm going to try to get you all caught up on what I've been doing in the photography world. 

This was such a fun shoot! The weather was absolutely perfect! Maddie might be one of the most photogenic people I know.

Be looking for more posts over the next few days!

xo,

Katy

Bethany - college senior portraits

 

1. It was about twenty degrees out when Bethany and I ran out to take her senior pictures in front of the library. 2. Bethany kept laughing at me because I was being bossy and kept jumping up and down and clapping over how pretty the light was. (BUT SERIOUSLY! IT WAS SO PRETTY.) 3. I love dis chick. We were suitemates our sophomore year. And look at her now! All grown up, married, and graduating. I'm so thankful to call her one of my best friends. You're going to do such great things in life, Bethany! Rock that BA in English! :)

xo,

Katy

new in store

I've recently added quite a bit of art to my Society 6 store.  Support your local starving artist. :)

xo,
Katy

that time i had an art show

 

As a young girl, I never even thought to dream that one day I would host an art show. Sure, I loved art. When I wasn't pestering my father with ridiculous questions or writing, I was drawing. My mother was an artist, and taught me the fundamentals of sketching at a young age. I fell in love with art. It has always been, and will always be, an integral part of who I am.

Of course, I'm no Picasso. I never dreamed anyone would want to look at my art, let alone pay for it. Back over the summer, the art director at Rocketown asked me if I'd be interested in hosting an art show. (She heard about me from a friend and took a peek at my work on Facebook.) I was ecstatic! We tried booking the show on multiple occasions, with each one falling through. I eventually forgot about the opportunity, and hoped that some day I might find some other form of exposure for my art.

In December, I got a message from Kayla, the director. They wanted to book me again! This time, things fell into place. I was able to get six pieces together before my opening date. I was nervous: so much so that I dropped every single piece of artwork into a puddle on the way into the building. (A near meltdown ensued.) I was sure no one was going to show up, and no one was going to like my art. It was going to be like that episode of The Office where Pam hosts an art show. (You know the one. I know you do.)

To my relief, over twenty of my closest friends and family stopped by. Many of them stayed for the entirety of the two hour reception. I sold two pieces (which, apparently, set a record for an opening night!). I have never felt so loved and blessed as I did that night. The outpouring of love and support I was given astounded me. My face hurt from smiling. I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity. God knew I needed it. He always provides.

If you're interested in visiting, my art is up until January 27th. All of the proceeds will go toward the mission trip I'm taking to Spain and Morocco in a month and a half. Believe me, I need all the funds I can get for that! :) If you don't live in the Nashville area, take a look at my online store. All of the money I'm making from it will go toward my trip as well.

xo,
Katy

all that is gold does not glitter

This is one of my all-time favorite Tolkien quotes. I needed a new phone case, and was browsing around on Society6. I found a super cute one with this quote. But as always the "those" was left out. If you're going to quote someone, at least do it properly. So I made this. And it's now on Soceity6. AND it's available as an iPhone case. ;) Just click "store" in my banner to head to my Society6 store.

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king

J.R.R. Tolkien

xo,katy

Kelsey- Senior 2013

 


Thanks for asking me to take your pictures, friend!

xo,
Katy 

Summer Goals

The air is heavy with humidity. Tree frogs sing in the evenings, our only light cast by the fading rosy sun in the west and the occasional flicker of lightening bugs. Finals are over! Over, over over. My sophomore year is finally over. I'm a junior; I'm halfway done with my undergrad studies! Time is passing so very quickly.

This past school year has been an interesting one. I took way too many classes. Ten this semester alone (but only 17 credit hours. Silly, I know.) I made many friends, for which I am thankful. I almost consider myself outgoing now, though I am still decidedly an introvert. My long term relationship ended. I formed new ones. My family dynamic changed. I learned to accept it. It's been a year of growth. Growing isn't so much fun in the process, but looking back, I'm thankful life has happened the way it has.

I'll continue to grow this summer. I think grow is my theme word for this year. Keeping with that theme, here are my goals for this summer:

1. Be healthy! I'm cutting processed foods out of my diet, as best I can. I really, really need to start taking care of my body. I haven't been careful about what I've put in it, and I'm tired of feeling draggy all the time. I'm also going to start working out: swimming with my sister, hiking with my friends, crunches and push-ups on my own. I'm even considering joining the local Y so I can take Zumba and yoga. This also entails taking my medicine like I should!

2. Grow and re-brand my photography business. I'm hoping to depend on it as a second source of steady income, and frankly, I haven't had as many clients as I'd like. I love taking photographs and hearing stories. I want my photography to convey those stories. I'm looking into being a lifestyle photographer, as opposed to a portraiture photographer. I've already had a few shoots that convey this new direction that I'll be sharing in the near future. That being said, I'm not going to give up senior portraits and the like, since they are my largest clientele. If you want to keep up with my photography, visit my facebook page. I'm afraid not all of my shoots wind up on here, since this is my personal blog. :)

3. Write more! As an English major, I don't get to write much for fun during the school year. I've had many ideas swirling in my head for stories lately, I've just not put them down on paper yet. Look for some of them here in the future. :)

4. Read, read, read. I'm so happy to have time for reading! I don't have a set list of books that I want to read this year. I re-read The Chronicles of Narnia annually, and I'm planning on re-reading The Hobbit since the movie comes out this December! I've also had Divergent recommended to me. Has anyone read it?

5. Travel! My friends and I have been hard at work planning trips this summer! These include southeast Missouri; Gulf Shores, AL; Atlanta, GA; and Memphis, TN (well, that one is for a convention.) I'm really excited about going to the beach!

6. Listen to new music! I've been stuck in a music rut for quite some time. I haven't been able to keep up with what's new, so I've found myself listening to the same things over and over. Simon and Garfunkel, Manchester Orchestra, Jack's Mannequin, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Rachmaninoff, Deas Vail, and Mumford and Sons. Three artists I've been introduced to recently are Silversun Pickups, Ivan and Alyosha, and Of Monsters and Men. Does anyone have any groovy music they could recommend?

7. Renew my relationship with God! I saved the most important one for last. God has been teaching me a lot lately. I hope to share some of that here in the future. I haven't taken my relationship with Him as seriously as I should, and I've been taking so many things for granted. It's only though His strength that I've made it this far. That's become so apparent to me over the past few weeks. I want Him to be the sole anchor in my life.

There are so many other things that I'm going to be working toward, but this post is already much lengthier than I intended it to be. Hopefully I'll be able to accomplish all of this between working, sleeping, and practicing piano. :)

What are your summer plans and goals?

xo,
Katy

new hope

New...Minnetonka moccasins. I got a super great deal on them at Marshall's.

New...blog layout! Like it? I'm still making some tweaks on it, but for the most part, I'm satisfied with the way it looks. 

New...McKay Used Books. They moved further away from my college (sad face) but they have a much bigger facility. I'm going with a friend today. I'm hoping to find some CDs I've been wanting for a while.

New...obsession with Jack's Mannequin. I've liked them for a long time, but lately it's developed into an obsession.

New...Link at the top for my store. You should check it out.

New...perspective on peace. My roommate and I were talking last week. She read Isaiah 26:3-4 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." We both realized...the amount of God's peace you feel is dependent upon the amount that you are trusting him. The more you trust, the more at peace you are. I don't know why I hadn't ever realized that before, but it's given me a whole new perspective on life.

What's new in your life?

xo,
Katy

emily- senior 2012

 

The weather has been beautiful in Nashville lately! The weather was perfect for my sweet friend Emily's senior photos.

 

I met Emily a few years ago during my denomination's youth leadership conference (Truth and Peace.) She was on my team my 301 year, and she was such a great addition. She's probably one of the sweetest people I know! We had so much fun taking these photos. She has the prettiest smile!

 

   

   

xo, katy

Be the Best!

Little known fact: as a kid, I wanted to go to school for graphic design. I would spend hours messing around with photoshop, making random illustrations and logos. I've won a few national (church) competitions with computer art. I've haven't done much in recent years, so today, I decided to pick that old hobby up off the shelf and dust it off. I must say, I've missed it immensely. The little print above took about twenty minutes to do, and was super easy peasy. If anyone would be interested in ordering prints and such (I have more like the above!) please let me know. They wouldn't cost much, seeing as I'm a poor college student who really doesn't need much to get by. 

Well, I'm off to get lunch (hopefully Quiznos? I dreampt of eating Quiznos for lunch last night), and spend my afternoon with my nose buried in a book. 

xo,

Katy