When Life Hands You Lemons... You Get Creative
Photoshop magic at the end, but it's also about the journey and steps I took to get there!
2019 has been full of ups and downs. It didn’t help that I started the year completely depleted. Emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually, EVERYTHING. I am not complaining. I chose to do this small biz thang, but with two crashed hard drives, no days off for months, trying to keep all three legs of my business (photography, photog classes, and painted pet portraits) going successfully… Guys, I’m doing it wrong! There’s a reason why 85% of photography businesses don’t last 5 years. Or was it 3? Burnout is real, folks. That’s a whole other post.
ANYway, 2019. At the start of the year, I found out the gallery I’m currently in will be turned into a retail space (I’m really excited about this actually…Main Street in Norman needs this and it’s an AMAZING shop). But buh-bye me! Time for me to say buh-bye to artLaBeau Studios?? I contemplated it over and over. It would be soooo insanely easy to sell all my gear & props (probably close to $20k at this point) and take a nice, long trip. Gah, I’m tempted even now just thinking about it!
But then again… I kept going back to how much I absolutely and whole heartedly believe that family memories are the most priceless things we have. I’m able to help people take hold of those and freeze them forever. Annnnd turn them into beautiful, creative, whimsical heirloom art pieces. The childhood photos I have of my family while my dad was still alive…those are what I grab first when we head into our bathroom to hide from a tornado- no joke! They. Are. Treasures. And something I can look back at: those carefree, blissful memories. When life gets tough and we all need a reminder that overall this life is AMAZING!
So, lemons. Inside, I felt very sour. I couldn't get my optimism or determination back after months of constant business stress. Enter foster puppies. My mom has ALWAYS taught me that when you're not feeling great, go help someone else in need. That simple act of kindness gives you perspective and heals your heart. Twelve foster pups came through our home and although it was tough to get my work done, these pups needed a safe, loving stepping stone before their forever homes came along. They helped me more than I helped them, I think!
Now that my heart was in the right place, here's where I turned my lemons into creativity. Do you every feel so stressed out and don't know how to turn it off? Create art! I don't even care if you're not good at it. Grab a coloring book! I grabbed my acrylics first and painted a big ol' backdrop for one of my favorite little girls! Isn't she a doll?!
It felt good to get back to something I truly love. Obviously, life gets tough for all of us. With my optimism renewed, I wanted to help spread the message that you can find sunshine, even on stormy days. We all *know* that, but sometimes it's easy to forget. It's time to celebrate the simple moments and capture that zest for life that's in all of us! I painted from a fresh perspective and here's what happened!
Step One: Create a watercolor full of happy colors and a whimsy design.
Step Two: Take the watercolor to my studio for photos! I also had to bring my huge rolled canvas to take the bowl image.
Step Three: Grab a newborn image of precious Miles!
Lastly... Photoshop magic to combine the images! Voila!
In summary, life gave me a few lemons, I painted those lemons, and I'm about to sign a lease on a brand new studio! Life is what you make it. Sometimes you just gotta be patient and wait (AND work hard) for the lemonade.
To book your creative newborn session today, contact me at lauren@artlabeau.com!