BOYS.

I’ve been meaning to take pictures of these boys for quite some time now. They’re a part of the sweet family I live with–in fact, their names are written on the wall above my bed, which used to be theirs, in the rocket ship room where I sleep.

Their mom asked me to take some photos for the walls, & I gladly obliged. We simply stepped into the backyard, climbed on trees & told jokes to make each other laugh, & it wasn’t long before I had lots to work with. Here are my favorites of these funny guys.

Postcards from Charleston

Branding.

Let’s talk a little bit about branding.

I’ve been meaning to write a post about mine for a while now. It’s not completely complete, but I’d say I’m well on my way to having an established look to myself & my work. In a sense, branding is in my bones. I’ve always been a sucker for a pretty package, & although good packaging doesn’t necessarily mean a good product, I’ve learned that the wise invest in their look.  Quality products should, & usually do, come in well-designed packages. So, if you ask me, you can judge a book by its cover.

For that reason, I’ve been working for a while now on establishing a sort of “cover” to what it is that I do. What does that mean? Consistent style – coloring, cropping, content – in my work, & a way of presenting that work that says a little something about me, the creator of it. To me, branding is the bridge between who you are & what you produce. It showcases your style & preferences, which will likely also be reflected in your work, while telling, in colors & type, how, & why, you do this thing that you do.

I recruited the help of my oh-so talented college roommate, now grownup graphic designer, Kate Allen, to build mine. Below, I’m listing the core principles of it & why my type & muted tones mean more than just that. These may not be the direct reasons behind our choosing what we did to display my work, but in some form, I believe these reasons played a part in the process.

Chunky fonts. I like outrageous tennis shoe platforms & pumping up the contrast in my images. Why wouldn’t that be reflected by a bold type?

Muted colors. If you know me, you know the colors on my business cards pretty much make up the colors in my closet & the tone to my work. I don’t turn up the saturation when I’m editing photos – I don’t even look at moments bursting with color & feel enticed to capture them. I like beige. And I always, always will.

Stylish, but hopefully not fashionable. I don’t subscribe to Vogue. Instead, I’m inspired by 50-year-old photos, the colors of a 6 a.m. sunrise &, really, pretty much everything around me. I’m not interested in the must-have of the moment, because that changes. That’s not satisfying. Sometimes I might be cutting edge. That’s not on purpose. I choose what I choose because I’m drawn to it. And if it happens to be the it-trend, great. If it’s not yet, or not anymore, that’s good too. I like the roughness of cardboard & the way it takes to ink pressed into its fibers, the sound that it makes as I pull that stamp away. I like the look of vintage media equipment, because I like the way things looked in that day. I don’t like technology. I use it, but with as much ignorance as possible. I like grid design. I use a lot of lines in my photography & film. I’m a little bit girly. So I really enjoy getting-ready shots, & I use pink as one of my core colors.

This isn’t textbook theory of design. Clearly. But it’s something of the theory behind mine. Big thanks to the talented Kate Allen & my stamp maker, Tyr. Oh, & my sweet friend Amanda for modeling with her wedding dvd packages that I finally stamped & sent out today! So happy for those sweeties.

Latest Loves: The Sneaker Wedge.

Today, I’d like to talk a little bit about something you may have been seeing a lot more of lately in magazines & stores & yes, freaking Pinterest. The Sneaker Heel. (also known as wedge sneakers.)

Personally, I find it a great triumph that the shoe has risen to such high style, as I purchased this pair about two years ago on a shopping trip with my mother, during which she attempted to talk me out of the buy using words such as “hideous” and “tacky” and “vomit-inducing.” Okay, maybe that last one was an exaggeration. But nonetheless. She hated them. And when you have a pretty perfect mom, it’s no small joy to be able to say “I told you so” for perhaps the first time in your life. Plus, when the trend finally did roll around, I didn’t have to frantically fight that feeling all my fellow fashionistas know too well: that heart-squeezing urge to hunt & hunt & hunt for that new, beautiful shoe that will, no doubt change your life. Because I already had two pair in my closet. (Yes, two. I am a little obsessed. You can see the other pair from outfit post last year here.)

See, I have this unexpected side to me that only my inner circle may really know. I like to call it my inner Nicki Minaj. Basically, it’s a secret soft spot for hip-hop, high-top sneakers & some diva-type tendencies. The sneaker wedge satisfied my long-term urge for high top sneaks & my fears that I wouldn’t actually be able to pull them off, since the heel sort of softens the edge that a standard pair of Nikes would entail. My only complaint? They’re not as comfy as you might imagine. Is it worth it? A thousand times yes.

So there you have it. My ode to high-heel sneaks. Until next time, J’adore!

Oh, & red lipstick. Enough said.

Photos by Kristi McMurry WOODY–check out her images (taken by me) here!