“Do it. Do the thing that sits on your ribs and whispers of lava centres and passions ignited. Do it, the thing that writes happiness in your bones. Do it, the thing you don’t do but you should do. Do it, the thing that makes your heart beat. Do it, the thing that makes your skies melt. Do it, the thing that makes you, alive.”

– Brooke Solis

This wonderful woman has been in my studio before - many moons ago when the walls were still robins eggs blue, and the both of us were still growing into the women we would soon become. It’s been more than a couple years, and I’ve had the honour of hearing how this woman has chased her dreams, followed her heart, and done things that would scare the pants off of a lot of other people.

I love second, or third, or fourth + shoots. There’s a beauty in a first session, but follow-up sessions can have so much more room to play. With a foundational session behind us, the magic really comes alive and I can see people slip easier into themselves in a second session. It becomes easier for them to get into their body and out of their head – their essence flows more easily and we can capture some truly intimate and magical things.

On a side-note, this is the first blog post of the new year, and I’m making a trend projection/manifestation: sweaters, no pants. I’ve already done three sessions like this since my initial selfie session got published – and I’m just sayin’…. everyone should get on board this band wagon because it’s a hecka good one. #sweatersnopants #winniethepoohstyle

“True intimacy is a state in which nothing exists between two people; no space, no inhibitions, no lies.”

One of my biggest manifestations for the upcoming year is more couples! I’ve been craving documenting more intimate moments shared between lovers. And what better way to start putting that request into the world than to jump in front of the camera with my own heartner. I’ve done a lot of boudoir selfies before, but never with someone else – it was an absolute joy! Seriously so in love with being able to share these moments together and have them captured to look back on forever. It was such an amazing fun experience, we couldn’t stop giggling the entire time!

Everyone please get in front of my camera with your sweetie: I promise you will adore it!

The King of Cups sits on a large stone throne and wears a blue tunic and a gold cape – a symbol of his authority and status. A small fish amulet hangs around his neck symbolising his creativity. In his right hand, he holds a cup representing the emotions, and his left has a sceptre, showing power and control. Unlike the other Cups court cards, he doesn’t look at his cup and seems to be focused elsewhere; perhaps he has already mastered his emotional self and doesn’t need to concentrate as hard on this facet of himself.

The King of Cups appears to be floating on a granite block in the middle of a turbulent sea. Behind him on his right, a fish jumps out of the ocean, while on the left, a ship sails steadily despite the waves. These images show that this King stays calm and balanced, even in turbulent conditions, and has learned how to stay open to his emotions and unconscious impulses, without being overwhelmed by them. He keeps power and control while balancing his feelings.

One of my favourite things about my job is that it really does bring my path to cross with people who are just so beautiful: from the inside out. This human is no different. As soon as I met him I knew he had a soul full of compassion, calmness, and so much love. To me, he fully embodies the King of Cups. Full to the brim of divine masculine energy, and kindness for all those around him. He came to his session wanting to give back to himself – my favourite reason for someone to book their session. The space we create and hold in my studip is one of self-love, and exploration of the self. Whatever it needs to be in that moment.

Without further ado…

When you draw the Three of Cups, you will see three women lifting their cups up in the air in a celebration of some sort. Good times are in the air, for the three ladies have wreaths made of flowers in their hair. Wreaths are often associated with success and victory, so their happiness is well deserved. The ladies are also seen standing on top of a field of flowers and fruit, further adding to the joyful feelings in this card. There are feelings of beauty, growth, compassion and happiness that the women share between each other.

When I first shared these images on my Instagram, it was on a day where I had done a Tarot reading for myself. I had sat down with my deck and asked it a simple question: What do I need more of in my life for healing and fulfillment?

I pulled the three of cups, and was instantly filled with a sense of joy and gratitude.

Three of Cups: "Celebration, friendship, creativity, collaborations"⠀

In the Three of Cups, three young women are dancing with each other in a circle, raising their cups high in the air in a toast of joy and celebration. They look to one another with appreciation, honour and respect, and are bound by their emotional connection and friendship. There is a sense of lifting each other up and celebrating each woman’s unique contribution to the group.

I really don’t need to look far or hard to see all the beautiful connections that I have been blessed with in my life. From my close friends, to my dear clients who feel more like friends than anything – there are so many inspiring and amazing humans dancing around in my life. This human is one of those people who is just full of light – and she lets it shine out into the rest of the world like a beacon of love and joy. Thank you for trekking to this magical place with me and creating memories and images that I will forever cherish!

Okay, before I get into the nitty gritty mushy-gushy feels about this babe, I need to tell you about one of my favourite moments I’ve had during a shoot.

So this dynamo walks into the studio (yup, the one you’re about to see below), and she pulls out 8” Pleaser Heels. If you’re familiar with these heels, you’ll know 8” heels are some pretty advanced shit. They are the Post Graduate Degree of heels. She pulls them out, throws them on my table and says “I’ve never worn shoes like this before!” I instantly try to warn her of the danger – but this babe is determination incarnate. She throws them on, stands proud, locks eyes with me, and promptly falls over.

While she starts to go down we lock eyes. I can see in her eyes that she knows it’s too late, and she’s going down. She braces for the fall. During that time I’m lunging for her, thinking I can reach her in time. In my eyes she sees that I realize I won’t make it in time. I hopelessly have to let her fall. We both topple onto the ground and piss our pants laughing. It was one of my favourite non-verbal full conversations I’ve had, and probably the best ice breaker for a session. And while I don’t advise everyone fall on their butt as soon as they walk in the door of my studio, it was pretty freaking hilarious!

Alright, alright.

Time for the mushy gushy shit.

This wonderful human applied for my last model call, and as soon as I read her email and looked into the work she does, I knew I had to meet her. She runs a company called SheRecovers with her mama bear. SheRecovers is a multi-faceted foundation that focuses on lifting women up through recovery, yoga, retreats, and self-fucking-love. Check out their guiding principles and website to find out more about what these incredible humans are about: https://sherecovers.co/intentions-guiding-principles/.

I am so glad she toppled into my life – the art and memories we created after we scooped each other off the ground are some of my favourite moments. I don’t doubt you’ll be seeing more collaborations from us again in the future; or at least I hope so! *wink wink nudge nudge * babe, you can’t get rid of me! I adore the heck outta you too much!

Our bodies are perpetually shifting and changing entities – when we find one way to embrace and love our body with all it’s imperfections, something changes and we need to adapt and integrate these changes into our self-love narrative.

But when these changes leave you a bit rattled, a bit shaken, and a little confused, it can be harder to accept our bodies for the beautiful vulnerable flesh and blood that they are. Through a recent diagnosis, I’ve had to recalibrate my self-love dialogue and learn to accept and love my vessel for what it continues to do for me.

In a time where I felt myself disconnected from my body – feeling a bit more foreign in it that I am accustomed to, I needed a way to ground myself back into my physical self and reclaim the space that I occupy. Queue: a much needed selfie-for-self-love session.

I get to watch my clients come to life in front of my lens on a regular basis. I get to see them fall a little deeper in love with themselves, find a new appreciation for their body, and embrace their sensuous energy. Often times when I do selfie sessions it feels very… clinical. I’m testing lighting, or I’m testing a new prop, or a new outfit, or a new editing style I want to try.. etc etc etc.

I can’t remember the last time I jumped in front of the camera for the sheer intention of feeling inspired + sexy in my body again. I’ve definitely done it before, and it’s definitely an outcome I feel from almost every single photoshoot I get to do (either selfies or by other amazing photographers), but it’s been a long while since that was the sole intention throughout the entire process.

And boy, let me tell you: it felt fucking liberating. Throughout the whole shoot I was able to lean into things on a deeper level: physically and emotionally. And when I went through the photos afterwards, I not only saw how beautiful my vessel still is despite it’s trials + tribulations: I felt that energy radiating through the photos, and reverberating something deep inside of me.

So the next time you feel like you need to reconnect to your physical vessel: breathe, touch your body, and take it in front of the camera and CELEBRATE yourself in this moment. It’s not vanity, it’s sanity. And you deserve to feel connected + in love with your temple.

***PS: content warning for family members. Scroll further and I am not wearing pants and am very naked. You know what I do for a living and I am embraaaacing it here.