i guess there has been much water under the bridge since i was here last...so many changes in me, that i have no idea where to begin.
Beginning at the beginning would take far to long to write, so let me just go back to 2015...that is when i made the decision that i was done with winters in the north, and that is when i totally lost my heart to the Outer Banks in NC....wow!
I took on taking care of my bean, Luke when my daughter landed a job in NC, and decided to take it and move the family there from Fredericksburg, VA. She needed someone to watch him (he was 2 at the time) until she could get him in to a preschool on the island. Within the first month, after gathering Luke up everyday and exploring the island from Corolla to Hatteras, i knew there was no way i was going to be able to go back north to live. Call it strange or weird, but i felt like this was where i belonged. I have always been a beach person....loved the ocean, the beauty of it, the sound of it and the ohhhh so many moods of it. I love the storms as much as i love the tranquility...AND the bonus for me is the people, the nature and the art here. The pace is also an incredibly appealing thing...i do not feel so revved up and pressed to get things done. I find the pace of the Northeast positively anxiety causing.
A phone call was made...a strong decision on my part that i NEEDED to be here...and i needed NOT to be up north....and i quite simply was done. I did go back to jersey on the promise that in January we would begin the house hunt in OBX. Complications almost thwarted that ...a sick cat in need of an IV caused a postponement...and then almost a second one. The person we rented a place from which to house hunt, was so kind...and took the chance of allowing us to bring the sick cat with us, so we could Sub Q IV him as needed. To this day, the owner who took pity on me remains one of the best friends i have ever met...along with his amazingly smart dog and his girlfriend!
People here are so very friendly....even with me being a yankee!! People look out for one another here...say please and thank you and hold doors for you! They even offer to help get your groceries into you car!! Children say yes sir and yes ma’am! (not ALL of them, but MANY of them!) They are also eager to help you in any way they can...and that leads me back to my first friend that took the chance and rented the apartment for a week...He saw my photos and was so impressed he introduced me to someone he knew...a videographer, telling him...”You have to see her stuff...she is SO good!”
Long story short...i was introduced and was told i needed ....reallly NEEDED to get my stuff seen and so i should have some advertising done. i assured him i most certainly had NO budget for that...just starting out in a new place...when he stopped me and said, “i do not want your money...i want to help you become known. People have helped me get to where i am...i want to pay it forward.” AND he has! Within 2 months i was on my way to Nairobi, Kenya to shoot documentaries...i have gotten my work into two stores and soon a restaurant...and i just completed the shoot of another documentary on the history of salt...with filming and still photography in NJ and Manhattan.
For me the best part of all of this is the confidence growing in me...someone that never had any at all...and now having the feeling that i CAN do this...i CAN succeed and succeed on MY terms. Daily reminders that i have talent are all around me, and i am learning that i can admit this and not be pompous and braggy. I recognize that i was born with art in my blood and altho i have taken the long way...i am well ON MY WAY! i do not aspire to be in front of the camera...i only aspire to make art that people can appreciate and allow me to live quietly with my art, my cat and my books.
I have included a few shots so you can see what i have been up to. i hope you will enjoy this visual part of my journey! :) the last photo is called Flow of Blessings and truly that is what i have found.
