Little Red and the Wolf

The other day I was feeling a bit off…this October has been beyond amazing. October is usually a family photographer’s craziest month of the year, and it’s proven to be true for me. However, I’m so stinking grateful to be so busy. This whole year has been a grand experiment, and I feel so lucky that it seems to be working out. You might say that it’s hard work and not luck that has gotten me to this point, and I’d argue it’s a hardy combination of both! I feel like my success this year has been one part hard work, one part grit and determination, and one part being in the right place at the right time.

One of the (few) downfalls of this success has been the loss of time to create art for myself. Now that I’m photographing others for a living, I’m finding it more and more difficult to work in my own creative ideas and projects. Of course, I use my creativity for every shoot, blog post or workshop, but to do something that’s completely mine from start to finish is a real treat.

The other day while we were out shopping for Halloween, the kids and I found this amazing fox mask for $2 at Target, and immediately I felt that little tug in my heart telling me I needed to buy it. That night I dreamed of a forest covered in leaves, a red hood, and an ornery little wolf. When I awoke, I knew I had to somehow make this happen. Luckily, my kids thought it sounded fun, so earlier this week we found ourselves singing “Into the Woods” as we darted behind trees and skipped down leaf-covered paths. It was magic.

Though it’s fearful,
Though it’s deep, though it’s dark
And though you may lose the path,
Though you may encounter wolves,
You can’t just act,
You have to listen.
you can’t just act,
You have to think.
Though it’s dark,
There are always wolves,
There are always spells,
There are always beans,
Or a giant dwells there.
So into the woods you go again,
You have to every now and then.
Into the woods, no telling when,
Be ready for the journey. – Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods