DOWN ON THE WEST COAST …

I have been listening to Lana Del Rey all morning. Her new album comes out tomorrow. West Coast is the song that I just can’t get enough of. It reminds me of my new (now monthly) karaoke night, because I heard it for the first time being sung horribly but wholeheartedly in a karaoke booth.

(But we thought we sounded so good.) (Video proves otherwise.) (What happens in karaoke should most definitely stay in karaoke.)

I am definitely getting Lana’s new album on vinyl, because it is the perfect vibe for the house. That reminds me, have you heard about the new Jack White Lazaretto vinyl? It has several never been done before tricks, like a hidden track on the label. That Jack White just fascinates me, I am so glad he is still making great music. Also, karaoke is a great way to let off some steam. I highly recommend it.

This family road tripped from Tulsa, OK for this session and a vacation on the west coast. When they got out of the car, it was love at first sight. LOVE the personality oozing from what they chose to bring and wear. Small things like jewelry and things from home add so much of your personality to a session.

They tried to give me that blanket because I loved it so much, but I couldn’t take it from them, and I will never forgive myself. Just kidding. Kind of.

NEW BRANDING + NEW WEBSITE!

(Insert champagne, balloons, and fireworks.)

My new website is finally completed! You can view it here.

The work was done by the team at One Plus One Design, (link), who I can’t thank enough or recommend more highly. Please check out their work, they are amazing illustrators and print designers as well.

This process took three long years, which was entirely my own fault, and they hung in there with me while I went through a lot of personal growth and indecisiveness. I wasn’t fully prepared to make decisions when I started this process. I knew what I didn’t want, but it was very very difficult for me to figure out what I did want.

When we started, I knew I wanted to change from having something that leaned towards “cutesy” to something more timeless and professional. I wanted my work to speak for itself and become, in it’s own way, the bulk of my “branding”. I didn’t need or want a lot of bells and whistles. I wanted my internet presence to be simple, clean, have bold graphics, and great organization. Most importantly, I wanted it to feel effortless and to be able to stand the test of time without falling into the trap of being trendy. I just wasn’t entirely sure how to get there. Jessie and Tyler at One Plus One were patient and professional with me throughout the entire duration, and I truly, truly put them through the wringer. They helped me figure it out, and the moment I saw my logo I knew it was the one. It’s perfect for me.

The website design was such a surprise when I first saw the mock ups, and I knew it was perfect. The design is built around several large feature images, with scroll down functionality. Three years ago when One Plus One designed it, not many other sites were built that way, so they were way ahead of the curve. The portfolio includes the typical choices, with the addition of a “featured session” section. I have always felt my work is best seen in story form, and now prospective clients are able to see several sessions in their entirety, which is really great. Not to mention, the thumbnails in that section just look really, really cool.

After all the hard work, heartache, anxiety, stress, talking to friends, changing my mind, getting advice … what this process really boiled down to for me was getting brave and making decisions to put out into the world what *I* wanted to say, what *I* wanted to show. And you know, it was just really scary for me to take the steps to do that. Being brave and confident doesn’t come easily to me, but the deeper I got into what I really wanted, the more I realized it was the way to go.

I really hope you all enjoy it, and I thank all of you for the years of support and inspiration you have given me.

For the last three years, so much of my head space has been taken up by this, and now that it is complete, I look forward to a new energy around here and am invested in connecting more often and sharing more.

With so much gratitude,

Tara

(The site is not yet responsive on smaller screens – but I am working on getting that taken care of – right now it is best viewed on a desktop computer.)