Swimming At Whites Creek

In late August, Bill and I took a trip out to East Tennessee with some of the ladies of Tennessee Parks and Greenways. We went to the home of Steve Scarborough, which sits on a 1500 acre property at the base of the Cumberland Plateau.
Steve's land is protected by a conservation easement put in place via Tennessee Parks and Greenways.

Here is Bill at the base of the Cumberland Plateau. That's the edge of the Plateau on the left of the photo.

Whites Creek runs right through Steve's land, so we took the day to hike and snorkel.
The distance of the hike was only about 1/4 mile, but the drop was about 200 feet, so it was decently steep. The path we walked is a mining road built in the 1940s.
It rained a bit and the water was murky, but it didn't stop us from swimming, hiking, and enjoying the flora and fauna of the surrounding natural beauty.

One of the gorgeous green views.

This little lizard greeted us first thing.

As we were hiking down to the creek, Steve pointed out a bald eagle through the trees and across the creek. I whipped out my handy 70-300mm zoom and was able to get this shot.

My first bald eagle sighting. Pretty amazing.

The first swimming hole was a pool at the edge of some low falls. We swam across and sat on the rocks with the water running around us. It was beautiful and refreshing. We swam back to shore through a straight-down rain.

The second swimming hole was just a little way down the path. People waded on the shelf and swam in the surrounding pools. We saw fish and fossils and frogs.

When the creek is higher, it's perfect for kayaking and canoeing.

These frogs are little, most under an inch long. They have great camoflauge. 

A little slice of heaven.

Everything was so green, colorful details like this fallen leaf became high profile.

On the hike back to the house, I noticed this large boulder in the trees that I hadn't seen on the way down. I love the placement of this large, unyielding stone among the lacy green of the understory plants and small trees.

When we got back to Steve's house, he had hot dogs and beverages for us all, along with stunning views. It was the perfect end to a beautiful day away from the city.

Want to learn more about opportunities like this? Follow Tennessee Parks and Greenways on Facebook and subscribe to their events. 

Radnor Lake, May 21, 2016

I usually shoot in controlled environments, like my studio or garden. On Saturday, though, I went on a hike with my family at Radnor Lake, and decided to try my hand with my long lens.
I took a lot of shots, but I only have a few that I like. Props to photographers who shoot nature or sports: it takes patience, paying attention, a steady hand, and quick reflexes.

This heron never moved a muscle.

This heron was quite active, and I photographed him from all kinds of angles; this exercise proved that I need to further accustom myself to the long lens. 

This young deer grazed alongside us as we walked on the trail.

It's always good to practice different kinds of photography, and this was the first time in a while I've done this sort of exercise. It felt great, and, though I didn't get a bunch of amazing shots, I got out of my comfort zone.

MAW's latest photos and design

2016 is flying by! I have stayed busy booking new clients, nurturing current professional relationships and building my catalog of product photography.

I've had the pleasure of working with several artists this year, including (clockwise from top left) Olivia Molinaro Landry, Kris Prunitsch, Charlotte Terrell, and Miranda Herrick.

I've also been working on independent projects, both for practice and to show samples of my studio work.

 

I've had plenty of design projects to keep me busy, as well, including several ongoing marketing projects for The One and Only Bill Davis and Very Entertaining Records.

The color photo below is a portrait taken by me, which came out so much better than I expected. Photo credits for the other images go to Miranda Herrick for the photo of Bill and me and Brett Schenning for his photo of Jeff Blaney.

You are seeing that right! I've been joining my charming husband for most of his gigs over the past six years or so, and am now fancy enough to be in photos with him! He's always been very encouraging, but I've kept myself in the background for multiple reasons, one being that it's hard to be in a photo when you're the person photographing.

While the above images are all being used for digital marketing, I have also had the opportunity to create some physical promotional products, as well, including these cards for Kris Prunitsch and Miranda Herrick. 

 

It's been a wonderful year so far for MAW Studio, and I'm looking forward to sharing more with you soon. Contact me if you'd like pricing for any photography or design projects.

MAW Studio - How It All Began

As soon as the door closed on 2015, 2016 was in full swing for MAW Studio. This is MAW's first year as a fully independent business. It's been an exciting (and sometimes harrowing) three years, and I am (mostly) ready for the next chapter.

Of course, there's nothing like the future stretching out in front of a person to make her want to look back, and I find myself reminiscing about Autumn of 2012. Bill and I had been married for about six months, and had spent most of the year financially treading water and trying to pick away at our debt. Then, I cracked a tooth. A molar fractured, and the pain was unbelievable.

Here you go, dentist and endodontics specialist

After a long period of forgoing maintenance, I had fortuitously made an appointment with a dentist, so I called and moved it to the next day. I went in, had a full-on assessment, and came away with a five-figure "get back to dental health" plan, one third of which was immediately due (go to the dentist regularly, friends!).

I panicked. We had so little in savings. Our job situation was steady, but not good. We already had plenty of debt. What was I supposed to do, invent a way to make money?

Well, I am an American, right? And what does America need more of? One of my favorite words: gumption.

So, I invented a way to make money. I started out by editing and laying out six months worth of photos in albums for a friend who had lived abroad. I added to that working with a fine art painter, photographing her art and maintaining her inventory, social media, and website. I started investing more time in my design skills and worked with several small businesses and local artists on advertising and marketing campaigns. I continued to work at a local gallery, photographing the art and updating the website and social media, which I molded into a higher-paying contract position.

One of the hand-written album layouts for the first MAW job

It took perseverance and hard work, and I'm happy to say all debts are paid (except the mortgage), mostly thanks to the income brought in by MAW Studio. It's a big step to become an independent entity, and I am nervous, excited, and trying to proceed as if I can't fail.
Here's what's on my plate so far for 2016:

• More photography than I've ever done (I have a studio that gets better by the day, and Horse Trails to Highways is calling me back for more) 
• Actively listening to and promoting more music
• Expanding my knowledge of marketing via social media and blogging 
• TRAVEL (mid-year is going to be a whirlwind) 
• Working with artists and makers of all kinds to expand my reach and test my limits 

A last tidbit: where did I come up with MAW? I love this acronym because the M and W create symmetry without repetition. Melanie At Work seemed to fit. Maw is also another word for mouth, which is how this whole adventure started, so it seemed right to give a nod to the catalyst.

I feel like I should have a platinum and diamond grill, but I'm happy with my pearly grill.

2015 Holiday Market and Pop-up Shop Guide

The holidays are here!

Not that there's any reason to panic. I mean, there are weeks left before Christmas. Although, my niece's birthday is on December 15th, and my nephew's is on the 20th. My brother's birthday is right before Christmas on the 23rd. I have a holiday party to attend, so I need a hostess gift, and gifts for clients...

Yikes!

Those two weeks in the middle of December leading up to Christmas are always the marathon in our families. I stopped writing everything that's happening in those two weeks because it has to be taken in shifts, mentally.

It compounds so fast, it can spiral out of control before you know it! If there's one thing I recommend at this time of year, it's LISTS. Gifts, holiday cards, and important ship dates are three great lists to compile for the holiday season. Check off each gift as you buy it, and scratch it off when it's been given. If you send a lot of cards, get names and addresses compiled into an Excel document and print the addresses onto labels with your printer, and order return address labels from online resources such as Zazzle. For your important ship dates, USPS has a great resource on their website, which is a good way to ballpark when to purchase or order the gifts that need to be shipped. 

Click here to go to the USPS web page with this and other helpful information about shipping and holiday hours.

People are making more efforts to support small makers and locally-owned businesses. Luckily, Nashville is abound with people making great products, and there are markets throughout the holiday season that will satisfy everyone on your list. 

Where to shop

Holiday markets are everywhere, and these four are a great place to start:

Gift Horse Pop-up Shop (Opens November 28 at 10am)
Jessica Maloan of Pine Street Makery has put together a great roster of items from makers of all sorts. The list of brands and products represented is well-rounded, and there is sure to be something for everyone.
Look for Hello Soap (best lip balm on the market) and Corbé Company ceramics.
Located in the Sawtooth Print Shop at 604 Gallatin Ave, Suite 215, 37206

This little dish by Corbé is perfect for salt or as a jewelry bowl.

All natural and so flavorful, Hello Soap lip balms are second to none when it comes to moisturizing and flavor.

Studio Be Holiday Artist Market (December 4th 12-9p & 5th 9a-4p and 11th 12-9p & 12th 9a-4p)
Local artist Cindy Wunsch is putting on a two-weekend market featuring all kinds of different artists and makers. Each weekend will be different, and both will be a great opportunity to purchase a wide variety of goods.
Look for jewelry designer Beth Lawrence of Freshie & Zero representing her brand the second weekend.
Located upstairs at 4908-B Charlotte Ave, 37209

A selection of my own collection of Freshie & Zero earrings

WeHo Market and Art Crawl (December 5th 10a-6p, Art Crawl 6-9p & December 6th 12-5pm)
Clothes, coffee, gourmet dog treats and more: the WeHo Market is going to be a great place to meet some makers.
Look for Blackjack Wax & Co. Hand-poured candles from Georgia make a great hostess gift or stocking stuffer.
Located in the Track One Building, 1211 4th Ave S, 37210

Porter Flea (December 5th 10a-6p)
Celebrating it's tenth show, Porter Flea has relocated to a bigger space to accommodate even more makers (over 140!). Not into rubbing elbows with the hordes? Purchase tickets for their preview party on the evening of December 4th.
Look for Elizabeth Foster's booth of fine art. She has everything from cards to original art, and her imagery is gorgeous and well-executed, but not overly-serious.
Located at Silver Point Studios, 10 Quality Way

The detailed and jovial works of Elizabeth Foster are definitely worth checking out at Porter Flea

There are dozens of other pop-up shops that will be happening over the holiday season. Even when the season gets overwhelming, I hope each of you can take the time to meet some craftspeople and discover a new brand (or several!) that keeps your interest and inspires your loyalty for years to come.

Cheers to the start of a wonderful Holiday Season!

Works & Days - A Collaboration

It all started with a little gallery named MIR in the Arcade. At the time, my co-worker, Miranda Herrick, and I were just warming up to each other to become friends. She was running MIR and mentioned that she could always use extra hands to help in the gallery during Art Crawls.
I took the opportunity to exercise my photography muscle again, and I started documenting the openings. 

One of the first showings of Miranda's series, Reflective

I have always loved Miranda's knack for interesting art displays. The four photos in the middle are a small series of mine called From the Sky

Photographing openings at MIR Gallery naturally led to me covering the openings Miranda has with her works in other galleries and spaces. Through the years, I have amassed several examples of her Works and Days presentations. 

MIR Gallery

Getting ready for the wall

Again with the excellent hanging

What started as an exercise ended up being a huge professional boon for both of us. Miranda recently published a book of her Works and Days series. The book contains all 365 of the drawings from that series in chronological order, which also spans the color wheel. She used several of my photographs in the introduction of the book, which means I am published in an art book. 

Woo hoo!!

One of the best things about working with Miranda is that it started as friends just looking to celebrate art and get it out into the world. I don't think either of us anticipated our working together at MIR would turn into a partnership with such far-reaching effects. Over the years, my desire to flex that photography muscle has led to me being able to provide Miranda with images of her work in different spaces, the design of her website, and some of the promotional materials for her openings. While we do have a system of compensation, the best thing I get out of working with Miranda is seeing her growing success and knowing I helped, even if only a little bit.

One of the cards I designed for Miranda's paired opening with Scott E. Hill

Miranda and me at one of the MIR openings in 2010

The moral of the story? If you have the instinct to help out a friend while you work on your own craft, follow it. The least that will happen is you will strengthen your bond of friendship. From there, the sky is the limit.

Works and Days can be purchased at Customs House Museum in Clarksville, Bennett Galleries Nashville and Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Or, you can reach Miranda via Facebook. 

Project Review: The Album Design of Jeff Blaney's Go Now, Don't Look Back

I've done several album design projects over the years, the most recent being for Jeff Blaney for his latest EP Go Now, Don't Look Back. I take care to do every project well, but this one had an extra little string attached to my heart: Jeff used one of my Horse Trail -> Highways images for his album cover!

The original photo used for the cover

When Jeff asked me to handle the cover and disc layouts, I was so excited. Not only was he using my photo, but I was getting creative control over how the image would appear when printed.
When we met to discuss his ideas, I was pleasantly surprised by Jeff's excellent notes and mock-ups. It made the entire process much easier.

Notes and mock-ups. Jeff became a dream client for bringing these.

The first time I ever did an album and disc layout, the templates totally threw me for a loop. Was it all the colors? The layers? I'm not sure why it was so difficult. As I've gained experience, though, the process has gotten much easier.

A few small changes were made to this layout before printing

The final product looks exactly how Jeff planned. It's a thrill every time a client, especially when that client is a friend, has that "YES!" moment. I couldn't have asked for a more rewarding experience! 

The final product

The other awesome bonus of this project is that Jeff is using this image for a lot of his marketing and PR materials. Seeing my work peppered around the internet has been exciting and humbling. 

A couple of Jeff's promotional pieces

It's wonderful to live in a city where there is such a solid arts scene, and being part of my friends' successes is one of the best parts about living and working in Nashville. 

Interested in catching one of Jeff's shows? Details here.