It's 'the day after' and I am utterly exhausted and spent... As a couple of you guessed, Jo Packham of Where Women Create spent yesterday morning in my little studio. I was the next to the last artist being photographed in her whirlwind week long trip to Northern California. The best word I can think of to describe this experience is 'Surreal'! My emotions have run the gamut this week, a true roller-coaster event! Having never been in a professional photo shoot before I had no idea what to expect. With this in mind, I've decided to give you a day by day playlist of happenings from start to finish as a way to share my own personal experience and tell the tale. ENJOY!
Wednesday March 4th: Jo emails me asking if she can come the following Tuesday to photograph my studio. This is the first I have heard that I am even being considered! I nearly jump through the roof! Talk about exciting! I feel like I've been handed the moon!!! THANK YOU KARIMA for recommending me!
Thursday: I look over my studio space and make notes on what to 'clean', what to 're-organize' and what to 'store', and begin the process of making the studio 'photo-ready'. As tempting as it may be to leave the space 'as is', I feel compelled to present it in its best light. Wouldn't you? Truth be told, I changed very little, merely primped, pruned and re-positioned. Here is a couple of Before and After photos that I took of my painting corner. As you can see, the elements are all the same, I've just moved things around a bit, changed the wall decor, added a little lace to the windows and cleaned up my piles of papers.
Friday: Jo decides to add a day to her trip, reschedules my shoot for two days later, Thursday morning at 8:00 am, (I will be the 9th of 10 artists she will see.) I am elated to have 2 extra days to fluff and pluck! I continue taking little steps in cleaning and re-organizing. It feels overwhelming at times, and I have to force myself to see the big picture and not get bogged down in little details! I want to be sure the real me is on display...
Saturday and Sunday: I decide to weed the front yard, feeling the need to have a nice first impression, and aquire a couple of big blisters in the process... Husband paints the hallway leading into the bathroom in the house - a job that we've been wanting to do for 2 months, but just couldn't find the time for, and now seems to be priority.
I spend a few hours here and there puttering in my studio - feeling more and more over-whelmed, physically tired but still happy. My close friend and neighbor Deborah comes over for a couple of hours to help me 'style' my collections. She has an uncanny eye and talent for placing things so they look their best! Its amazing to me how hanging a picture 3 inches higher, or placing a shoe with heel turned out on a shelf can make such a huge difference - but it does! Its still my stuff - just tweeked a little.
Monday morning: Things are taking shape! My display shelves look great, my supplies are organized as if I have a row of classes coming up (which I do!) and the spot in the garage dedicated to 'storage' is overflowing! Yikes! All the windows have been cleaned and the resident spiders have been politely asked to move outside... I am trying not to second guess myself - not an easy thing to do!
Monday afternoon: One of my dearest friends (you'll find out 'WHO' soon enough!) calls me on the phone, (Jo just left her studio hours ago) and clues me in on how it went. "Its all about you, Ulla!" she says. Her parting words - "Ulla, this is your opportunity to show the WORLD who you are and what you do..."
No pressure - right? I am starting to feel nervous...
Monday evening: The newest issue of Where Women Create arrives by mail compliments of Jo Packham herself! Its beautiful! The artists and studios featured are amazing and truly beautiful. I get feelings of doubt and 'less than' while comparing myself...
Tuesday: I had a restless night filled with nightmares of earthquakes and horses stampeding through my studio! I plot the final 48 hours on paper, with 'Clean Bookshelves' on top of the list. An hour into the bookshelves, my husband phones from work and asks how things are going, and I collapse in tears... I'm tired, overwhelmed, excited, anxious, nevous, and a complete basket case. It feels as if my Menopause has become a dragon and is frying me to the bone! Ever calm and supportive, he tells me "Its time to call in the troops Ulla!" I make a few phone calls and re-plot my battle-plan.
Here are two Before and After photos of my bookshelves. I am still amazed at how something as simple as re-positioning a stack of books, and weeding a few out can make such a big difference!
Tuesday afternoon: I take an hour off and go over to our neighborhood Nursery and spend $45.00 on a crate of Annuals to fill 4 small pots. This will be the ONLY money I spend that has anything to do with the shoot. Actually it was more of a 'feel-good' purchase, as I wanted to add a little color to the deck outside my studio windows. (Ultimately no photos were taken of the outside - so it was pure selfish pleasure on my part...)
Wednesday morning: My Mother arrives at 9:00 to help me sew two small curtains to place under my work table. Another project I have been wanting to do for ages, but just couldn't find the time... At 9:30 Trish brings her beautiful calm presence to my house and quietly 'makes things presentable' inside. Having focused the entire week on my studio, the house was filled with piles of various things and debris on all flat surfaces. At 10:00 Lea arrives. Despite having just been bitten by a dog the night before! - she offers to clean the Labyrinth and do a little weeding in back by the studio! Now the walk to my studio looks as beautiful as it should! As these loving ANGELS work their magic, I begin crossing out my own to-do list, finishing the small chores and eliminating larger ones that no longer seem necessary.
I devote the afternoon to fine-tuning my space, trying to decide what I should leave out 'for show' and wishing I had taken a run to the CASTLE to pick up some more samples of my work.
Alas, time runs out - I tell myself that 'I have enough' and pray that Jo will feel the same.
Thursday morning at 8:00 sharp: Michael Garland, the photographer arrives. Friendly, and chatty he checks the studio for lighting and begins to set up.
8:35: Jo arrives. Excited about having spent the previous day and night at another Bay Area artists space she is delightful and charming. She and Michael re-connect about the day before. A few words are said about how to photograph my space, and the two seemingly have a telepathic ability to know what the other wants...
The next 3 and a half hours are almost a blur to me now...
Was it fun? Yes!
Was it nerve-wrecking? Yes!
Was it what I expected? No...
As a successful and busy publisher and editor Jo spent much of this time multi-tasking. Phone calls were placed, big decisions were made about the up-coming issue via computer and conversations with Michael and myself flowed in and out of this little studio. There were times when I just stood there, feeling disconnected and alone, and times when I felt like I had just been given my best 'Five Minutes Of Fame'!
Somewhere in the midst of this, my 14 year old daughter was fetched from School. When I showed Jo my daughters 'fashion corner' in the studio, (which she proudly styled all by herself!) Jo immediately said "Well - we need to photograph and feature her too!" Michael seemed charmed by my daughters youthful energy and style, and a new photo session was created on the spot!
Around 11:30, mutual friend of both Jo's and I, Anna Corba arrived - lending her quiet grace and lovely perspective to the reminder of the morning.
A little after noon, the photo shoot was finished. Jo treated everyone to sandwiches and salads which we ate while talking quietly and soaking up a little sunshine on our back porch.
By 1:00 everyone had left for the next shoot, and I sat stunned and unmoving on the sofa in my studio... Was it really only a week since the first email from Jo? In some ways it seemed like a month, and in other ways like only yesterday.
Today - the day after...
A close friend described it wonderfully for me this morning; "Ulla, its as if you just acted in your own movie, and then suddenly were told: Now you have to do your 'Nude Scene'." In other words, I spent a week re-hearsing and preparing for this movie, but didn't really face the reality of seeing myself naked and exposed - putting my studio out there for the world to see! My studio is filled to the rafters with things, projects, and inspiration that say'Ulla', speak Ulla and are Ulla. I am by nature not good at self-promotion, and at times even a bit reclusive... This photo shoot forced me to open up - and show myself in ways I haven't done before. I also discovered how wonderful it is to ask for help and receive it gracefully. A true learning experience, that was amazing, exhausting and unforgettable, and filled with a kaleidoscope of emotions and feelings!
THANK YOU JO for giving me this marvelous experience and opportunity to grow.
I look forward to seeing how our story continues...!
