Happy Valentine's Day!
I know that I have literally dropped off the face of the blogging world as of lately, but this post is the end of that dry spell! I have taken up quite a bit of exciting personal projects lately since the new year has gotten started, and just haven't made it a priority to sit down and write in awhile.
I started up my own Society 6 shop, which is something that I have been wanting to do for awhile. Come visit me! society6.com/amyventures
In January, I also wrote a collab blog post with Live Like You're Traveling about solo adventuring - which was a lot of fun to write! You should definitely go check it out. ;)
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I created this simple "love" print that comes in 6 color variations. Shop the full collection here! My "15 Mantras for 2015" project has also been keeping me pretty busy (which is also available for purchase on Society 6).
I also recently started up the hashtag "#colorventures" on my Instagram account (@amyventures) to further define all of this personally driven photography work that I have been doing since graduation. It wasn't until recently that I coined up this term, but I have always been a color enthusiast. I love to explore and soak up as much culture as possible, and I really enjoy finding colorful little moments to capture in my day to day life.
Instagram has been such a great outlet for me. To some people, it is just a silly little app, but to me it is so much more than that. It's a way to share little pieces of my day to day world, and I think I have become a stronger designer / photographer because of it. I have also met some really wonderful people and other fellow creatives through it. It is such a big source of inspiration for me, and it inspires me to keep doing what I'm doing.
This week, I set out to create a series of Valentine photos - and it was so much fun! Last weekend, I went to Duane Reade in search of some Valentine's candy to play with. I knew that I wanted to buy some Sweethearts because they are colorful and the cutest with those cheesy messages on them. I think they taste like chalk though (lol) - so I didn't want to invest in a large bag because I wasn't gonna eat them after I was done playing with them. I ended up getting a small single box (the size handed out at kiddie Valentine parties). Thankfully there was self checkout (so as to avoid the embarrassment of whipping out 65 cents in coins, lol) but the security guard at the door definitely gave me a weird look when I walked out with just that small box in hand.. haha.
All of the other photographed props were things I have had in boxes in my closet that haven't been unearthed in forever (with the exception of the air plants). I used some old pom poms and googly eyes that have been sitting in a box for over a decade. I also dug out this plastic dinosaur toy that I have had in my closet forever and decided to paint it neon pink. It was a murky gray-blue originally, and that just didn't cut it for me. ;)
Overall, I have decided that I want to do more similar themed series like this. I had waaaaay too much fun with this not to, and I realize that doing work that I love feels damn good. Without me knowing, all of these photos that I have snapped for fun over the last few months have evolved into a pretty big body of work that I am proud of and can genuinely say that I enjoyed creating. I will be updating my photography portfolio on here shortly - so stay tuned! :)
Wishing you all the best day filled with lots of love, sweets, hugs, and kisses!