"sis-tern"

So this is how it all started. 15 year old Carissa stole her dads black Porsche in the middle of the night. Yes, I said PORSCHE..  She wins the bad ass award in my book. She was doing great until she accidentally scraped the ground effects. Bummer.  :(   She owed her dad some money for the repairs. Her father is a friend of mine and asked if she could intern with me. You see, Carissa is an aspiring talented photographer. (check out her work here.) Her fathers way of punishing her was to work it off.. with me. Thats what I call brilliant parenting. Instead of mowing lawns, she's learning more about something that she already loves. I always looked forward to having her around. We talked about boys, school, parents, and parties.. and photography of course. She's silly, animated, insanely brilliant, and daring. Together we would scout locations, jump walls, and sneak into places to dig for fresh spots. Thats my way of having a field trip. :D  And to top it off,  she loves minis as much as I do!  Meant to be.. So here are a few photos that we took together during our work days. The photo of her jumping the 15 foot fence got me published in 944 magazine. Carissa Rules. I love her guts.

Thank you for being the most amazing intern 

sis-tern ever!

I look forward to watching her photography as she grows. If Carissa ever moves to NYC, I call dibs. 

xoxo

Chellise

Jaime Lola

She's one of my sisters. I have 3. She's in the middle. Her middle name is not Lola, but I call her Jaime Lola because I love the way it sounds. She's not little anymore because she's ..oh my gawd.. I just counted. 29!!! How does this happen? I vividly remember holding her in my arms when I was six and stroking her temples to calm her down. A few years later I shared stories of the boogeyman (who is real) , "the man with golden arm" and "drip-drop". She used to sleep next to me on my ridiculously awesome heated waterbed and we would sing Soul Asylum songs while cracking up over the lyrics..and then crying over the lyrics.  I took her to her first concert, Rage Against the Machine. She was 13. And like any cool big sister would, I let her go free. She came back with shredded pants and I believe a missing shoe, and gleaming. I was so proud… The first time I caught her kissing a boy in the house, I dragged him out and almost killed him. I feel bad for that one. Sorry Jaimeeeeee.. Its really difficult to let go of my "big sisterness" sometimes even as they approach their 30's. But I cant help it. Its embedded in my brain from all of the baby rocking, homework helping, story telling, protecting, teaching, listening, and giving advice to. 

I love it and always will. Ill always be their big sister as they will always be my little sisters. 

Heres to Jaime Lola, the gypsy one.

I love you. xoxo

Lunch in Chinatown

Living in this city whizzes by fast. We've lived here 10 months and still haven't made our way to some of the amazing neighborhoods of the city that we thought that we would have by now. 

Like Chinatown.

So this morning, as we lay in bed rubbing the sleep out of our eyes I say "Lets go to Chinatown!" he says "OK!" 

I only took a few photos. It was a bit crowded today and I wasn't in the mood I guess. Im finding that I really dont like taking photos in areas when its crowded. It shouldnt matter, but for some reason it does. I feel timid, and I dont like it. I guess I just want to place all to myself.
I really want to go back on my own early one morning to get the photos that I really want. So heres a few. For now. :) 

Chellise

 

Personal | Our First Winter

Coffee and Hot Tea.
Oatmeal.
Down Feather Coats with Fleece Pockets.
Big Fluffy Scarves.
Knit Beanies.
Gloves.
Warm Socks.
Warm Thoughts.

Waterproof Boots.

A Cozy Home.

Each Other. 

                                                                   Mostly Each Other.
www.chellisemichaelphotography.com

Pretty Things

Its getting chilly out. These are photos of dried lavender that I spray pained white and hung in my home so they would last forever. They feel like winter to me.

Personal | Jump.

So as you may know, Mike and I moved to Brooklyn 4 months ago with little goals and BIG goals. My plan was to get a quick serving job to support myself while I pursue my blossoming photography business. Here's how it went:  1) Get a great serving job that allows me a light schedule with cash.  2) Use the remaining time attending networking groups and photography conferences. 3) Make friends. Sounds simple right?
Well for some reason, it isnt...ok making friends is, hello! Im a Gemini!   :D
So far, all of this energy wasted on looking for a decent serving job has done nothing but prevent me from doing what I really should be putting my energy towards, what I love..photography. However, this plan has been nothing but one disappointment after the other. Whats a girl gotta do to get by around here? There has to be at least 3 million restaurants in NYC and I KNOW people have money to spend on fabulous waitresses.. WHAT GIVES? Ive blazed through 4 or 5 places, mostly because they straight up lie about the profit Ill be making. I know my worth in that business and its not cheap! Have you seen my smile lately? And have you seen my hustle? Im a ninja!! And to top it off, Im genuinely NICE!! ( unless your mean to me...then I kindly ignore you...keep your five bucks..)
So why am I torturing myself? I have a savings account but its for emergencies. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! IM LOSING MY EFFING MIND!!! I need to allow myself to invest in myself. (see how there is 2 of us? Me against me?) Its ok invest in my business. Actually, its GREAT to invest in my own business.
I worry about money too much because I have a fear of debt. I must let that go. I cant let a few thousand dollars prevent me from exceeding and earning triple. I will not let that fear dictate my future.
So I've been going over this alot lately. alot. Over and over, mostly while I stand around in dead ass restaurants waiting for imaginary customers to come in and support me.
Over dinner the other night, after a weird day of mood swings and personal torture, Mike asked me what was wrong. And if you're anything like me, you try to be tough and battle your problems alone to not bother anyone with your issues. ( I cant help it, Im programmed this way and I don't even realize it until its boiling) But you see, Michael can see right through my fake smile and sad eyes and I just lost it. Right there, in public. And then, because Im crying in public, I cry more because Im in public and its embarrassing. Im then worried that people think Mike is being mean to me, which makes me more sad because he's an angel!! aaaaah!!! I just wanted to go home. Here's the bad part about NYC. If youre sad, and you just wanna cry on the drive home, in the privacy of your car, blaring angry music, you just cant. Instead you have to get on a train with hundreds of strangers and cry. Its awful. 4 stops later, we got home. I crawled out the window to our fire escape to breathe. I told him how scared and lost I felt.
He wrapped his arms around me and told me everything would be ok if I just did it. He said that the Universe is screaming at me to stop wasting my time on anything else. He was right. I believed him. He offered to help me. He offered to take care of me because he knows it will work. Nobody has ever taken care of me. Ever. I grew up supporting myself since I was 16. ( Ok I came home for a year or two when I was 19..thanks Mom!) This was new to me. I felt relief. I felt loved. I felt safe. I felt a shift. I felt a push.

Michael is not the only one who believes in me. My cousin Michelle believes in me, all of my sisters believe in me, all of my aunts and uncles believe in me, all of my Moms' believe in me, my best friends believe in me, Complete strangers believe in me, and Im pretty sure Unicorn believes in me. (We had a great heart to heart today.) She may have just wanted to me pet her but, Im pretty sure I heard her say "do it Mommy meow"

Thank you everyone for pushing me to jump.

P.S. It took me 2 hours to write this. I need help. Michelle, please take over and Ill just ramble while you write.....

New Orleans

New Orleans welcomes and entices you with her rich colors,  mossy swamps, overgrown greens, and southern hospitality. She puts a gypsy voodoo spell on you that makes you want to stay forever. I could easily see how one could come here and never leave. The community is rich in history and stunning architecture. Even the poor live in quaint beautiful bright victorian homes. Passing by they offer genuine, boisterous hellos from their porches, and not just a "Hello" its a thick  "Hey, how y'all doin today?" The people make this city even more beautiful without even trying.