This morning another goddess made it into PhotoVogue. Mnemosyne Stands, Goddess of Memory is the fifth work from The Goddess Array project and my ninth publication with the PhotoVogue community. It always feels so validating to get the Vogue stamp. Here is a poem I wrote from The Goddess Array book entitled, Mnemosyne Stands:
My favourite subject is people. The process of coaxing a person’s essence out of them and capturing it on film to be remembered forever gives me great joy.
As I sit here at my desk overlooking the vast grey waters of Rice Lake on the brink of a brand new year, I can’t help but feel deep in my bones that the best is yet to come. 2023 was a year of fighting for justice. While horrific wars raged on overseas, I battled the very personal, internal conflict of becoming whole again after becoming a mother. Healing is hard work.
When I was mentally and physically ready to go back to work, Artificial Intelligence (AI) was launched into the public sphere. Much to everyone’s surprise, AI’s first conquered frontier was something we all thought was irreplaceably human; namely, Art.
The turn of events terrified Hollywood. The writers went on strike, fighting to ensure that the scripts being produced were human-made. The actor’s followed, demanding AI restrictions and streaming profits. It was their only chance to make a stand as AI evolves exponentially. After months of halted productions, they got what they were fighting for. Kudos to their win, but much money was lost in the fight as productions came to a screaming halt.
There was little work to be had due to the strike when I was looking to get back at it. As has so often happened in the past three years, I needed a pivot. One of my angels in this life, Ms. Lisa Ericsson, agreed to mentor me on the production side of filmmaking for commercial shoots. And that opportunity saved me this year. Here is some of my AI art:
The plunge into adulting, becoming a homeowner and parent, can drown a careless one. Now don’t get me wrong, the sweet joys of raising Rhea amongst so much natural beauty in peace is worth my life. My daughter is my greatest work of art. However, the artist in me can’t help but feel a bit strangled by all this responsibility. How do we make room for art in an economy so broken our basic rights to nutritious food, housing and peace are threatened daily? I aim to carve out more time this coming year for creation and magic.
In 2023, growing my garden was my act of rebellion, resilience, healing and beauty. In this global capitalist world run by corporations with terribly short-sighted game plans, it feels radical to grow food in the earth to nourish my family. My garden is where I heal.
So, in a nutshell, 2023 was a combination of revelling in my garden and producing TV ads.
Here is a peek at what I got up to:
Quaker Oats starring The Manning Family
I cut my production teeth on these two cereal ads featuring three generations of the notorious Manning family. Father and son, Archie and Eli, are two American football quarterback legends. Greatness must run in the family because Eli’s two daughters are pretty awesome too.
When I was a teenager at music theatre school I made a promise to myself that I would never become bored with my work. That promise has only proven to stay true as I feel I am constantly starting a brand new skill from scratch. Working on this production was a crash course in every way. It was definitely stressful to take on so much responsibility without much experience, but I certainly never got bored! And now I can add another hat to the various roles I can be useful at on a film set. Here are the spots:
Non-Professional Interlude #1 – Water Droplet Flower Studies
Iris w. Morning Dew
Every morning through the warmer months Rhea and I take a tour of the garden. We give special attention to what’s blooming; the perfect way the morning dew rests upon their soft petals, like tiger tongues lapping at a bowl of milk. The peonies, roses, irises, lilies, lupines, hibiscus, mock orange, Japanese quince flower, tulips, hyacinths and hydrangeas stun. One could find God in them if one looked close enough.
Peony w. Morning DewRose w. Morning Dew
2. Big Pharma Ad – Not yet released
Soon come. Here’s a top secret BTS shot in the meantime. NDA’s are so boring…
Featuring flowers from the garden, of course. Caitlind is royalty.
3. Project Candy – Another commercial I helped produce, not yet released
Out soon. Here is a nondescript peek at the wardrobe fitting that is vague enough I think I’m allowed to post it in the meantime:
Non-Professional Interlude #3 – Exotic Tulips
In October 2022 I bought the most expensive and unheard of tulip bulbs I could find and nestled them into the earth. Come spring 2023 they were little explosions of exotic beauty!
4. Project Chocolate – Another commercial still in the edit
Due to air in the Spring. Much chocolate was enjoyed. Here is a selfie I took on set in the meantime:
Non-Professional Interlude #4 – The Port Hope Fair
The garden won a couple of ribbons at the Port Hope Fair…
2nd Place Sedum Stem Diameter 5″+3rd Place Beets!
5. Portraits of Soprano Amber Braid ft. in Opera Charm MagazineNo. 2/2023
“We can truly move people with resonance. People cry because our voices oscillate their bones.” – Ambur Braid
Non-Professional Interlude #5 – Flower Study ft. Daisy (Creative)
Grow, grow, grow, my sweet little angel! I of course have a million photos of her, but these are a couple of my favourites.
7. Willow Cove Promo
A sweet little social commission for the gorgeous Prince Edward County destination, Willow Cove.
Non-Professional Interlude #7: Grow Your Own
I’m a believer in food as medicine, and our doctor took great care of us this year.
8. The Manor Salon Christmas Photoshoot
Go ahead. Name a more glamorous team. I’ll wait…
For all things pertaining to excellent hair go visit the ladies at The Manor.
Non-Professional Interlude #8: – Manzanillo
Photo by Daddy
We got to spend the month of February with family in Manzanillo, Mexico and it was divine.
“Manzanillo is rising with the sun. Two-stroke bike motors, a menagerie of tropical birds, street dogs & roosters sound their alarms at the breaking day. A cool breeze licks like a kitten. All the local fruits, vegetables & fish are nutrient-rich and muy delicioso. We have been to the beach for every sunset, each one more glorious than the last. Life is grand here in Mexico.”
from my diary, February 14th, 2023
My husband and I toasted on New Years to all the blessings we have been so incredibly lucky to receive throughout 2023. We do not take our freedom for granted for one second. With our feet on the ground and our heads in the clouds, we enter 2024 with a blank slate, ready to manifest all that we can dream of. Don’t forget, nothing worth anything ever comes easy. Wishing you all love and laughter in the new year. Here is a pic of Rhea and I on Christmas to put a bow on this review. Thanks for reading. Love, Jen.
Last week I had the pleasure of shooting BTS of a Kien Hoang Hair Styling Master Class at The Manor Salon in Toronto. Kien is Oribe’s Principal Artist of Global Design. Needless to say, it was a treat to watch the artist at work.
The stylists at The Manor Salon created two looks with Kien: a Nicole Miller runway-inspired romantic blow-out and a Simone Rocha runway-inspired knotty do.
Here are the results of Look #1:
And the process of how this hair got so luscious:
Here are the results of Look 2:
And the process:
Many thanks to the stellar team! Book your holiday hair now at www.themanorsalon.com!
Amber Fairlie, Salon Owner & Kien Hoang, Oribe Artist
Caitlind came by my home studio at the end of peony season to get creative with the big, fragrant blooms before their time was up. It was my first time shooting Cait and she proved to be an absolute work of art. Reflecting on the shoot in the edit one thing really struck me about the photos. The candid moments I captured while testing the light gave way to far more honest expressions than the images I overtly directed. It’s interesting to see how the directed photos are more composed, but the honesty that emerged from the candid moments makes me feel something more, and isn’t that the measure of Art? Does it make you feel something? Take a look at the posed versus candid shots from the shoot and let me know which you prefer. The above photo was posed. Below is the candid moment.
Nature’s design continues to enthral my attention. In this series featuring flowers grown in my garden once again, I was playing with the way petals hold water. The droplets form little light-filled jewels brought to life by the vibrant petals. They create the perfect canvas.
Animals do not commit suicide. Why is self-harm a uniquely human trait? I’ve been elbow deep in the dirt this Spring delicately and thoroughly extricating a robust variety of wheatgrass that is threatening to take over my garden. I feel murderous each time I tug out a shoot, but I also marvel at the plant’s seemingly ever-consistent will to live. I marvel at the complex root systems these little grass shoots weave just beneath the soil. Some of the roots are a meter long with offshoots every two inches!
Suddenly I hear a wail of despair. “Call 911!” My neighbour’s son overdosed on fentanyl. Another neighbour had a naloxone kit and brought him back to life. The son’s father recently passed away and he found the opioid eased the pain of grief. It seems that tightrope between life and death is a place of great pleasure for a lot of people. My father died testing the limits of that line in 2020. Why do plants work so hard at living while we humans act like suicidal ants, building massive systems of short-term comforts that will eventually lead to our demise? Monoculture farming, seed patents, rampant use of cancer-causing pesticides, incessant mining, overconsumption of all our precious natural resources, disgusting practices in meat production, opioid overdose epidemics and on and on… it is all just so short-sighted, unhealthy, and suicidal.
Life is a miracle. The conditions that led to your soul being born into this world in your beautiful body is something that should never be taken for granted. Your roots run deep. Your ancestors’ blood memory is running through your veins guiding you at every turn. The entire universe lies within. Can you feel it? Like the plant, can we take some sun, some water and choose to grow? The simple act of taking a nature walk in springtime will remind you of the awesome power of rebirth. A fresh bud unfurling after a brisk April rain contains the kind of beauty that will bring you to your knees.
You are more loved than you will ever know. A Harvard study proved that most people are far more well-liked than they think they are. The path to destruction has powerful roots as well. Tragedy begets tragedy. My poor neighbour lost her husband and then almost her son in the wake. Her heart would not withstand another loss of that magnitude. You are so loved. Choose to respect the gift of life and respect the people who love you. Keep them close and lift them up; right up to the sun.
dailytoole 