let's talk: masturbating

so originally I wanted this post to be nothing but a platform for other's to share their stories on ... Drum roll... masturbating. Their first experience, how they figured it out (I thought I was the first person to discover it) or really just any thoughts at all. I love opening up my blog and having people trust me enough to share their thoughts on things (including crazy things we believed as kids and people's thoughts on sex. Two of my favorite posts to date.) but, unfortunately, when I opened up the flood gates to this, it was interesting to see the lack of participation I received from my male friends/readers/people that usually participate. It was double interesting because I posted about this topic the same day that everyone was talking about Hugh Hefner, a guy that made his money by providing supplies for this very topic, but anyway!

masturbating was never something we really openly talked about in my house growing up, but it wasn't really something to be ashamed about either. It was just never mentioned, probably like most houses I guess. I'm an only child and I probably saved my very young parents from several uncomfortable conversations by just not asking questions. Like I said above, I had noooo idea what I was doing the first time I masturbated, but I knew it felt good and I wondered if anyone else knew about it. I remember it like it was yesterday, being maybe 13 or 14 and leaving the doctor's office after my annual physical for cheerleader tryouts. I was sitting in the backseat of my mom's car and I had a fresh pamphlet in my hands filled with giant medical words and when I read "What is masturbating?" as one of the questions listed, I was half relieved that I was normal and half disappointed that I wasn't discovering it first. Just like how you send coupon codes to your girlfriends for Target, I wanted to tell all of my friends about this amazing discovery! But alas, this has been around for ages.

the lack of participation in my post only pushed me harder into wanting to write it. Why don't we talk about this? Why is it weird? Why does it seem more normal to hear about younger kids being sexually active than knowing what they might be doing in the bathroom by themselves? Someone on my Facebook post even went as far as to say that this is a "TMI" topic and I could feel my brow furrowing. Nope. Jamie Dawn likes information. Let's dive right in!

Most of my feedback was pretty normal: "I started when I was around 13 and ... I don't know... I do it when I'm bored" and I even received one email from a woman, nearly 30, that has never masturbated in her life. I had to read that twice. Girrrl! But I also got some responses that were sad, shocking, and most of all- relatable. Women that were told as children that they shouldn't do it because it's gross, wrong, sinful, dirty, and even considered raping themselves. Most of the people with the worst memories from masturbating as kids don't want anything to do with it now. They were caught by an older sibling or babysitter and were completely embarrassed and made to feel bad about it. Some started as early as 3 years old (I would have never left my nursery) One girl went as far as to say that she was closely monitored growing up to make sure she wasn't doing it and that as a teenager, her parents kept a baby monitor in her room to make sure she wasn't "misbehaving" (which, to me, sounds even more gross and perverted than the actual act itself, right?) And on the opposite end of the spectrum, I received messages from several moms (of both little boys and little girls) that said they simply tell their kids to go to their room when they feel the need to do that and -most importantly- don't let anyone else do it to you! (yes. Slow claps. Good mom awards all around!)

The whole topic made me almost sad to write about. I either got shocking feedback that made my heart hurt for the people telling it, or lots of giggling and laughing. But, it's important. It won't be long until I have my own little horny kids running around and I dare anyone to make them feel anything negative regarding their sexual health. If kids are taught at a young age that they can make themselves feel good, it might just keep one less kid away from having sex too young with another person. If one teenage girl is told that she is 100% normal, it could keep her from feeling like she is "gross and wrong". I'm lucky enough as an adult to have a family that keeps things pretty open and light hearted when it comes to sex and everything about it. There's been a vibrator in my nightstand for over 10 years. (Check out Hustler Hollywood if you're local to Cincinnati. They have some goodies!) and I appreciate the women that jumped on board to participate in this conversation! This won't be the last time we talk about this here, so stay tuned!

an interview: Season Ten

it's always a good night when you can make a new friend. it's an even better night when you make one that has a musical gift. while meeting up with a buddy at a bar in my beloved Northside a few weeks ago, I was introduced to the nicest guy named Jared. After a little chitting and chatting, i learned that Jared was not only musically gifted but that he was a member of the band Season Ten. i know talent when i see it, so i jumped at the chance to check them out in person. He was cool enough to let me come and see their last show, annoy them with flash photography (sorry guys!) and even get an interview as well. check it out below!

1. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions! 

Ok, so this first one is obvious but what kind of band would you call Season Ten?  

 Our go-to genre to define ourselves is Parking Lot Rock, which doesn't really have any identifying qualities... mostly because we made it up. We like to dabble in all genres and decades of alternative/rock/pop/groove/surf. More specifically, we all love The Strokes, the deadpannedness of Radiohead, and 80's synth pop like The Cure, so you're getting a little taste of everything with Season Ten.

2. Your show was awesome and everyone there seemed to have the best time. Have most of your fans been following you since the beginning? Or are you seeing more new faces at shows? 

This year, we're certainly seeing newer, more regular faces. We started from scratch, all about 19 years old with zero fans under our belt. Through just this summer, we've seen our fans double from last year. But it's not just the music that's bringing them out.  We like to spend time with our fans outside of the venue, and most of our newest fans have become really great friends of ours.

3. How did your band come together? What's your guys' history with one another? 

Jared Metz, the singer/guitarist and Alex (Sarki) Sarkisov, the keyboard/guitarist started writing in 2012, but didn't really get going until we met our drummer Alex Murphy-White (who was originally our bassist… it's a long story) through a flier at NKU. Brian, our current bassist, was a mutual friend of Alex's who was looking for a project and came to us after numerous auditions with other bassists. He ended up being the last guy we auditioned on a whim and was a perfect match.

4. Are you all original members of the band? Or have people came and gone over time? 

Haha well here's the 'long' story. Our original drummer Jordan and I started hanging with Sarki and his buddy Jeff (original bassist). We were all about 17 or 18 years old, and started jamming in Jordan's garage. We kicked Jeff out for some reason, and replaced him with Alex Murphy-White who had been a drummer his whole life. Jordan had been a guitarist since elementary school, and began switching off with Alex on bass. Eventually Jordan left, and Alex became our official drummer.  Brian was hired on bass, even though he's originally a guitarist. We take advantage of that now, and switch Sarki and Brian to give our live set a bit of a twist.

5. Fill in the blank "if you like the band ______, you'll LOVE Season Ten!" 

If you love Chocolate Sauce poured on your lover, you'll love Season Ten!

(Note: I cracked up at this answer)

6. Who writes the songs? What are they primarily about?

Usually our songs start with a verse/chorus match up that either Jared or Brian writes on their own time, but the majority of the song writing happens when all of us are in the same room. We know an idea is worth our while when we can all easily groove with it, and write a part without trying too hard. The composition, and the arch of the song doesn't occur until we've all had our say in the creation. Saying just 1 of us writes the majority of the music would be inaccurate.

7. Do you have a most memorable show? Any that stick out from good or bad experience? 

Gotta pat ourselves on the shoulder for this one: For the release of both of our EP's, we used Brian's brother's gym as a venue. The front lobby is more of a recreational center, so we set up our PA system, put beer pong and cornhole tables in the back, and invited our favorite local acts for a Halloween Party the first year, and a Beach themed party for the second. Our buddies in Rich wizard, who put on another one of our favorite shows at their house venue 'The Rat's Nest,' Dark Colour, who's making a lot of progress in the US and just went on tour in Canada, our Tennessee friends in Kerchief, our buddies in Coconut Milk, and Jared and Alex's Hip-Hop side project called Pizza Boiz all put on amazing shows at a once in a lifetime venue tucked away in OTR. It was a true underground/DIY experience and really helped out Season Ten's street credit. Easily the most memorable shows, all self-produced and promoted to death. 

8. What are the best and worst parts of playing in clubs? Where do you prefer to play? 

Playing to no one is about the lowest feeling you can have, but that hasn't happened in years. The only places where that has occurred is a venue that requires presale tickets with zero foot traffic, which we tend to avoid now. Other than that, we love our music, and we have a good time performing anywhere for any amount of people. That, above all, is the cure for avoiding an empty venue.

Our favorite venue though... probably the ones we haven't played yet like MOTR or Northside Tavern. They have great sound, with really dedicated promoters, but we need a bit more exposure before they will take us in. The Drinkery was one of our favorites, but they've since turned to a DJ hotspot rather than a band's venue.

9. How do you guys get the word out about your shows? 

Any social media sites we can follow along with? 

Facebook and Instsgtam are our main social media outlets, but word of mouth and creating relationships with our fans has proved to be the most affective promotional tool. If we only relied on social media, we would still be stuck in 2012… but that doesn't mean you shouldn't like us or follow us on Facebook! haha.  also our music is on Spotify, reverbnation and can be purchased on bandcamp, iTunes and GooglePlay. We have two EP'S out 'Dada' and 'Tiny New Dimension,' and a Single coming out by the end of 2016 called 'The Sun.'

10. And lastly, tell us about some upcoming shows! 

We just scheduled a show at The Comet for September 6th with Moonbeau! That'll be one of the few shows left for us this year.  We're looking into labels, writing as much as possible, gearing up for our first release of the year, and concentrating on all of our side projects. This whole year, we performed at least once or twice a week. Fun for us, but exhausting for our fans. Although, oversaturating the scene has made us a ton of new friends. We can't wait to get back out there with a fresh new single under our belt and a ton of new music to perform. In 2017, Cincinnati can expect our first full length. We'll be working hard until then.

thanks so much to the guys of season Ten for taking the time to chat. you would be wise to check them out as soon as possible. and the comet is great. i'll be there will bells on! 

things we thought when we were kids

when i was little, i thought that if you hit the garage door opener in the car (no matter where you were) the garage door would open. we were out of town once in like florida or something and i hit the garage door opener accidentally at a rest stop and was sure that i opened the garage from 2000 miles away. i mean, how in the hell would i know?! i also thought that everyone had their own name and that no one else could have it. it really threw my 5 year old brain for a loop when there were 2 tiffany's in my kindergarten class. 

i was thinking about this mumbo jumbo the other day and thought it would be fun to see what other nonsense other people thought when they were wee ones. i couldn't possibly be the only one out there that thought these things, right? so i put up a Facebook status asking others to include their own silly kid thoughts and i got some of the BEST responses ever. i was cracking up reading them. so i figured it would be fun to internet shame these Facebook friends of mine and throw them up on my blog to live forever in the universe. i'm leaving everyone anonymous but these are just too good to not share! 

crazy things i thought as a kid:

C- "i thought cars drove people for the longest time and not the other way around" 

W- "i used to think people actually died in movies. i remember thinking "i guess sometimes you are wiling to die to be a movie star" the first time i saw an actor in a different movie, after watching him die in another, i thought hollywood had a special way to bring people back. then i wanted to be a movie star so i never really died" 

C- "i thought that there was a baby the size of a polly pocket in my belly and it just kept growing and growing until i was old enough for it to come out" 

S- "i thought factories made clouds"

A- "i thought there were tiny elves or something inside the VCR that made the VCR tapes play" 

Q- "i thought steaks were made out of beaver tails"

D- "when i went to church, i always thought instead of them saying "hosanna in the highest" that they were saying "lasagna in the highest: like it was the best lasagna on the planet. i also thought i could meet the ghost busters at blockbuster" 

A- "i thought a first name and a last name had to sound "good" together or the name was false" 

C- "i thought there were tiny people that lived in traffic lights to make them change colors" 

E- "i thought that parents were never kids. like, they were just born big or something" 

B- "it's one of my earlier memories, but at one time i thought dogs and cats were the same species. dogs were the boys and cats were the girls" 

W- "i thought all strangers drove VW bugs and that girls peed out of their butts"

K- "i used to believe that ATM cards had unlimited money. i would always tell my mom to go to the atm and get more with the card" 

N- "i thought one end of an earth worm was the girl and one end was the boy and i would always try and make them kiss"

K- "i thought cartoon shows were real"

C- "i thought that for whatever reason, when you grew up you had to have a boy and a girl. and they they would each have a boy and a girl.  i dont even know how this came about!" 

K- "i used to think "unsolved mysteries" was actual footage of the crime and i always wondered why whoever had the camera wasn't helping" 

M- "when i was in elementary school, we were painting my bedroom and i asked my mom if it were possible to paint a room so many times that there was no room left" 

T- "after seeing black and white movies, i thought real life was black and white back then" 

A- "i thought you could literally shove a straw in an orange to drink orange juice, like the tropicana logo. i figured it out when i tried it and never got any dang OJ no matter how hard i sucked on the straw"

L- "teachers living at school. running into them at the grocer store was odd to me" 

K- "i'm two years younger than my sister and when i was little i was 100% convinced that i was older than there because my birthday came before hers. like so convinced, that this caused may fights. in all fairness though, february does come before march"

aren't they great!? happy sunday!! 

PRETTY GIRLS / NORMAL THINGS

like every basic girl out there, i can sit and scroll thru my phone for hours looking at beautifully taken shots of attractive people. i'm pretty sure that's how pinterest came to life and it worked. and as an avid self timer user to get a cool "natural" shot, i appreciate an organic photo taken without heavy lights and a bunch of crazy editing. i like seeing lines on people's faces and a few hairs out of place. have you ever noticed those IG users that photoshop their faces? and i'm not talkin' blemish cover ups… i mean they have completely airbrushed their face and it reminds me of those creepy beauty pageant head shots (you know the ones…) so long story short- most of my favorite photographers have a certain way of capturing a shot that looks natural and unkept and gritty and it's my absolute favorite.

And because of this, i'm doing happy dances over here since finding Anthony. Some of the cutest girls running around Cincinnati have become a part of a beautiful project by one of my new favorite photographers that i just recently stumbled across. a few of the ladies posted their shots from him on their personal facebooks last week and once i noticed a reoccurring name of the photographer, i had to check him out and holy wow, is this guy doing something perfect. he has started a project called
Pretty Girls / Normal Things  (that was a link, in case you missed it) and it's exactly that. it's some of the most beautiful girls around this city being shot doing what they love to do in their day to day lives, from watering their gardens to making pieces of homemade jewelry. i recognized a few faces but most of the girls were strangers to me. but i can already tell that i could develop a total girl crush on any of them, ya know? just gorgeous girls in their cut off shorts and tangled hair and minimal makeup. totally my type of human. keep your contoured cheeks and give me a face full of freckles, please and thanks.

the creator of Pretty Girls / Normal Things, Anthony Reese Schneider, was cool enough to take some time out of his day to do a quick little interview with me. i wanted to make sure to jump in line now to get this interview because i can already tell this guy will be big and famous one day and i want to be able to say i knew him back when he had time to do an interview for this silly little blog. (throws back head and lets out an evil laugh)  so here ya go! 

\\ the interview //

1. you're a lucky guy to get to be surrounded by pretty ladies all the time for this project! how did you come up with this idea?
Ha! I have a friend that told me that I’ve “figured out how to have ‘babe time’ all the time” and that’s a slight exaggeration. Usually the shoots only last for 30 minutes to an hour, and I’m not necessarily good friends with all of the girls so I actually spend a lot of time by myself. I think it’s funny that some people might look at this project and get an image in their head that I’m constantly surrounded by beautiful women. I wish that was the case! Haha

I guess the idea sort of happened very naturally for me. I’m a filmmaker by trade, but I do Post Production so I never really spent too much time actually behind a camera. As I’ve grown older that has bothered me more and more, and I recently decided that I wanted to completely understand the process of exposing an image. In my mind it was just me sort of wanting to learn and understand as much as I can about my craft. So I decided I was going to explore still photography. I spend a lot of time on social media and I would regularly see friends/acquaintances posting images of “models” or “hot” girls and the majority of the images felt very empty to me. I couldn’t really connect with them and that really bothered me. I felt like I didn’t understand the motivation behind the photos, and my solution to that problem was to put the subjects in very simple situations doing things that would feel very natural to them. So instead of me just photographing a girl or a “model", I would be documenting something. This led me to the idea of Pretty Girls Normal Things. I feel like the title is pretty self-explanatory. Haha Basically, for me, this whole thing is just one big fun experiment.

2. what makes a girl pretty? (i think i threw him for a loop with that question haha)Man this is such a hard question. And I have definitely thought about it a lot. I think beauty is entirely subjective. This is a blog of curated beauty. So some people might like it, and some people might think all of these girls are ugly. I really don’t care what people think. All the girls that I shoot have something about them that I am attracted to, but a lot of the time it’s something that is pretty intangible. It’s more of a gut feeling. What do you think makes someone pretty?


(stay tuned for my answer because that question IS really hard to answer. whoa) 

 3. do you find the girls that you shoot or do they seek you out?
I find them. I haven’t had anyone reach out to me yet asking to be involved that I felt had the right look for the project.
(as i raise my hand slowly volunteering to be shot. reeeeal casual like) 

 4. how long have you been in the cincinnati area and how long have you been shooting? 
I was born in Cincinnati, lived in Villa Hills, KY until I was 13, and then moved to Price Hill. I left after high school for 7 years, but I’ve spent the overwhelming majority of my life within ten minutes of downtown Cincinnati. I’ve been making films since I was 12, and been shooting stills since about 4 months ago! Haha

5. whats your favorite camera to shoot with?
 Man. Another hard question. I haven’t had a ton of experience with many cameras so my answer is going to be highly biased. I just bought a Panasonic GX8 and so far I am super excited about it. I tend to like the mirrorless bodies over a DSLR because of the compact size. I like to be as discreet as possible. Haha

6. do you have any more series ideas in the works?
 Oh I always have tons of ideas but they are secrets :) haha

7. any advice for someone trying to break into photography?
GET A CAMERA, GO OUT AND SHOOT. You can read books all day. You’re never going to understand anything that you read until you go out and translate it to a real life scenario. Also, figure out what you’re good at and stick with it. I found out I’m good at taking portraits of pretty girls.
If people want more information they can check out my portfolio at www.anthonyrschneider.com or follow the blog on Tumblr Pretty Girls / Normal Things and Instagram @prettygirlsnormalthings! 

*i only posted a small fraction of the photos taken for the PG/NT project. be sure to hit up his blog and see all of the beautiful work that has been done so far. Thank you again, Anthony!

Cincinnati top tattoo artists: An interview with Mason Williams

for some, getting a tattoo is a huuuuge deal. actually, for a few people, it isn't even a thought worth exploring. the idea of an ink soaked needle coming near their skin is enough to make them run the other way. (my parents, for an example) but to others, it is a rite a passage. a way to celebrate someone that was influential in their life, a place to keep song lyrics that are important or just a way to show off the ever classic Chinese symbol for "love". for me, at the ripe old age of 14, it meant whining and begging my parents to sign a waiver to allow my best friend and myself to get our first tattoos. luckily, as my tattoo has faded, my friendship with said tattoo buddy has not. but looking back, it probably wasn't the smartest of choices. i got a silly little outline of a star on my right foot. purple. for no reason at all. my friend got one of those hawaiian hibiscus flowers on her lower back (she shall remain nameless, though i know she's damn proud of that tattoo since i'm pretty sure i remember her drawing the "design" on the way to the shop!) so for the past 13 years, since that first addicting tattoo, i've gotten several more. i forget about some of them and there are a few i would prefer didn't exist- like the heart i got on my butt that might as well just read "because i'm 18 and i can" that i had done in the scariest tattoo shop ever. but, as time goes on, and i've learned that those babies are here to stay, i've embraced them. each tattoo holds a memory and a reason why its there. my last tattoo came after a few too many margaritas when a friend decided she wanted to get her first tattoo and didn't want to go alone. i decided in the middle of our mexican lunch that a cactus tattoo seemed appropriate. because "we're women, damn it! and like cacti, we don't need a lot of attention or maintenance and we don't like to be messed with too much!" (these were my explanations of getting that particular tattoo. it made sense to me at the time. did i mention those drinks were strong?) prior to the cactus, i let a girlfriend of mine try her hand at "Stick n Poke" tattooing… on my hands. a few dots and the symbol for "happiness" on my ring finger. they're fun and silly and pointless and i love them.

so case and point, i love tattoos. even the worst tattoos out there, i can have some respect for. the guy with the barbed wire tattoo and the girl with the butterfly tramp stamp. they saved their money and got up the courage and sat through the pain (i don't care what anyone says. tattoos hurt, you guys) and snaps to them! i hope they love their tattoos forever! and while there are some tattoos out there that you kind of tilt your head one way and wonder "what were you thinking?" there are more BEAUTIFUL works of art out there, too. pieces that you can't help but stop and stare and want to touch (please don't touch stranger's tattoos. it's weird) and wonder where it was done. in those situations, you cross your fingers that they respond with somewhere local and not somewhere far far away. that's where my new series is going to help!

in Cincinnati, we have a lot of very talented artists running around that create some of the most beautiful pieces (barbed wire need not apply) i decided to start doing a series of some of my favorite artists i've found around the city. some of these artists are people i've wanted to interview and learn about for a while and some of them i've just now heard about through people telling me "you have GOT to interview _____" it's been awesome. i have a few more interviews lined up for the next few weeks and am excited to learn about some new talent around the city.

Ssoooo with all of that being said, here's my first featured artist for Cincinnati's Top Tattoo Artists:

Mason Williams 

of ArcLight Tattoo 

Mason was brought to my attention from several of his fans out there that love his ability to create the most beautiful portraits. seriously. this guy has magic hands. read on!

1. First the basics: How long have you been tattooing and when did you know this was what you Wanted to do?  

 I started tattooing full time around 2002 but I knew that I wanted to tattoo well before then. I did my first sheet of tattoo flash when I was around 11 years old. 

2. What style do you tattoo in? Do you think the artist chooses their style or the style chooses the artist?   

I don't know what my style is. Primarily I tattoo in black and grey and my work has a lot of realistic images throughout but that is really just the way that I tattoo. I think when you see a tattoo and you instantly know who did it, then that is really seeing someone's style. Hopefully I have that to some degree. Style is a word with a very vague meaning for most people so it is always changing definitions depending on who you talk with. 

3.  Of all the tattoos you've created on people, do any stick out as being your favorites?  Do you remember any tattoos that you hated doing? 

I have tattoos that I remember fondly and one's that I think back on negatively. I do my best to avoid all negative situations

4. If you hadn't become a tattoo artist, what do you think you would be doing now?  

If I wasn't tattooing I would still like to do something creative with my hands.  

5. Of all the work that you have on yourself, what are your favorite pieces? Do you have any that you regret? 

The tattoos that I wear on my body just feel like they were always there to me. I suppose I would do things differently if I had a time machine, but not all that different

6.  Do you prefer when someone comes in and gives you the freedom to create their piece Or when someone is very specific of what they want? 

 I get many different requests for tattoos and they are all over the place. Some people have very vague ideas and some people have extremely specific ideas. If I agree to a project then I truly want to give that person what they are after. However, everything that I tattoo, paint, draw, etc. goes through my hand and looks the way that I make it and when a customer tries to force my hand too much, things go off the rails.

7. And finally, my most important question: What are some do's and don'ts to not pissing off your tattoo artist? Like, What are some of your biggest pet peeves?    

 Personally, I like people that want to collect tattoos from me, keep their appointments, show up on time and tip big! If they do all that, then I will take care of everything else.

Thank you so much, Mason! if you would like more information or would like to check out more of his work, link to his shop HERE. and check back in a few weeks for more interviews with local tattoo artists. 

In Defense of the Selfie

good lord sometimes it just makes my head spin when i think of how beautiful and talented the people are in my life. so last month, as you may remember, i went on vacation to the bahamas with some girlfriends. well, one of the ladies that went, Lena, i have known for years and she lives up the street. but the other girl that came along was a friend of Lena's that lives out in LA and we had only met once before. it was a great trip and she was one of the most charismatic people i've been around in a long time. so easy going and she was just so in love with life. a beautiful soul, if you will. sooo basically Stefanie if you're reading this, i miss you! 

so anyways, a few weeks ago she posted on her blog and i couldn't help but text her immediately and ask her for permission to repost it over here. i love the photos that she posts on her instagram, especially her selflies, and have always thought "dang, i hope that girl knows just how pretty she is!"  She decided to write up a post and her message is perfect and it should be shared everywhere. so here's what my new friend stefanie has to say about self worth, confidence and most importantly- 

the selife! 

In Defense of the Selfie

I’m not exactly sure when the term selfie was coined. However, I do remember I joined MySpace around 2005, and they demanded a “profile picture” which was typically one of your face. So unless you were a model with a portfolio, your only options were terribly scanned photos from years prior or cheesy posed party photos from your digital camera. Somewhere along the way, I started using my camera phone to take pictures of my own face. As did everyone else. These photos would eventually be deemed selfies. It’s even, like, a real word and everything now.

There is no denying technology and social media have altered the way we live and how easily the average person can document it. Some people embrace it (Me!), and some people don’t get it. Or they don’t care, and that’s okay too! Everyday, millions of people all over the world take photos of their food, their pets, their workouts, their cocktails, their views — pretty much anything they can fit in the phone lens shot. Of course, I forgot to mention the obvious — their faces. The selfie has evolved from a “profile pic” to a daily occurrence.

Like any trend over time, the buzz surrounding selfies created a stigma. With the creation of Instagram, a social media outlet solely for photo sharing, the selfie became something bad. An uproar of emotion that claimed anyone who posted a selfie was narcissistic and attention hungry. Suddenly, taking pictures of your own face made you an asshole. But hadn’t we all been doing that for years?

Here’s the thing: we live in a world where photo sharing and information are constantly at our fingertips. Many of us have latched on to this as a way to keep in touch with family and friends, brand ourselves, and network personally and professionally. Younger generations use it as one of their main forms of communication. Creations like the hashtag allow us to search seamlessly for others interested in and posting about the same topics as ourselves. So I want to take advantage of that. I want to turn a “bad thing” into a good thing. I want to remove the selfie stigma.

I have a 16 year old sister who deals with self esteem and body issues everyday. The same way I did, and the same way millions of other teenage girls do. If my sister can take a selfie and feel pretty in it, then who is anyone to take that away from her? All day long she can carry around those issues, but if one picture of her own face can help assuage that for any amount of time, I say go for it.

This isn’t just about teenage girls, (although as someone who once was one, I know they need it), this is about anyone struggling with a self esteem issue. Young or old. Boy or girl. If you’re embarrassed about your acne. If you’re coping with an eating disorder. If you’re a woman in a man’s body trying depserately to become who you really are. If you’re just having a bad day and need a pick me up. This is about everyone. This is about overcoming that inner struggle — even for mere moments. This is in defense of the selfie.

To bring everything full circle, this is what I’m proposing: let’s use the selfie and the hashtag for good. Let’s start a revolution. If everyone who reads this can take a moment and snap a photo of themselves where they feel beautiful in any way, then post it to social media with the hashtag #indefenseoftheselfie, perhaps we can make a change. Not for the selfie’s sake. But for every single person who participates and is encouraged to love themselves despite all outside influences. So go ahead. What are you waiting for? Take a selfie.

AN INTERVIEW: HOLTMAN'S DONUTS

this blogging thing has its perks, ya know? it allows you to go places you wouldn't have been able to go before.  like the kitchen of a donut shop, for example! 

 tonight we were lucky enough to be invited to the ever popular Holtman's Donuts  in OTR and got a first hand look at how donuts are made! it was really cool to see the ins and outs of the place and meet the people behind the scenes. Holtman's in OTR is co-owned by Katie and her boyfriend (he wasn't there for the interview) and he is the grandson of Mr. Holtman himself. The two of them quit their corporate jobs to follow their dreams of keeping this family business moving forward. isn't that amazing? "we knew if we didn't start this shop now while we were young, it might not ever happen!" -the girl knows what she's talking about! She is the sweetest for taking the time out of her busy schedule to let me peek thru the place. Thanks Katie!

My dad has owned a mechanic shop since I was really little, and I've seen the stress it can cause on a family. There's no boss to turn to for a raise or something to cry to when you want change. It's on you. and failure isn't an option when you put your everything into starting up a business. I think I have a soft spot for family businesses. I appreciate the communication and team work it takes from everyone and if you can work with family, you can work with anyone! (especially your boyfriend, hello!) This is the third location of Holtman's since 1960 so it's evident they are doing something right! 

 I think we've tried almost all of the donuts, but my favorite had to be the cinnamon sugar twists, while jon is partial to a cheese crown anywhere he goes. be sure to head over to OTR and get your hands on any of their delicious (and EXTREMELY well priced) treats. they're located on vine treat and you can't miss their beyond perfect donut sign out front!

^ the adorable Katie ^

Thanks again, Holtman's! I'll be munching on this giant pastry of happiness for the next 3 days! 

AN INTERVIEW: ERNO HOME TOUR

mr erno invited me  to do a home tour a few weeks ago and i was so excited! i love these home tour things. 1. i'm pretty proud of this apartment and how good it looks and 2. it's the perfect excuse to clean the sh*t out of it. seriously, it's never cleaner than when i am getting ready to take photos of it. head over to his blog (he writes a french blog, but the interview is written in english) and check it out.