Holy moly, it has been another year since my last catchup post. These years are just flying by; I blinked, and my daughter is a year and half already. It’s taken over a year to start going in the direction I wanted to go and I’m sure it will take another year or two to get where I want to be, but I am happy with the progress I have made.
I am so in love with my woodland fantasy & metaphysical shop, Fox and the Wolf, and being there has allowed me to collect pieces of myself. Between the move, career changes, etc., it’s been a fresh start. Unapologetically being the hippie child I grew up as and feeding my passions. Living on the almost 11 acres of forest I grew up on will do that to you, looking out the window and seeing deer, turkeys, and feral cats instead of the neighbors’ lawn services. Kira has been able to grow up around so much love with her family and having my whole tribe to help raise her has been a blessing. Children are tough. Trying to get anything done, especially running businesses is even tougher. After years of missing family gatherings due to work, I’ve been slowly trying to reach out to friends and loved ones. It doesn’t come naturally to me anymore, and I know it will take time since we are still in the middle of a lot of overwhelming changes. My fear of judgement has been tough. I was so afraid of people being disappointed in me for my life changes, but so far I have been surprisingly surrounded by positive feedback and support.
With all of those changes, comes the announcement that I know many of you felt was coming. I am excited to announce I will no longer be booking weddings under my own company. Dave and I have chosen to join forces with one of my best friends, Ashley Gerrity Photography. I’m not sure what I would have done had it not been for Ashley and her team during my pregnancy. She was able to cover most of the dates I needed help with because she has a team to back her up. I realized how much trying to do it all myself over the years has drained me and while I was running a successful business, it has become my whole life. The little artist inside of myself was slowly dying. I’m still unsure of what direction I will go with Serena Star Photography. For now I am still taking sessions in the back room of my shop, but if I were to be honest with myself, I would prefer to get back to doing art projects. Working with Ashley’s studio allows me to spend more time with my daughter, grow Fox and the Wolf, focus on the art I love, and another endeavor that I am even more excited to finally announce! (PS: If you are one of my last two weddings in 2023, nothing is changing.)
A few months ago, I went out on a whim and submitted the pitch of the fantasy novel I wrote for a mentorship program with one of my favorite authors, (NY Times, LA Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal best seller), Melissa Marr, who wrote the Wicked Lovely Series. She inspired me years ago to keep going for my dreams when I met her at Fairy-Con in Maryland. I was so nervous to share the news, because I couldn’t believe it was real. I was waiting for someone to say, “just kidding”, but I was blessed to be chosen out of all the candidates that applied. It feels surreal that I have been given such an incredible opportunity, and I have been having a difficult time putting into words how much it means to me. Every time I send Melissa pages, my stomach drops and I get apprehensive that this will be the email that I wasn’t the right fit. I know a lot of that is my own insecurities, but no matter what happens, it has been an incredible learning experience. It hasn’t been easy. I’ve torn what I thought was a mostly finished manuscript in half, but I feel like I’ve already become a better writer for it. With my wedding season coming to an end, I am hoping to devote more time to writing this coming year.
I know I’m a little bit of a hermit, but ya know I’ve kind of always been that introvert. If I know you personally and you are on discord and want to chat, I’m usually around even when I’m working. If you or someone you know has a super cool wardrobe and feel like doing some fantasy photos for fun, feel free to shoot me your ideas, I’d love to plan shoots for the spring just for me. Maybe bring some Fox and the Wolf products in so I have some advertising pieces!
If you’ve gotten this far, thanks again for always reading my long posts, you are the reason I write these catch ups. <3
Xo
Serena
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