12/17/2020
I’ve always had some strong opinions about how I wanted to style my work because it seems like most invitation shots are always full of a thousand other things, overwhelming the image and distracting from the simple beauty of the elements I particularly love about paper design- things like paper textures, irregularities, impression details, etc. A few years back I was lucky enough to be part of styling a shoot with some big names in the wedding industry (tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of followers all around, that kind of thing). Every single person involved was friendly and very talented but I remember the florist coming up to me after I had finished putting together a couple of flat lays with my paper pieces, and asking me if I was finished. It was said in a totally kind way but the implication was that the flat lays were quite simple. But yes, I was done and yes, the simplicity was intentional. I was CRAZY nervous to even be talking with this person, let alone asserting a styling opinion when I was someone nobody had really heard of. I felt SO nervous and worried the photographer would say they were too simple because I ‘wasn’t a real stylist who knew what they were doing’ (imposter syndrome, anyone?). I was confident enough in my vision though to not change how I’d presented those vignettes, and the photographer captured them BEAUTIFULLY. I’ll never forget the anxiety spike that question gave me though. Anxiety is such a tricky creature. Were these industry visionaries trying to change my vision? No! Of course not! They of all people respected and appreciated a maker’s perspective even if (especially if?) it was different than what they expected. Everyone worked together to make sure the different shoot elements were captured in a way that did justice to the moodboard I’d conceived, and that respect for individual artistic character within the larger vision made for such an amazing collaboration. A good reminder to trust your vision and not your follower count. Photo by a crazy talented friend who has a knack for capturing simple beauty and never second guesses my pared back flat lays
