Behind the Seen - photographer feature series

 This post is meant to outline the process and purpose if this series. 

1- the Number one purpose for this series it to create content

2- to feature the photographer- provide content they can use in their socials

3- to feature the makeup artist - provide content they can use in their socials

-HERE are the VIDEOs created for episode one- 

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both the photographer and the make-up artist get these videos in raw form so they can upload onto other social media that support video. the makeup artist also get's a dozen finished/edited photos that feature the makeup they did. 

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this is how the DAY goes. 

we start by getting ready- makeup and such and footage is taken during this time (of the makeup getting done and small interview with makeup artist) - Makeup artist is also welcome to come to the shoot at act as stylist if they wish (credits will reflect this) 

Then we record the audio version of the photographers interview as well as video (incase there is a need for it) 

we then head to the location (chosen by the photographer) and start the shoot- video/audio is collected during this process. 

Once the shoot is done, we all go our separate ways 

I receive the video/audio footage from my very talented videographer

we wait a few weeks to receive edited photos from the shoot (and a few of those edited photos are also sent in unedited form to be used in the video) 

I sit down and start to create the videos to then upload to social media. 

I send links to the photographer and makeup artist of the videos on youtube as well as a link to the google album with all the photos, graphics, and raw video links. 

This is a value exchange process - We do not pay the professionals for their work and they do not pay us for the creation of content - we each provide what we have in exchange for what the other can provide in return. 

I (Aileen) am the model for each shoot - for several reasons

1- make is very easy to spot the different styles in photographers since they are photographing the exact same person

2- shows the average person (who is also not a 19 year old model) what they might expect when working with this photographer/makeup artist

3- I don't have to check with the model while editing to make sure they are ok with the outcome of the footage because I AM that model 

4- I know the kind of footage I need/want for the content so it's easy to guide the shoot towards these things if it doesn't happen naturally.

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Currently we are just local (mesa/phoenix az area) but I do hope that eventually we can travel to other states (and maybe countries) in the goal of creating the best content for our channel (and for the professionals we work with. 

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if you would like to be featured in an upcoming episode as a photographer or makeup artist (or you have another way you would like to work with us, please contact me via facebook or email) 

email - aileenrstrong@gmail.com

facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aileen.strong

 

Year number 2- recap of this last year as a House parent

 The time has come again to pull back the curtain and let you peek into the life I live as a relief house parent at sunshine acres children's home. this month marks our 2 year anniversary of working here :) 

Normal life has returned as covid steps back, to take its place in history. We've had ALOT of things change in the last year. We are still relief, which means we go into any and all houses when needed BUT our main house (the one we are in at least two days of each week) changed. We are still in a girls house but instead of PV , WH now calls us their relief and we had a wonderful year working alongside a couple that became great friends and role models to us. That couple moved up into other positions and out of the home so now we are working with a new couple, working on establishing a new kind of normalcy in the home. 

We used to have Wed-Thurs as our "weekend" and with the move to a new house we moved to Mon-Tues as our "weekend" and then recently we swapped it out to REAL weekends off :)  which has been wonderful because it means that we have been able to start attending a church off-campus which was something I desperately missed, and it's been wonderful.

Personally this year has been a little harder for me, to see the drastic difference in the life we live, compared to the life I had always planned to live. I thought that at this age (I'll turn 39 next week) I would have adopted a few kids. and while I am 100% invested in the path God has me (us) on, it is a constant reminder to trust that he knows best. 

My cats provide constant joy to me as well as entertainment and the kids I work with, who I really do love, they provide an ever changing list of qualities into my life. 

I am "mom" for a moment (when I tuck them in at night or when I wake them in the morning) , when there is a bump or scrape that needs a band aid

I am a friend when the only objective is fun or when sound advice is needed amidst drama . 

I am big sister (or cool aunt) as they deal with the disappointment of a broken promise or family drama, because even though I'm not really family, I love them like family.

I am the drill Sargent at shower time (to make sure nothing but showers are happening while little bodies are naked!!!) 

I am a teacher when there is a lesson to be learned and something I hope they can remember for their future. 

I am a pastor during devotions or talks about God or bible characters and what can be learned and applied to our lives. 

I am disappointed when they make poor choices. I cheer them on as they try new things. 

I am excited when that report card starts showing the effort that's been put in.

I think I probably feel most of the emotions that a Mom feels as I go about my day, performing all the tasks I am required- but it's just a little different because I do so, knowing that they don't belong to me, that they are simply being lent to us for a while.

and when the time comes for one of these precious little ones (or not so little ones) to go home , for good, I am hopeful and worried. I pray and place them in God hands but I cannot help but think of them often and wonder how they are, and who they are becoming. 

We had a little one here for a short time, she was placed though DCS and going through the process of being adopted - this was hard for me to experience. She was not in "MY" house, but one of the girls houses we got to be in once or twice a month and she was a wonderful child. My struggle came from the fact that my whole life (from the time I was a teen) my plan was to adopt kids, and I didn't think that would be a part of this job (since 99.9% of these kids are privately placed and still belong to their gradians). 

I am happy for her, she deserves a wonderful family and

a wonderful life but it was so hard to love a child and then to know that she was looking for a family and then she was adopted- I felt jealous of that family. Most days I don't find it hard to trust that Gods plan for my life is better then my own plans but that week - that she was adopted, it was tough to let go of the dream that I would get to adopt and be a mom full time. I know that God can do anything and I know that maybe this is still a part of his plan for my life but it was eye opening to see how deeply it effected me. 

I do still find this job to be lonely, I miss the deep friendships I had in my life prior and I continue to pray that God will add that back into my life here, I do consider all my co-workers friends, especially the house moms but our social interactions are usually cut short or here and there while we are watching kids play or waiting for the next thing to start, so our focus is always split - there is no uninterrupted fellowship. 

I am still loving this job and can see myself here long term - I continue to pray that God will show me new ways to use the gifts he has given me- and to see ways I can contribute to this amazing community. I remain trusting God with my future - he knows my heart and he knows best.

In conclusion - I am so overwhelmingly blessed in my life - surrounded by beauty and miracles and so many people who's main goal it is to LOVE others. 

I learn and grow constantly here and I hope that never changes. Stay tuned for next years update :) 

I shaved my head and something amazing happened

 Last March, after months of considering, many conversations and even a therapy session, I did something drastic, that made no sense to most people around me.

At 38 years old, the person I saw myself as and the person I saw in the mirror were so drastically different. After 8 years or hormone issues and 5 years on HRT ( working to balance what was terribly unbalanced), I had gained weight, my shape changed and my brain fell back into some of the patterns of thinking (about myself) that I remember from my teenage years. 

My hair... Most of the time was very long. I used to dye it red but after so many years of dying it frequently ( because I grows so fast) my head was covered in scabs so I made the choice to stop dying it and because I have an auto- immune issue called vitiligo, almost 1/2 of the hair on my head was now white, and the other half was brown. And I got compliments on it all the time (sometimes by strangers) and while there WERE times that I liked it, even loved it, I started to see the white hair age me, then I only ever wore it in a bun, and despite not dying it for years, I still had terrible scabs and would pick at them constantly. I also suffer from hot flashes quite frequently and my thick head of hair did not help with that.

Fast forward to March 2021. I shaved all my hair off, and documented it in a YouTube video. I bought some wigs and took back the reigns a bit on how I look and something amazing happened. It didn't happen overnight, but I started to see myself again when I looked in the mirror.

It's been almost a year since I shaved it off, I grew it out for 6 months but felt like I was starting to feel that old way again so it was shaved again. I can't say that I will keep shaving my head for the rest of my life but I can say that I will for the next few years. 

I do still get scabs but I can treat my scalp directly now, and having no hair helps to cool me down much quicker when a hot flash comes. I do wear a wig 95% of the time when I am out among people but at home, or in the homes I work in ( with the kids) I ditch the wig and Rick the buzz, it looks a bit strange with all my white spots but I've grown used to the look and feel and last month I started challenging myself to go out (run errands) without a wig on and it's been a confidence stretching experience.

I can't speak for anyone else who shaves their hair off, and willingly chooses the bald/buzzed look, but I can tell you that for me, it has allowed me to find myself again, to feel comfortable with the me I see in the mirror, somehow my clothes fit better and my face doesn't look so old- it freed something within me. I had no way of knowing that it would do that.

and if you did not see my video of the shaving process, I'll link it here. 

https://youtu.be/fMs0ogdw2SI