I will not have you without the darkness that hides within you. I will not let you have me without
the madness that makes me.
If our demons cannot dance,
neither can we.

-Nikita Gill

Let me glimpse inside your velvet bones

- Edgar Allan Poe

"There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness"

And Above All,
Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.
- RoaldDahl

Darkness cannot dispel light,
it can only define it.

Crystallizing even the soft flicker
of a lone lit candle.

But light?

Light can cast away the shadows
until the darkness is gone.

This realization alone should encourage you to shine as brightly as possible.

a writing from Raynie's diary

raynie's journal

I AM

New Year, New…Website?

raynie's journal

As someone who takes a lot of pride in being creative with my art, nothing was more frustrating to me than having a website that lacked the wow-factor I needed to show that hard work off. I know I am not alone when I say that I tried to “re-vamp” my website over and over, or tried to “re-brand” just to be unsuccessful in the end because the thought of doing ALLLL the work was simply overwhelming. After a month or so of working on my website sporadically, I would call it quits and whatever was left was what it was going to be.

This same vicious cycle would continue for years as I got buried under e-mails, sessions, edits, contracts/invoicing, etc etc. My website got put on the back burner constantly and my overall brand identity was muted and all over the place.

If this isn’t the first time you’ve been to my website, than you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Just in the last year, my website has had 2 totally different styles, one with very minimal content because I got frustrated and gave up, and the second with more content, but not exactly what I wanted and not authentically me because I just needed to “get it done.” Neither was updated with recent images because I wasn’t excited to log in and update them. I didn’t want to deal with it. It wasn’t fun because I wasn’t excited about my website. It was like a chore.

The thing is, a great website is such an important part of your businesss. 1. It’s where you display all of your work/portfolio in order to grab the client’s attention. 2. It’s where you let potential clients know WHO you are, what you offer, and what kind of experience they will get by booking with you. and 3. It’s where you present your brand, and show off your style, and hopefully this will be the final decision maker for your potential clients. And not only all of that, it just makes you feel GOOD to have something that’s more than just a site, but an actual representation of yourself.

Knowing all of this, I decided that it was high time for me to buckle down and put my brand first for a change, and started looking into other platforms for web hosting that would give me more customization than Squarespace offered. However, I honestly didn’t know what I was searching for. I’m great with my creative craft of photography, but let’s face it, web design is a whole separate beast that I did not have the time nor patience to tackle on my own. I reached out to a few different designers to ask questions about what they offered, and started looking at what would be best for me. I went back and forth as I often do, and ultimately needed more time to make a decision as no one I had reached out had the “look” I was going for.

I then somehow got really lucky, and found another photographer who was AMAZING at her craft, and whattttt she was an amazing designer too?! JACKPOT! Her website was was so beautifully laid out. A gorgeous canvas to place all of her brilliant work. I KNEW I had found my designer. Amy Hodges with Hodge Podge Photography and Design was a DREAM to work with!

She listened to me every step of the way, analyzed my style, current website elements, and asked all the necessary questions in order to create something that was 100% authentically me.

My new website perfectly represents who I am as an artist, as well as a person. My love for vintage film vibes and bold colors shines through with this design, and I could not be happier about it. I actually WANT to keep my images updated now. I WANT people to visit my website. Where before it was simply a necessity, now it’s an exciting extension of me and my brand!

So here it is, my brand new website! For the first time EVER, I am actually THRILLED to launch this beautiful representation of my business. I highly encourage anyone who has been on the fence about investing in your web design to just take the leap! It’s not just a website, it’s your art. And beautiful art is meant to be displayed in a beautiful way!

Meet my web-designer, Amy Hodges! She was incredibly attentive to detail, and somehow took my ideas that were all over the place and made one magical concept that truly emulates my brand. I joked that she knew me better than I knew myself, and after all of our communication, it might be true!