Good Vibes Styled Shoot

ArenaThemes Collaborator
Aug 08, 2019
0 Comments

I can't even downplay how proud I am of how this turned out. The personalities meshing, the visions, the attitudes.... "Good Vibes" Styled Shoot feels too generic to convey how magical this evening truly was.

My mom has always been into Volkswagons; so on our family drives to Fairview to visit my grandparents, Asheville Vee Dub was always a noteworthy spot. Mix in the influence of the Junk Gypsies and a "in rust, we trust" attitude, my never ending amusement with the beatnik culture, and the need to wear flare jeans even when they aren't "in style".... this place was destined to enchant me.

I met Kirsten of Lincoln & Roost at the May 2019 Show & Tell Pop Up Shop in Downtown Asheville. She peddles some great vintage finds, so I gave her a follow on Instagram. One day, she was thinning out some inventory and I scored a southwestern ceramic mug from her and we agreed that I would pick it up from her house. I noticed she mentioned photography on her Instagram profile, and I wanted to bring it up, but high fevers plagued her household the day I was supposed to see her. I picked up my treasure outside her front door and started to think it just wasn't meant for me to satisfy that inquiry when I get a message saying "We should totally do a collab/photoshoot with your pieces."

"YESSSSSS!!!" I thought. It was time. I had to stop and drag my awkward self into Asheville Vee Dub to ask if my pending vision could meet reality. Chris, the owner, generously obliged. Swirling around in this same fantasy was the beautiful, ice dyed kimonos by my girl Stephanie of Air To Be. She had recently moved to Austin, TX but excitedly joined me in my vision for this groovy shoot.

I still needed some models, and hopefully someone who could help us in the hair and make-up department. Totally unrelated, I had met Jessica (The Mountain Muse) at my family's shop in downtown Canton. I think others would agree that her spirit is contagious and she's just one of those people that make you feel good. To my surprise, she reached out about the shoot, not knowing who I was or that we had met before. I had totally expected to pick from my own acquaintances for this shoot, but I am so thankful several local models reached out. Gee Gee (@uniquelygeegee) was one of them too. I loved her look, especially for this shoot, I had to book her! So I nervously reached out with what I could offer to each of them and thankfully they accepted. So, that left a hair and make-up artist TBD...

I was starting to think that I might have to ask them to do their own, when Kayleigh (@kayleighnortonn) came into reach TWO WEEKS before the shoot! My friend Danielle showed up looking glamorous to model some clothing/jewelry looks for me and let me know that Kayleigh has helped her get ready. Long story short, Kayleigh and I have several mutual friends, Danielle encouraged me to reach out, and thankfully - she was available and eager to help! And wow - she did a beautiful job! While her full time job is in the medical field, she stepped in like a pro and conferred with each of them about how to achieve a look that made them feel comfortable and confident. Olivia Reese of WINK Salon tagged along with her bestie, Kayleigh, long enough to give Jessica this gorgeous, natural wave and volume boost.

I was a tad bit nervous to arrive at the venue... were they going to get it? Or were they going to be like "cool dusty ol' bones, dude"?

But, oh.... they GOT it!

The girls got styled out and the excitement level climbed with every new "favorite" VW they discovered.

The chemistry and encouragement between the models was so sweet to witness. They weren't competing. They were lifting each other up and having a great time.

Here we are 4 days post-shoot and Kirsten already has our edited gallery to us! Can you say "WHAT A FREAKIN' CHAMP"?

There were 230 edited photos in our gallery and I narrowed it down to these 16 to share with you. It was hard. I had butterflies the entire time I cruised the gallery.

I am so thankful that God allowed this to fall into place. I truly believe that all of us - creatively, professionally, and personally - have and will benefit from the outcome of the time spent together.