h a l i e
…at a glance
I live in a town with only about 225 people and I love it (don’t worry; we are near a larger town where I can eat tacos and drink margaritas)
I will literally drop whatever I am doing to go to the mountains. My husband sometimes tests me on this and our current record was getting everything packed and into the van within an hour, when we had a full productive day planned.
I have two Aussies (Nola & Willow) and I would not say no to another. Or ten others.
I am highly motivated but love to be lazy. It’s all about balance, right?! My job requires working from home very often, meaning sweat pants (or no pants) are my uniform.
I’ve shaved my head three times and it was so liberating each time. Just picture waking up, putting clothes on, and being completely ready unless you want to add makeup.
I have another photography business called Love Stories Collective. Reach out there if you want photos of your: wedding, elopement, engagement, family, birth, etc.
I have been a vegetarian for 11 years. Just don’t like meat, that’s all. I try to eat vegan BUT CHEESE.
I have over 100 houseplants and I do a dance every time a new leaf is produced.
I just wanna live in a cabin in the woods with a creek or a river nearby.
If I go too long without dancing to dirty rap music in my undies while I am home alone, it truly takes a toll on my soul.
I always heard people tell me “you’re such a dreamer” as if it were a negative thing. I believed it until I married someone that is an even bigger dreamer than myself and he’s never once put down an idea of mine.
I often do pottery for 5-6 hours at a time and feel like only 45 minutes have passed. I’m thankful for that.
I love gin. My favorite cocktail is a Negroni.
I used to think I hated reading, but turns out I just don’t enjoy fiction books. My fav genre is self-development.
…but let’s dig deeper
A lot of “I’s” up there, huh?! We get so wrapped up in the things we like, the things we dislike, the activities we enjoy. They’re important for sure, but they’re just the cheese on the toast — the guacamole on the taco. I used to define myself as “a dancer”, as “someone who hated onions and garlic”, as an “A+ student”, etc. All of those mean almost nothing to me now. I sure as hell didn’t become a professional dancer; two of my favorite things are onions and garlic; and grades don’t matter in the real world. What about who / what we are at our core? I think we are probably similar: human (perfect but certainly imperfect at the same time), kind, free, seeking love, wanting to give love, looking for purpose. Some of these things may not come naturally to us, but I do believe these qualities are within us all.
…how it all started
In high school, I somehow started coping with my anxiety by pulling my hair out. I know, I know….”WHY would you do that to yourself!?” some people would ask. Trust me, the answer is not so easy and I’ve been on a journey to figure it out for years and years. I could talk for days about my struggle with this, but I’ll get to the point. I had terrible self esteem because of this. My face would turn bright red in embarrassment if someone gave me a simple compliment, because not only did I not believe them, but I often believed just the opposite of what they were saying. In hopes to minimize the chances of other people feeling the way I did, I began to photograph women in an intimate way to help them see what others see. Over 7 years of doing so, I watched so many women grow more confident in their bodies and in themselves. And over those 7 years, I grew to love myself so much more too. I truly do believe that I have struggled in the past so that I am increasingly more equipped to help others. I also believe that my gift of photography is meant for more than simply taking a pretty photo. It’s meant for showing others how I see them and how they can begin to see themselves. This ability combined with my desire to help spread love through my work is where Mothlight was born.