One and done? ;)
Wherever you are, there you are…
Well.. here we are! We made it this far! All of us! Way to be! :)
It’s currently days away from launch day, and while there are about 9823649 things on my to do list till then, one of them is to ‘write a business relaunch mass email’. A mass email?? Who am I? Gotta cross it off that list though, and gotta let some stuff out, so here we go...
I’ve learned a lot about myself over the last 2 years, and one thing I know for sure, is that I am not going to do what doesn't feel right. There are things that are just part of the job, there are things that are just part of life, and all we can do is make the best of them and make them our own. Make it feel right. Not sure if this is a newsletter, a journal entry, a blog, or just some good ol’ venting, but here we are... Let’s keep it real, and just stick with that.
I’ve never done this part before... or right at least, despite my 14 years of attempts. Sharing myself, my thoughts, my feelings, have always fit better in journals than on screens, and I'm honestly scared s**tless of this side of things. Knowing one another feels to me like something that is earned, not just given away. I’ve never really found that perfect dance, or a reason to. A hard part of this business relaunch for me is putting myself, and the things near and dear to me, out there for the world to do with what they please. I’m not sure who would actually read this, but I find comfort in that…like my journals. So I think I'll just put it here..
One and done. Think this is enough? In true journal form, I'll keep it real real. All those hard truths packed in there. Have you ever wondered everything about me? lol. Well buckle up buttercup.
I hope this is a thing and not just wayyy to much. I feel like I scroll through a looooottt to get to a food recipe, so that makes me feel a little better about this…
As most careers do, it started with a passion, and an 11 year old obsession. My best friend Kacey (who is still my BF4L and now my very first employee!!) and I never went anywhere without our disposable cameras. Yep. We’re that old :) I’ve always been visual and artistic, but never really considered it as a whole direction in life.
A big part of who I am is derived entirely from the incredible woman who raised me. I literally tear up writing about her, and could not possibly love her more. She has the kindest heart, and some of the best stories! The story of my childhood and how I got from Copenhagen, Denmark to Anna Maria Island is a book in itself, but I owe it all to her. She raised my older brother and me all by herself, was the epitome of hard work and sacrifice, and somehow managed to send us both to College! She’s as good as they come, and I can only hope that apple doesn't fall far from the tree!
After choosing The University of North Florida based on it being as far away from home as I could in Florida, but still by the beach, it was time for that whole ‘life direction’ thing.
I was 18, and would obviously rather play in the darkroom than choose a career !! ;)
I remember the phone call to my Mom to let her know I wanted to choose Photography as a major, and she was just genuinely happy for me. I had no idea at that time what that meant, or how in the world I was supposed to support myself, let alone a family, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She believed in me, even before I believed in myself, and to her I will always be eternally grateful.
I was also blessed enough to travel back to my European roots during this season of life, and re-connect with family I hadn’t seen in 18 years. (There were pen pal letters exchanged and everything... a whole 'nother book with the best ending!) After my semester in Holland, I spent the summer backpacking through Europe, and got my first real taste of how big and beautiful this world really is!
So I got that degree, and had the time of my life doing it. Seriously, the best. I met some of the best people I know, who are now lifelong friends, and coincidentally from here as well. We had so many great experiences, from photo adventures, to day trips & roadtrips. From beach cruising, to longboarding, to chasing musicians and music festivals... those days were a different kind of lightness. UNF was great, and I had a couple professors there that legit changed my world. I had never had an artistic inspiration (or adult male figure to be honest) to look up to, and they saw me through some formative soul searching years and taught me to see the world differently... Through those love goggles ;). The love was mutual, and I ended up running the photo lab and darkroom there for 3 years after graduation. It was the best job ever, and I found a love for teaching I never knew existed. The love was mutual, and I ended up running the photo lab and darkroom there for 3 years after graduation. It was the best job ever, and I found a love for teaching I never knew existed.
After a long on/off romantic relationship, was planning to head back to Denmark to take advantage of my dual citizenship, and get a masters degree in Multimedia Design (after getting a taste of the real world and realizing I needed to actually make money now). I did the research, I visited schools, I got accepted, and got pregnant the month I was to buy my plane tickets. Life has the very best way of working out just as it’s meant to, and today I have the most amazing 10 year old Daughter. She is a little mini me, and another one I can't type about without tearing up. She’s my world, and inspiration!
Life’s twists and turns made us quite the team, but I had a real good example. The two of us moved back to Bradenton in 2015, and Katrina Lathrop Photography went from a side hustle to a deep dive. Things were tricky, and life was hard, and when my Mom retired from Administration at a Fire Department, I went for it. Priorities adapt. I worked with incredible people, but for the first time in my adult life, I wasn't creative, and I've never been further from myself. I put in a good year, and eventually had to say my goodbyes. (we still all have lunch together from time to time though ;)
I transitioned back into my world, and we were doing it! Kinda-sorta.. I was single mom-ing, and running my
business! (ish) I didn't even have to do the social media I so dreaded because I was busier than I could
even keep up with by myself! This season was fast and busy and exciting and exhausting. I could barely keep up. Times were had, and lessons were learned, but we were making it work ;)
During this season of ‘dating myself’ I decided to check out a live band at a local dive bar that was in my calendar for some reason (to this day, I still have no idea why it was in my calendar). After a friend introduced me to the guy next to me, the conversation seemed to just keep going, and I legit remember asking him what his favorite baby animal was at some point. Smitten as a... Puppy! It was a puppy ;) The music started playing, and all the butterflies! We managed to bump into each other between each set, but I wanted to make sure he knew I was in ;) I gave myself a little (ish) pep-talk at the bar, ordered 2 coronas, and slipped one in his drink holder while he was playing. I did it! First ever first move. It felt right. So right, that I even refilled him once more before I left. ;)
All the butterflies, all the feelings, and as luck has it, his whole family was there watching him play, and watching all my solo dancing and first moves all night long. Couldn’t have been too bad because they approved (after a little internet stalking of course) and after a perfect first date of rock climbing, brewery hopping and Thai food, the rest is history. Cloud 9 went well into covid (I'm not capitalizing that s**t), and he made our worlds all the right colors. All the right sounds. All the right feels. IYKYK. I am now his biggest fan (maybe tied with my daughter ;) and he’s the best ‘step dude’ there ever was!
My Daughter just so happens to be an incredible musician as well (what are the odds) and blows my mind every day. She has found music to work through the tough stuff and it’s freaking beautiful guys. My heart.
He and his incredible family welcomed my daughter and me (changed it for you Mom ;) into their lives with open arms, and my family grew from just a few, to 90+. Yep! 9.0.
In the meantime ;) we welcomed the most beautiful baby boy, who has been hearing good music since he was in the womb, and is now regularly roaming the house singing ‘we will, we will, rock you’. He just turned two, everything is a drum... and he’s definitely a drummer. ;)
Persistence is key, the high road is always the right road, and today not only does my Daughter have an incredible ‘step dude’, she also has a new incredible step-mom and we are all killing it together! It takes a freaking village, and I'm so thankful for mine! Mom’s wine nights and all ! Legit unicorns guys !
My husband's family allowed us to celebrate this love we found on their ‘East 40’ property about an hour from here, where we threw a weekend long music festival wedding and called it Wedstock. :) Never could I have ever imagined, and never could I put into words the amount of magic and love surrounding that whole weekend! It was the very best one of my entire life, and I’m looking forward to our 10 year anniversary!
In 9 years... ;)
We both come from (very different size) islands and it’s an important part of who we are, and something we hold near to our hearts. Although my (technically an island) of Copenhagen, Denmark is a bit larger and much more distant in my life, my husband's side of the family's Island Roots run deep. We were lucky enough to have his incredible ‘PopPop’ around for 96 years, who was born and raised on Anna Maria Island. He raised 6 children here, who then raised 19 of his grandchildren here, 32 of his great grandchildren here, and 1 of his great-great grandchildren. His family has been contributors and conservationists of the island for over 100 years, and continue to fight the good fight to this day. Get em’ Judy ;)
Life takes you right where you need to go, despite the path, but that s**t can get buuummmpppyy! Things are rollin' right along, feelin' good, feelin' great, super pregnant in September... in Florida. Lot’s of work, barely keeping up, when... Bam! Radio. Silence. Won’t bore you with the very nitty, and very long and gritty, but a hacking of sorts caused my business to be de-verified by ‘The Google,’ resulting in 12 years of organic reviews to disappear overnight! Never saw that coming, and was really wishing I didn't neglect all social media when the new inquiries stopped. Overnight. Just like that. :/
Life had my back though, and put just the right things in my lap during this crazy/beautiful season. We created a new amazing life, planned a music festival wedding and celebrated love! We got to experience an incredible honeymoon in Africa to meet a musician (Peter Mawanga) my husband collaborated on an EP with. I got to take the time to re-evaluate my life and my business, and what it is that feels right. I got to spend precious time with my family, when I was needed the most, and I was able to build a business that is me.
I’ve been doing this long enough to know that truly loving it is a must, and I am down-deep grateful to still be finding that love amongst all the growth. I want to love what I do forever, whatever that may be. I want my craft and gift to evolve with my life and its many seasons. I’ve learned through the chaos and soul searching that to do this, I have to keep it real. I have to keep it me. Nothing more, nothing less.
I am truly passionate about people and their lives and stories. I see everything that makes you you with love goggles on, and I'm honored to tell your story. Be it a new life, a sweet family, a lifestyle portrait, a love story, or your happily ever after. I’m here for it. And I’m so genuinely happy for you! I’ve had the chance to see all of this from a different perspective, and what I take from it, is that even though everyone's got their own wild rides of life, it’s all worth celebrating!
Although this business may be new to the world, its roots are not, and its future is joyful. There is a Danish word I hold dear, "Hygge", that doesn't have an exact definition or english translation, but a feeling. A feeling of pressence... of warmth and love and yummy snacks and cosy socks... candles lit, good people, beautiful sights and sounds and feelings. And that's what I'm going for... In my life, and in my art. Presence, Love, and Connection. It's what I want life to feel like, and what I want to capture for you!
I’m honestly not sure if this was a journal entry, re-brand newsletter, a blog, or just a welcome distraction after staring at a screen for a silly amount of time, but that was nice. A good honest start! …5 pages later… (I should probably at least include a good recipe at the end ;)
For the 0-4 of you that have read this far, Skaal ! Thanks for sticking with me. Hope I didn't make it awkward. Although you’re probably one of my GOATS ;) And for that, I am forever grateful !
Well, I feel better. Whatever that was. Hopefully it stays hidden deep in the interwebs and no one ever brings it up... ;) There've gotta be enough ‘tag words’ or ‘keywords’ or whatever this is supposed to be in there somewhere, right ;) We’ll figure it out.
I spent so much time researching and curating all the best of me, only to eventually realize that wasn't really me. I was asking for something I didn't want. I’m not sure I could do this all over again, and I worked too long and hard to do it wrong. So this is it! Nobody is proofreading this one! (You're off the hook Mom & Kacey ;) Maybe from here on out, I can just show nice images of people and things I find beautiful, and maybe that's enough. One and done. ;)
So this is me. My heart, roots and my business. And this is what I have to offer. If you dig it, you’re probably my people, and I’d love to meet you ! :) We’ll start right where we were, as we always do, and see where the wind takes us. It’ll be fun ;) Let’s make beautiful things!
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