Back in 2021, I decided to close Creatrix.

Honestly? I was exhausted with this. The pandemic stripped apart the way I looked at my photography business. I began to resent the process of feast/famine, which was only compounded by some severely problematic clients.

My breaking point was Jan 2022, when a prior client tried to extort me four months after the wedding, claiming I ruined their day through profoundly insane accusations like trying to run their mom over with my car (like, what the actual hell???). On the actual wedding day, one of the brides drunkenly berated me in front of an audience, screaming at me for not photographing something, despite me being over contract already. These two instances were a drop in the bucket of my experience with them.

Naturally, their extortion attempts didn’t work.

But it broke me.

That whole situation got to me, far more than it had any right to. By Jan 2022, I’d already been working at a celebrity gossip website company, doing SEO and content editing for almost eight months.

So I decided Creatrix was over.

The day I realized I needed to step away, I curled up on the floor and grieved like I was leaving an ex-partner (what, you don’t sob in the feral position too?)

Fast forward to April 2023—I’d fulfilled all of my contracts. I was done. I went through the motions of closing it officially and told every and anyone.

But what I thought would offer a distinctly memorable relief brought only more grief. I was angry at myself for letting some clients get to me. I was angry I let people ruin my passion.

I also realized that my love for photography had fallen away under the grind of it being my sole income.

After three months of not shooting and focusing on Avery Atelier (my new SEO and brand development company), I began to write a blog about venues for the Atelier website. So I began to dig into my images, searching for certain ones.

And my heart ached to see all of the beautiful images from all of the amazing clients I’ve had. Then a week later, a friend invited me to second shoot a wedding. The few days before, I found myself excited again.

Excited to pick up my cameras.

Excited to feel the familiar movements of a wedding day.

Excited to capture real emotions.

It made something inside of myself click. But I still ignored it.

UNTIL THE DREAM.

Fast forward to September 2023. There I am, sleeping like a stressed-out baby, when I have this dream of restarting Creatrix, but doing elopements.

I woke up, knowing exactly what I needed to do. Within a day, I had everything set up again. Took down Permanently Closed on Google. Updated my website to focus on elopements.

And sat down to write this blog.

I should have never let some assholes control my passion. I also should have never let my passion weaken so badly, that I readily gave it up.

So here I am again and let me tell you—it feels SO GOOD to already hear people excited about my return. I swear, the whole year I began to slowly let people know about my Grand Exit, *everyone* expressed shock and sadness for me. Those same people are so excited for me.

But why did I choose to do elopements?

I don’t like wedding receptions lol I know, I know. I’ve done well over 500 wedding receptions and let me tell you, I loved less than ten of them. It’s the same stuff, over and over again. Plus, I have to stay up way past my bedtime and drive late at night, often on country roads where the deer are happily suicidal. OH, and don’t get me started on SPARKLERS. Fuck sparklers…

The intimacy and intention of elopements has always motivated me and 2024 will be the year for things that motivate me. Period.

So let’s go, fam. It’s time for a new era for Creatrix. And I’m so excited you’re here for it.

Some things I’ve been up to

• Josh and I got married in March 2023
• We moved to New Braunfels
• I started an SEO and brand development agency called Avery Atelier
• I wrote a book and published it. I also got it into a bookstore.
• I got two new cats—Soup and Beans—and they’re Devon Rexes.
• Traveled to Mexico a lot because I joined a travel club
• I finished my masters degree in Creative Writing in March 2020
• Opened a Bookish Etsy store called The Fictional Simp Shop

Josh proposed to me in our favorite diner in April 2022

We eloped in March 2023

My book is the one called Come Back To Me