New Year, New Studio, Renewed Gratitude for Amazing Boudoir Folks
At the beginning of this new year, I am feeling so grateful for all the serendipitous moments.
If you were following along with me a year ago, you’ll probably remember all the fun and excitement when I moved to a cozy, 100%-mine space for Illuminate Boudoir to call home. The studio in Semple Mansion was a huge dream-made-real for me. In it I saw so many boudoir clients pause, create slowness and intention and celebrate themselves for who they were in that moment.
So why a new studio? Serendipity. A post about an available space made its way to me online and I couldn’t get the huge beautiful windows out of my head. After a few days of thinking about it, I went to see the building and was filled with a kind of perfect knowing that this was the place for the next step of Illuminate Boudoir.
The new Illuminate Boudoir studio is in the heart of the Northeast Arts District surrounded by the humming energy of creative businesses and restaurants. I basically want to live there: it’s over 1,500 square feet with airy open spaces for portraits, cozy nooks for getting ready and and even a separate office and printing space for me so I can keep my equipment and clutter out of the way. I could write paragraphs about the nine (!) south-facing windows and the original hardwood floors and the brick walls, but suffice to say I’m so so inspired to create art here. This newest studio is a marriage of all the things I’ve loved about previous photo places: my initial co-op studio was grand and modern, with dramatic windows industrial details; while the Semple studio was cozy and homey, filled with all the everyday touches to make boudoir clients instantly comfortable. Illuminate Boudoir’s new home is a perfect blend of the two.
The view when you enter the new Illuminate Boudoir studio! The space has nine windows facing South and East (basically, a photographer’s dream!) so it is full of beautiful, warm light.
This is my favorite nook of the new studio so far: this lounge/gathering area is in the heart of the space, and works beautifully for meetings with clients, or taking a mid-photoshoot break to sip some tea. Plus, all of my furniture is on sliders so I can move all of these pieces around during photoshoots!
Inside the Illuminate Boudoir dressing room
I love the mix of white walls in the rest of the studio with the texture from the original brick in this corner.
With this new space that feels like the perfect place for portraits and self-celebration comes the incredible community of nearby small business owners. I’m just starting to meet the other businesses and studios in the building, but I’m thrilled to be near to the folks at Erte, Sassy Lu Salon and Nordeast Yoga. I’m also thrilled that I’ll be able to share my studio with other artists: I’ll be able to rent it out to other photographers to use on the days when I’m not in the studio. I’m so excited for this multidisciplinary collection of people to inspire me to be more intentional and creative as I do this work.
I’ll always love Semple Mansion for being Illuminate Boudoir’s first real home, but I cannot wait to evolve with you and create amazing portraits and art in this new space. In this new year and new season for Illuminate Boudoir, I am - as always - grateful for the trust you put in me and the courage to celebrate your whole self. If you’re feeling excited about celebrating and honoring yourself in 2019, I’d love to invite you to join me in the new studio!