2011 from Steph's iPhone.

I appreciate everyone who made 2011 a great year. Ready for 2012♥

You have the power to create happiness...

You have the power to make life free and beautiful... to make this life a wonderful adventure.


Another year is just around the corner and I am going to make this short & to the point. Let's take the end of 2011 & reflect upon the core of our hearts and answer some big questions (and get ridiculously positive for a minute cause some of us might need it.)


What's your purpose here? What fuels you...what is that driving force that makes you want to wake up in the morning and start your day? What story are you telling? Have you reacted out of spite more than out of love, compassion and understanding? Have you forgiven others? Have you forgiven YOURSELF? Have you been thankful? Have you loved and hugged on people today more than you have fought and bickered with them? Let's search our hearts and throw out the negative we come across. Let's be better versions of ourselves. Let's refocus and let love invade our agendas.


YOU can make things better every day.


Laugh hard & spread the love [and watch this video] HAPPY 2012 FRIENDS!

Ignorance is Bliss.

Good morning world. This morning I woke up, stretched & the first thing on my mind (besides the song stuck in my head) was Rick Perry. Unfortunate, I know. I woke up thinking about all of the talk circulating around him and his recent ad campaign. That didn't last too long before I started thinking about something more important than Rick Perry...something close to home, and that was all of the others around me that are just as ignorant as Rick.

When I was a kid the word ignorant always had a negative connotation regarding the persons character...basically, I thought it meant they were ridiculously stupid haha. I came to find out it simply just means "Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated." Hey, I used to be one of those people...and maybe you did too. If you have ever taken something that someone else says at face value before doing your own research on a topic then yep, you're guilty too. It's how we deal and respond to this ignorance that matters.

Rick Perry's hatred towards gay people is really a bigger issue that needs to be addressed on a daily basis and I'll be the first to admit that I think about it all the time BUT I never do anything to help educate people. Now, in that..I am not saying that I am right and you are wrong...I am just urging people to take a different look. Dig deeper. Research with a loving and open heart. Raise your hand if you have looked beyond the few scriptures in the Bible about homosexuality. Have you taken what your pastor says and condemned and belittled many people in the name of Jesus because of it? Have you researched other laws and chosen to JUST follow the one about homosexuality but not the others. Picking & choosing what is convenient for us or what makes us feel most comfortable in our pew is one of our favourite things to do, but in doing that...we isolate a gigantic group of important and loving people and yes, I am one of those people you are isolating. ME. Steph. The same person I have always been...shocked? Yes, so were my parents years ago. I know I am here for a purpose and that purpose above all else is to show & spread love to others. To listen and not judge. To understand that no man is better than the other. To live true. To live a story that will hopefully live on when I die. So friends, let it be known that the purpose of this blog is NOT to get into a heated religious debate with you...that's not gonna happen [but I can't speak for my friends haha]. All I ask is that when you want to shake ignorant people and shake them HARD. Remember, it's our job to love, to make people aware...not to tear them down.

After all...IGNORANCE IS BLISS, RIGHT? [Not knowing something is often more comfortable than knowing it.]

"I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian. And I may not be in the church pew every Sunday, but I do know there is something wrong with our country when a governor of 11 years can openly disgrace the men and women of our armed services who are fighting abroad for our freedom this Christmas."

SPREAD LOVE NOT HATE. <3

The End of Another Year.

"find life experiences and swallow them whole. travel. meet many people. go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. try everything. exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life." -lawrence k. fish

This morning I made myself some french vanilla coffee. I feel like coffee makes me breathe better...that's when you know you have a problem. I was having some quiet time this morning...reading, zoning, getting lost in my brain and I had a realization. Most people plan and dream of their wedding day their entire lives...they plan birthdays and big graduation celebrations but who really spends time thinking about planning their funeral? Seems pretty morbid. 


This all stemmed from a few things...but the main thing was something that my mom mentioned to me this week while I was back home visiting. We were dancing around the kitchen singing to Mariah Carey...she said "sing it Steph!" (She always gets happy when I sing to her). Then she said "I want this song played at my funeral". 2 things I know for certain about my mom: one, she ALWAYS has music playing and two, she wants her death to be a celebration of life. My mom and I think a lot alike when it comes to that. I want my death to bring people together. You know, talking about the good times...slideshows, great music, laughter and of course...hanging white lights. None of this mopey stuff...I mean sure, be sentimental..shed a few tears, hug my family a WHOLE lot but be inspired to live your life to the maximum. If one person who comes to my funeral leaves feeling a little more motivated to make a few more people smile, to give tighter hugs, to actually get out and LIVE life, to find joy in the littlest things and to make some happier memories then my time on earth has been well spent. 


I have asked 2 people and 2 people only to speak at my funeral: Grant Theissen & Russ Ronchi. I feel happy with my decision...I love & admire these two men & they have been my mentors throughout the years on different levels.


My moms song: "Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child" by Mariah Carey. 
What's your song? What's your story?

Business Socks. Q & A.

Steph Grant is a freelance photographer, painter, drummer, graphic designer from Los Angeles, CA. In 2006, Steph discovered a new-found love for photography on the streets of New York City. 

After spending her entire life in CA, she quit her job at Hurley, packed up her camera equipment & set out on an adventure outside of the cubicle. She currently lives  in Dallas, TX & owns a wedding photography studio called "TreeHouse Wedding Studio" visit us HERE. Steph travels across the United States shooting weddings & scheduled events & meeting new people. Visit her FACEBOOK PAGE to follow her adventures.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

Q:	Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?
A:	I handle each one of my images as if it is a piece of art. I genuinely love meeting new people & hearing their stories. I like to think it shows in my work.
Q:	What questions do customers most commonly ask you?
A:	How could you quit a job at one of the best companies ever?! I say because it's more important to me to live outside of the cubicle having human interaction & adventures while doing something you love.

Q:	Do you have a favorite story from your work?
A:	yes, every piece of my work has a fun story. My favourite is my "solo adventure" to new york city. I traveled around the east coast taking pictures and meeting people. I documented the entire thing in a VIDEO and have memories that will stick with me forever or my recent trip to the east coast. Read about it HERE.
Q:	How did you decide to get in your line of work?
A:	I was going to NYC in 2006 for the first time and I bought a nice camera. I took pictures, and somehow Hurley sponsored artshow wanted me to show my work at their Headquarters and in Los Angeles.
Q:	What are your most common types of jobs?
A:	Weddings, families & babies are big on the schedule right now. I also love doing musician photography and headshots.
Q:	Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.
A:	Definitely the 4 day Pakistani Wedding I shot in November 2010 in Dallas, TX. Also, the wedding photography got featured in one of the largest Dallas Wedding blogs. That one will stick out for a very long time.
Q:	Describe your most recent project, what it involved, how much it cost, and how long it took.
A:	Most recently project was flying to NYC for a musician shoot. I followed her around the city in the snow...taking photos for her CD booklet that I was to design. It turned out great and we had so much fun! Also, LOTS of weddings in CA & TX:)

remember when...we went to Mammoth.

It was New Years Eve 2008. I worked with these talented guys at Hurley. We drove to Mammoth, stayed in a cabin straight out of "that 70's show" and stayed up late playing what I remember to be...a heated game of Mafia. Certain things stick out in my mind from this trip: one of the girls putting the wrong soap in the dishwasher and it flooded the entire kitchen. Staying at Starbucks late getting holiday drinks. Sharing a room with TommyA and laughing, A LOT.  Being impressed by how amazing Brynne was at snowboarding. I sure do miss these guys in my life....going into work every morning was the highlight of my day. Thanks for the memories guys<3

Unresolved.

I picked this song because..

1. I absolutely love the passion behind Tony's voice.
2. I am a sucker for the piano.
3. I love songs that start out with a series of questions.
4. He sings N'SYNC at the end.

Raise your hand if you have ever felt like you left something and had unresolved feelings? Immediately, you think of relationships right? LOVE. I feel like everyone thinks of love first. Your first thought might have been...hmmm, who is this about? What person is Steph relating this to? But really...I encourage you to not think about ME cause you'll never figure me out. Think about you.

Unresolved feelings in relationships/friendships can eat us alive if we allow it to. I do, however, love some unresolved things in life. For example, going to the movies... sitting through the whole thing and the ending does not leave me thinking "oh that makes sense, i totally get it"...instead I leave the movie with crazy brains. I like to make my own ending. Like I've said before my brain is a crazy festival of midgets and spinning rides. Also, I enjoy unresolved music at times...musical dissonance, if you will....but that's about it I suppose. I don't think anyone really cares for the "What If's" in life. Here are some questions...let them marinate in your brain juices. Do human beings ever really let things go completely? What's the best way to deal...Do we resolve things on our own and get over it? Do we push it to the back of our heads and keep ourselves distracted. Everyone deals differently...I know how I deal, how do you?

"Unresolved" - not brought to a conclusion; subject to further thought; an open question.


"What have I done? Where did you go? Was I the one? Guess I'll never know...." 

that time i stayed up for 33 hours...

This night HAD to be documented because I haven't had a night/morning like this in a lonnnng time. I am going to start out this post with a question for you....How often do you take time out of your day to truly get to know someone?

"VV" drinking coffee at 4:30am.

Don't get me wrong...I understand that most of us are too busy to even get to know our own families...we are consumed with work, figuring out our own problems and being robots stuck in the same routine. I quit my job for 2 reasons and two reasons only: 1- to spend my day doing something I love...it is much more rewarding. 2- to make my own schedule so I could get to know people in my life and meet new ones. Well this weekend I cleared my schedule and just went with the flow.


I got ready at 1pm for a wedding I was shooting [TreeHouse Wedding Studio - Dallas, TX] in Weatherford, TX. We got to wear cowboy boots and jeans cause the wedding was in the sticks. 


Here's how the night played out after that....

Wedding in Weatherford, TX.

• 6+ hours of shooting and meeting new people at the wedding.
• Changed my shirt & headed out to Fort Worth with some friends to go country dancing. 
• My friend VV (pictured above) and I were the only ones left over at 2:30am.
• We spent close to an hour listening to Taylor Swift & talking about life. It was really the first in depth conversation we've had since we met a year ago. Sad but happens often.
• Waffle House at 4am. 
• 5am: Met an old lady named Francis (see old lady head in picture above.) I told VV i was gonna kick myself if I didn't know her story. She was from Portland, Maine & enjoyed breakfast by herself most morning.
• 6am: impromptu trip to Walmart for grocery shopping? haha
• 6:30am: our 9th cup of coffee that day on the patio.
• 7:00am: my first motorcycle ride on the street. The sun was rising. I was scared to death but made it out alive.
• 8:00am: More coffee & hang out time with Ali.
• 10:30am: Fuzzy's tacos and acting ridiculous.
• 11:30am: Random trip to the driving range haha

I calculated the next day that I had my cowboy boots on for 26 hrs straight.

Moral of this story...take time to listen. Take time to be random. Be spontaneous and laugh a lot. Soak up every moment. Make memories. Enjoy your friends...they could be gone tomorrow and you're gonna wish you got to know them better.

Hide in a raincoat when things are falling apart.

This band from my home town [Young the Giant] is too good not to share. Young the Giant & Lucy Rose...my 2 newest obsessions. I am currently in the TreeHouse burning a hazelnut cream candle & drinking coffee. I am so beyond excited for the Fall. I am also looking forward to "Thursday Paint Day" a weekly activity that I have added to my schedule. Watch for more paintings HERE.

speechless over this music...

but you know I'll write anyway.


Seriously folks, there are just some nights where I sit in my room with low lighting, my big headphones on & search for new music....until I get THAT feeling. The one that makes me speechless. The one that makes my heart feel like a sack of mush...the music that makes me look forward to tomorrow more than I already did. The one that makes me feel lost but found all at the same time. That feeling that makes me want to hug someone. The feeling that makes me want to be alone...right here in this moment. Where the only thing that matters in life right now is this song. THAT feeling is one word...and I am searching for it.

Truth be told...I have fallin in love with music, with scenery, with feelings, with being alive...it's so easy. SO EASY. Many things in life come natural for me...others, not so much. Every day is a step closer to figuring out the unknown...little by little paint is added to the canvas of my life and soon I will understand & it will be beautiful.

Listen to the feeling behind what she is saying. Get lost in every expression. I want to reach out and grab what she's feeling inside...just once. Goodnight<3