The Photographer
I should probably introduce myself, ey?
To start, my name is Jessa. I started this adventure through life in 1988. Growing up, life was very unstable. There was abuse in numerous forms, alcoholism, mental illness and a lack of an overall family. Coping was difficult but I had two things holding me together, animals (mostly horses) & art (mostly photography). I picked up every animal I could, usually the misfits or troubled ones. I thrived in art class and was never without a camera in my hand, even though it was usually a disposable one. I went on to grow up with numerous jobs working with animals and in 2013 I took my photography career to fulltime.
Life hasn’t been gentle but I worked really hard to see the good, I went to college for psychology after my divorce. I needed answers and to better understand, why humans do the things they do. This time spent really helped me see life in a different light and it lead me to becoming a more patient, less angsty human. Not that I ever felt a lot of hatred but life was very stressful due to my overthinking and lack of confidence. Overcoming all that life threw at me was hard, I didn’t have much of a support group due to my own self isolation, but rather I picked up my pieces and stitched them back together, to get where I am now.
This chapter of my life assisted me in my career, it changed the way I saw my own work, the way I document life, the way I interact with my clients. I now hope that every piece of work, every session I book, brings more than a just a photograph, but also a memorable experience.
Little Details
-I have 2 daughters that I homeschool, they are my life and they are the sole reason I am still here.
-I have rescued animals my whole life. I am still heavily involved in animal rescue in numerous ways and am a huge advocate for adopting.
-As an adult, I was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation. My brain is herniated 15 mm from the base of my skull. It effects my motor skills, my speech, & can at times be incredibly painful. The list of symptoms is ridiculously long but these are my most obvious ones.
-Tattoos are life and were a huge part of getting me to stop self harm, I don’t know how many I have.
-I grew up gardening, we always grew our own food. It’s a passion that still remains and I love sharing it with my daughters.
-Probably the most important detail, I’m weird and awkward as hell. I often nervous ramble or tell bad jokes, with the occasional weird sound effect.
-My favorite compliment that I’ve recieved over the years, time and time again, is that I make people feel comfortable, as though they’ve known me forever and can tell me anything