My First Blog: As A Self Taught Photographer, Entrepreneur, Mom and Nanny - Dare I Say: Gen Z's Vivian Maier

Welcome to My World

Did I Really just call myself "Gen Z's Vivian Maier"? haha.

I can not quite recall the exact year I fell in love with what a camera is and what it does. I do remember my first camera, though--some digital Canon DSLR that my dad found in a car he bought. The camera didn't even work and somehow my grandma called Canon enough to end up getting sent a brand new camera for FREE. The world had to be acting in my favor back in those days, because there was no reason for them to send a whole new one, lol.

There were many, many times my grandfather mentioned me becoming a nurse or taking any other quick to career route in life before his passing, but he was still one to always take time to entertain my interest in photography. I remember one specific day he took to me to meet a local photographer in our town and I think if he were here right now that he would still be my biggest fan.

With my grandfather's passing, I was left with all of his old Kodak slides. As I begin my blogging journey, that will be one of my biggest and most recurring topics. I have boxes and boxes to go through and scan. I feel like John Maloof and Vivian all in one!

Top: Vivian, from her website

Bottom: me in my grandparents home on expired35mm film

My day to day as an artist:

Navigating the world with a specific eye and feeling towards everything can be tricky. To think how simple life may be if all I were was an artist, what a luxury. Though it sounds nice in theory, it's never been the goal--a life as simply one "thing" or having one label slapped upon my being--I like to think that every day, all of the roles I take on are equating to something greater than where I am right now. It just has to be. To stay in one spot, around the same people all of the time, that's not what life has to be.

“Well, I suppose nothing is meant to last forever. We have to make room for other people. It’s a wheel. You get on, you have to go to the end. And then somebody has the same opportunity to go to the end and so on.” – Vivian Maier

Every day I am a mom, a wife, a friend, an employee--a nanny, someone's caretaker, a lot of someone's caretaker--I try my best to be a photographer every day, to photograph every day, I try to be a writer, a creator, an artist but some days I am not. Some days all I am is a maid to my household and that is okay, too. Every day just to be--what a life.

Art is a journey and every day is different. I think my biggest struggle is completing a thought, completing a sentence haha or going through with any idea fully right now. I'm "in my era" of chasing toddlers around constantly so they don't hurt themselves or each other. By the time I have any time to do anything my brain is exhausted, so somehow my ideas overlap or only get about 30% of my attention at a time. It has taken me about six years to start this blog. It's funny how the topics I have in mind have changed and my style of writing is probably lacking. I'm going to commit, though.

Let this be my proper welcome! It's god to have you here.

Why film?

I really don't think there has ever been a question about this for me. Something about a digital camera just has too many settings and options and buttons--haha, but for real! I love the simplicity my film cameras give me, the same results I get under same conditions and the grain! OH THE GRAIN! I will admit I am a hater of photographers who throw hella grain on their digital photos (and I have done it before-oops)! It is just not the same! I think I would even take a disposable camera over my digital camera if I had the choice. My husband and I share a Fuji XH 2 and I adore it, love it, it is amazing, but I let my husband claim that one as just his, haha. My biggest 2024 goal is to pick up all of the analog cameras I have let sit on shelves and put some film in them!

Top: by Hanna Watson (myself). Bottom: Vivian Maier

"The personal accounts from people who knew Vivian are all very similar. She was eccentric, strong, heavily opinionated, highly intellectual, and intensely private. She wore a floppy hat, a long dress, wool coat, and men’s shoes and walked with a powerful stride. With a camera around her neck whenever she left the house, she would obsessively take pictures, but never showed her photos to anyone. An unabashed and unapologetic original."

What a woman. Besides the wearing of men's shoes, lol, Vivian is my 2024 role model for sure!! Thanks for reading and if you are still here please stick around daily for new posts! You can also follow my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest!

Here's to the start of my blogging journey!