Southern Summer
Another southern summer has finally begun.
Beads of sweat glisten like pearls in the sun.
Days so hot and heavy with heat.
The wind that blows brings no relief.
I know of a place that is nice and cool.
But it’s not an ocean or even a pool.
It’s a river the shade of whiskey where the water flows.
Where time stands still and a cool breeze blows.
The riverbank sand is the color of gold,
and to my eyes it is a sight to behold.
When the sun goes down and day turns to night,
the fireflies come out to dance in the moonlight.
Frogs and crickets sing in perfect harmony,
a southern summer song, a sweet melody.~ Tia White
As you might surmise from the lovely poem above, it’s now Hotlanta time. I’m lucky to have a cool room, but I’m dreading the heat I’ll likely be experiencing consistently on set when I start back on The Gifted. But to look at the brighter side of the heat wave, I was reminded of this photoshoot I did with Michael Nelson when I first moved to Atlanta. I had never done a casual shoot before (i.e. no crazy makeup, hair, or high fashion). I was feeling mighty out of my comfort zone, but Michael and his team made me feel just as lovely even plain Jane as I was in this shoot. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the pictures when I got them back (as they were so different than how I was used to seeing myself), but I’ve grown to love them over the years since. The top picture has become one of my all-time favourite modeling photos! I mean who wouldn’t like a broken doll posed model wilting from the heat of a southern summer? Seems mighty appropriate for most times of the year!
Beads of sweat glisten like pearls in the sun.
Days so hot and heavy with heat.
The wind that blows brings no relief.
I know of a place that is nice and cool.
But it’s not an ocean or even a pool.
It’s a river the shade of whiskey where the water flows.
Where time stands still and a cool breeze blows.
The riverbank sand is the color of gold,
and to my eyes it is a sight to behold.
When the sun goes down and day turns to night,
the fireflies come out to dance in the moonlight.
Frogs and crickets sing in perfect harmony,
a southern summer song, a sweet melody.~ Tia White
As you might surmise from the lovely poem above, it’s now Hotlanta time. I’m lucky to have a cool room, but I’m dreading the heat I’ll likely be experiencing consistently on set when I start back on The Gifted. But to look at the brighter side of the heat wave, I was reminded of this photoshoot I did with Michael Nelson when I first moved to Atlanta. I had never done a casual shoot before (i.e. no crazy makeup, hair, or high fashion). I was feeling mighty out of my comfort zone, but Michael and his team made me feel just as lovely even plain Jane as I was in this shoot. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the pictures when I got them back (as they were so different than how I was used to seeing myself), but I’ve grown to love them over the years since. The top picture has become one of my all-time favourite modeling photos! I mean who wouldn’t like a broken doll posed model wilting from the heat of a southern summer? Seems mighty appropriate for most times of the year!
Photographs: Michael Nelson Studio
Alas, I don’t have Stark’s bank account (or Marvel’s movie financing division either) so I had to settle for a little less on the expensive scale. I will fully admit being a fan of the store H&M as their clothes almost always fit my oddly proportioned body (loooooong torso, short legs. Heels are my proportionate friend). The prices are on the lower end, which my wallet is grateful for.
“…What are you?”
As the sun rises, a new year dawns. So begins 2018. From the ashes of 2017, a year filled with both trepidation, fear, and loss, but also joy, excitement, and hope. We find ourselves, this January 1st 2018, to be a day of old ends and new beginnings.
Appropriate that this day marks the 200th anniversary of a literary life given form. Very few books have quite captured audiences as has Mary Shelley’s 
So after another year seemingly designed to tear me apart, I choose to greet this one with hope and hunger. Rather than resign myself to the chains of years past, I choose to do better with the God-given gifts I’ve been given – to create, to make beautiful, to inspire, and spread joy. The gift of creation is a truly amazing thing (spoken more in line with the innocent awe of the Monster, in a body broken, scarred with a heart and mind torn apart by the harsh realities of this world, but filled with wide-eyed wonder rather than Frankenstein’s feverishly insane drive to be like God). Every day that goes by is another blessing, another day to live, another moment to cherish.
I decided to take this new year’s inspiration from this cultural phenomenon, as each year I end up creating, cutting, revamping, and resurrecting old concepts into new. A crossing of multiple industries and projects into one, hodge-podged together to create something, hopefully, marvelous. Best intentions have a way of being bushwhacked by life’s plethora of monkey wrenches. Many plans get made. Most go under. Not all of my discoveries and experiences have been positive, so alas, my plans for The Lady Nerd fell by the wayside due to the ever-present realities of bills, health issues, and things beyond my control. But no more. This shall be the year of adventure! Glorious, glamorous adventure! I’ve got old habits to kick and new frontiers to explore. And by God’s grace and sheer determination, I hope to accomplish it.
So to marry those desires with the 200th anniversary of a iconic novel (because I’m a nerd. True story, says so right on the front page), I created this photoshoot to highlight what The Lady Nerd is all about – geek made chic. From burying my nose in nerdy research of Frankenstein in literary and cinema form to styling this old Hollywood glamour shoot with a lavish Pinup Girl Clothing gown and finally collaborating with local (truly incredible) talent to bring my vision to life. I present to you The Lady Nerd’s 2018 
A month or so ago, I finally got to meet up with 
