When You Get to be Cinderella for 2.5 Hours… (2 Louisville Artists You MUST Know!)
Friends! Have you ever found yourself luxuriating in the Land of Denial? Then POOF! Back to reality?
Paralleling one of my all-time favorite stories, Cinderella, Yours Truly was blessed to escape for two and a half hours recently.
Why, you may be asking? I’ll blame it on my writer friends who strongly suggested I have a professional photo taken for a head shot for my upcoming book.
I’m beyond blessed to share with you two, count ‘em two, crazy talented artists right here in Louisville. One’s a make-up and hair artist and the other’s a professional photographer. These incredible people happen to be friends with our children.
Both of these young adults are completely in their sweet spot. They could be a case in point in Max Lucado’s book, Cure for the Common Life—Living in Your Sweet Spot.
First, allow me to introduce you to these artistes extraordinaire, and then I’ll show you a little trick to see if YOU are in your sweet spot.
The first miracle worker (!) is Carley Brooks. Her company is Carley Randall. www.carleyrandall.com She does hair and make-up primarily for weddings and has teamed up with two other gals, one who’s a photographer, and one who’s a wedding coordinator so they can take wedding parties thru’ the entire event, sans angst.
Our kids went to Christian Academy of Louisville with Carley. She’s also great friends with our daughter-in-love, LT, and even helped choose LT’s wedding dress when she worked at Rebecca’s.
When LT gave me Carley’s number, I called and asked if she’d entertain such a “pushin’-60-project” as myself and she said, “No problem! I can have you outta here in 90 minutes.”
My visit to Carley’s adorable studio was a blast and seemed to last nine minutes, not ninety. Complete with false eyelashes (a first), I could hardly see to drive home.
Enter artist #2, gifted photographer Lang Thomas. www.langthomasphotography.com Lang and his wife, Kate, who’s also an accomplished photographer, shoot weddings together. When you book Lang for a wedding, it’s like getting two for one as he and Kate are shooting photo opps all over the wedding venue. It’s wild seeing them in action.
Here they are with their two beautiful daughters, Leonelle and Dolly. Our little Claire was mesmerized by both of them at church on Easter Sunday.
Lang and Kate shot Woody and LT’s wedding, and several other of our friend’s kid’s weddings. He was recently named “one of the top wedding photographers in the country” by Martha Stewart Weddings. The Thomas Duo also take family photographs, and even grandchildren. Oh, yes.
This is one of my favorite shots Lang snapped before Woody and LT got married. They didn’t want to see each other before the wedding, but wanted to pray together. (Note the plaque on the wall.)
Hair and make-up tackled, I got home in time to meet Lang for the photo shoot. It was a dreary, cloudy day, so most shots were taken inside. It was over before I knew it. Alas, my glass slipper turned into an Asics tennis shoe.
Here’s a sample of one of the shots which I’ll use for my website once my book is out. (Working Title: Let’s Be Friends—What My Sister-Friends Taught Me About Faith, Food, and Fun. Stay tuned!)
Happy to report my Cinderella moments weren’t all lost as Hubster and I dashed to Bonefish for dinner. Eating out is more our m.o. than eating in, thus the shots Lang took in the kitchen should have the caption, “What’s wrong with this picture?”
Thanks again to two of Louisville’s finest artists, Carley and Lang. Y’all are WAY in your sweet spots and our gracious Lord is smiling over you.
Speaking of sweet spots, see if YOU can write YOUR “S.T.O.R.Y?”
Max Lucado spells this out for you in his book Cure for the Common Life and here’s a peek to get you rollin’:
“S = Strengths: how you get things done using your unique gifts. The verbs you use to describe your activities reveal these strengths.
T = Topics: what you want to work with. You feel completely absorbed when you get involved in this, whatever it is—be it a person, a group, a car, a concept, food, music, fabric, furniture, or anything else in God’s creation. The nouns you use reveal these topics.
O = Optimal conditions: the conditions in our environments that make things best for us. For example, some people work best under pressure; some need challenges; some like structure; some like an audience. What triggers you, gets you started, sustains your drive, defines the tasks, and provides the setting for you to feel highly motivated to effectively accomplish the task is part of your optimal conditions.
R = Relationships: what kind of role and relationships to others you seek in the task.
Y = Yes! You achieve this joyous affirmation when you fulfill the purpose for which you were designed. At that moment your sweet spot experience tastes ever so sweet!” (From Part One: The First Step Toward Finding Your Sweet Spot)
‘Til next time!
P.S. Thanks to Val Manley, who gave me Max’ book in 2006! The BEST!