Three Days, Three Friends, and the Creative Reset I Didn’t Know I Needed: NYC

No clients. No deliverables. Just three women, their cameras, and a city that endless inspo and ideas to create fun imagery.

Let me tell you something about what happens when a group of photographers who also happen to be dear friends decide to get together with no agenda except to create (well let’s be real- also EAT all the things). My feet are still blistered (hello walking 14 miles in one day!) but my heart is full. It was insipring. It was chaotic. The city and us are loud. And no one was irritated because we wanted one more angle or shot- my happy place!

This past weekend I met up with two amazing humans and fellow photographers: Malwina and Lindsay for three days in New York City. Three days of no client work, no pressure, no deliverables just us, our cameras, and one of the most visually relentless and inspirational cities on the planet (I will ALWAYS be a city girk). And yes, for the record: it was a write-off for brand visuals. (Shout out to David-IYKYK.)

Here’s a truth I think a lot of creatives quietly carry: client work is beautiful and it feeds your family, but it can also slowly drain the thing that made you pick up a camera in the first place.  I have been blessed with lots of client work and I LOVE my work AND it is so important for me to always stay connected to why I started creating photos over 10 years ago.

This trip was a reminder that friendship and passion for what you do matter.

No shot lists. No brand guides. Just: what do you want to photograph right now and how can I celebrate my amazing friends and their brands? And New York City because she is a MIAN CHARACTER. Seriously bless her loud, layered, gorgeous, gritty, chaotic self gives you a different vibe every single block.

One of the most quietly profound things about co-creating with other photographers is that you get to be on the other side of the lens. I spend so much of my life helping other people feel seen , inviting safety, building connection, allowing someone to boldly own their confidence and story. To have that done for me? To be photographed by women who get it, who knows what it means to show up and be seen.

Honestly. It inspired me.

We wandered and walked everywhere. We ate all the gluten free everything. We took the subway all the places (thanks and shout out to Lindsay for being our handler). We took turns photographing each other. We laughed so hard multiple occasions (NYC has plenty of characters). We experimented with weird angles, harsh shadows, motion blur, and fun back drops. We gave each other direction and feedback. We reminded each other why we do this.

I have said it before and I will say it again: New York City is such a generous city in the world when it comes to visual storytelling. It is layered and loud and contradictory and every single corner has something happening. I came home with images I’m genuinely proud of and that carry special memories, not because they’re perfect, but because they are honest. They were made without pressure, without performance, just for the love of visuals that inspire us and that feel like US. And I came home remembering something important:

When you protect space for creativity that isn’t tied to an outcome, you become a better artist for the work that is.

The freedom of those three days fed something in me that had gotten a little depleted. I am coming back to my client work with more energy, more ideas, more joy. I noticed things I’d stopped noticing. I took risks I’d been playing safe on. That trip wasn’t a break from my work, it was actually an investment in it.

If you are a creative who hasn’t made anything just for yourself recently: I am lovingly telling you to go do that. Call your people. Get in the car or on a plane. Eat the food. Make the images. Write it off.

You might need it just like I did. and NYC I love you- I will be back! Who wants a brand session in NYC? HIT ME UP!

*Images by all 3 of us- images of me by the talented Malwina Aviles and Lindsay Tiwald and edited by me. Photos of NYC and my friends all by me.