Because I'm going to dance until my feet don't touch the ground. For those who don't know, this is probably my favorite part of the year-- the butt end of May. Not only is it warm enough to go out and do stuff, but my best friends start trickling back home to Fargo, ND. I never consider Fargo a place I want to be until its these last two weeks. That's when friends like Carl and Chance finally come home from different corners of the country. I'm pretty damn lucky to have Ellen here, at NDSU, year round-- but let me tell you, Fargo sucks with out those two. (Chance not pictured) When the gang is finally back together, Fargo feels so much more like home. We stay up for hours, catch up, talk about our dreams and new plans. And this time, it was different. The biggest thing about each of us is that none of us settles for less - we're always pushing each other. This time, my friends asked me-- when was the last time I shot for myself? I feel like every time I pull out my camera, it's for some client-driven agenda and that's it. I used to shoot everything for fun and pure joy, but now it's starting to feel like a job rather than a passion. This past weekend I was shooting underneath one of my favorite photographers and she told me when she was in college, she shot so much that by the time she graduated, she was so burnt out. I specifically booked myself for the rest of may because I had burned myself out to a point where I almost hated turning on my camera. "So Nikki, why don't you start shooting for yourself?" Well, Carl, that's a very good question. Why don't I? I've come to a point where, in the midst of rebranding my photography, that I need to rebrand myself too. I need to remember why I start. Sometimes when I want to quit, I need to remind myself that I would have killed to be where I am today. This month of May I am completely booked. I'm still working, but I'm mostly working on me (and rebranding, nannying, seeing friends before they leave, and almost every organization under the sun, SOS someone help me.)
xoxo- NM
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It's a never ending love affair. Its falling in love with the way my camera fits into my hands. Its seeing love unravel itself before my eyes. Its the addiction to seeing people smile and laugh so hard tears stream down their cheeks. The story I'm writing here is the explanation why I have not blogged in almost two months. I have found the dream job my soul loves and can not get enough of. Since January, I spend every waking moment thinking about perfect lighting, compact flash cards, and new lenses to the point where this small day dream turned into a small business. Next thing I knew I ordered contracts, collaborated for small businesses, booked weddings, and more. It all kind of happened so fast that I barely had a chance to pause and look what I've created. So here I am, confessing my biggest step and my greatest love affair. Over the course of the past five months I have turned a dream into a reality by fighting like hell to get to where I am.
I set myself up on social media plans, did the collaborations, volunteered to do as many (more like too many) free shoots, and connected with everyone I need to know to get myself to where I am today. Yes, to those potential clients, I am young and my work is new but I don't settle for less and I won't stop kicking my butt to keep getting better. Now, I'm transferring to MSUM for their photography program, I became an alumni of my sorority, I prioritized the friends that believed in me, and though this has been stressful and crazy, I've never been happier. I'll see you next time, xoxo NM hello spring!I'm a sucker for flowers and I have no shame!!! Everything about spring screams hope, joy, and new- that's exactly what I need in my life. I want that fresh-cut- flowers, dancing-around-barefoot, sun-on-your-face kind of vibe. As you can tell already, Nicole Mendoza almost always has her head stuck in the clouds- but that's where the sun will hit you most. If you didn't promise yourself change back on New Years Eve, the time is now! It's called Spring Cleaning, baby, and I'm ready- Things to give up and things to get down:
Thanks, darlings, for the read.
I hope this spring season is filled with the best and happiness in the mind. Can't wait to post all the photos this coming month. xoxo- NM Honestly, it's a hit or a miss.Prom night is one or the other: you either hate it or you love it. For the lucky ones, its the most magical night of their high school career. And for the ones who weren't graced with constant good luck: it sucked. I've heard horror stories galore. "My girlfriend ditched me at the dance cheated on me with a Force hockey player." "My friend and I got into a huge fight and didn't talk until a year later." "My date tore my $800 dollar dress." "I thought my date was gay until he tried to kiss me right in front of our parents." "My best friend, who I was uncontrollably in love with (and started seeing recently), slept with my close girl friend and I didn't find out until the night before" **And there it is, my dear reader. The last one was my story. You've got to understand. Everything happens for a reason. You're probably wondering how I reacted to that/what happened. Honestly, it was miserable the day after since we were all in the same prom group. But the best way to see a person's character is how they react to the worst situations. I just shook it off and focused on my first prom and danced the night away with my friends. Did I go again the next year?
No, actually I did something better. I love the prom industry... but people need to realize that it's O N E night of your high school career. I spent roughly $650 dollars including my meal, ticket, dress, make up, and etc. That was me being someone cautious of what I spent compared to most girls who spent roughly $900. My senior year I decided I wanted to leave Fargo because I knew I was going to be here for the next four years studying at NDSU. With what I spent on prom, I spent the same exact money on a trip to Paris, France instead. The irony was my senior prom theme was "A Night In Paris." Instead, I spent three nights there with my cousin running around celebrating Bastille Day with a bottle of champagne. It sounds weird to say, but sometimes you need to be thankful for awful things that happen in your life. These are the things that make you grateful for what you have and these are the things that push you to do better. Don't forget: a wounded deer leaps the highest. xoxo, NM Be scared and do it anyways. Last month, Abbi was my giveaway winner and we finally scheduled our shoot! Because of all of the support I have been getting from friends, family, other photographers, and more I want to do another giveaway! Luckily, I already had what I wanted to do ahead of time so my lovely model, Abbi, helped me out with it during our shoot. I'd like to take a moment to say that I actually check if people follow all the steps and rules to my giveaways! Last time I did one, I did not expect that many people to actually participate but the amount of support was amazing. For those who followed and went above and beyond during my last giveaway, I promise to keep a look out for you next time! Since Valentine's Day was over a month ago, Abbi and I went into a different direction and took her headshots for her resume instead. It was a blast but obviously my love for dramatic flare never seems to cease so I turned it into a mini fashion shoot for Lot 2029. And though the clothes looked amazing, Abbi was even better. I truly believe that this girl is a natural born model because I've never shot with someone who is so bubbly and talented as she. Keep your eye out for my next giveaway! Till next time, my loves.
xoxo, NM O H, D A R L I N G!
Isn't it weird to think, about 3 years ago we were taking your senior pictures and now we're taking head shots for med school applications? Looking back at your senior photos (picture below) makes my stomach churn with anxiety. I was so naive back then and I barely knew how to hold a camera. But what am I thinking, I'm still pretty damn naive and I still barely know what I am doing as it is! It's weird to think of when we were both 17. Oh god and how we would spend our weekends talking about boys and our metabolism weren't complete crap. Simpler times but with bigger dreams. Sending all of my love and best of luck applying to different medical schools! xoxo, Nicole Midwest C O L D F E E TEverything about my life is wild, wacky, and out of the ordinary. For a girl who is married to her job, I don't mind it. But the best part is that I never really know what I'm doing next. I love the idea of spontaneity since I only have two years left of it before I become concrete with my career. So just like that, everything kind of fell into place. Let me start off with saying that I would no way be as confident in my work without Autumn Wilson. When I first met Autumn, she really inspired me and helped me out a lot with learning how to solo backpack. This time, she's helped me so much with the first steps of wedding photography. Next thing I knew, I was shadowing my first wedding with her.
"I HAVE FOUND THE ONE WHOM MY SOUL LOVES."
I N T H E E N D...being there was an absolute blast. I learned so much in that one day compared to two months inside the studio with my professors. After this shoot, it was the turning point of what I really wanted to do: wedding photography.
Now I'm just waiting for that happily ever after (the dream job). |
N I C O L ELove is the answer, ARCHIVESCATEGORIES |