jgougephotography

Today is day 4 of me trying and wanting to Blog daily. I missed yesterday completely but thats also the topic of this entry so I am giving myself some grace on missing, because of why I missed. I think as creatives we often find ourselves caught up in the “Hustle Culture”- meaning we think the only way to win or succeed is to outwork everyone else. As a very competitive person, this is not something I would shy away from, or have in the past. I love what I do and I dedicate a lot of time and energy to it. Into learning, growing, adapting, & stretching my creative boundaries. One of the problems of living this way and never taking time off is you get burnt out so so quickly. Fall as I mentioned a few posts back, is easily the busiest season for me and most every photographer. Yesterday I had full intentions on going to a local Enduro Mountain Bike race at Tannery Knob to take photographs and see my friends. I had planned this for months actually and had to cancel those plans once ( I thought ) due to a scheduling conflict but that worked itself out leaving me open to go do this one thing that I have wanted to do for a long time. The morning came but instead of packing my gear to head to Johnson City to watch people send it down the Mountian, I packed a different backpack, and chose to spend the day with Natasha, and Atlas. Jaryn and Austin were very much so missed, but they both have jobs now. We decided to head to Bays Mountain for a hike together. To reconnect with nature, to reconnect with each other, and. to look for our Creator everywhere we walked.

So in short, todays topic is “ How do we recharge as creatives?” I am so guilty of my “down time” consisting of spending time on my phone scrolling through Instagram, or Twitter. Tik-Tok is a time portal from having a second to myself, to losing an hour on the app. We have been programmed to want and expect something new constantly. I am referring to our attention spans and our patience. Everyone wants it NOW. Answers now- go ask Google, photos now -take it with your phone and remove yourself from the moment entirely, food now- call GrubHub. I think you see where I am going with this. So what are ways we can stop and recharge our creative brains other than with constant and painful comparisons?

For me this has always been by being active to some degree, and the older I get those activities I prefer all revolve around and in nature. In the wonder and beauty the the Lord has given us to enjoy and to protect. Finding his presence among the tress, in the rivers, hiding in plain sight in the clouds. He is omnipresent and so are his works. I find myself longing for adventure more and more often, to see the Redwoods, to explore Iceland, to see sharks breaching off the southern coast of Africa. Because when I remind my self to sit, and be still and listen I can always find my peace outside of technology which is sadly ironic as I am writing this on my Macbook I suppose. The irony of using a camera to document life for myself and others and also wanting to disconnect is not lost on me, but finding the balance within them is where I find I can reset and reconnect the easiest. I would love to know your thoughts, and if you have ideas as well.

Thanks for being here and remember we all fall short, so give yourself some grace today too!

I had the pleasure of growing up in a small town in Tennessee as most of you reading this know. Growing up in Roan Mountain had its up’s and down’s as I suspect growing up anywhere would. It is still a small place in today’s average of community and being raised there led me to meet some of the most incredible people of my life. Growing up and having the blessing of a deep desire to play sports, and just enough athletic ability to fake it enough to play, and getting to do so with people like my friend Chad “Terry” Guinn is still a favorite memory of mine. Chad was a year younger than me in school but that’s close enough to keep us on the same team, almost our entire stint at Cloudland. I can’t recall which sport it was but it was obvious pretty early on, that Chad was one of the good one’s at the risk of sounding cliche. I bring him up because this post is about his daughter Lilly. I had only had the pleasure of meeting her, when I met the rest of their family when I did their family photos a few years ago. Never did I expect her to show up for her senior session and have such a connection to the camera, to movement, and to knowing exactly who she is. I have said this in the past, but this is the driving reason I love working with Senior’s so much. They are finding out who they are, and I get to have a small part in capturing that time for them, for their family, and for them to have a lifetime.

Lilly is a dancer, and though I have never seen her perform, I am confident she is very good at her craft as you can see in her movement, dancing among the literal clouds on top of Carves Gap, in Roan Mountain. We all know this is my favorite place, and sharing these moments there, with people I enjoy means so much more to me that I know how to express.

Fall is quickly adn thankfully approaching, and this brings the flood of work for those “fall colors'“ so if you like the images I have shared here with you, and you would like to discuss how we can create something for you, now is the time to let me know. Email me and lets start that conversation!

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to make this post. Last summer, I know I said it has been some time, I had the extreme privilege to be invited to The Pond House. One of my fellow photographers and good friend, Katy Sergent asked if I would have any interest in joining a styled shoot she had planned. Obviously I was very curious immediately, but once she sent me her vision board ( for lack of a better term ) I knew this day was going to be something I had to partake in. There were so many wonderful vendors who made this day possible and without each and every one of them, this day would not have been as ethereal as it was.

The location Katy chose for the shoot was a wonderful place that also serves as an AirBnB in Erwin Tennessee. Erwin is a small town in East Tennessee, with a rich history and a wonderful place for those who also love the outdoors as myself. The place we were invited to shoot at is, The Pond House . This beautiful location sits butted up to the beautiful East Tennessee mountains and of course the pond is breathtaking as well. This was a Bohemian Styled Wedding and the dress alone would be enough to warrant a photo shoot in my opinion.

I am so grateful for the community of creatives that I have surrounding me here. It is also refreshing to know that when one of my couples have a need, I can easily contact someone I trust to help paint the picture for their special day. I will let the rest of my words come to you on there own via the imagery. Please take time to follow all of the vendors listed below, and a huge thank you to them all for making this day so unique, but a special thank you to Katy for all of her time, effort, and vision for the day. Thank you for trusting I would bring something different as well.

Thank you for reading and coming by. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.