Top 10 reasons why you should hire a wedding painter from New Orleans
Opening up about 2017.
Almost exactly three years ago to the day was when I was lifting up my entire life and moving halfway around the world. I haven’t really talked about it much in detail because it’s a super hard thing to talk about. Was it a rash decision? maybe? Do I regret it? Not sure?
Live Wedding Painting Update!
Weeee so it’s been officially about a year since I started painting at weddings and I’m so happy with how it’s gone. Of course I’ve been painting for like my— whole life?— and painting in front of people no problem for years. But there is some sort of nerves that comes with doing anything involving weddings. I mean I did do wedding photography for like 10 years so I’ve been in the industry forever.
Rou Bus Fam!
This is a special blog where I’m featuring my Bestie Sarah and her wifey Wendy. I love these folx so much and they’ve definitely become my framily over the past few years.
Y'all want to know why #metoo isn't a joke?
They think no one will ever find out or know how shitty of a person they are online. They are probably the types of men that make fake accounts and troll women telling them how ugly or fat they are. They are the men that push you to say yes, when you really just want to say no. They are the men that prey on you and hurt you. This isn’t even the beginning of the screenshots and screenshots I’ve collected over the years.
Hi Hello it's me Amy Jo -- Do you remember me???!
Okay so it’s seriously been a long ass time since I last wrote a blog post (January 5th to be exact) where I wrote about my trip to Ireland with my Ma— that was Thanksgiving of last year.
SO OBVIOUSLY A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN.
I really do enjoy writing this blog, but you know- life things happen and it just seems like a struggle to really even exist. Thanks depression
Kiss me.. I'm American // A Trip to Ireland with my Ma
All roads are lined with these thick hedges so you can’t really get off the road. Also keep in mind that everyone drives approximately 800mph on these roads. AND it’s farmland so you’re apt to come upon a tractor or two. It was so terrifying. But instead of letting it get the best of me I said to myself—- OKAY BISH. YOU BOSSED UP AND BIKED YOUR WAY THROUGH THE NETHERLANDS AND AMSTERDAM CITY CENTER AS A DUTCHIE SO JUST DO THAT HERE. And I did. I owned that shit. I think my mom almost died from the shock of it all though. hahahah
Goodbye. Adios. Vaarwel. Au Revoir.
This past year has been nothing but a rollercoaster. With moving back from Amsterdam late 2017 completely broken and broke— I had a lot of work to do to bounce back. I thought I would bounce back quickly. That getting out of the situation I was in would be enough to make me see that there’s more to life than relationships. Lawd was I wrong. I went back and forth. I tried new things. Forced relationships. Fed off of the high I got whenever someone loved me or gave me attention. Looking back now I realize I was desperate. Desperate for love and attention and interaction that was real. But grasping for it doesn’t make that happen. I grasped in the wrong places- and sometimes even doing it without realizing that I could probably be hurting the other people. And sometimes without realizing I was just hurting myself. I wanted the 10 minutes of good feelings and didn’t care what came after. This is all a part of being a love addict. I ride the high and crash afterwards.
Live Wedding and Event Painting /New Orleans
As many of y’all probably know, I have been doing portrait commissions for people for the last 10 ish years so I’m definitely not new to this scene— just new to painting in the wedding industry. Also for those 10 years I photographed hundreds of weddings all over the United States as that was my main source of income for many years.
Now I’m wanting to paint live at weddings all over the South, mainly in Louisiana but I’m definitely available for travel.
Primarily I work in Shreveport, Lafayette, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge. I also have a lot of ties in Portland so I would be willing to give a great deal for anyone willing to fly me out!
1973 Volkswagen Bus Type II Remodel- PART ONE!!
Above are a few images from the first day I went to see it. It is originally from California, then had an owner in Arizona, and then eventually made its way to Louisiana where it had an owner here for 10 years. In very... "California" manner it's very beachy beach surfer dude brah. Which, if you know anything about me-- you know I am NOT into. Lol. But I saw potential. And not to mention that the engine is in almost complete perfect condition.
My brain wants me to fail.
I knew little to nothing about this person and I was immediately falling for him, as I do. I fall hard and fast- but this time I wanted to try things out a little differently. So, I tried to relax. For the first week or so I honestly thought that he hated me for some WHATEVER reason. My friends and I even googled him endlessly to figure out any details about him. hahahaha. My friend at the time helped me to "chill" my inner 5 year old self that freaks out with any kind of relationship with a man. And I was mostly able to do so, and not in a way that diluted anything that was a key part of who I was. Because as I've said in previous blog posts-- I am NOT a chill girl.
When life gives you lemons??
This trip was basically a "learn to love the NL again" trip. I was able to find my strength and do things I felt like I could never do whenever I was living there and riddled with anxiety.
SPOILER ALERT: I'm in a relationship with my ex.
I know, I know. The title makes it sound ridiculous right? Yeah, I thought so too. But turns out that 8 months apart from each other can be eye opening. Because like I said in my previous blog post- hindsight is 20/20.
So before I get into the juicy juicy details that all of you have been so patiently waiting for: a little back story. With losing my Dad at such a young age, then my Step Dad passing away, and never really dealing with any of that 'male in my life figure' dynamic--- I HAVE DADDY ISSUES. But, I mean, who doesn't, amiright?
Part 3: 21-30years// SO MANY THINGS OMG OMG
Okay so this is where shit gets hard. Because I obviously remember a lot of stuff during this age. A lot of shit happened. I started learning how to deal with my trauma. I realized OH I have anxiety...OH I'm clinically depressed. I got my Bachelors of Fine Arts. I moved across the country. I moved across the world. I had 4-ish major relationships. I loved a lot of people. A lot of people didn't love me back. I was sexually harassed and sexually abused. I made a lot of friends and also lost some of the best ones I've ever had. I worked a lot of jobs. I became temporarily disabled because of a knee injury. I gained a lot of weight. I dealt with a lot of brain stuff. I traveled the world. I published a book. I took nude photos of myself. I shaved my head multiple times.
Part 2: Puberty and blossoming into a beautiful butterfly (lol)
When I think about all of the things that happened during this span of my life I'm like OMG how will I ever tell you all about everything???!!? Well, SPOILER ALERT, I'm not.
What I've decided to do is think of the major things that happened throughout 11-20 years old and then tell you about those and then also share some hilarious pictures because honestly who doesn't love reminiscing by looking at photos as you were transitioning through puberty. It'll be a good laugh, I promise.
A/S/L?: the beginning, the trauma-- It me: Amy Jo
I was honestly the same as a child as I am now at 30 years old. Not scared to get dirty, naked most of the time, but also loved flowers and being pretty.
Hello, it me, getting in touch with my Louisiana roots again.
I don't really know what else to say except that I'm trying to be a better person, a more whole person. I'm trying to be genuine and real. I'm trying to do the best I can in my life and relationships with other people. But, fuck, somedays it's hard.
When a memory slaps you in the face...
Do I regret my choices? A part of me does. Sure, I want to go through life saying nO ReGRets~~ but who am I or you kidding?
Queers in Amsterdam
Read a lil bit about my time in Amsterdam with both Alley and Vanessa- two huge inspirations of my life and the people that helped keep my head above water in a dark time of my life.