Jess, Redfined

This is fire dancer from my time in Fiji.  I love the effect.

These orchids were perfect first thing in the morning.
I caught them just as the light was hitting them.

Greetings web-world, this is my coming out party!  I am coming out as a photographer.  Those of you who know me well (or have followed this blog), are probably not surprised by this, but for me it is a powerful statement.  For years I have defined myself primarily as a Boston Public School teacher.  I take pride in the work that I do, and in many ways have let the demands of the job define, and even overtake me.  Though I have been creating since I was able to hold a pencil, scissor or paintbrush, I never liked to call myself an artist, fearing it was a heady proclamation.  In fact, I still struggle with labeling myself an artist.  While teaching is still a big piece of who I am, I no longer wish it to define me.  I enjoy the work, but I love seeing the world through a camera lens.  It ignites me in a way nothing else does.

Though I am still working out exactly what this will mean for my life, for now I feel a great deal of satisfaction just from this realization.  I am a photographer, and it shapes how I see and interact with the world.  

This is one of the new techniques I am trying:  Bark painting.
I found a lot of fallen birch trees in Vermont,
so I have lots of beautiful bark to experiment with.

From a more pragmatic standpoint, I am taking concrete steps to getting my work out there, looking for opportunities to show, and sell some pieces.  I want to share with you two new platforms I will be using.

• First of all, I can be found on Instagram, username: @jellisart.  There I will be posting some of my best photography on a regular basis.  I'm finding it a great tool to connect with other photographers, and to inspire my future work.  

• Secondly, I have also created a new website: www.jellisart.weebly.com.  It is still in progress, and I will be adding more work soon, but it showcases my favorite photographs, illustrations, abstract work and mixed media. 

I'd like to close by thanking you all for your support through this process, especially to my parents, who are always supportive, no matter how far-reaching my aspirations.  I hope you have a chance to look through my work a bit, and maybe even be inspired yourself!  Thank you for reading!