February 1, 2022
Chapter 1: A talent recognized
You may be wondering how it all began. Everything started coming to light between the ages of 8 - 10years old. You are probably thinking "Oh come on, no one knows what they want to be at that age", I didn't neither actually. Until one day, my mom walked in and saw me pencil drawing of a portrait and asked me to do another one (I guess to prove that it wasn't a fluke of nature) because no one else drew in my family. She immediately saw that I had artistic talent | potential and encouraged it. Just alittle backstory on my parents, My dad is a self-taught trumpet player and my mom, well, mom writes books on history, time travel, and whatever tickles her fancy. Mostly westerns. Mom always had | has still such a wonderful ability to see the world to for what it could be. No wonder she encouraged me to be ...me. Early in my life, I was never a great communicator towards others (which still sticks with me to this day). Mom saw that I could communicate and present my emotions just fine thru my art. One day, at the grocery market, she bought me a disposable camera (dating myself here) and asked me to use it to show her how I saw the world around me. If you were standing next to me as a child, you would most likely go "this is the woods. So you photographed nature? What's so special about nature?" Well, there is alot about nature that most folks would look right past. I would recognize the bigger picture, but then start to analyze the smaller things, the details that made up the bigger picture. For example, a tree is not just a tree. Have you ever looked at a cedar or pine tree during the winter time? Have you? Did you know that they have wrinkles? For real, honest truth. go out sometime during the winter months and just spend time looking at the smallest details on things. It wasn't just the small things that interested me. There are many a times, when I shoot an image and see what the end result will be. That subject will be explained alittle further down. Let me continue this coming of age story....
Chapter 2: The Camera
At the tender age of 12, I happened upon a local yard sale. I have never really liked yard sales and to this date still don't, but this day would go down as a very important one indeed. You see at this particular yard sale, the lady was selling her entire photography kit. I mean bag, KS Super 35mm camera, lens, filters, flash, etc. for $20. That's right $20! The only thing that was wrong with the camera was the shutter button | Advancement arm would not let the film advance forward. I bought it, with my allowance, knowing that I could hopefully get it fixed or I just totally wasted good money. My mom and I went to Bedford's camera in Fayetteville, Arkansas to have it looked at. Could you guess what was wrong with it? The guy took it to the back and brought it back within 2 minutes and went "Do you want to keep the film?" "Not really, " I replied (bc who knows what that lady photographed). He opened the back door and pulled the film out the camera, chucked it in the trash, closed the door and clicked the shutter button and the advanced the film forward. The Film was Jammed! That was it! Seriously! He didn't even charge us and with that began the next chapter in my photography journey....
Chapter 3: Life Happens...
The next chapter went on for a several years, I would use my allowance to buy 35mm film, and continued to photograph what I saw and what made me happy. As I entered my Middle |High school days, I went on to work more towards my drawing abilities. During my time in FCCLA (Future Career & Community Leaders of America), I entered and won silver for my art and photography based business that I named after myself. This got me excited about opening my own business. The years strolled by and I continued on with my portrait drawings until one day, I found her (my camera) back again while moving and said to myself that I had put my joy on the back burner for far too long. To be honest, I have never been a "career" person. Every day job that I have ever held, I have never been happy at or happy towards. My art is what kept |keeps me going. It is what makes me happy. I decided that I really needed to go to college and receive my degree in Graphic Design. About that time is when I was presented with a promotion at work. I declined it and continued my schooling. Life happened and I couldn't finish the last year that I needed for my degree.
Years went by, Life continued to happen. I could never bring myself to start that business I had presented so long ago. I thought that no one would like my art, I thought that I would be made a laughingstock, that I was...not...good...enough. I had picked my camera back up and was shooting and mastering my abilities and understanding of photography with no where to go with it, but it brought me joy.
Years went by once again. I had gotten a desk job after working retail for many years, but I had started to fall into a rather depressive state of being. Just miserable all the time. I would counteract this by going on Nature hikes and adventures with my camera. Then an opportunity or a blessing occurred, I was laid off. I know what you are thinking, "How is that a blessing?" This meant I could go back to college and finish my degree because the company was paying for folks to go get a degree. By this time, I was 28, married, trying to finish my Graphic Design degree, and trying to conceive a child. During my time in college, one of my class assignments was to create a business with the animal that we had chosen. I had chosen a peacock, not just any ole one, but an albino peacock (go look up albino peacocks, they are so elegant in my opinion). They were the perfect animal to represent my business (which I will discuss in another blog later this month) and Ivory Peacock Photography & Design was born. Guess what happened next, that's right...Life. I did graduate with my degree, but I had a very heavy heart dealing with something that no women should NEVER have to go thru. Even though I was going thru yet another rough patch in my life, I wasn't going to give up on my passion | dream of operating my own photography business. It had been 10 years since that presentation and yet here I was again at the crossroads of life. Unfortunately, after college, I had to go back to a day job. A few months later, I become blessed with my firstborn and landed a job as a florist at a local grocery market. It is not the business I wanted, but it was want I needed. My heart knew that my time was coming soon. I would take my camera with me everywhere on my days off. I had upgraded to a DSLR was going on adventures | hikes on a regular basis. Remember at the beginning of the story when I said that I could see the world alittle differently. Well, this is when my creativity started to recover from life happening and boy did it ever. I began to take what I had learned in college and put it to use. In Photoshop, I would composite my images together and create what I saw, so I could finally show the world what I could actually see. Almost.........
Chapter 4: No more self-doubt
By the age of 33, I thought "Jeez Mary, really? All this talent going to waste because of what? An insecurity? Self-doubt? Come on now!" The answer is Yes. The truth is I have anxiety, I'm afraid of large crowds, and I carry around depression and self-doubt all the time, but if you ever met me in person, you wouldn't believe that last sentence. When I have my camera strapped to me, I am the biggest, flamboyant, outgoing, cheerful person you could ever meet. My camera is my safe zone, my zin spot. So I finally gathered my strength and gave the logo a re-design and continued forward with my business plans. In 2019, I officially opened as Ivory Peacock Photography & Design, LLC. I didn't let anything stand in my way. Even 2020 didn't slow me down. You ever get that feeling like something is about to happen. Well, that was following year. The year that should not be named in my household; the year life came knocking at my door one more time.
During last year, I continued working on my business. I went to all sorts of meet & greets and tried to work on a few projects with fellow local photographers, but my heavy heart cracked under the pressure. The pain was just too much to handle. Between my day job as a florist of 6.5 years, my burden, trying to grow my business (Social media did not help); my world came crashing down around me like the block game of Jenga. I switched my day job even though I wanted to do what made me the happiest; My art, My craft, My photography, but I could not stay as a florist at a place that did not want me and my burden. Around the new year, I was able to let go of my heavy heart and crawl out of the depressive state. I promised myself in the new year that I would not let my anxiety or my pain hold me back no more. My heart knew that my time draws nears to when I can be free to do what I LOVE all the time. I know that my passion will be seen by those who understand my vision.
With this determination, My company Ivory Peacock Photography & Design, LLC was reborn with a new voice and a new outlook. This is my next chapter.....Do you want to join me on this adventurous chapter? Do you want to see what my passion can bring to your homes as images that can be cherished for generations to come? If you do take a look around my website and see what I can provide for you and your family?
Thank you for taking the time and reading my story.
".....This girl is the epitome of TALENT!!!"
-sami G.
"We had a wonderful experience during our mini Christmas shoot with Mary!"
-Cora C.
"Beautifully capturing moments that make a story, and doing an amazing job-not just because you're good at it, but because it's something you really love!"
-Williow &
Nathan
"I couldn't have asked for anything better! You made the experience fun, exciting, and were able to capture us perfectly....."
-BRIANNA B.
".....we have found our forever family photographer for NW Arkansas!!"
-TiffaniE t.
"I highly recommend for anyone looking for a great photographer!!"
-dANIELLE W.
"We did a mini Christmas session! She captures each of the children beautifully!"
-Nicole k.
"Our newborn/family session with Mary turned out beautifully........"
-Katie C.
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