I get more joy from giving to others than I do when receiving things myself. I have prided myself in giving back....to children, families, the community and anyone else along the way. This past February I organized a toy drive in honor of my birthday and it was a HUGE success. Thanks to so many great friends, clients and companies, I was able to donate over 150 brand new toys to Saint Francis Children's Hospital. Seeing the joy on the children's face was worth a years salary to me. The kids, their families and the employees were so thankful and I was so honored to be there to do this for them.
Now it is turning cooler out, the holidays are upon us and many of us can take for granted the warm houses we live in and the meals that we have on our tables. I want to do something for the people of Tulsa this year and I have asked for help from my loving friends. I put out on my Facebook that I wanted to challenge AT LEAST 5 friends to help me collect 500 non-perishable food items OR MORE and within minutes I had 15 friends that were committed to help. For that, I thank you! I couldn't be where I am today, as a person and as a photographer, without your help and the fact that you all are so willing to help me with all of my ideas is just unbelievable. We can make a difference. Each of us can change the life for someone that may not be living as they would like. I want to encourage you to do what you can to make this holiday season one filled with LOVE and JOY for everyone you meet.
It is not too late. If you want to be added to the list of "contestants" there is something in it for you as well. To be qualified, there is a 100 item minimum and click HERE to see a list of items that are considered non-perishable. To the person that delivers the most items to me by November 10th, you will receive a year's worth of mini sessions ((4 sessions total)). There will also be something for every single person that brings 100 items or more. The drop off will be at Sweet Pea Couture, which is currently located in the Farm Shopping Center at 51st and Sheridan, but please note that they will be moving to their new location as of November 1st and that will be on the northeast corner of 91st and Yale, behind QT. When dropping off your goods, please leave a note with number of items you have counted.
My goal is to collect over 2000 items to deliver to the John 3:16 Mission, just in time for Thanksgiving. I have had others ask if they were able to donate monetarily as well and you may definitely do so, by visiting John 3:16's website and clicking the 'donate money' tab. I have linked that for you directly by clicking HERE.
So far, the list of contestants is as follows:
Keli Pace, Olivia Riggs, Ally Azar, Misty Tharp, Andrea Taylor, Lesa Moyer, Nikki Stonebarger, Sarah Anderson, Crystal White, Morgan Pettit, Briana Cupp, Shannon Culler, Jessica McCarty, Jennifer Victory and Corean Cearley.
If you would like to donate items but do not feel that you can meet the 100 item goal, I would love to collect anything you may have. Please email me at natalierenaephotography@yahoo.com and I will personally pick the items up from you or you may drop them off at Sweet Pea.
Help me make this the best holiday season that Tulsa has ever seen!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Mediocrity is a Joke
When you think of people that are important, those that influence where you are going, where you have been, and what you want to become.....who do you think of? Some will say their parents, others say a close friend that has been through something huge, others will name a celebrity or well known person.
Who would I name? I would name Rachel Brenke, Amy Cook, Julie Paisley or Sue Bryce. These are women that share the profession that I have chosen. They are some of the best in the business and I hope that one day soon my name can be said in connection with theirs. I want to be a household name in other photographer's lives, I want others to look up to me and see me as someone they want to be like one day. I want more....I will do more.....I will have more.
A year ago, when I left the life of a nurse and started in on the wonderful full-time world of photography, this dream was not realistic to me. It seemed like a dream that others talk about but never really chase after with their heart and soul. Of course, everyone wants to be the best, know the best, work with the best. But me? I will get it. I have worked my tail off and have moved leaps and bounds in my world over the past year and though it is NOWHERE near where I want to be, trust me when I say....I will be there.....ONE DAY!
I want to teach others. I want to travel to amazing destinations to teach others the art of photography. I want to start my non-profit and watch it grow. I want to teach the world that there is so much in a picture and that picture leaves so many words unsaid. I don't want to be known only in the town I call home, I want to be someone that other's notice when out about. When you think of Natalie Renae, you will think of beautiful images and a girl that is living her dream :)
I will never settle for where I am. Even when I get to where I want to be, there will always be something more I can do. One more person I can reach. One more lesson I can teach. Always growing, always improving. Please trust me when I say that my journey has only begun. Thank you for being here with me, I love you more than you could imagine.
Who would I name? I would name Rachel Brenke, Amy Cook, Julie Paisley or Sue Bryce. These are women that share the profession that I have chosen. They are some of the best in the business and I hope that one day soon my name can be said in connection with theirs. I want to be a household name in other photographer's lives, I want others to look up to me and see me as someone they want to be like one day. I want more....I will do more.....I will have more.
A year ago, when I left the life of a nurse and started in on the wonderful full-time world of photography, this dream was not realistic to me. It seemed like a dream that others talk about but never really chase after with their heart and soul. Of course, everyone wants to be the best, know the best, work with the best. But me? I will get it. I have worked my tail off and have moved leaps and bounds in my world over the past year and though it is NOWHERE near where I want to be, trust me when I say....I will be there.....ONE DAY!
I want to teach others. I want to travel to amazing destinations to teach others the art of photography. I want to start my non-profit and watch it grow. I want to teach the world that there is so much in a picture and that picture leaves so many words unsaid. I don't want to be known only in the town I call home, I want to be someone that other's notice when out about. When you think of Natalie Renae, you will think of beautiful images and a girl that is living her dream :)
I will never settle for where I am. Even when I get to where I want to be, there will always be something more I can do. One more person I can reach. One more lesson I can teach. Always growing, always improving. Please trust me when I say that my journey has only begun. Thank you for being here with me, I love you more than you could imagine.
Monday, October 1, 2012
I was introduced to racism......at 12 years old!
It was Thanksgiving day.
I was 12 years old.
It was the scariest day of my entire life thus far.
It was the day that I was introduced to racism....by the person that was always suppose to protect me.
It was the day I decided that I didn't need a certain man in my life.
I will leave out the details because I have had my share of debating over the topic, but most that know me, know the story. It was a day that I have nightmares over.....A LOT! I am 16 years older than I was then and I still don't understand it. I don't understand a lot about life, but I have grown to understand a multitude of things. I don't see color. I don't form opinions on a person because of the color of their skin. I don't know what "interracial" is.
No really. What is "interracial?" My mom and step-dad are interracial. My mom is a card carryin' Cherokee indian and my step-dad....well he isn't! So there it is, they are interracial. My sister-in-law is married to a hispanic man. They are interracial. Chances are, if you really take a chance to look at your marriage/relationship/children....yep...interracial.
So why is it that some people put such a stigma on those that are in a black/white relationship? I have been with my husband for almost 10 years and can't wait to be with him for the next 50+ years, God willing. We have been met with more skepticism and questioning over the last 10 years, but that is something we both laugh and brush off. You want to know what bothers me the most? The looks. The people that look at you with disbelief and whisper something. Those people need lessons on whispering under their breath, because none of them are good at it. There was one time, while shopping at the mall, we were going up the escalator as another couple was going down. The lady literally looked straight at us and said, "that is so disgusting!"
To be honest, I have grown a thicker skin over the last 10 years, but I have also become more aware. Aware of looks, aware of snickers, aware of the ugliness of this world. Why have I become more aware? I have two amazingly beautiful children that I am going to have to send into this sick world. These two children do not know color and my prayer is that I can teach them to never see the world and the people in it as "colors." They are special. They are strong. They are brilliant. I hope that they never have to be taught what racism is by anyone other than my husband and I. They will be taught that there are people who will not accept them for one reason or another. Perhaps it is because they are smart. Athletic. Nerd. Or maybe it is because their skin is absolutely beautiful, just like them. My sister once told my nephew that there will be people that don't "like" him because he is black and others that may not "like" him because he is white. As true as that statement may be, I wish it weren't so.
We live in a time that everyone is different in one way or another. Perhaps it is your sexuality, or the way you dress. Maybe you have tattoos and piercings or different hair. Or maybe you are a bit of it all. We are all different, some are just more proud of their differences than others.
My wish is that there is one person that reads this and agrees to look at people a little differently. There are bad people in this world, but let them prove that, not their skin color. One bad thing, by one person of the race you don't like and automatically they all are the same. Is that fair. What if the shoe were on the other foot? Just step back and realize...you are different too. You are an individual. You are loved by someone and so is that person that is being made fun of or criticized.
What will it take to stop the bullying? Stop the stereotyping? Stop the hate? Make life worth living for everyone you meet. Shake a hand of someone you would normally pass by without acknowledging. Smile. Laugh. Love.
I have left a job after being called a racist. I have lost clients DURING a photoshoot when it came up that my children were mixed because they "hated" blacks that much. I have been bashed on a public forum in my hometown for having the family I have. I have been through more than you could probably imagine, but I don't let it get me down because as far as I am concerned I have THE BEST family that has ever been :)
Love me or hate me, it is up to you. I am a good person and will give you the shirt off my back, but talk about or mess with my family and be scared. Be very scared!
It is with love that I hope this message comes across as positive and that tomorrow.....well tomorrow I hope you talk about it. Let someone know that you are proud of your interracial relationship. Or better yet, you are proud of your colorless relationship because remember, Jesus loves the little children........
I was 12 years old.
It was the scariest day of my entire life thus far.
It was the day that I was introduced to racism....by the person that was always suppose to protect me.
It was the day I decided that I didn't need a certain man in my life.
I will leave out the details because I have had my share of debating over the topic, but most that know me, know the story. It was a day that I have nightmares over.....A LOT! I am 16 years older than I was then and I still don't understand it. I don't understand a lot about life, but I have grown to understand a multitude of things. I don't see color. I don't form opinions on a person because of the color of their skin. I don't know what "interracial" is.
No really. What is "interracial?" My mom and step-dad are interracial. My mom is a card carryin' Cherokee indian and my step-dad....well he isn't! So there it is, they are interracial. My sister-in-law is married to a hispanic man. They are interracial. Chances are, if you really take a chance to look at your marriage/relationship/children....yep...interracial.
So why is it that some people put such a stigma on those that are in a black/white relationship? I have been with my husband for almost 10 years and can't wait to be with him for the next 50+ years, God willing. We have been met with more skepticism and questioning over the last 10 years, but that is something we both laugh and brush off. You want to know what bothers me the most? The looks. The people that look at you with disbelief and whisper something. Those people need lessons on whispering under their breath, because none of them are good at it. There was one time, while shopping at the mall, we were going up the escalator as another couple was going down. The lady literally looked straight at us and said, "that is so disgusting!"
To be honest, I have grown a thicker skin over the last 10 years, but I have also become more aware. Aware of looks, aware of snickers, aware of the ugliness of this world. Why have I become more aware? I have two amazingly beautiful children that I am going to have to send into this sick world. These two children do not know color and my prayer is that I can teach them to never see the world and the people in it as "colors." They are special. They are strong. They are brilliant. I hope that they never have to be taught what racism is by anyone other than my husband and I. They will be taught that there are people who will not accept them for one reason or another. Perhaps it is because they are smart. Athletic. Nerd. Or maybe it is because their skin is absolutely beautiful, just like them. My sister once told my nephew that there will be people that don't "like" him because he is black and others that may not "like" him because he is white. As true as that statement may be, I wish it weren't so.
We live in a time that everyone is different in one way or another. Perhaps it is your sexuality, or the way you dress. Maybe you have tattoos and piercings or different hair. Or maybe you are a bit of it all. We are all different, some are just more proud of their differences than others.
My wish is that there is one person that reads this and agrees to look at people a little differently. There are bad people in this world, but let them prove that, not their skin color. One bad thing, by one person of the race you don't like and automatically they all are the same. Is that fair. What if the shoe were on the other foot? Just step back and realize...you are different too. You are an individual. You are loved by someone and so is that person that is being made fun of or criticized.
What will it take to stop the bullying? Stop the stereotyping? Stop the hate? Make life worth living for everyone you meet. Shake a hand of someone you would normally pass by without acknowledging. Smile. Laugh. Love.
I have left a job after being called a racist. I have lost clients DURING a photoshoot when it came up that my children were mixed because they "hated" blacks that much. I have been bashed on a public forum in my hometown for having the family I have. I have been through more than you could probably imagine, but I don't let it get me down because as far as I am concerned I have THE BEST family that has ever been :)
Love me or hate me, it is up to you. I am a good person and will give you the shirt off my back, but talk about or mess with my family and be scared. Be very scared!
It is with love that I hope this message comes across as positive and that tomorrow.....well tomorrow I hope you talk about it. Let someone know that you are proud of your interracial relationship. Or better yet, you are proud of your colorless relationship because remember, Jesus loves the little children........
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