Bessa


Once upon a time a photographer and a hair stylist went to Olive Garden, where the breadsticks flow like wine and senior citizens instinctively floc like the salmon of Capistrano. Over soup and a tea, we hashed out our "Sharing Beauty Giveaway." The prize: a one hour photography session with me + hair and makeup by Jesse Shaw. The catch? They had to say something nice:


"Describe something that’s beautiful to you. It could be a thought, memory, or an act of kindness. Something that left an impression on you."


Off to the races we were. Two weeks later Jesse and I swap Olive Garden for IHOP and pick Bessa's name out of a bowl. Cut to three months later (there were mini sessions, birthday and trip delays) the three of us rolled up to Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk, Maine. If you’ve never been to Snug Harbor Farm, you’ve been missing out on one of Maine’s most beautiful botanical gems. It’s where plants and art meet. It’s a living, thriving museum, displaying the best collection nature has to offer. And the best part is you can buy the art and take your pieces home.


I've been dying—DYING I say—to make a floral headpiece since August 2020. I bought chicken wire, floral wire, regular wire, wire cutters (anything with the word wire in it) to make the base. I wasted a lot of money doing that and now I have chicken wire but no chickens. Alas. I also raided the floral section of Dollar Store, which was a much better use of my money, but still slightly wasteful.


I have that illness where you say you want to do something but then never do it. Even though I finally had the materials to make said headpiece, I did not intrinsically know how to put them together in a way that would like nice.