2022 was all about making lemons into lemonade. The end of 2021 was plagued with a lot of personal life bullshit. In the midst of planning a move to Madrid, shit hit the fan and my husband was becoming more and more detached from any reality I had known in the past 14 years we had been together. He was struggling, a lot.
We shifted gears… A move to Europe was a lifelong dream, but now everything was unraveling. We were in the middle of renting our house, and decided to move forward in doing so. We wouldn’t go to Madrid, we needed access to health care in a place we could easily understand the language. We needed to navigate a changing lifestyle.
We decided that we’d airbnb hop. Bring what we needed to be mobile and work from different cities.
3 Months in San Francisco
We decided to start the year with some form of routine, heading back to San Francisco where we lived for years and both our jobs are more or less based. We were there for 3 months, and while there revived some amazing connections with work and friends and everything in between.
Art Directed a Photo Shoot for Reliance Clothing
As luck would have it the timing worked out well for me to work with an old client on a photo shoot while I was in San Francisco. It was really fun to get back to Art Directing in the physical world on set rather than always being on the computer.
3 Weeks in New York City
During the pandemic, our friends co-rented an apartment in Gramercy, New York City. I asked if they had any openings, and there was a 3 week gap we could claim. In April, we spent an amazing 3 weeks exploring the Big Apple and loving every moment of it. Except for the part where I got COVID. That part wasn’t fun.
Art Directed a Photo Shoot for thredUP
We went back to San Francisco for 2 weeks to stay with friends who held onto our car and a few items while we were gone. While there, we had framily dinners with our good friends Liz and Akio making wood fired pizzas and playing with their two cute cats.
During this time I started a 3 month contract with thredUP, whom I’ve worked with in the past. I Art Directed my 2nd photo shoot of the year during this visit to San Francisco
Road Trip: 2 Weeks In Moab, UT
Towards the end of May we drove from San Francisco to Moab, Utah to work from there and spend some time exploring. The nights were long and so we were able to explore a lot in a short amount of time even while working. We went to Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park, the La Sal Mountains and Goblin Valley State Park.
Road Trip: 1 Week in Page, AZ
We continued on to Page for a week to see some sights like the Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell.
We rode back to SF for a fun week where I got to see two of my favorite bands in concert, Broods and Sofi Tukker. We also celebrated my good friend Liz’s 40th birthday!
Art Directed a 2nd Photo Shoot in Atlanta For thredUP Featuring Stranger Things Actress Priah Ferguson
This was a very exciting project! ThredUP wanted to bring awareness to the harm Fast Fashion has on our planet. The team put together an amazing Anti Fast Fashion Hotline, where you could call in and “chat” with Stranger Things Actress Priah Ferguson. I was able to take the reigns for Art Direction on this photo shoot, and in partnership with talented photographer Ashley Batz, we captured imagery inspired by iconic 50’s photography and dated hotline ads.
Met My Nephew!
My poor parents probably thought they’d never have a grandchild. I’ve never wanted children, and my brother was slow to the aisle. Finally, my brother had a sweet little baby boy with his wife Anna. I took advantage of being closer to the east coast for work and went to meet him.
Stayed in Folsom Lake
We were generously hosted by our friend Chelsea’s parents at their gorgeous lakeside home in August where we relaxed and celebrated Adam’s birthday. It was the perfect hub for the upcoming wedding we were attending in Tahoe for our friends Ryan and Liz.
Art Directed A 3rd Photo Shoot For thredUP In NYC
Although I wasn’t physically able to Art Direct this photo shoot I was able to plan the art direction and work to get all the pieces ready for it. So fun!
Spent A Week On The Big Island
We found some ultra cheap tickets to The Big Island and decided to make a trip of it. We spent one week exploring Kona and Hilo on the Big Island, snorkeling, hiking, zip-lining and eating delicious meals. Believe it or not this was the first time all year Adam and I took a break from work.
Europe Trip
Our friend Shweta was celebrating her 40th birthday in a big way, in Croatia! So we jumped on board.
My friend Laura and I took a side trip after the group trip to Italy for a week of “Rome”ing around. Lol. We started in Rome for a quick 24 hours since it was the easiest direct flight, then went to the cute fishing villages of Cinque Terre, and finished our trip in Genoa.
Spent 1 Month In Joshua Tree
My parents wanted to do a road trip to see my nephew, and needed us to watch their dogs. We stayed at their house for the last month of our trip and hiked around Joshua Tree.
Back Home
Adam and I moved back into our home in L.A. on our 11th anniversary, November 5th, then immediately hosted our family (Adam’s twin, wife, and out nieces and nephew) for an L.A. trip and Thanksgiving. We had a blast going to the beach, Universal Studios, and out to Joshua Tree.
NYE in Mexico
We finished the year in Sayulita, Mexico, just outside of Puerto Vallarta with our friends Tamra and Kevin. It was a relaxing week boating, snorkeling, beaching, surfing and eating. Muy Bueno!
There were so many great memories from 2022, but there were a lot of struggles too. This year ended with more stability, which I’m very thankful for.