LATELY

life has been a blur of wonderful photoshoots, travelling up and down, tackling social media at every turn, steadily adding more layers to my person (autumn has truly arrived, folks), drinking more tea than is good for me (lesbereal, there's no such thing), planning creative shoots, trying to support friends goin through really hard things, filming mind the gap videos (have you checked out the channel recently? we're up to episode fifty five already! go have a nosey!) and spending hours on end editing photos while listening to all (did I say all?) the movie soundtracks. 

all the while, trying to put together posts that make some sorta sense out of the thousands of pictures I have lined up (laughing but also crying emoji). still, I'm trying to remember that it doesn't all have to be perfectly put together and my words don't have to be in anyway amazing, because I'm just a creative weirdo who loves takin pictures and telling people stories. so I guess I'll stick to that. anyway, for today's post, I just wanted to update you all on what's been going on in my life and share with you some things that I've been loving, in the hopes that you'll do the same (don't be shy - comment below!). so, in no particular order, here they are!

cream + coconut tea // agents of shield // ireland // movie soundtracks // this stranger and her bearded admirer // bread + wine by shauna neiquist // God's timing // family conversation // fried chicken // finished projects // coffee face masks // ginger beer // this talent // wales // coffee (ha) // instagram (no joke, jess) // this weirdo // the paradise // cliffs of moher // sea salt scrubs // pear cider // the power of prayer // this human // 

love to you all!
jess

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WHO EVEN IS JESS?

you may call me the queen of blogging. yes, yes I know I'm so on top of it! blogging so regularly like I do. no, no please stop with all the compliments, please! alternate start to the blog post: I suck.

ok, so what I've come to realise is that I'm not very good at keeping up with blogging on top of other social media. I won't make any promises but I'm going to try and find some kind of routine or schedule to work by so I can get on top of this bloggin jazz! how do you guys do it? does anyone else struggle with consistent blogging or finding the time to sit down to create a blog post? I find that by the time I've done a work day, which includes a lot of social media time for both me and on the behalf of others (did I tell you guys I'm now a social media manager as well as a photographer?! yeah roooy), I have no time or energy or inspiration for blogging! but I know so many people who blog consistently and beautifully and what seems like, effortlessly. if you are one of those people, then give me your wisdom! 

in other news, I've been in france for the past month! I've been staying in strasbourg for most of that time, with a few trips to germany and paris and a bunch of smaller villages in the area. I can't wait to share all about it, but let's be honest, I haven't even posted my israel trip pictures yet (insert the laughing till crying emojis). so first things first, amiright? meanwhile, here are a few snaps from my most recent travels! also, if you want to see what I'm up to day by day (coz you know you wanna see that), follow along on instagram (@missjessy12) and if haven't caught up on the mind the gap series then make sure you go have a nosey (yup, petie and I are still makin videos every monday coz we is rockstaaaaars obvs) at the channel!

in the meantime, you peeps keep safe + be awesome. I'll be back.

love you all!
jess

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FIVE THINGS TO DO WHEN TRAVELLING

1. travel with an open mind. this is probably one of the most important (I think), so I'd say it deserves first place. don't compare everything to what you know! so often I hear people say, "back home, we have better such + such" or "where I'm from, we never do it that way". it doesn't matter where you're from, this is a completely different place! the more you travel, the more you realise that comparing countries/cities simply robs you of the pleasure of just appreciating them. enjoy it for what it is, not for what it's not! basically, less comparison: happier travels. amen. also, don't be a buttface: stop complaining. phew, so glad I could get that off my chest. thanks for listening guys.

2. walk everywhere whenever possible. I know that it's not always possible, but if you're staying in a city or even the country-side, make time to walk around! you'll see so much more if you walk and go down streets and pass by markets and go into shops and people watch and journey through the place as if you were a local. you'll smell new smells, see sights that tourists never would, face new experiences, hear new sounds, taste new foods, and get a feel for what it's like for the people who really live there! there's nothing like leaving a place and being able to say you walked the whole city or village or town or mountain. I mean, you might feel like your feet + legs are gonna drop off by the end of it, but it's so, so worth it.

3. look up local independent coffee shops, bakeries and restaurants. before we go anywhere, whether it's a new country, city or county, we alway always look up the best local places to go for coffee, snacks and meals. coz coffee + food are obviously important amiright? chain coffee shops and restaurants are great if there's no other option or they happen to hold your favourite festive stuffing pasty (don't judge me. greggs is dang good.), but local independent shops? they're the best. more often than not they use local products, and they're run by locals who have a passion for what they do. so before you journey off yonder? find out the local independents who will make yonder so much better.

4. travel light. don't overpack. if you find yourself wondering whether you'll actually need that item, you probably don't. I only ever pack two pairs of shoes when I go somewhere (but a majority of the time I only pack one), because you simply don't need more than that! yes, pack everything you need, but don't allow yourself to overthink things, or you'll find your whole wardrobe + possibly your sister's wardrobe stuffed into an overburdened suitcase. aint nobody got time for dat.

5. don't stress. it's so, so, so easy to get stressed out when you're travelling. you have crazy time schedules, flights to catch, tickets to buy, you're in a new place, you might not know the language, etiquette isn't the same, dress code could be different and damn it all, they don't even know how to make your coffee the way you like it. yes, always be on time if you can. yes, be smart about buying tickets, booking accommodation + doing things cheaply (unless you're a millionaire. in which case you can buy the whole dang airline). but don't stress about little things! who cares if you miss a bus? who cares if the accommodation doesn't include a spa + a balcony? who cares if you didn't get that perfect picture? if you miss your train and end up talking to a local about life and food and what Jesus has done for them, would that really be worth stressing about? in such cases as these, I really do believe in the song: don't worry, be happy! 

that's all for now folks! have you got any travel tips? comment below + share them! 

love you all.

jess
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#thecollaborators2016

collaborate. I feel like I've said that word so much lately. I've been collaborating with businesses, creatives, individuals, brands, you name it. and I can't say how much I love it. one of the most recent (and is still going!) collabs is one I'm doing with seven other creatives/business owners/entrepreneurs and my oh my it's been wonderful, brilliant, hilarious + all the good words! it has brought about friendships, crazy conversations, ridiculous nicknames and fabulous creative community. we call ourselves #thecollaborators2016, because we wanted to sound cooler than we actually are. we're doing a four week series on instagram covering the inside life of a creative/business owner/entrepreneur, showing people what we do day to day, what we love + hate about working from home, how we balance work + personal life and what our hardest day of the week looks like (coughmondaycough). if you haven't seen any of the posts from the series yet, go and check them out on instagram! I'll link all of the collaborators insta handles below. make sure you go and see each girl's post (and follow them, coz duh), because one of the most awesome things about this collab is the different + unique perspectives each person gives! ahhhhhh I love it so much! also don't forget to show some love by commenting (quite a few of us have questions we'd love you to answer!) + telling us what you think. 

if any of you guys are thinking about doing a collab or have a brilliant idea for one, then comment below or flick me an email or contact me on social media and maybe we can work together!

sarah kriner | @sarahkriner
hawwa | @hawwaetc
joanna | @jo.c.dell
payton | @paytonmarie1833
beth | @bethjoyce92
megan | @littlebrowncards
mackenzie | @mackenziehope1
jess | @missjessy12

WHY I LOVE (AND HATE) PERSONALITY TYPES

new year, same you, right? I'm not good at writing up new years posts (hence why you haven't been graced with one this year), so instead I thought that I'd tackle something that I've been thinking about for a while, but never shared on here!

personality types. the meyers briggs test. everyone talks about how accurate they are + how they're super helpful and really define who we are. but I both love + hate personality tests and the type they assign you to. I've taken the meyers briggs test a couple of times now and being one of those annoying people who absolutely loves taking quizzes, I've enjoyed it every time (taking other people through it is the best.). two outta three times, I was a ESTP and the third time I was an ENTP, because when I read through both type's synopsis, I wasn't just one or the other, I was both. and some of the things in one personality type weren't true of me and some traits in the other type were completely spot on.

then you go on to reading the career choices you have, the celebrities who are like you, the friendships you'll have, the type of soul mate you need and all that jazz. I remember one time I was reading about the type of friends I was supposed to have and the personality types that would suit me best and it said that I wasn't supposed to be friends with one particular personality type. it struck me as strange (and also made me laugh) coz one of my best friends was that type and we get along amazingly. we talked about how the Lord almost makes personality types void and how even if two people totally don't get along personality-wise, they can still love each other through with Christ's love. when you read through the synopsis of your personality, you can somehow feel as though you're supposed to act a certain way and that this is who you are and there's no getting away from it.

while it does definitely help you understand the way your brain works and the way other people work, it can sometimes stop you from continually bringing your sins before the Lord.

"oh, I just have a bad temper, I can't help it, it's my personality." ever said that before? or maybe, "I'm just a jealous person! it's who I am!" or even, "I can't help but worry about things! it's just my personality.". we can't allow personality types to give us an excuse for things that so obviously are a sins. that will get us absolutely nowhere! secondly, personality tests encourage us to do one thing in particular: focus on self. when we take these tests, read about them, linger on them, think about them, we're making self a priority. we're not thinking about Christ or others. we're allowing our own importance to get in the way (be honest with yourself, when did thinking about yourself ever give glory to God or serve another person in some way?).

I'm not saying that taking the tests is bad or even reading up about your personality type (or someone else's!) is bad either. in fact, I think that it can be super helpful + useful for understanding yourself and others! it can give you a new perspective on why your friend won't make split decisions or why you find organising easier than your sister or why you and your brother are both good leaders and terrible listeners. it helps you realise that people are different and that they work, function and comprehend in unique ways. it gives you a better understanding of your weaknesses and strengths and in which ways you can improve. so if you wondered whether I was going to come to some super strong conclusive end, hahahaha this is where you find out I don't. all of the above goes to say that I both love + hate personality tests and I'm not sure that's ever going to change. and I don't think I want it to.

what are your thoughts on personality tests + types? do you love them, hate them, couldn't care less about them? also, if you know it, tell me your personality type in the comments! any fellow ESTP/ENTPs out there?

jess
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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! I hope you all have a fantastically, splendid christmas filled with lotsa coffee and joking around and food and Jesus. may your days be incredibly merry + impractically bright and I hope that you all have a restful holiday, where you do no work whatsoever and get to just enjoy yourself with your family + friends. I have some christmas blessings to bestow upon you. so sit yourself down and allow yourself to be blessed.

may the memory of finnick odair not cloud your festivities
may coffee cup never go empty.
may you eat your weight in stuffing but not grow fat.
may your relatives never ask you your relationship status.
may your gravy be thick and flavoursome.
may mary crawley not marrying tom branson not dampen your jollifications.
may you never be cursed with christmas cake.
may you be able to watch sherlock earlier than expected.
may the fitzsimmons ship finally sail into an engineered, biochemical sunset.
may you receive gorgeous stationary for christmas.
may the instagram app never crash on you.

today is a day of jollification, merriment, festivity and gratefulness. Jesus was born and He saved us from our wretchedness, our sin and from the punishment of sin. if you have nothing else to be happy about today, then surely that's something to dance about?

I love you all and you're all the best and that's all the mushiness you'll get from me. have the best of christmases, my lil adorable urchins!

jess

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fresh and new

yours truly (the blog) has been needing a rebrand for a while now, but it was just finding the time to do it. while petie was here, we made some time, sat down and talked colours, textures, fonts and drew up some new designs while scrolling through pinterest for inspiration. after redesigning her blog (go and check it out in all it's bright, happy, symmetrical glory!), time got away from me and suddenly I had a bunch of other stuff to do, so my rebrand had to wait! but I finally got round to redesigning mine and I couldn't be happier. gold + greyscale + white + minimal + a brand spankin new name. also, have you noticed that the name yours truly has gone? well, it has! into oblivion's embrace! say your fond farewells, my people! I said mine yesterday at three thirty in the afternoon, while drinking a goodbye-flat-white and munching on a solitary shortbread biscuit. hmmm. anyway. I decided to go all matchy-matchy with my website coz nothing makes my heart sing like things brands matching + connecting. so, in regards to changes + the like, nothing will be changing too much content-wise, except that I'll be posting more. I know right. shock of the year! but check out new about me, new reader and info pages coz they be neeeew and diiiifferent and exciiiiting. let's end it with an overly dramatic picture of me that the too-cool payton took. dayum, look at dat wall. comment below with your thoughts on the new design + let me know if any of you have done a rebrand or redesign (comment with a link! show me! be brave! be bold!) lately.

GUESS WHO TURNED UP

if haven't seen it already (if you haven't then I'm guessing you live in a hole)...GUESS WHO'S HERE. my darling payton arrived almost two weeks ago (wait what. wait what) and oh my wordy it's just been the bestest ever. remember when she was here a year ago? I can't believe how quickly it's come round and also how long it's felt (confused much) and ooh boy it was so much fun keeping it a secret (heh heh heh). did you watch episode ten of #mindthegapseries? coz if you haven't then you should (and also episode eleven. and twelve. gosh, keep up guys). it's so crazy wonderful having mah bae back with me again and it's just like old times but better. and for those of you who know nothing about us (you could always catch up by reading these), then I'm sorry that you have to put up with so much of our faces + travel-fangirling (but ya know, if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em?). we have had some amazing, delightful, wonderful adventures already and have lots more planned, but for now here are a few pictures from our recent trips! 

if you want to keep up with our day-to-day crazy, then you can follow along on mine or petie's instagram accounts or if you fancy cheering up your monday every week with a weird video, then you can subscribe to our channel, mind the gap! we'll be doing a q&a soon, so don't forget to ask some questions in the comment section below (ask us about food! drinks! travel! friendship! funny stories! dreams! fears! coffee!), so that we can...ya know...answer your questions. 

love you all!
jess+


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MY 10 FAVOURITE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS

instagram has got to be one of my all time favourite social media platforms. I mean, amiright? maybe it's because it's so visual or maybe it's because liking pictures is so doubletappin easy or maybe it's because some people have the most amazing intsagram feeds in the history of ever. so, the obvious next step is to tell you all my favourite (or rather, this past month's favourites, ha...) instagram accounts, of course! let us begin the wonderful journey that is instagram talent...

JAMES FROST

truth is, I'm a sucker for gorgeous landscape + travel photos. are you a traveller-instagrammer? imma gonna follow you, fo sho. frostyphoto's images are consistently stunning, the kind you want to like three times, but you can't coz instagram won't let you.

ANETA MICHNIAK

besides being absolutely gorgeous, she is a crazy amazing photographer. her travel photos are to die for (you'll notice a pattern with all my insta faves. hashtagtravel) + and I think you should go follow her now, yes? but not before you've seen the other eight faves, so hold on.

JORDAN VOTH

I mean, who doesn't love this dude? his images are outta this world (but not really, coz he does in fact stay on this planet) and the way he incorporates stunning locations with gorgeous people is just outrageous! how does he even get people to those locations? I need to know how his trade secrets.

JUDE SUE

there are three things that I kinda look for in instagram photos: 1) landscapes and/or travel 2) simplicity 3) brights and whites. see below for my insta-heaven...and also, she is a coffee-drinking queen + an architectural-lover. what more could you want in your instagram feed, I ask you?

JOHAN LOLOS

the fact that it says 'world explorer' in the bio is more than enough for me to press the follow button, to be completely honest with you. but it just so happens that his images are unbelievably, outrageously, and stunningly amazing (I actually just stare at them for a full minute sometimes). also, he's just finished travelling around nz for like, the longest time, so if ya want to see what my country looks like? go check out his unbelievably wow instagram!

HEATHER BURRIS

as much as I love travel + landscape instagram accounts, sometimes it's nice to have a touch of whimsy in your feed. heather is not only an amazing photographer, but she's also hilarious, adorable + hilarious (heh). her images are full of pretty details + coffee + lovely looking faces (not to mention the moody edits she does. so, so good!), so she's definitely a fave of mine!

PAYTON MARIE

ok, so maybe I'm slightly biased on this one, but hear me out! petie (one of the bestest people on the planet ever) takes some of the most bright, colourful, coffee-lovin photos I've ever been privileged to cast my winkers (eyes. for those of you who don't know 1800s thieve's slang, gosh) on. also, I love that she's genuinely interested in people's lives + what they think, so um, whatcha waiting for? go follow!

RYAN MORGAN

ok, fine, I admit it. I'm addicted to travel instagram accounts. there! I said it! this dude's desert-y -type images with all their moody tones are so, so beautiful. by the time you've seen ten of his photos, you feel the need to jump in a plane and go to cali to explore it all + be as cool as him.

DYLAN WALLS

I kinda hope I'm getting all their names right, but if I'm getting them wrong, I apologise right here, right now. dylan's gallery is somethin else. the colours + tones are so consistent, yet all of his pictures are amazingly diverse. also, I really love that he talks about what he's been learning from the Lord or what God has been teaching him in his posts. super encouraging! 

SARAH KRINER

again, I might be a lil biased with this one, but this girl is so intentionally creative, it's crazy. her pictures are wonderful, full of whimsy + always beautiful. somehow she manages to post a huge variety of pictures (both personal + professional) to her instagram and they all look amazingly splendid together. if tried what she did, I'd end up in a mess of crazy + bad. 

so there you have it, those are some of my insta-faves! hope you enjoy noseying at their amazing galleries and also, let me know your favourite intsagram accounts in the comments below coz I love me some new insta feeds to look at! and if you haven't already, be sure to check out my wee instagram heh heh heh.

love you all.
jess
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BEING ATTACKED BY TERRIFYING BUSHES

so, a few weeks ago, I asked you lovely people what you'd like to see more of, and vlogs were in a flippin ninety-nine percent of the comments! I didn't realise you guys enjoyed them that much, but I'm so glad you do, coz I kinda love making them! so, last sunday I vlogged parts of my day, but you'll have to bear with me as I try get better with vlogging (it's actually kinda hard to remember to pick up the camera and film whats going on...people be like whaat?) and the like. anyway, if you guys like these kind of videos, then let me know in the comments whether you want to see more! or if there's something in particular you want to see in the videos (like, more of adelaide. I think she should just have her own youtube channel or something gosh the cuteness), then let me know coz I really appreciate your input (I love love love you guys). 

also, if you haven't seen already, me + petie started our own video series over on our channel called mind the gap, so don't forget to check those out, subscribe, like and tell me what you think! 

so, what have you guys been up to? do any of you make vlogs or videos? leave your links below! 

love you all.

jess

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GO BIG OR GO HOME (ALSO, HELP ME OUT?)

am I off the "most terrible blogger of the year" list yet? lately life has been very full + busy + wonderful + tiring. let me bring you up to speed with everything that's going on in my life at the moment! I shot my first official wedding in june, my sister had her baby boy (see above. isn't he the squishiest?) early july, my brother got a new job (which means I don't see much of him during the week. SO weird.), me + petie started a video series, I posted a lot on instagram (kinda obsessed, guys), we had people over to stay, I started making some travel plans, I went to the lake district for a week, friends got boyfriends/got engaged (people are growing up! things are changing! ahhhhh!), did some creative shoots, booked some family shoots, and theeen I got really behind on blogging. 

I guess I've realised that with blogging, I'm either all in or I'm not (go big or go home, ya know?), and I love love love this little space we have here, where we can chat + be a little bit odd (ha, ok, so I'm a little bit a lot odd) + be a wee community even though we might be across the other side of the world from each other. so, guys? I'm all in. I've decided to really invest in this blog and the content I put on here and that makes me super excited (and also slightly terrified)! sure, I want to share my stories, experiences and my photography work but I also want to make content that is of value to you all! so, I guess what I'm saying is, that I would love to hear from you. tell me what you love to learn about, read about, see or hear! so, I challenge you all to put three things in the comments below that you would like to see on this blog, whether it's more photography, personal posts, more vlogs, how-to posts, or more travel posts! I would love to know what you guys think. 

I'm also investing more time into all of my social media, because communicating with people + seeing their extraordinary lives all over the world is an incredible thing and I love it. so, you can catch up with my everyday life on instagram + my twitter account, which is basically where I tweet the more weird thoughts that pop into my head (and also a great place to ask me questions/have a chat!) and also, if you want to see everything creative that I love and adore, you can find all that on my pinterest! 

love you all!

jess
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