Feature Article on VoyageChicago.com
So exciting! I was recently contacted by an eZine, VoyageChicago.com , Voyage Chicago is a fabulous website that seeks to highlight the culture, businesses and real heart of the city. As they state on their website:
"Chicago has always had an artistic soul. The culture and heritage of our city, like most great cities, owes a tremendous debt to the arts community. Supporting local art is something we care deeply about and we’d like to do everything we can to help the local arts community thrive. Unfortunately, too often media attention is monopolized by corporate interests and tabloid gossip – but culture doesn’t come from a focus on celebrity breakups, it comes from a focus on the arts."
Well said! VoyageChicago.com has a ton of great features on things to do in Chicago, and wonderful artists, creatives, and entrepeneurs in that area. Their goal is to celebrate and bring forth to the rest of the world those people who bring more light into the world just by being who they are.
Back in March this year, VC editor Roger Brown reached out to me via email, regarding one of my Instagram posts. Though not a technically great image, it was an iPhone shot I managed to sneak during last Christmas Eve church service, of my son and his girlfriend, who flew out to Illinois from their homne in California to visit us for a couple of weeks through the holidays. That in itself was a treat. I had shot a couple quick snaps of the whole family during the candlelight service, as we completely filled the pew with all of us being together for the first time in a long time. The intimate image of Michael and Eve in the soft glow of the candle was one of my favorites, and of course, I shared it on Instagram.
The little ol' IG post that started all this....thanks, family!
Roger said he loved the shot, and asked if they could use it and include me in a feature they were doing for VC in their Thought-Provokers Series. Although I live 5 hours away from Chicago, I was thrilled to think one of my images would get much larger exposure than what my usual local reach is, and of course said yes. The image wound up in the March edition of "ChicagoCreatives" on the website, and even though I'm not a Chicago resident-- far from it down here the in South Central Illinois sticks-- I was excited to be considered at all! It was also humbling to be included in that post with all sorts of wonderful people doing bold and creative things.
A week or so after that image ran in the collective article, I heard from Roger again asking for an interview for a feature article. Wow! I sent along a few images to go along with the interview and was advised they'd let me know when the article posted on VoyageChicago.com. Lo and behold, there was Roger's email this morning saying my interview was up! How exciting!
So, without further adieu, I invite you to click on over to VoyageChicago's article on yours truly. Now I can truly say I have been published. Hope it won't be the last time it ever happens! I am looking forward to seeing what sort of opportunities and connections might crop up from my collaboration with VoyageChicago....you just never know!