Well the last thing that I thought I would find myself doing during this extraordinary time in world history would be conducting a news interview with the local NBC/FOX Affiliate KXRI FOX 11. However, that is exactly what happened yesterday as I was interviewed by Samantha Smerechniak with NBC/FOX Reno regarding our #Covidselfies4good campaign that we have running to benefit some local charities. Read more about it in my blog post here.
Anyway I received a phone call from Samantha on Monday morning asking if I would be interested in being interviewed about the Covid Selfies and our offer, and if it would be ok if they came by my home studio to do the interview (socially distanced off course)? I agreed to it with out a second thought, but then it occurred to me that my studio was pretty much in a COVID situation - meaning if it had hair color the roots would be showing or if it could grow a beard it was in need of a serious shave! So Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday I spent knocking out some additional items that I had been meaning to get to, along with getting everything put back into place that had found itself out of place during this shelter in place order, which we are still under until now appears to be May 15th, 2020.
This interview was going to be the motivation to finally clear off some flat surfaces that seem to like to collect clutter ( I’m a piler and stacker). I always have been and I’m guessing I always will be unless this time in history breaks me of this lifelong habit! I also had taken some photographs down while re-organizing my space after installing the new background roller system I had installed right before the quarantine order went into place. The frames those portraits were in were going to make for perfect subjects for me to cut my first mats, which is another new skill I taught myself this week! So I printed up some of my favorite portraits Ive made with 4x5 and 8x10 view cameras and proceeded to cut mats on some of the mats that had come with the frames years ago, but were too small of openings for what I was going to put into them. I’m happy to report I think I did a fantastic job getting them done.
Finally I had to store some large items like chairs I only use occasionally, some large camera cases and bags that just were in the way, and give the studio a good vacuum and moping of floors and hanging up some plaques and other associated items that look better on walls than hidden under stuff. That took me to Wednesday morning where I was able to post some pictures of how “Picture Perfect” the studio really was looking and how proud I was to show it off to Samantha and her camera man Cosik. Which takes me back to the whole point of this post—being interviewed for the concept that we came up with to support local charities as a small business during this extraordinary time with the #covidselfies4good campaign. It seems that even as a shutdown small business it was newsworthy that we’re still tying to help in our own little special way and have some fun doing it. Here is a link to the story that aired yesterday!
Everyone talks about supporting restaurants and helping them stay a float, and that’s a fantastic thing to do, and we are definitely supporting local small restaurants during this time. However, there are countless other small businesses like mine that are non-essential and don’t have a product that can just be picked up curbside or delivered with ride sharing companies. We are worried about our community and those who need help and wanted—no, needed—to help in any way we can. Look at makeup artists, event planners, barbers and hairstylists, nail salons, etc. We’re all locked down, but we all still want to help the greater cause so that’s why we came up with what we did and hoping that when the shelter at home is behind us, and we’re running in our new normals, and God willing there is a vaccine developed to eradicate this terrible virus that once again we’ll be in a place get to those haircuts, beards trimmed, roots colored, and nails done by supporting those small businesses and then stop by my small business for a portrait that shows the world you and your family survived and that family is truely what is most important an should be celebrated as a focal point in the home.
I’m giving you that chance to have just that for making a small donation of $25 to one of three local charities so go make the donation, take that selfie and post it, send me proof you did it and we’ll see you in the post Covid world for a family portrait that celebrates the next chapter of life!
Cheers!
I have to thank my daughter Madeleine for being my model while being interviewed. I think her portrait turned out fantastic!!! Thank you to Samantha Smerechniak for agreeing to let me make her picture too!
