“It’s our differences that make us better as a whole.”

— Alyson, Head Photographer at Jasper & Fern

After the heartache of finding myself surrounded by negative company too often in the past, I absolutely love and am grateful for now being surrounded by women who honestly want to see each other succeed. There are no ulterior motives, no people talking behind each others' backs - just women stepping in to share their knowledge and skill for the betterment of others.

Branding Portrait for marketing coach, Mallory Schlabach. | Winston-Salem On location Brand Photography | Jasper & Fern

One of my favorite parts about my job is the opportunity to build community and support another small businesses' success. It's about more than creating pretty pictures. It's learning your needs, getting to see where you're going and be involved in your vision. It's stepping into the world you're passionate about and connecting with your heart.

I've always said that each person has been created with unique gifts with which they can use to impact their community. It's our differences that make us better as a whole. It's our choice to use those gifts for the betterment of those around us.

With every woman we come to know, we have the incredible opportunity to see what makes her truly beautiful. Women have an aesthetic beauty which has its own appreciation but, that is never what astounds us. Without fail, seeing into her heart - your heart - and experiencing the truest form of beauty within, that is what leaves us in awe.

So many times we women focus on what we feel we don't live up to and we fixate on those "shortcomings." This short-sided view all-too-often has us missing out on the most wonderful and beautiful parts of ourselves. We see the rough, raw edges coated in dirt and thick layers of scars and protection and we often forget or fail to see the truth in the precious gem that is our core. 

We want every woman to walk away knowing that they are precious. 

Behind the Scenes Selfie with Katie (our headshot client), Kirby (our hair and makeup artist), our pupper Sadie and Alyson (head photographer)

This motivation to show women how incredible and valuable they are had us seeking inspiration for our name in gems like rubies and emeralds - some of the gemstones more commonly considered as "beautiful." Those gems just didn't fit. It was too obvious, too expected, too much of a beauty standard and too over-used and not nearly as unique as we desire women to feel. That's when we started researching different types of stones, and everything began to fall into place. Jasper caught our attention as soon as we came across it. It wasn't flashy. It isn't necessarily a beautiful stone in the rough and, while I'd heard of it, it wasn't associated with "ooohs" and "aaahs" of appreciation like diamonds and rubies usually are. Instead, Jasper stood out for other reasons. It is a is a unique stone with many varieties - leopard, ocean, red, picasso, drusy, african, bumblebee and the list goes on.  There are literally thousands of varieties of Jasper. Within those varieties, each stone has it's own unique story of where it's been and what it's been exposed to during its formation and age. All of these elements to each stone's story contribute to its patterns, colors and its textures. 

Epiphany.  

Understanding just how unique each stone was formed resounded deeply with us. How similar are we women to Jasper? We women are diverse, unique and each have our own stories to tell, Our Life journey shows through a plethora of patterns and, even if we share similarities, those experiences show up in different displays of beauty.

So where does Fern come in? Well, as much as we loved and related to Jasper, we knew leaving our name as just "Jasper" wasn't going to be a full picture of our service. So, our next mission was to make sure we incorporated the love and acceptance we wanted people to intrinsically understand when they were introduced to us. That's where the Fern aspect comes in. Aside from being luscious, calming plants that just happen to be a favorite childhood plant of Alyson's, ferns represent sincerity.

We are always seeking to love, photograph and create relationships with sincerity, to find a sincere appreciation for each woman's beauty. Thus, Jasper & Fern was planted. It is a promise to you and it is our constant standard for ourselves in our service to you.

About a year ago I was meandering the streets of Asheville North Carolina as I was looking for a very specific shop to go to for my birthday. The day was hot but dry, odd for the North Carolina summer, and I couldn't help but notice the faces of store fronts as they reflected the people inside of them. If you've ever been to Asheville, or somewhere that's filled with personality, you know it has a very specific feel to it. That city begins to stand out in your mind like a person with distinct characteristics that make them unique from anyone else.

But what makes that difference? Many would say it's the variety of people that walk the street or the activities that you can do specific to that area. I think it's a combination of those elements.

We can go almost anywhere and find a Target. We can even travel the world and find McDonald's scattered about. Sure, some things are a little bit more regional like Wa-Wa and 7-11s and drum up nostalgia. What really builds the personality of a city though?

Small businesses.

Small businesses are direct extensions of the people behind them. They are filled with their personalities, fueled by their missions, structured specifically in their vision for their community. They give the city life.

There's the small coffee shop that feels more like your best friend's house, the dance studio that has a seat already prepared for you at the table, there's the bakery that makes THE best vegan brownies, the bar that walks you straight down memory lane, the yoga studio with the cool wall art, the breakfast joint that makes biscuits like mama did, the honey place that always has something new and exciting to try, the retail shop that's the Wednesday Adams of the family, the burger joint that has THE perfect burger that always makes your mouth water, the restaurant with the ceiling mural that always makes you chuckle, the hole-in-the-wall hotel that's an artist's paradise covered wall to wall and floor to ceiling with oddities, the bookstore that's painted with local flavors and nostalgic characters, the little spa that's a hidden Narnia, the sub shop that makes a perfect mouth watering sub every time and always give you an extra piece of bacon "just because", the vintage book store that has the sweetest combination of musty, earthy goodness that meets your nostrils the moment you open the door. 

I've gotten to know many of our own small businesses here in Winston-Salem. Some as a patron and others because I've done branding and photography work for them. Their stories are unique, moving and really give you a sense of what our community stands for. 

There are no other places quite like these - and every city has its own versions. They flavor our communities, add diversity and add to our collective story with their own. They are the reason people from outside our community vacation and find fun here. They are the faces of our people. They are our story. They are our city's lifeblood.

Branding portrait for Robyn, a financial blogger, done at the Brookstown Camino Bakery location in Winston-Salem, NC | Winston-Salem Brand and Business Photographer

I've been quiet in this current panic. Observing and soaking in information from a distance has given me a chance to think about how to move forward.

There's a large need on this Human scale.

Amidst this uncertainty, I find myself with some peace. Life ebbs and flows. Will this hurt our community? Yes. Will my family and my own business suffer? Yes.

But - and there's a big "but" here l.

But, I know we (as a community, as a family) will get through it. This is Life living up to the fullest of its uncertainties. Historically, we've suffered this and much more before. There are other parts of the world where this is the daily reality (and worse) that they've been living with for generations. . There will be pain. There will be loss. Many of us will have a new reality to live in as we move forward. But, as a whole, we will persist.

As a whole, I hope we find new ways to bond together, deepen our compassion and support each other as we can. I hope we can share peace and comfort with one another. For those of us who may be stripped to our bones and for those of us who may have to live more scaresly than we are accustomed as we recognize how little we actually have control over, I hope we find a new appreciation for what truly matters in Life and find joy, peace and appreciation for that true value.

That being said, I may not have much to give but, if anyone needs something, please reach out. I've decided to Trust and ride through it, wherever that may take us. We are prepared to the extent that we can be prepared for this moment. I want to live in the peace that exists knowing there is a bigger picture, knowing that this will only be part of our story and trusting in the sovereignty over this moment. This moment is exactly what this moment is.

You are loved. You are valuable.

Sincerely,

Alyson

alyson@jasperandfern.com