Slowing Down! – Recap 2018

Happy new year everyone!

Time is flying by and everything is going so fast.
Treasure every second!

Here is an overview of our treasured memories of the year 2018. We hope you had a great year and a wonderful new years eve.

May 2019 bring you all the love and happiness in the world!

Love,
  Jolanda, Michiel,
Miley Haley & Quinn

Music in this video is by:
Meydän – https://soundcloud.com/meydansound/

Share this blog post

[supsystic-social-sharing id='1']

Slowing Down! – Recap 2018

TAGS:
[st-tag-cloud]

COMMENTS:

You might also like to read:

[related-posts-thumbnails]

About this Curveball…

Uncertainties are scary yet exciting…

Normally we like to share our highs, but we do hit some low’s along the way, just like everybody else. So let’s get real. So here is one huge bump in the road we are dealing with right now.

The beginning of 2018 brought us stability… Something we haven’t had in quite a while. I didn’t have any pregnancies or newborns this year in our family of 5 (we think our little family is complete now) and we had a stable income through our Wedding photography (If you were wondering… this is what we do). No crazy sh*t happening around us. Just a nice day to day routine and all was good. We finally got into the flow of balancing work and family.

On top of that my Instagram and this blog started to generate some income too! We had some pretty awesome collaborations amazing brands. It’s still not enough to stop doing weddings (not that want to stop doing weddings, weddings are awesome). But it was enough to let all the photo and video editing after we shot the wedding days over to Michiel, so I could focus on investing my time on creating content for this blog, the vlog, and my Instagram!

-“And then came Oktober… Oh my. What a curve ball!”-


The curveball

Things were pretty amazing!

And then came Oktober… Oh my. What a curve ball!
Our stable income was not so stable anymore.
The short version: We don’t have enough weddings in 2019 to keep ourselves afloat! So we need to make some adjustments. We need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone once again.

To fully understand what happened I need to explain it a bit more:
It takes us 2,5 week to process all the photo and video images of just one wedding. We do a maximum of 18 weddings every year. We don’t have room for more. 
The summer month we survive with the income of the weddings, the winter months we survive on the down payments for the upcoming weddings and the orders of wedding albums of the past wedding season.

We reach 90% of our clients through the biggest wedding fair in Holland. We participate two times a year, and then we are fully booked.
No need for online ads, campaigns or another form of advertising.
But this year, the wedding fair of October was a complete fail. Where normally there are on average 5000 visitors, now there were only 1000. We got ZERO bookings from that fair this year. Something that has never happened before in the last 5 years. And on top of that, the fair of March 2019 is canceled. The whole fair stopped. Forever!

-“looking back afterward it always has been exactly the way it should have been. We just didn’t know it yet at the time.”-

So now we have 4 weddings booked for 2019, Wich generates not enough to get us through this winter, or the next summer for that matter. so we need to get familiar with online advertising. But oh’my… its all sooo complicated and time-consuming learning process. And we don’t have the time, we need bookings like yesterday.

 

So Now what!?

I’m positive that we get this online advertising thing down soon, and we’ll get enough bookings for the upcoming summer. But until then, we have a bit of a financial problem. So one of us needs a job somewhere for the upcoming 4 months. On “project base” or for a longer period of time if we like it enough. And with “we”, I mean preferably Michiel. I want to stay focused on creating our content and keep the inspiring Wild&BOHO collabs going! I’m only selectively applying to jobs that I would LOVE to do so much, that I would maybe ditch all other stuff and stay working there forever! And there are not so many vacancies out there that will get my attention. I’ve written 3 so far. Michiel 5 and counting. We’ll see…

-“It’s not a curveball… its a Pusch in the right direction by the universe.”-

I’m stressing a lot about the What If’s.
Our reserves are running dry and something needs to happen soon! The uncertainties are taking its toll. Images of every imaginable scenario are going through my monkey mind. The never-ending chatter of my internal dialogue who sometimes gets stuck in a carousel… Going round and round in circles. Pointless and exhausting. We are doing our best here, there really is nothing more we can do.

One of my goals for 2019 is to just let the universe do its thing.
I’m going to do the best job I can, work my but off, and then I’m going to let it go. No stress. Trusting everything will be fine. Because looking back afterward it always has been exactly the way it should have been. We just didn’t know it yet at the time. This is a chance to grow, evolve, move forward instead of getting stuck in the same pattern over and over again. It’s not a curveball… its a Pusch in the right direction by the universe.

Our glass is half full. We have love, we have each other, we have our creativity, we have a nice home. We’ll pull through. 

-“Because of you this blog and our Instagram has started to become a way to support our family”-

So if you reached all the way to this point in the blog, I want to thank you for reading!
You are here not only for our best moments but apparently also here for our struggles.
Thank you for being there for us, for following our blogs, watching our video’s, checking out our Instagram posts and by leaving a comment now and then. Because of you this blog and our Instagram has started to become a way to support our family a bit! Maybe one day we can fully focus on creating art and cool content full time! We appreciate your support so much. So Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Have a Wonderful New year’s eve! We love you guys!

Love,
Jolanda, Michiel
Miley, Haley & Quinn

 

Blog post: Jolanda Marti
Photography: Michiel Fook

Share this blog post

[supsystic-social-sharing id='1']

About this Curveball…

TAGS:
[st-tag-cloud]

COMMENTS:

You might also like to read:

[related-posts-thumbnails]

Opinions… Choose: Frozen canals or blazing hot sunshine!?

Opinions matter…and everyone is always having theirs.

 

What’s your opinion on that? What would you choose? What do you think? What would you prefer? Who do you support? 

I’m always inclined to prefer extremes be passionate about really outspoken things and have really clear opinions. I Love SUPER sweet, or SUPER salty… I LOVE the blazing hot summers or the really cold freezing and snowing winter days. I root for the underdog, I think this planet and animals should be protected more, I feel like the first world complains way too much, and I think this world has way too much injustice.

When I love something I tend to go completely overboard. I can get lost in following a series and don’t want to watch anything else for 7 seasons 15 episodes each. When I love a drink or some food I will just drink or eat that thing until I can’t stand in anymore. I LOVE certain trends or fashion, or I think it’s absolutely hideous. I Really Really REEEALLYYY love plants in my home. And everything with natural materials and textures!

“I am an open book… yes you may know my thoughts. But ask me again tomorrow, and I don’t know if the answer will still be the same.”

I know that some of these things are just a matter of taste or opinion, and some a matter of “right or wrong” and some a matter of perspective, knowledge or information.
I am an open book… yes you may know my thoughts. But ask me again tomorrow, and I don’t know if the answer will still be the same.

I can switch my opinions and preferences or how I feel about something just like that. Because a preference or opinion isn’t like a birthmark… you aren’t born with opinions or preferences. Nothing is set in stone, once you’ve developed an opinion about something, It’s not a lifelong decision. I’m allowed to change my opinions or preferences.

It feels like some people make us feel like your opinion is supposed to be cour identity. The essence of who we truly are. Making it shameful, weak or event tradeful to change our opinions, to change our minds, to evolve. But most of the time those preferences and opinions are dependent on your knowledge. So if you are a stubborn person who clenches on to his opinion or preferences despite new information that might prove you otherwise… well that isn’t a very wise thing to do, isn’t it!? I feel that that is just bitter, stubborn, proud, and short-sided. Maybe even a lack of intelligence maybe!? I’m not sure… but It feels wrong to me.

A lot of the times an opinion is also a judgment on someone’s address… like I just did back there:
“I feel that that is just bitter, stubborn, proud, and short-sided. Maybe even a lack of intelligence maybe!? I’m not sure… but It feels wrong to me.” That’s not a nice thing to hear if you feel it applies to you. But it is the truth about what I was thinking while typing this.
So should you always share your opinions!? Probably only if someone is asking you directly or if you think it’s really important to share it because it is something people just NEED to hear. Even if they maybe won’t like it. And you never know, if you might even hear some new information or gain a new perspective that will change your mind if you are open to it and flexible enough.

“I prefer to say “I don’t know” Because I just don’t know how I feel about it.”

In some cases on some topics, I prefer to say “I don’t know” Because I just don’t know how I feel about it. Because I don’t have enough Information or I need more time to process the incoming data. Knot knowing is ok too. It’s a nice place to stay and just observe.
Mostly on things like a new song or new fruit gets me confused, and I need to taste or hear it more times to “get to know” all the different details in texture and rhythms and flavors happening. Of some things that are happening in the world… sometimes I just decide, I don’t know what is true or false anymore, I Just don’t know what to think or feel. and it all will make me feel powerless angry and depressed. I don’t have to save the world. Let’s make it a better place one little bit of the time.

So I never feel guilty about changing opinions or preferences. Next step is to not feeling guilty sometimes about being happy and privileged to be living somewhere where my kids can be safe and grow up being happy, while others in the world are not! I Just wish Everyone in this world would be safe. And that’s something I Find hard to accept.

“I will be shouting on the top of my lungs:  “THIS IS MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR”.”

So I’m going to enjoy the winter days and hoping for snow and frozen lakes and channels. If my prayers get answered I’m going to shout on the top of my lungs:  “THIS IS MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR”
And a few months later I will be hoping for hot sunshiney days and when it comes I will be shouting on the top of my lungs:  “THIS IS MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR”.

And it all will be the truth because I will mean it every single time!

Blog by: Jolanda Marti
Photography: Michiel Fook

Opinions… Choose: Frozen canals or blazing hot sunshine!?

TAGS:
[st-tag-cloud]

COMMENTS:

You might also like to read:

[related-posts-thumbnails]

Searching for fairies

When the sun goes down and al the “good well behaved kids” go to bed so all the “good and responsible parents” can go and tidy up the house (and then Netflix) But let’s be honest… that’s just boring! So just once in a while, we just get our lanterns and put on our exploring boots! There is nothing more magical than searching for fairies in the dark! Magic. It’s real if you believe in it. We saw it with our own eyes! Fairies shooting over the fields and grazing the water. Twinkling little lights and fairy bells if you look and listen hard enough. You can spot them especially from the corner of your eyes! And if you get scared for what reason what so ever… just SING a happy song as loud as you can. The fear will melt away guaranteed. Because we all know that singing creates a magical positivity protection bubble all around you. That’s just common sense. And cuddles. Lots of cuddles. These girls are the bravest and strongest explorers I know! Oh, how we love to explore the fields in the dark. Magical things happen in the dark. Especially if you have a wild imagination and truly open mind. We create our own reality. Who needs to sleep when we can dream out loud…
Photography: Wild & Boho

Searching for fairies

TAGS:
[st-tag-cloud]

COMMENTS:

You might also like to read:

[related-posts-thumbnails]

VLOG: Mei 2018 We buried a body part in our front yard

MONTH Vlog Mei 2018

This Mei in 4 words: Earrings, cows, backstage & One!!!

The summer days have arrived and so we went on to the water as much possible and spent many days in the garden…
I also got my ear pierced, but I’m not the only one…
Quinn turned one year old! So we had a little garden party! And her first step was captured on film!!!
We will take you with us while shooting a wedding day, and Michiel and Haley went on a Dady daughter quality time day out!

AND….we will have a little talk because I have some explaining to do!
It’s Oktober and this is the vlog of Mei. So yes, I have some catching up to do.
But I will have a shitload of excuses for you guys and a heart full of motivation to get things up to date again!

Sooooo Go Go Goooo check it out! I worked my but of for this one! ENJOY!

featured in this video:
– Kiind Weekend – https://kiind.nl/ 
– Airmighty Ben Pon Show – https://www.benpon.com/
– Wedding Photography – http://luminantweddings.com/
– Related video’s:
Road trip part 1
Road trip part 2 
Road trip part 3 
Ben Pon Aircooled Volkswagen Vanlife EVENT
Adventures & Gentle Parenting at 3 day Kiind Weekend

Music by:
Derek Clegg – https://open.spotify.com/artist/2myiaFTyH76p4eNtsdFLA2
Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue

Watch our adventures of Mei 2018 and don’t forget to subscribe!

VLOG: Mei 2018 We buried a body part in our front yard

TAGS:
[st-tag-cloud]

COMMENTS:

You might also like to read:

[related-posts-thumbnails]