I’m so excited to share these pictures from our recent ‘photo shoot’ for the upcoming album Work in Progress. I put ‘photo shoot’ in quotation marks because it wasn’t anything official really. I had big plans on what I wanted to do with the album cover. I wanted to stage an entire scene and backdrop to artistically illustrate what work in progress actually means to me for the album cover. But because of time and money, I just decided to wing it and see what happens instead. Boy am I glad I did. So I asked Rob if he could shoot some quick pictures of me after dinner last night.
I wanted it to be raw, organic, and artistic. So I didn’t put on any makeup, fro’d my hair out as big as I could, which is a stretch for me because (a) I don’t usually wear my hair in a big ol’ fro and (b) I don’t have as much hair as I used to because I recently cut it into a chic, edgy pixie cut style. The best part about this photo shoot was that I didn’t have to worry about clothes and make up. It looks like I wasn’t wearing any clothes, but I do have on a spaghetti strap tank top.
Album cover art is interesting when you’re dealing with photos because at first glance a photo can look like a mere photo and nothing more, but depending on how you adjust the lighting and cropping, you could end up with a beautiful piece of art for an album cover.
See what I mean here with the pictures below. We must have taken over 50 shots. A lot of them were duds because I was moving around and not focusing. Here are a few of the shots that made it past the first round….
As you can see the shots seem decent but at first glance you wouldn’t necessarily think ALBUM COVER! The background was less than perfect too. Living in a Tiny House, we don’t have a lot of space to work with. We took these shots in front of a cabinet in the main room.
Here’s an interesting fun fact, out of four albums, the three that have a photo of me as the album cover art are pictures that Rob took of me either in our house or at a park. We’re not photographers by any means. But that’s the beauty of independent music. You’re in charge of your own image and you can make it whatever you want.
For this album, I wanted to communicate the truth. Some of the songs from the album are about relationships gone wrong and my learning and growing from those experiences. When we built our Tiny House, our world changed. We are not the same people we were before. It completely changed the way we look at the world and society. The Tiny House is a result of our commitment to interface in this society on our own terms. We transitioned to a lifestyle where we work our passions, own our time, and live minimally. We’ve suffered a loss of relationships because of this transition. I talk about that a little bit here. When you make changes in your life, sometimes your circle changes too. Songs like ‘Fire,’ ‘Can We Talk,’ and ‘I’m Still Here’ speak to my internal struggle and ultimate resolve with those situations. The album is about the truth and reality of living and growing. It’s hard. It’s exciting. It’s sad. It’s glorious. Anyone who’s living and breathing can attest to this. I speak for us all when I say, I’m a human being and I’m a Work in Progress.
Here are my three options I’m currently looking at for the album cover. Tell me in the comments section which one you like best and why. I’ll tell you that my advisors in my Facebook Group have a favorite. It’s #1 and I would tend to agree with them. But I’m anxious to hear what everyone else says too.
P.S. Would you like to become an advisor? I would love to have you join us in the Facebook group. If we’re friends on Facebook, ask me for an invite or just shoot me an email letting me know your Facebook profile name, and I’ll look into getting you added. Talk to you soon.
