The night that changed everything!

Tonight I had to sit down and write. Hive is very much a routine and the knife cuts both ways. If I miss more than a few nights in a row, it’s very difficult to get back on the horse. I can blog every night once that momentum starts. Around midnight, when I get home from @caffetto, I know that’s my window to write, but if I miss a few nights, it’s very easy to lose myself in MTG Arena, comics or books. So, this is all about self discipline. Also, I’ve always blogged when the Hive price is down. It’s incredible to think that $0.80 HIVE is, “down”. I did a lot of my writing when it was $0.08.

I wanted to revisit a night in my life that couldn’t be understated. As the title eludes, this was the night everything changed for me. In 2012, I just came out of a terrible breakup. There was a lot of hurt feelings and a lack of confidence, especially in my art. I had a friend in Los Angeles who previously lived in Minneapolis for a few years. We always wanted to shoot, and as I blinded booked a flight and rental car, I asked her, “…if I come out to LA, would you like to shoot together?”. She said sure, and the when the day came, I spent my last $400 on a hotel at the corner of Hollywood and Vine.

When she arrived, she brought with her three friends and bags of lingerie that was pulled from UK vintage inspired lingerie brand, What Katie Did. The three pinup models were all outstanding in their own way. This was a big level up for me. Today, 2/3’s of my clients are first time models, but this night, unbeknownst to me, I was about to break out in the pinup scene. Their collective experience and presence in front of the camera was something to behold. I was using a Nikon D7000 body and a 50mm lens to create these images.

If you aren’t familiar with that particular model of camera, it is considered prosumer, probably closer to the consumer than the pro, but, it’s responsible for some of the most important images taken in my career and the photos that got me my start in LA. I’m happy to share that today, @tarotbyfergus owns this same camera. I sold it to him in the beginning of the pandemic and he’s continued the legacy of unforgettable images with totems and metaphysical items in his life.