WENDY HURST PORTRAIT

"The Spill" Self Portrait Have you ever felt like you're forgetting something but it just won't come back to you? Or had the sudden sensation you were falling as you're trying to sleep? Our brains can be mean sometimes; why not go with it once in awhile? Indulge your strange thinking. Forget what others will say. Let your creativity spill out, even if you think it's crazy. Who knows what you could learn about yourself! Behind the Scenes For some this may go without saying, but I'll say it anyway: this is a composite. In total, this final image is made up of six different images.  The first image I staged was the one in the painting. Easy.  Next I tilted my bridal portrait against the wall, also easy. I could have worn my wedding dress and kept the actual image in the frame, but I couldn't do this for two reasons: one, my pre-pregnancy pants still don't fit yet so I figured my wedding gown wouldn't either; and two, I don't ow

"Oblivion" Model: Madi Beckstead Photographer: Wendy Hurst Portrait OBLIVION: noun , the state of being completely forgotten or unknown. This isn't my favorite image that I've ever created. What I imagined in my head isn't necessarily what came to fruition, but that doesn't matter. An important part of getting inspired is knowing what inspires you, and one of the ways I get inspired is through failure. That may sound ominous but it's true! Compositing clouds onto a large empty field is easy, but making it look realistic in the context of the subject is actually quite difficult. I knew that going in. Creating art in a judgment-free zone helps me act more reckless. Acting reckless makes me feel more creatively invincible. And feeling creatively invincible lifts my limits and helps me see things that could be possible. In a word, inspired, as if the world opens into a vast state of the unknown and it's up to me to fill the space with what