I am so honored to have my photos published in Alabaster Co.'s book of Psalms!
Earlier this year, I created a list for myself. I’m a planner, aka I love hard, scheduled, tangible goals. My fellow Myers Briggs J’s feel me out there? In this way, all things creative have really challenged me.
I found that in this season, I didn’t want the creative in me to get lost. Throughout the course of this year, I hit this wall that a lot of creatives inevitably hit from time to time. I felt like something about my work just was not good enough, I wasn’t growing, and on and on and on. I felt like none of my photography nor creative skills were quite at the level I wanted them to be, but at the same time, I felt like I had no direction. So, that’s where the list came in. The planner in me chimed in, “why not make a list of goals?” And number 1 (of 10) on that list, was “submit photos to get published”.
Fast forward three months, I could barely open my sleep deprived eyes after finishing an intense pharmacy school competition, staying involved in UCSF organizations, applying and interviewing for many summer internships, on top of studying! When I created this list, however, I had an agreement with a buddy of mine (who made a list of his own as well) to check in at the start of every month regarding our list of goals. This small act of accountability pushed me to eventually do something with that list!
Introduction to Alabaster Co.
So some of you might be wondering, what is Alabaster Co.? This elegant company aims to explore the intersection of creativity, beauty, and faith through visual storytelling. In short, they have integrated beautiful imagery and photography to curate modern and artful books of the bible. They have currently produced and printed the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and now Psalms. Read more about who they are here.
My Process
In this case, I was first and foremost a fan of Alabaster Co. before becoming a contributor. I realized long ago why people tell you to be passionate about what you do. I first received the book of John from their collection from my college roommate, Janae (love that girl). Naturally, after having discovered their first set of books (the gospels), I delved deeply into researching Alabaster & Co. I read and connected deeply with their inspiration, their perspectives, and their mission. Having fallen in love with their brand as a whole, I decided on a whim, to simply just email them. I started off by thanking them for inspiring me, I told them how I personally connected with what they do, introduced myself, and then sent them a couple of photos along with a link to my website portfolio. I timed it knowing that they were currently in the middle of their production process. Within 28 minutes of hyperventilating and building up the courage to finally click “send” (I know I’m such a dork for remembering exactly how many minutes) before sprinting to class to attempt to be on time, I got a reply.
Fast forward a couple more months, I had the absolute most pleasant experience collaborating with Alabaster Co. Throughout this experience, I got to work with gorgeous and talented friends from college (much love to Pam, Amy, Katie, and Harry). We got to meditate on the verses we were shooting for, throw flowers and other colorful props around, play worship music throughout our photoshoot, and glorify God through photography together.
Pamela
Amy
Here are a couple of my favorites from the photoshoot (including a couple of my favorites that didn't end up getting used in the book that I just wanted to share because my models are freakin' beautiful).
Throughout this process, I felt so honored by God. He spoke to me through the verses I was shooting for and stirred my heart with opportunities to share about His beauty and goodness with both Jesus-loving friends and friends who don’t believe in Jesus through the introduction of this book. He reminded me that He was faithful, to all facets of me. Which made this verse (that I ironically was shooting for) stand out to me like whoa -
“The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.”
Me excitedly flipping through the Psalms book on the first day!
The sweet thank you card I received from Alabaster Co.
Do you see my name?!
The overall goal of my entire blog is simply to share and to inspire! I love talking and sharing about my process, so don't hesitate to shoot me a message (cleung160@gmail.com) if you want to ever go on a photo adventure or even just sit down for coffee some time and chat ! I love sharing and learning from you all. <3