Issue Two: Happi.Kidz photo feature...

In January this year I was commissioned to create another feature story for the next issue of  Happinez magazine's Happi Kidz. The brief was to create eight images that express how animals can give strength to a child's life, not just in literal terms, but spiritually. What I love most about shooting for Happinez is the creativity involved in coming up with unique ways to represent ideas  - rather than selling products or a look, it's all about ideas. As is our way of working together, I came up with a few ideas based on image editor Albertine van den Brink's brief, drew up a storyboard, ran it by Albertine via email and then got to work bringing the ideas to life. The magazine was published last month, and it's a delight to know that once again, my hero shot of gorgeous first time model Otis, was chosen for the cover.

There was much to make for this shoot, creating four completely different sets. But I had another wonderful assistant, this time it was my dear friend Kaspia's beautiful sister, Lisa! Who is also the mother of Otis. Both her boys came to the shoot at my house, and they were such a delight - between these awesome young boys and Freya from my last shoot, my reluctance to shoot kids has been lifted...

If you'd like to see all the photographs from the shoot, and learn more about the creative processing, I have composed two patron-only posts on Patreon:

1. giving patrons the opportunity to ask any questions  - nothing is off limits - to be able to dive deep into the creative process involved in each shot creation, along with a video compilation of some of the behind the scenes of each photograph. 

2. the idea of animal totems & spirits, and how their power can enrich your everyday life - relevant for both children and adults - how to ignite confidence, courage, love, and more. 

The magazine is out now in The Netherlands. Thank you to Lisa, Otis, and Marcel for your wonderful assistance and for helping to make the day so pleasurable. If you'd like to see my past work with Happinez, please click here and here.

Credits:

Producer,  Prop Designer, Photographer & Stylist: Pia Jane Bijkerk
Photographer & Stylist's Assistant: Lisa Taylor
Backdrops from Major & Tom
Model: Otis Taylor

MY HEART LANGUAGE...

Visual storytelling is my heart language, and I’ve been learning, nurturing and refining my expression of it for over twenty-five years. I love expressing my life experiences, world events and ideas in unique ways. I find pathways to worlds of wonder we only dare dream about, and weave those dreams into our everyday reality.  I am often told I change people’s lives through my storytelling. When I write or share a story, my aim is for my audience to listen with their whole bodies. I want to ignite the fires in our hearts, connect us to our intuition and open to a world where we live and thrive within our creative genius.

I want to be able to continue expanding this energy I have out into the world. Most people don’t realize how much time and energy goes into creating work of this nature. Over the past few months I’ve been working intently to find a way to be able to recover the sense of freedom I need to be able to create, that fits with my integrity and ethos. My mantra this year has been “no matter what, I will find another way”… I've needed to dissolve one of the biggest blocks I've had in order to make this happen, but I've done it, I have found another way...

I’d like to welcome you to my new hub on Patreon!

Patreon is a wonderful way for you to support content that you love on a monthly basis. Taking its name and inspiration from the word “patron” which means to support, invest, back: it’s a membership platform that makes it easy for supporters to invest within their budget for content they love, and for the creators of the content to get paid. By joining me at Patreon, you will gain access to exclusive content. And through this exchange,  I will be able to continue creating what you love and sharing it with the world.

I am not interested in acquiring and accumulating. I am interested in Creating, Collaborating, and Contributing. My strengths are my creative ideas, visualization & my ability to focus and see these ideas through. My strengths are also my capacity for sharing, for creating authentic connection, and in opening space for communication and expansion in a big way. 

I have so much more to talk about! Including books that I'm working on, which I'll be sharing the details of progress in my patron posts. For now though, I'd love you to take a moment to have a look at my page, understand how it works, and if you've been a fan of my work over the years; if you feel my work is a breath of fresh, honest, pure air; if you see the value in what I create and you want to see me continue creating, then please consider joining me there. I know this is the way forward for me, and I want to be able to make and connect the only way I know how: with all my heart. 

With Love, 

Pia xx