Behind the scenes: We Are the Northwest
*Click the images to enlarge. Please do not repost any of these images without the permission of Allison Wagner (West Coast Aesthetic) or Jenna Bechtholt. Please email: westcoastaesthetic@gmail.com for more information.
Creative projects are so good for the soul. They can be challenging and inspiring all in the best ways! Getting pushed out of your comfort zone is truly an amazing thing.
This weekend I wrapped up my latest creative collaboration, We Are the Northwest, with Jenna Bechtholt, my bestie and creative partner in crime. And wow, I’m feeling so unbelievably inspired and rejuvenated!
This project was just what we needed after the holidays to get us back on track for 2017 and push ourselves creatively and give us a fresh perspective as we tackle new projects and challenges this year. We collaborated with an amazing team of northwest-based creatives to pull off this project and I’m so stoked on what we created!
If you didn’t get the chance to follow along with us on social media this weekend, I decided to give you a behind the scenes recap of our two-day shoot with our amazing team and a little background on the project.
I can’t wait to share more with you soon!
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Background: We Are the Northwest started as a creative idea Jenna and I bounced off one another that circled around this idea that the northwest is based on a lot of stereotypes and how we wanted to break out of the box by acknowledging the following:
1. The landscape and yes, the weather – we wanted to address the stereotype that it is always super dark and gloomy and rainy here (Okay, yes, it rains here, but all the time? No.) I personally am very uninspired by creative work that portrays the northwest 100% of the time in this dark and moody way. I’ve seen it all before and it all looks the same to me. I find it unoriginal and cliché and not necessarily an accurate portrayal of this place I have called home for 24-years of my life. I get it, it’s all about creative interpretation and personal preference, but to me, there’s more to this place than this stereotype of every day = grey. For this project, we wanted to shed light (literally and figuratively) on the landscape that is the northwest in a lighter and brighter way we have yet to see portrayed.
2. The people – lately, the northwest has been booming on a creative and entrepreneurial level, but it still feels like the talent and creativity here goes unnoticed. The people of the northwest are so talented and driven and are constantly pushing limits and defining individuality. People here are stylish – I SWEAR WE DO NOT JUST WEAR FLANNELS AND HIKING BOOTS. And people here are unique – we consist of varying career paths, ambitions, outlooks, backgrounds and cultures that make us, us.
3. The talent – you don’t have to leave the northwest to find talented individuals that are a master of their craft. Every individual involved in this project (from the photographer, creative director/stylist, florist, videographer, hair/makeup artists and blogger/models/influencers) is northwest-based and this was mandatory.
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Creatives involved:
Creative Direction and Styling: Allison Wagner (me)
Photographer: Jenna Bechtholt
Videographer: Denver Nathan Miller
Bloggers/Influencers/Models:
Florist: Thatch Floral
Makeup: Renee Bridal
Hair: Meghann Oliberos
