It all started in a little town called Statesboro, GA. Olivia and I had pledged the same sorority (Kappa Delta) at Georgia Southern University, and little did we know how that would reconnect us multiple times long after we had graduated. In 2013, Olivia married her college sweetheart, Remington, in a North GA winery, and I was the lucky photographer! It was my first wedding, and I was a Nervous Nelly. Many of our sorority sisters were Olivia's bridesmaids, and Remington's fraternity brothers as groomsmen. It was a rainy, but beautiful day, and I was honored to be a part of it!
Fast forward almost 4 years later, another rainy day (I must bring it with me), and we are shooting in Olivia's workshop for her very own wood shop, Olive + Grain. Olivia is a self-taught woodworker. She started teaching herself on top of a piece of plywood rested on two sawhorses in her driveway, under a tent. Now, she has her own workshop attached to her house - also known as a garage. And definitely the coolest garage I've ever seen.
We caught up on life over lunch and champagne - it felt like college all over again! She gave me the tour of her adorable new home (Olive + Grain Home Tour coming later this year!), and we got to work creating and building in her new shop! Some of her pieces included a new collaboration with Emily Harris Art (instagram: @emilypopeharris / website: www.emilyharrisart.com) - another one of our talented KD sisters from Georgia Southern! A favorite piece I found while playing in her shop was this insanely awesome tribal cactus made 100% from reclaimed wood: http://www.oliveandgrain.com/shop/reclaimed-cactus.
I've loved reconnecting with friends of mine over the years from all walks of life. I feel so proud to know these people. Olivia has been so encouraging of my photography since I started with a rinky dink camera and little knowledge of what I was doing. It's people like her that kept me going on days I didn't feel like I was good enough. I'm thankful to continue to be a small part of her journey, and so proud of all that she's accomplished in her latest venture.
Cheers to growing and creating together in 2017!
W | www.oliveandgrain.com
IG | @olive.and.grain
