Clothing is emotional
And the things we surround ourselves with…
It’s not just “stuff”
It’s all an outward expression
of our innermost selves
Everyone has THAT ONE SHIRT they wear when they wanna feel like a badass.
And a piece of artwork that hangs on their wall that helps them feel at HOME.
Or a favorite journal that simply speaks to them, where they can pour their heart out to.
And a favorite mug & blanket that they can cozy up with on the couch with after a long day.
It’s never just stuff. it’s a feeling.
And a way of saying This Is ME.
And I wanna be a part of that.
I love love LOVE helping someone feel more like themself. Comfortable in their own skin. And confident enough to express more of who they actually are.
Which is why… for me, it’s never been about creating for the sake of selling stuff. With me, it’s personal.
Everything I do here is a little love letter from my heart to yours. And I HOPE you’ll find a piece of yourSELF within.
let me introduce mySELF…
multi-passionate creative & people-cheerer-on-er
Michelle Simmons
(she/her)
and I’m chasing my happy…
After running my own photography business for 15 years, I thought I was living the dream. I’d had my work seen on a billboard, featured in a FAVORITE magazine of mine, and even on The Today Show. But in 2019 my dad passed away, followed by the dumpster fire of 2020, and what’s felt like the collapse of society ever since.
And just like that, the gold stars & accolades didn’t matter. I found myself in a full-blown midlife crisis, burnt out & questioning everything. Like what I ACTUALLY wanted to do with my one short life, what it meant to live a GOOD ONE, and how I wanted it to look & FEEL.
Yup, I’d tasted “success.” But I realized that a LOT of what I’d been doing was based on the go-go-go mentality of the capitalist world we live in, and my eyes were suddenly opened to my reality. And possibility.
At first, I wondered who I even was without a camera in my hand. But slowly, surely, my SELF came back to me. And I saw just how many different forms of expression were available, if only I’d STOP trying to force myself into just one niche, one method, one tool or talent, or just ONE way of doing things.
#TRUTH: I am a multifaceted, multipassionate being. And no ONE box or label or definition can ever contain ALL my awesomeness, or the essence of who I truly am.
So I’m here. Loudly, and in vivid COLOR. I’m here to experiment, and play, and learn, and teach, and chase my curiosity & happiness and SEE where the path leads. Because I don’t know for sure. But I’m excited to find out.
so WHY is it called
Love, Chel ?
because My name is Michelle. but in my own head, I’ve always just called myself “chel.”
And everything I create & share is like a love letter, from me to you.
But if I’m 100% honest, it’s also a love letter from me, TO ME, too.
FUN FACTS
i put the “Q” in lgbtqia+:
Yup, I’m a happily married 40-something woman who is still QUESTIONING if I’m actually BI. All signs point to YES (and yes, my husband knows). But I’m still playing with the label and testing it out on my tongue, wondering if it fits. So for now, I’m Q.
I’m most likely neurodivergent (audhd)*:
*still self-diagnosed for the moment, since “get an actual diagnosis” has been on my to-do list for a few YEARS now. But this just makes SENSE and would explain sooooo MUCH about my life & why I’ve always felt a little bit different, and seen things a little bit differently.
I am a bleeding heart woke-ass lEFTIST snowflake:
Those labels don’t hurt me, because how can I get offended by being called empathetic? But know that I am outspoken as F about it, and will continue to fight for others’ rights as well as my own. Human rights are non-negotiable.
before doing this, i hadn’t drawn in over 20 years:
As a kid, I was drawing ALL the time. In college, too. But my college professors shamed it out of me. And then my EX-husband finished the job. So part of this re-discovery of mySELF has been rediscovering my LOVE for drawing. And using the iPad & procreate has made it EASY for my brain to pick up/put down and erase/redo as many times as needed. And I absolutely fell in LOVE with digital illustration, and the self-expression it provides. PSSST… it’s NEVER too late to rediscover or reinvent pieces of yourSELF.
i shut down my photography business of 15 years
After running The Suitcase Studio for over 15 years, and fiiiiinally getting my photo biz to where I wanted it to go, the pandemic hit. And after that, it wasn’t just that running a business had changed, but that I’d changed, too. Burnout was real, and I had to step away in order to take care of mySELF. And I was also ready to find out who else I might be besides the label of “photographer.” But now that it’s been a year-or-so, I MISS IT. And I’m rested and READY to bring brand NEW energy to everyone who steps in front of my camera.
community over competition, forever & ever:
There is NO doubt in my mind that the reason I’ve gotten where I am in my artistry & businesses & in LIFE is because many other people helped me out along the way. I’ve found that in any industry there will always be those who protectively guard their knowledge & work hard to keep access from others, and then there are many many others like mySELF, who believe that a rising tide raises all ships, and there is enough room for us ALL to succeed. So I will keep sharing my knowledge in any way I can.
originally a cali girl, now an oregonian:
Born and raised in Orange County, California, I never thought I’d leave. But not only did I get sick of planning my days around freeway traffic, I got tired of trying to fit into a place I’d never truly belong. And after a trip to visit a friend in Bend, oregon, I fell in LOVE. First with the location, and then with my friend - who is now my husband. The mountains & forest are a 30-minute drive away, the river is a mere 20 minutes, and I’m now part of a close-knit community of fellow creatives & deep-thinkers. No makeup or brand names needed. And now it’s me, my husband, and our 2 rescue dogs living it up as best we can. Together.
i am a total craft beer snob:
Which is pretty funny since I HATED beer before I moved here. But it turns out that I just hadn’t been exposed to many GOOD ones, and being surrounded by 20+ breweries in town gave me an appreciation for the GOOD stuff. Give me the creative works of love… barrel aged pastry stouts, triple-hopped hazy IPAs, and aaaaall the awesome can art to match.
