No Idea What To Call This Blog.

This is turning out to be an annual thing.

For a person with too much to say almost all of the time, I’m very private these days. I wonder if it’s a hangover from the Lockdown Days or if I just no longer mind being an outsider. My dad was the same in the end, I think a certain amount of ‘oddness’ runs in the Burton blood.

Hi, it’s me, I’m the problem it’s me (that’s for you Freya & Emmie)

Anyway I’ve been busy. Earlier this year we announced the launch of www.carterclothing.ie - a project that I had to keep secret for over a year, that took up an awful lot of my time.

Lovely photo of Nathan barely tolerating my bullshit.

I remember someone saying years ago it’s important to let people know you’re busy even if it’s not the kind of work you think is interesting to other people. But I was in hyperfocus mode and I just couldn’t figure out how to do it.

I want to address a common misconception. I am still a photographer and I have been continuing to shoot campaigns and portraits and product shots through the creation of the clothing brand. I should share more of the work I’ve done (as proof?) but I’ve actually forgotten what I’ve done.

I shot socks the other day, and skincare and candles. I love doing that just as much as all the stuff that appears to be glamourous (and is not glamourous and involves carrying a lot of heavy equipment, organising a million things, not sleeping very much and living on cereal because deciding what to eat is too difficult)

First time foot modelling for Claudia, also WOOL SOCKS are the best thing ever. West Coast Socks make the best ones fact.

I did shoot a number of amazing people too, who happen to be well known (I’m still not sure what celebrity even is, it’s numbers on a screen and getting shouted at in the street from what I can gather)

Ryan Tubridy, Russel Crowe & Ronan Keating at the launch of Muff Distillery, created by my wonderful friend Laura Bonner.

So after a year of working 80 hour weeks, as an investment in our future (Freya goes to college next year, still need to buy a house to avoid being made homeless again) losing my dad, pushing through health issues, working largely in isolation, being a mother (although to be honest that’s easy with my girls) I’m really looking forward to a large helping of success. Hopefully. Unless I’m thrown yet another curve ball.

PS: See you on The Late Late Show soon :)

WTF (Wow That Flew)

My first blog was called something along the lines of ‘Super Reluctant’ - I really hit the nail on the head with that title didn’t I. It’s been two years hahaha!

Anyway it’s time for a bit of a catch up isn’t it. This year has been so jam packed with stuff I don’t know where to begin. (ADHD is saying ‘start in the middle and span outwards obviously, but I won’t)

A year ago I found out I have a brain tumour. It’s not cancerous thankfully, but it did explain all the nasty headaches, weight gain and hormonal issues I had. A year on I have managed to shrink it, using homeopathy mainly, and I’m back to being my bad self. Anyway, it’s tough going and I do give myself a hard time for being tired and not being back to my resting weight yet, because I forget I have it.

It didn’t stop me though.

So my girls and I were at the mercy of the housing crisis these last few years, we lived in three houses in six months, and I mean I had to arrange removal men and storage for all our furniture and appliances each time we had to move. Luckily we have stable accommodation now, but I’ve relaxed into that thought before, to my detriment.

Once I had that sorted I immediately got on with part two of the plan . I had to get a newer car, new camera gear and a new studio. I literally started on this the day after we last moved. I gave myself five months to do it and sadly I ran over that by one whole day. I’ll do better next time.

The next job was designing and fitting out my dream studio. It was hard work but I was lucky to find really good tradesmen who actually looked at my plans and listened to what I wanted and it went really smoothly. Zero slip ups or delays. Well there were some delays after this, but I’m not talking about those :)

And then I had some small wars to win this year too. And I did win. I don’t engage in conflict usually, it reminds me of too many situations I survived in my earlier life, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight if I have to. But I had to, and I’m proud to say I made the problems go away. This is one of the hardest things about being single, the very harsh reality that I am where the buck stops.

Pretty sure there was something else, but I can’t rememeber.

Whilst all this was going on, I was climbing higher in my career than ever before. Literally - where I am right now is where I dreamt of being when I first started in photography. And it will do for now.

I have worked with so many incredible people and I don’t mean in that generic #dreamteam way, I mean legit amazing people. I’ve been published in national press so many times this year I don’t even share them all and I definitely lost count. I’ve got lots of blue tick likers on Instagram, people of influence want to work with me. It’s mental to me, after all the rejections, side-eyes and negativity I’ve encountered, that the further up the ladder I go, the more I find ‘my people’.

Someone asked me what have I got lined up for next year, and I couldn’t think for a minute, I didn’t think I had anything. But then I remembered I have got some astonishingly big things lined up, so big that I’m embarrassed that I forgot :D