Recently, I was interviewed by WhatsHamptoning and was asked some very candid questions behind what made me start The Glama Project. If asked if I had a blog, I found myself scratching my head and thinking "this has been on my To Do List for far too long - I NEED to get this done." After another nudge from my photo-loving, blogger extraordinaire cousin, I knew this was even more true. Life is funny like that - it always seems to get in the way doesn't it? The forever "To Do List" seems to add more chores by the day and things that seemed important yesterday are even farther away today. When starting this Project I wasn't too sure what would come about... - Would I even be able to get it off the ground?
- Will senior homes even want to offer my out of the box idea to their residents?
- Can I juggle this AND a full time job?
- Am I a good enough self taught MUA to even do a good job at making over seniors?
- Can I really make a difference? 65 photoshoots later, the answer to this is Yes! After some initial blood, sweat and some mascara stained tears (ok maybe no blood), my initial dream of starting a volunteer program for the elderly that encompassed my passion for the beauty industry is now actually a thing!
Two senior homes, Belmont Village, Cadiff By the Sea and Vi at La Jolla Village have kindly welcomed me and my idea as an activities addition to their residents and I've found several photographers (and one recent MUA!) who have graciously donated time and energy into making sure my photos & work attached to this project are executed with the care and quality it deserves. So I guess you can say my "proof of concept" was and is a real win - but that doesn't mean I stop here right? Hence, the push to start this blog to better document what this project is all about. It's time to take things a step further towards building a platform to share these seniors stories.
Because I can tell you these woman are INCREDIBLE. They have so much to give and are so willing to tell their stories if you lend them an ear. They are full of jokes, tales of a different time and words of wisdom that you wouldn't believe. I have selfishly kept so much to myself. Whether it's been me not having the time to write, or putting off the very creation of this blog because it's been in the design process for months due to my OCD mindset of "IT HAS TO BE PERFECT" - I am giving in.
I am giving in.
I am giving to you.
I hope you enjoy the stories that will unfold.
To read more about my initial inspiration to start this project - here is a good place to start!