True Artist: Davina Fear

 

Davina Fear is not only one of my favorite photographers, she’s one of my favorite people.  I’m thrilled to be able to share her with you today live and in person!

True Artist Interview

I invited Davina to an interview for a few key reasons:

1.  The idea of Convergence & What makes YOU unique.

We’re often told to find our unique voices as artists.  That can be a bit of a vague allure to many of us and it’s quite the journey to discover what really does make us stand apart from the crowd.  I’m personally convinced that where photography is concerned, our “unique voice” most often has nothing to do with the photography side of things (gasp!).  Styles and photos can easily look similar, but the artist themselves are not.  Pulling in our outside interests and talents can often be an electrifying answer of how to find what makes you different.

Davina Fear has a background in Marriage and Family Science.  Listen in to see how she uses this unique passion of hers in her photography and her business.

2.  Using photography to invite a happier family life in your own home.

“Familyness”, as Davina affectionately calls the combination of Family+Happiness, can be achieved as we learn to see the magic of our own story in our own homes.  Finding ways to use photography as a tool for strengthening relationships is an exciting and meaningful adventure, and I can’t think of anyone better suited to the subject, than lovely Davina 🙂

Don’t see the video? Click HERE!

THE INTERVIEW

Some highlights:

2:25 Davina shares her own story of how she came to be a photographer.

5:16 What is “Familyness”?  How can we achieve familyness in our own homes?

7:00 Convergence.  How Davina combined her interest in Marriage and Family Science into photography. (Very inspiring ideas you can easily incorporate into your work!)

12:15 Bringing the idea of “Familyness” into photographing your own home life.

13:51 Ideas for shooting different personalities.

18:12 Davina’s Familyness Photo Course.

I’m really excited about Davina’s Familyness Photo Course.  (That starts this coming Monday, January 20th!!) It’s not just about taking better photo’s of your family, but it’s about cultivating and strengthening those family relationships in the process.  I’ve never seen another course out there that has that added measure of depth that makes this course both fun and meaningful.

Davina has even given all my readers a special code to use to save $30 on tuition! Wahoo!  Use the code FPW30brooke

Want a peek into Davina’s own story of Familyness?  Check out her inspiring photos below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Davina for sharing your philosophies with us today!  Do you have a question or comment for Davina?  Please leave it below!

12 Responses

    1. you’re pretty much my favorite, Davina 🙂 So happy we’re friends! You have such an amazing message to share with people that has already blessed my life! I can’t wait for others to experience what is possible when they mix your philosophy with photography! I want to see the magic in people’s homes and in their photos!

  1. so in love with sweet davina and how she actively helps us look with new eyes on our treasure – our family. she doesn’t just show us hers, but she builds those same eyes *in* us. lifted from this interview and grateful, brooke!

    families have a cheerleader named davina! xoxo, -melanie-

  2. Since you created this post, I’ve come back a few times to watch and re-watch this interview, and each time something new speaks to me. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for introducing all of us to Davina.

    Brooke, one of the reasons I enjoy your work so much is because of who you are. You give me hope that it’s possible to be true to myself, my photography, and still (possibly) have a business! 🙂 And what a lovely gift you have given me/us with introducing Davina. I’ve heard her name before, but my RSS feed is premium real-estate and you have to come highly recommended to make the list, and with this lovely interview, I’m looking forward to seeing her posts pop up there. Though I couldn’t swing this class, I’m looking forward to finding one that will fit my schedule 🙂

    My newest favorite part of this interview, is when Davina says, “everyone has a magical life, it’s just a matter of seeing it.” It’s perfect, and that quote is going to show up somewhere on my website!

    Thank you 🙂

  3. Beth!

    What a beautiful comment! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! I’m beyond thrilled that you benefited from this conversation! Davina takes up space in my prime real-estate too 🙂 She’s worth it 🙂 I really benefited from her comment about how everyone has a magical life as well. It’s been fun these past few weeks during her course to learn to see what my magic is! I’d love to see what your magic is too! Are you working on any home photo projects lately?

  4. Thank you, Melanie and Beth! I can see why Brooke is part of your prime digital real estate. Her insights and inspiration are constantly lifting me up and helping me to create better things and see farther. She’s amazing!

    And I’m so honored that I’ve found a home in your prime space. Truly. Thank you, Beth!

    I’m looking forward to seeing the magic you’re seeing in your life! 🙂

  5. Thank you Brooke and Davina, for such kind words. 🙂 I always look forward to seeing Brooke pop up in my inbox, and now I get to look forward to Davina as well. And considering how I dread dealing with online stuff in general, that’s saying something!

    Ha, Brooke! Ask me about my photo projects and you’re likely to get a deluge of information you didn’t really want, but I’ll try not to write an entire essay here in your comments! 🙂 Actually, there are three projects that all fall under the same umbrella that have stirred my soul coming into this year.

    My Project: Our Real Life in Photos

    I may, or may not, have mentioned before that our family had a house fire. While it’s been four years now, we are still digging out of the hole it created. There have been no pictures on our walls, and the photos that were salvaged were dumped unceremoniously, into a cardboard box. I let the magnitude of the project overwhelm me.

    Step one: get photos we love on our walls! Our family story is slowing appearing on our walls… one print at a time. Whenever I come across a photo that really makes me smile, or stirs happy memories, I print it, and up it goes!

    Step two: get our photos back into albums! I am embracing the Project Life concept, with some significant adaptations to make it workable for the project at hand. I am choosing to let go of perfection in lieu of completion. Forty years of photos dumped in a box is no small job, and if I continue to want it done perfectly, it simply won’t get done.

    Step three: the really important stuff! In going through photos I realized most of my pictures were only of events: birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, ball games, etc. The stuff, the day-to-day stuff that make us who we are, was not recorded. So I sat down with my family and challenged everyone (myself included!) to start taking a picture here and there, of their day. A quick snapshot of the things that happened to them, the everyday stuff that seems like it will always be there, but isn’t. My kids are older and have phones with camera’s now, so they have no real reason not to!

    So far, I’m happy to say, the projects are coming along. Slowly of course. My favorite part has been when my kids show me a picture representing their day. I’m especially loving the pictures my oldest daughter is sending me. She started college in the fall so we aren’t a part of her daily life in the same way anymore. Each time she sends a picture, she includes a little description of what/why she took it. It gives us a peek into her new life, and her amazing spirit and sense of humor are always evident. I can’t believe how much those pictures have meant, and how much I look forward to them!

    Hopefully, that wasn’t too much information 🙂 Now you can see (a little bit), why Davina’s “familyness” struck a chord with me… it is a path I’m already on 🙂

    Thank you!

    1. Oh my word! Beth, I had no idea that you experienced a house fire! What a tragedy! I’m so impressed that you are taking that experience and changing how you do things going forward and also trying to get things back in order from before. You’re working in two directions, whereas most people would get stuck in only one!

      what a great idea to have your kids send you a picture of their day! I have done that a few times–just sending my husband a picture of me or my son during the day, and every time he comments on it as one of the best parts of his day. I should do that more…thanks for the reminder 🙂

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