What We’re Building While We Wait

There are seasons when life moves in a straight line. You finish one thing, take a breath, and begin the next.

This is not one of those seasons.

Right now, life is happening all at once: a massive creative project has finally become real, my daughter is facing more medical testing, an almost-forgotten piece of financial planning has given us unexpected hope, several photography events are coming together, my livestream shows are growing, and every room I look into seems to be transforming into something new.

It is a lot. Some of it is wonderful. Some of it is terrifying. Most of it still does not feel entirely real.

The Alchemy of Her Is Complete

After months of planning, photographing, selecting images, collecting stories, designing, revising, second-guessing, and then revising some more, The Alchemy of Her 2027 Calendar is complete and published.

I am still kind of in shock.

There is relief, because this project was enormous. There is pride, because I know what it took to bring it from an idea into something people can actually hold in their hands. There is disbelief every time I remember that it is no longer a future project or a work in progress. It exists.

More than anything, though, completing it has left me hungry to create more.

The Alchemy of Her was never meant to be just a collection of beautiful photographs arranged by month. It follows twelve stages of transformation and explores worth, shame, desire, joy, power, stillness, and becoming. It brings together photographs and real reflections from women who were willing to be seen as they are—not flattened into something perfect or polished beyond recognition, but honored as complicated, evolving human beings.

Finishing something this meaningful did not empty the creative well. It made the well deeper.

The calendar is now available to order online. If you have followed this project, cheered for it, modeled for it, or simply believe in art that tells the truth about women’s lives, you can order The Alchemy of Her 2027 Calendar here.

Taking Lorelai’s Health One Day at a Time

Alongside that enormous creative high, our family has been living with a much harder uncertainty.

Lorelai recently had a brain MRI. It showed subtle areas of abnormal signal, including a lesion in the left corona radiata that crosses the corpus callosum and another in the left temporoparietal region. The radiology report raised the possibility of tumefactive multiple sclerosis. Other causes were considered less likely, but right now, the most important thing to understand is that we do not have a diagnosis.

We have questions. We do not yet have answers.

On September 11, Lorelai is scheduled for three additional MRIs: one without contrast and two with contrast. Those scans should give her medical team more information and, hopefully, bring us closer to understanding what is happening.

We are taking it day by day. Some days are scarier than others. Sometimes we can focus on the next appointment and the facts directly in front of us. Other times, the uncertainty becomes very loud.

I am sharing this because it is part of our reality, but I am not sharing it as a conclusion. An MRI report can identify possibilities; it cannot write the entire story by itself. Until we know more, we are trying not to let fear fill in every blank space.

An Unexpected Reminder About the Future

In the middle of all of this, my ex reminded me that Lorelai and Enzo have 529 education accounts.

I had genuinely forgotten.

My immediate reaction can best be described as dumbfoundedness, followed by the realization that Lorelai should be able to attend cosmetology school with almost all of it paid for.

That is a staggering kind of relief.

While we are waiting for medical answers, we also received a reminder that Lorelai’s future is still there, waiting for her. She has plans, choices, and an education fund that can help her begin the career she wants without being buried under a mountain of debt. Enzo’s account is there for his future, too.

It felt like life tapping me on the shoulder and saying, “Yes, this part is frightening—but do not forget everything already built to help them move forward.”

The Next Creative Worlds Are Already Taking Shape

Apparently, completing one giant photography project was not enough to make me sit still.

On October 3, Captured Chimerism will host The Alchemy of Them, an 18+ vintage-glamour boudoir group shoot at LaBelle Bridal Cottage in Ferndale. The photographer spots are now completely filled—I literally just sold the last one—but six model spots remain available. Models will participate from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., and model tickets are $20 each.

This event is about glamour, collaboration, and giving participants room to explore a different version of themselves in an incredible setting. If you have wanted to step in front of the camera but needed a little permission to do something bold, consider this your permission.

Then, on October 24, LaBelle Bridal Cottage becomes the scene of a lavish gothic wedding—and a murder.

’Til Death Do Us Part is a murder-mystery group shoot built around characters, secrets, obsession, betrayal, and one very dead bride. The participants will not simply pose in themed outfits. They will step into a story, uncover clues, and create a full visual narrative as the mystery unfolds.

The bride role has been claimed, and the event’s lone videographer spot is also taken. Other character-model roles and photographer opportunities remain. The shoot runs from 1 to 4 p.m., and available participant spots are $40 each. If gothic romance, dramatic storytelling, and suspicious wedding guests sound like your particular flavor of creative chaos, contact Captured Chimerism for current availability.

Chimeric Creations Is Changing Shape Again

I am also preparing for my return to in-person markets on October 17. That means building inventory across the different sides of Chimeric Creations, organizing displays, and making the thousand tiny decisions that happen before a market table ever looks effortless.

Chimeric Skin Care is in a transition of its own. I am clearing out current inventory while preparing for a rebrand. Clearance pricing is available on remaining products, making this a good time to stock up before the next version of the skin-care line arrives.

Even my physical workspace is changing. The room that used to be my photography studio is becoming my livestream space. Closing that chapter of the studio was emotional, but the room is not becoming empty or useless. It is being rebuilt around what I am creating now.

That feels very on-brand for a business named Chimeric Creations: nothing stays only one thing forever.

Meeting Me Live

My livestream shows on MeetMe are also finding their footing.

One More Clue airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Eastern. The show is getting close to being featured, which is both exciting and slightly surreal. What began as an idea has grown into a real game show with contestants, mystery identities, progressively easier clues, strategy, wildcards, and just enough chaos to keep everyone honest.

The Maker’s Table airs Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern. It is slowly taking off, bringing makers together to craft, talk honestly about creativity, and laugh about the projects that absolutely did not go according to plan.

I am also still running Scratch the Veil on MeetMe. There are 18 tickets remaining at 2,500 diamonds each, and viewers may purchase multiple tickets. Every ticket returns between 100 and 10,000 diamonds. Once the remaining tickets are gone, we can scratch our way through the suspense and find out who takes home what.

Forward, Even Without All the Answers

I do not have a tidy lesson to wrap around this season. The calendar is finished, but I already want to make something new. We are worried about Lorelai, but we are also talking about cosmetology school. I am saying goodbye to one version of my studio while building a home for two growing shows. I am clearing products out, preparing for a market, filling event spots, and trying to remember which form of chaos needs my attention first.

Maybe that is the lesson: progress does not wait for life to become simple.

We are celebrating what deserves to be celebrated. We are facing what needs to be faced. We are making plans where we can and taking the uncertain parts one day at a time.

If you want to be part of what comes next, order The Alchemy of Her, claim an available spot in one of the upcoming photography events, and join me on MeetMe for One More Clue, The Maker’s Table, and Scratch the Veil.

Life is happening all at once. I might still be in shock—but I am also still creating.