Jessica Hische | Celebrity Designer Crush
Yesterday, I was googling ‘Hipster Weddings.’
I was trying to figure out where to try to publish a few unconventional weddings we’ve shot — events that aren’t a great fit for the juggernaut sites (i.e, Style Me Pretty, Wedding Chicks, 100 Layer Cake) but still deserve an audience. See, I love taking on clients that might not have a huge budget but have poured their hearts & souls into making their wedding their own. Maybe it’s not all mason jars, barns-with-bundt, ‘bohemian’ness, or cascading bouquets, but the intimacy and customization is there, and I just feel like there should be wedding blogs that showcase personalization, fun photos (not all pose-y, everyone-looks-so-serious-on-the-happiest-day-of-their-lives imagery), and authenticity. Inspiration… without the $50,000 price tag, ya know?
Anyway, back to my point [sans preachiness]: during my search, I stumbled upon The Wedding Invitation to End All Wedding Invitations, and the next, oh, six hours of my life were a complete blur. This invitation (seriously, check it out) sent me spinning off in a million directions as I found myself possessed by the need to figure out who these people are (Jessica Hische and Russell Maschmeyer), what their wedding ended up looking like (see here and here for the bicoastal gorgeousness — and don’t miss watching their wedding video, either), and then, ultimately, after coming across her site and hungrily reading everything I could get in front of my eyes, arrive the conclusion that I was hopelessly, intimidatingly, curiously fascinated by the person that is Jessica Hische.
*Girl Crush* doesn’t begin to describe it. I woke up this morning feeling so affected by this person. I mean, I don’t really know her narrative (although she seems pretty genuine in describing herself & her life), but I imagine her as a person that was so singularly visionary about her own passions and drive — someone that has the ultimate trifecta of being insanely hard-working & focused, off-the-charts creative, and super business-savvy — that she really, truly made her life happen, like, immediately and intentionally. So young. Someone that self-admittedly worked her 9am-5pm day job and then her 7pm-2am freelance gigs for years in order to get where she wanted to be. Someone whose ability spoke for itself over time, bringing her, at first, non-friend clients; and, eventually, enormous projects for clients like AMEX, Penguin Books, and 6x Oscar-nominee Wes Anderson. Her work, her achievements, her continued success — it’s all astounding to me.
Mostly, though, her story is wildly gratifying because I believe in the power of talent. I really do. Put your best work out there, again and again, however you can, and clients/recognition will follow. If you build it, they will come, per se. There are no shortcuts to talent — no amount of workshops, social media platforms, fancy websites, or coaches are going to replace the draw & magnetism sheer talent. [And hard work. That’s a biggie.]
Anyway, this woman has got all of it. In spades. Which leads me flummoxed for infinite amounts of self-doubting, self-frustrating, self-punching reasons. But also renders me provoked, like she unknowingly just shoved her index finger into my lower back with ‘go GET it, girl’ encouragement. Truth be told, I’m older. I’ve made a lot of mistakes that caused me to be older and only now finding my purpose. But, you know?, I’m here — I’m in the game, even if a late arrival — and that’s light-years beyond where I used to be. And I’ll do what I have been doing and what gives me the most pride: put my best work out there again and again with tremendous hope that I’ll keep learning and keep growing.
Thank you, Ms. Jessica, for your tremendous dose of inspiration, not just due to your amazing wedding and stunning work but, more so, for the meaning behind your story & thoughts & words. I have a feeling you’ll be sticking with me for some time.
Source: Jessica’s Site, The Every Girl
Source: Forbes
Source: The Every Girl
Source: Jessica’s Site
These screen-shots are used solely to give kudos to Jessica Hische — by no means do I want to pass off this work as my own or steal or do anything other than celebrate her.
