Have you ever woken up and realized that your life is the dream you've been creating all along?
Today is one of those days for me. They happen periodically, sometimes quite often, but today it hit me. My studio, and the business that I run from it, has been in existence for almost 3 years. Actually, 2 years and 10 1/2 months, to be exact. 

What a whirlwind of a ride I've been on since November of 2016! I had no idea what would transpire over time, or how long I would have my studio in Jerome, Arizona. I happened upon it by chance, and what a great leap of faith it was for me to take it, without a concrete business plan or a sense of what would come. All I knew was, once I wandered into that space, I had to be there. I didn't know what for, I just knew I needed to be there.

With just a desk, chair and computer, I got to work doing what I did best - writing, and developing websites, marketing & social media promos for clients. Within weeks, the photographers, whom I've worked with, started to come up the mountain to Jerome, after I sent them photos of the huge wall of windows and natural light - a photographer's paradise. 

The monthly photography workshops started just a few months later. Today, with over a year and a half worth of workshops under our belts (me and the instructor, one of my photographers), an incredible reputation gradually grew, offering unique photographic opportunities with amazing professional models. 

Since that time, a lot has happened. Last October the monthly art shows began. Shortly later, musicians were paired with the artists, creating monthly events that have only grown in attendance and popularity. 

Classes, workshops, events, meetings and services have come and gone, evolved and transformed over time, opening up what's to come in this next year.

I still write, and there are several books in the works. Blogging and short stories (and soon, an online magazine for artists) are my thing, and I love it all. I still model, and have several big shoots coming up before the end of 2018. 

Here's the scoop:  I've partnered with an entertainment company, promoting music events and parties (raves). Our first independent show will be on Saturday, October 20th, just in time for Halloween. I am beyond thrilled to be organizing and arranging something this huge. It calls to my passions, a combination of art, music, visual and technical skills, writing press releases, meeting all the players, arranging the event details, photography and videography, creating marketing material and promoting. I couldn't ask for something better than this. It's like putting together a party on a gigantic scale.

What's coming next? January, 2019 - LOOK OUT! Zushka Transformed.

Watch the video on this Blog, see the cast of characters, the usual suspects (including yours truly), and follow me by subscribing to my blog.

Original Blog on Red Bench Photo Studio:  BLOG

I am truly grateful for everyone's support and encouragement.
Thank you!

Zushka

Why on earth would I want to pose nude for a group of photographers?

I'm not a psychologist or an authority on body image. I'm a 50-year-old woman who has suffered with anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder since I was 7 years old.

I've tried therapy and support groups over the past 15 years. Although they have helped tremendously and brought awareness about this disease, I seem to slip back into self-body-hatred periodically. Sometimes it lasts for a few days, sometimes a few months. The time period doesn't matter. What does matter is, even at my age I still struggle with my body. How many women do the same thing? Does it ever end?
 
For a lot of us, the disease begins in early childhood. For some, it happens in pre-pubescence when our young bodies are in a metamorphose stage from child to adult. The psychological damage done to girls is appalling, both as the result of media hype and the unrealistic expectations that society places on women, and through untreated childhood abuse - verbal, physical, emotional and sexual, to which I am no stranger on all counts.