A BIG Thank You!

Thanks to all who were able to attend our Holiday Open House!

We had a great time, took some great photos and most importantly gathered a sizable donation for the Mid-South Food Bank. Quite a few networking connections were made too with the diverse group of talented artists, business owners, musicians and entrepreneurs in attendance.

Please look for our next events to be announced soon.

SonofEllis - Artist

Thandiwe Deshazor - Actor/Writer

Aquarius Creative Studio Open House - Dec 19, 2010 - 1pm

Open House ONLY – (1) 8x10 photo or digital file FREE

Ok, ok… kinda free...

In the spirit of the holidays I decided not to charge for these, and instead accept whatever you feel it’s worth. ANY amount you give is OK. I’ll gladly donate my talent if you’ll help us make Aquarius Creative Studio even better with your contribution. Trust me I will not discriminate…heck I won’t even count it till you’re gone!

So here’s how it works:

• · Join our contact list (name, email, physical address, phone) – no spam just reminders and thank you’s!
• · Get you or your group ready - I’ll help with posing, etc.
• · I’ll pick a setting and take 2-10 photos, select the photo (Artist’s Choice), edit and print
• · You get to take it home! (one print per person or group please – additional prints can be mailed for a nominal fee! Additional emails are free.)

This is at least a $100 value, so please take advantage of the offer.

ADDED BONUS: If you make at least a $20 donation and sign a release to let us use your photo for our studio portfolio, I’ll include it in our Aquarius Creative Studio Collage project, name you as a studio supporter AND make a $1 donation to The American Diabetes Association in your honor.

But wait! There’s more!

I know this is going out to some people who will be out of town or live outside the Memphis area. Many of you are already supporters of the studio and I appreciate you very much. We have great (and by great I also mean costly) things planned for the studio so if you make a donation for our Open House celebration I’ll extend the mini shoot offer to you as well for the next time you’re in Memphis or I’m in your area!

Any questions please contact me at info@createwithaquarius.com!

Updates coming soon

Hi All,
We have been super busy in the studio with photo and video shoots, some interior improvements and other goodies for you all. Check back in the next few days for some big announcements...
Giggidy! (for all you Family Guy fans)

One down, 4 more to go!

We had a great time at our first event in the new place, Aquarius Creative Studio! Wish you all could have been there. Don't worry, for those who could not make it there will be plenty of opportunities for you to redeem yourselves!

We started with some great food and wine at our Tapas and Wine Tasting last Thursday night. Our resident Chef Stan and visiting Chef Ira made some incredible dishes. Stan came with Italian and Alfredo Meatballs that were sinful, mini shrimp salads, and the best Grilled Cheese Sandwich you have ever put in your mouth. Ira gave us Grilled Chicken Wings in two flavors and a Grilled Lamb as a passed hors d'oeuvre.

Kiss my Grilled Cheese!

We had 6 different varieties of wine to complement the dishes. Favorites seemed to be the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling and the Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, although the Mirasou Pinot Noir had several fans.

The photography on display was graciously donated by some of Memphis' best, including classic canvas prints by Norman Gilbert, large scale avant garde images from S Julian and some amazing travel series photographs by Jake Morrow. Each of these photographer's work would be a fantastic addition for any collector.

As part of our mission, Aquarius Creative Studio likes to shine a light on up and coming talent. This show included works by Young. Fly. Richy. who is making waves in the hip-hop scene as a "one-to-work-with" artist. We also featured new works from Jermel Tucker. Ziggy Mack as he is known in his regular profession as a top nightlife and music event photographer, decided to stretch a bit for this show with some thought provoking editorial shots. We're proud to offer our artistic support to these emerging artists.

Thanks to everyone who made this event a great night. Camille, Shani, Kai Cai London and S Julian each deserve more thanks than I can give for their continuing support.

Check out more images from the event HERE

Our first event in the New Studio!

Letting go...

Truth and reality in art do not arise until you no longer understand what you are doing and are capable of, but nevertheless sense a power that grows in proportion to your resistance. ~ Henri Matisse

Today marks Day 23 of the birth of our new studio. The name will be announced later on in an "Official sounding, in your face, mind-blowing, significant and important special update press release!" but for now we'll just call it...home. Where photography lives.

As I was working with my assistant to prime the walls for a fresh coat of "primal white" paint, two things occurred to me...

1. This is a huge room.
2. I'm a photographer, dag-nabit it! What am I doing painting a room?


I've come to realize that I love the hands-on approach to everything. Trouble is, I only have two hands.

Any of you who have ever started, worked with or thought about the entrepreneurial way of life are surely rolling your eyes right about now. "When will he learn??" you might be saying. "You've got to let go and allow others into your vision for it to grow." I know...I know! Please forgive me.

This studio is all about sharing the joy of photography with the world. It's about inviting other photographers and artists in and allowing their vision to grow and spread throughout our community and to the rest of the world. I'm letting go...This moment. Right now. The future beckons and we will answer.

Photography is about to take a giant leap forward in our community. This studio is going to push that wave in ways even I cannot begin to imagine...

Inspiration or Aspiration?