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Why I Write

Have you ever felt alone?

I don’t necessarily mean looking around your empty room/apartment/house and noticing you’re alone but something more internal than that. Feeling alone, even when you’re not physically alone. Feeling alone in your head, trapped with your thoughts and afraid to share them with anyone.

Sometimes we are afraid people won’t understand. Or we are afraid we won’t be able to verbalize what it is we are thinking and feeling. Or, beyond that, we are afraid people will tell us our thoughts and feelings aren’t valid and I can’t think of anything more hurtful than being told what you’re feeling is somehow wrong.

I’ve been there. I continue to struggle with this.

I’m sure a lot of folks see it as being weak, of having no backbone, but for me it’s been self-preservation for so long that it’s become ingrained.

And lately I’ve been actively working on changing that. This blog was the first step.

When I started the Piper’s Zoo blog a few short weeks ago, I did so for a couple of reasons: first, because I knew I needed a sense of purpose in my life, a reason to pick up my camera, a reason to put words to paper and not continue to drown in my own head. Second, because I had felt so lonely for so long and I wondered if anyone else felt this way.

We tend to do really well at sharing all of the good in our lives and hiding anything less-than-good. In my mind, it’s the biggest downfall of social media… Instagram is our “highlight reel”. We scroll to see beautiful photos of beautiful people doing beautiful things with their lives. We often don’t see the real story so when things aren’t so beautiful in our own lives, we feel alone.

I’m attempting to share my story, share my thoughts and feelings (both on this blog and in the scary, beautiful real world) in an effort to be real with people. To hopefully help the people that are feeling alone in the world feel less alone. To remind people that their feelings are valid and just because you’re feeling a certain way does not mean anything is wrong with you.

We all go through seasons in life. Some good, some bad, some beautiful, some ugly. But we don’t have to navigate through those seasons alone.

You are not alone.

“That is part of the beauty of literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

I’M bRIANA

WELCOME TO THE BLOG

Fueled by equal parts horse hair and passion, I spend my days capturing the kinds of images that make you stop, smile and ask time to please slow down. Your story, your love, is beautiful and I can’t wait to capture it in images you will treasure for years to come. I believe in real moments and heartfelt conversations on the front porch. In the kinds of images that remind you of the joy that can be found in the simplest of moments together. 

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