Susannah||Thursday Interview

 

Featuring Susannah from (Life's too Short Not to) Wear Red Shoes

 

To begin, tell us a bit about yourself, what inspired you to begin blogging, and what has inspired you to continue.

I actually started out blogging just about fashion, and as I got more into photography, I'd post my photos. Eventually it morphed into more of a blog about my life, illustrated with my photography. :) As I've started to realize that Jesus is literally everything, I keep wanting to just spaz out about Him and what He's teaching me. :)

 

 Do you have any goals for the upcoming year? What gave you a desire to make these goals?

This year I was less about "here are all the things I want to accomplish!" and more about the attitude I wanted to strive for. My word this year is "surrender". My goal is to surrender my entire life, repeatedly, daily, to Jesus. Surrender my relationships, my plans, my agenda, my worries, my desires, my doubts. I realized this is what I needed to focus on because God has been showing me how I strive so desperately for control of my life.

 Define inspiration (to you).

Being stirred by something that motivates you to DO. For me, it's Jesus' grace and His work through people, and His beauty in the world. The tastes of heaven.

Where do you get the most inspiration daily for your photography/writing?

For me, it's Jesus' grace in my life, His work through people, His beauty in the world. The tastes of heaven. The beauty and complexity of people. The abundance of this beautiful, colorful, painful, dramatic life. The place where I usually get most inspired is at Starbucks, with my Bible and/or with an amazing person. :)

Every life is a story. What lesson do you think people could learn from yours?

From my mistakes? That Jesus is all that matters. The end.

 

 If you could travel anywhere in the world, at any time, where and what time?

Italy, right now. :)

What are you looking forward to most in the next year?

Taking risks and learning to depend more and more on God. Second-shooting weddings. Going to the beach repeatedly (I hope!)

What's one of your favorite memories? Why? What does it mean to you?

So many! And most of them small, undramatic moments. The week at the beach last summer with many of the best people is definitely one of my favorites. It was outrageously awesome, and was the beginning of a lot of beautiful things.

If you knew you were going to die, what would be on your must-do bucket list?

Depends on how much time I'm working with. :) I'd try to fit in as many of the things on my 100+ bucket list... but some of the top ones would be: go to Italy, write a book, get married.

If you could jump into one book or movie, which one?

High School Musical. Because I'm immature and holy cow, I've always wanted to do those amazing dances.

(Maya's note: this is the most awesome response to this question I've ever heard. The end.)

 Picture this. You're going on adventure. But you can only take three things. What would you choose?

My best friend, my Bible, my best pen. :)

 What's your favorite quote of all time?

I have so many favorite-quotes-of-all-time. But one that I want to really live by, and has been a favorite for years, is:

"If the world is cold, make it your business to build fires." - Horace Traubel

 What do you plan on pursing as a career currently? What sparked this?

People photography (of any sort, really--but probably portrait and weddings). I love photography, and I love interacting and learning about people. So it's kind of perfect. :)

 If you made a soundtrack/mixtape of your life what songs would be on there?

After the Storm by Mumford & Sons

Current, want-to-live-my-life-by-them songs are:

Surrender by Flame

In Christ Alone

Desert Soul by Rend Collective Experiment

 What do you want to remembered as?

a lover of Jesus and people.

We live in a culture that often sucks us in to not being ourselves. What helps you stay genuine?

Something I've been starting to learn in a real, nitty-gritty way is that my identity is in Christ alone, and not in what I do, what others think of me, what I look like, my mistakes.

Where do you see you in 5 years from today?

Hopefully married, making money as a photographer, more lost in God's grace.

As we finish, tell us what advice you'd give to yourself (if you could) on the day you began blogging.

Be real, speak from your life. Don't worry about what other people are doing. Only blog when you love it--don't let it become something you feel like you have to do.

Thanks, Susannah!