Five things you may not know.

1. All the photos I share are taken here at Fairy Wren Cottage by me.

2. I am a self taught photographer. Michael is a trained photographer and in the past has sold his work at Salamanca Market, Evandale Market and galleries in Tasmania. Every now and again I will ask him a question about photography but have really wanted to do this by myself. I’m a bit stubborn and independent like that! I wanted my own style to evolve.

3. I’m a very private person and an introvert. Sharing anything on social media is huge for me. It definitely doesn’t come naturally.

4. When I started sharing our country life here at Fairy Wren Cottage there were a few promises I made myself. One of them was to only share what I felt comfortable with and only share what Michael and Liliana felt comfortable with. That is why I don’t share what our cottage looks like from the street. I find it a huge invasion of my privacy when other people do share where we live and also when people stand outside the fence looking in or taking photo’s. I honestly thought that women would be more respectful. For emergency purposes our street sign with Fairy Wren Cottage and the street address on it went up years before my social media accounts were created. Michael and I discussed getting a new sign made up with only the street name and number on it but thought that people wouldn’t be interested and be respectful. To the woman who walks up our driveway to the double gates to look in and then hides when you see us look out the window at you – really????

5. I sometimes get sent requests to have more photos of me on Instagram and on here. You can find my photo on the About Me page. Every time I show up, you do see me through my words and my photos, you see my vulnerability, my honesty, the beauty in the simplest of everyday moments.

I know that a lot of social media coaches recommend having a photo of yourself in every blog post or if on Instagram have at least one photo in every block of nine photos – statistics show that you get more followers. But that doesn’t fit with the story that I want to tell.  Authors don’t have a picture of themselves throughout a novel or coffee table book (unless that coffee table book is specifically about them).

What I share is a story, I want you to feel part of it, see yourself in my photos, you know when you get lost in a book and you feel that sense of lightness, like you are walking amongst the pages. My goal has always been for you to feel that sense of imagination, that sense of peace and reverie when you see Fairy Wren Cottage –  you can’t do that if my photo is popping up all the time.

I’ll be back soon to share 5  things about Fairy Wren Cottage.

Until then,

Jude x

Ps. Make sure you subscribe, everyone is welcome.  I’ll be announcing a new project in my next flowery newsletter due out in the last week of July.