Jen Ellis

When MGK drops a pop-up coffee shop at the Harley-Davidson Museum…things get wild. Over 500 fans, nonstop energy, and a sweet moment with his mom and Pink Milk in hand. Fun to be there and witness the hardcore love the fans have for him.

Mama Tried weekend was a hell of a time. Frozen fingers, soaked shoes…and still 100% worth it. The bikes, the people, the energy…fucking unreal!!!   Already calling it now: next year I want more days, more bikes, and way more photos.   Also so cool seeing everyone’s pics from the weekend. Here are some of my favs I shot over-the week 🤘📸

Big shoutout to @dawestheband for supporting @radiomilwaukee with an awesome session! Local non-profit stations rely on incredible bands like them to keep the music scene thriving. What a way to kick off Summerfest weekend! 📸 @hellojenellis #supportlocalmusic #radiomilwaukee #dawes #mkephoto #milwaukeephotographer

California 💜

Back on skates (finally), just not cleared to play derby yet… but I got to NSO our home bout yesterday and be right in the middle of it all 🙌 @rootriverrollers absolutely showed up and handled business. Kicked butt and did the thing!

Farewell @4seasonssk8park 😭

It’s been a nice ride @4seasonssk8park ! I dropped-in for the first time and made so many memories over the decade with you. Going to miss you!😢

Happy St. Paddy’s Day! ☘️ Took some green shots around the H-D Museum campus today.

Lightning in a Bottle ⚡ Day 6/10 Dear skates, Today’s photo is from @nationaldiy park, which feels kind of fitting. DIY spots exist because someone decided to build something anyway. 
No permission. No guarantee. Just love and effort. That’s what skating can feel like too. You show up. 
You try.
You fall.
You keep building. Sometimes people see it.
Sometimes they don’t. But it still matters. Smash⚡

Lightning in a Bottle ⚡ Day 5 / 10 Dear skates, Let’s talk about the skate scene. Where it was…and where it is now. You’re new, and in a lot of ways you represent a new era of skating for me this past year. But I still think a lot about what skating felt like before the pandemic. Back when it was smaller. It existed, of course, but it wasn’t everywhere like it is now. It felt more like this little world you found your way into. I remember skating with Jen from Moxi. Going to Woodward West in California. Meeting people through skating and feeling how small the world really was. There was just something really special about it. Then the pandemic hit, and everything changed. Part of why I stepped away wasn’t just that skating suddenly became bigger and more mainstream. It was also that the world got quiet. People disappeared. Connections disappeared. That little world didn’t feel the same anymore. And I think that part was harder for me than I even realized at the time. Because when something feels special and then suddenly everything shifts, it can be hard to find your place in it again. But coming back has taught me something. The scene may change. The people in it may change. The feeling around it may change. But the part that made me fall in love with skating in the first place is still here. And I think I am too. Smash⚡

Lightning in a Bottle ⚡Day 4 / 10 Dear skates, Some days the frustration I bring with me has nothing to do with skating. It comes from those quieter parts of life. 
The ones that can feel heavy when things don’t feel as easy or as warm as you wish they did. Sometimes it even feels like something has gone still. 
Like part of it is just…dead quiet. Maybe that’s why this photo makes sense. You, sitting on a coffin.
A little dramatic, sure.
 But honestly, kind of perfect. Because sometimes that’s what it feels like carrying things around that don’t have much life in them anymore. And that energy has to go somewhere. Lately, I’ve been putting it into the floor beneath my wheels. Into the push.
Into the work.
Into learning something new. Sliding has actually been perfect for that. It makes me slow down.
Pay attention.
Feel every tiny shift. And somewhere in all of that, my brain gets a little quieter. Not perfect.
Not fixed. Just a little more alive again. Smash⚡

Lightning in a Bottle ⚡Day 3 / 10   Dear skates,   One of the reasons I got you is because you slide.   Which is a whole different way of skating.   Sliding isn’t about pushing harder or going faster. It’s more about letting go a little.   Trusting the edges. Trusting the floor. Trusting your body to figure it out.   Right now I’m still learning.   Some days it clicks for a second. Some days it feels like I forgot how to skate entirely.   But that’s kind of the fun of it.   Being a beginner again.   Paying attention to every tiny movement. Celebrating the small wins when something finally works.   It reminds me that learning isn’t supposed to be perfect.   It’s supposed to be messy. Curious. A little awkward at first.   And honestly… sliding feels a lot like life right now.   Still figuring it out.   Smash ⚡