āMeg, how TF are you really going to follow your dreamsāsingle, post-pandemic NYC with a 2 year old?ā This was a regular question Iād ask myself in the very beginning. I couldnāt see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I genuinely felt like my experience was one-of-a-kindāisolating, even.
Although I didnāt have a lot of the tools and wisdom I have nowā¦I had people around who played a big part in nurturing my growth. And as I grew, I started to meet more people further along in their careers who overcame the odds as parents who mastered āthe juggleā. They showed me āhowā. Around the same time, my Momāwho once didnāt understand my creative dreamsāeventually became the kind of support a much younger me always yearned for.
Thereās no doubt Mama Schmidt loves her kids deeply. But a passionate, weird, sensitive artist child? Thatās a whole different kind of patience and understanding. (I get itāthis shit is tough.)
Fast forward to now, weāve come a long way- my Mom and I...
How? The shift happened when I made peace with every decision I ever made. I fully embraced who I am, and who Iām becoming. I loved myself like a mother would a child.
Having my mom, my brother and my son in the picture like never before means something I canāt express through words. The best I can do is show you through photograph how it feels to be Maxineās daughter, Dreās sister, and Maxās Mom in our first family portrait since my brother and I were kids.
Motherās Day 2025
Self-Portrait
šø @meg_schmidt
A middle finger to fear and everything that feeds it: distractions, self-limiting beliefs, trauma, bad advice, bad decisions, and procrastination. F anything or anyone in the way of the focus, the growth and the work. F ever allowing it. To me, this photo is less about rebellion and more about the satisfaction of choosing to see it through.
I hope itās your year, againā¦as it should be.
šø @meg_schmidt
#jadakiss #brooklynparamount #concertphotography #NYC #HappyNewYear
@kwnway | @saintandcitizen | #miamiartweek2025
šø @meg_schmidt
Photographing new artists asks me to trust instinct over memory. Iām used to photographing musicians whose music already lives with me and finding a way to translate that familiarity into a single frame.
When an artist is new to me, Iāve learned that it isnāt too difficult for connection to still find me. It shows up in their presence, their attitude, the way they move, dress, and sound.
@kwnway reflects my own quiet boldness. Through her performance, Iām reminded of the parts of myself that speak without words. Thereās nothing to decode hereā¦only something to feel, if youāre paying attention.
#KWN #saintandcitizen #concertphotography #miamiartbasel
