Supermom Seris II: The Blissful Vanessa Gibbs

Throughout this holiday season I will be featuring inspiring women in a series I like to call the Supermom Series. (This is the second time I have run the series. Find the first HERE.) I love doing this series because it gives us a glimpse into the lives and hearts of other women and moms. To see how they do it. To see what makes them unique and inspiring. And to see some of ourselves in them, and hopefully grow in the process. Every Monday through December and January, I have had a new "Supermom" with me to answer a few questions.

Vanessa Gibbs of Bliss Boutique Photography and The Bliss Life is with us today! She's passionate, dedicated, loving, talented, and she's real.

Note: I choose photos of Vanessa from her personal blog that I think are so darling. Vanessa has the most fun, spunky, upbeat personality. It really shows through in her blog and professional photography. So, Vanessa, I just HAD to post the "sassy apron" shot. :)

And without further ado, here we go. Do you remember the questions?

What inspires you? :: Where do you find it? :: How do you live it?

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What inspires you?

Oh gosh! The question is what doesn’t inspire me? Or what inspires me today? I am a passionista by nature—a wear your heart on your sleeve, hold many things near and dear to my heart kinda gal. So with that being said, I will turn this one over to my heart. I let my heart lead my inspiration. Hands down L.O.V.E. inspires me. Ya know—that warm and fuzzy “that just does something to me" kinda feeling. That is what inspires me.

Where do you find it?

Who knows where I might find it? Sounds crazy, I know, but as a romantic at heart, I find my inspiration in all things that touch my heart in some way, shape, or form. If it can impact me enough to stop and embrace it with my heart—my soul—it’s then I know I’ve found it. When I say L.O.V.E it encompasses any and all things that effect me and my life in a positive way: mi familia, mi casa, friends, memories, photographs, events, songs, lyrics, books, people, food, home décor, animals, nature, sights, sounds, smells, texture, colors, my surroundings.

In other words, I L.O.V.E:

My children’s eyes, their smiles, their laughs, their touch, their tears, their love.

A "go with the flow, a clean house can wait" kind of a day.

A clean house.

A random trip to the snow. A random trip period.

Watching an elderly couple continue to share the love they’ve had since they first met.

Ice cream sundaes.

A good night’s sleep.

Purging in the playroom.

A “just for mama” shopping day.

A hug, a kiss, a look, “that” look.

A great playlist.

A green tea with an orange and 2 sweet and low’s.

A great work out.

Soft spoken words of compassion.

Dreams, desires, challenges.

A laugh that makes for a great ab work out.

A good spooning, cuddle, or tangle up with the one I love.

A perfect blend of Pottery Barn meets Anthropologie.

An organized closet.

A sassy Apron in the kitchen.

A sexy pair of perfect heels {which I never wear!}

The completion of a project.

A resolution to a problem.

A great chat with a great friend.

Making a new friend.

Embracing an old one.

Saying I love you.

Saying I’m sorry.

Forgiving. Missing. Longing. Hoping. Wishing. Dreaming. Embracing.

Loving—with absolutely every ounce of you.

How do you live it?

Through the eye of my lens. Ok-—so that is what first came to mind. It’s honest. Not just the camera or the piece of metal I cherish…it’s what I am focusing on. I have a deep passion for what I can capture with this amazing little thing we call a camera. Though clearly this is not the only way I live it-—but it’s close. It is a deep love I have. Clearly not taking away from the most important things in my life, but it is deep rooted passionate love I have. Capturing my life {and all it entails} frame by frame.

I feel, most importantly, in order to be a “happy with yourself, super mom” kind of mom, wife, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend, person in general, you have to have something that is all your own. Something you and only you can have a relationship with. A passion, a form of therapy, a take me to that quiet place in a time of hectic-ness, a just plain take me there because I love love L.O.V.E this! It touches me and not only that, I have learned to embrace it. I did not go to school to learn the art of photography. Nor did I really have an interest in it as a child. The passion of looking, seeing, and focusing through a lens just spoke to me one day and I listened. That, folks, is inspiration.

So when your heart speaks to you and when you have been inspired, Embrace it. Live it. L.O.V.E it…with your whole heart.

P.S. And just the pure fact that my dear friend Lynds asked me to post in her “super mom” series is enough to inspire anyone. Ha. I’m just a regular mom with regular days—some of which I can’t wait to be over and others I wish would never end. I have never looked at myself as a “super mom” though I try every day to enrich my kiddos lives with all the love I can possibly show them…even if it means sticking a lens in their face 24/7. Sigh. As I type this in a quiet casa, candles burning, a cup o’ joe, a playlist playing, and my little loves tucked in snug as a bug in a rug, my heart speaks—I am inspired…I will continue to strive to be a better mom than I was the day before…