Meet Jake & Jill
We are Jake & Jill, husband & wife, parents of 5 rambunctious children, artists, photographers and lovers of the creative process! As much as we love all these aspects of our lives, none of them would even be worth mentioning without our faith in the One who makes it all possible. Our journey together began in college where we met as we both pursued degrees in Visual Arts. Not only did our love for one another grow during these years, but so did our love for creativity and our discovery of photography as an art form. After graduating, we were married and had our first child before our second anniversary. We spent the next 10 years with either a baby or toddler in our arms and a camera in our hands documenting their little lives changing in front of our eyes. This is where our appreciation and love for photography began to grow and change into something more than just a hobby. This is when we merged our desire to document life's precious moments with our artistic passions and discovered the beauty that can be produced through images. We can genuinely say that marriage and family, along with our faith, have been the most important and fulfilling areas of our lives, and our photography naturally follows suit. We understand the value and importance of the people and moments that make life special and we cherish the opportunity to freeze these moments in time and preserve them forever!
Hi, I'm Jill
I love beautiful things just because they are beautiful! Delicate pressed flowers, intricately designed stationary, rows of fabric with endless prints and patterns, anything with lace... There doesn't need to be a reason or purpose for it, I love it simply because it's beautiful! I enjoy drawing, painting & design because I like creating something visually appealing. I remember always being told by my art professors in college that as an artist, my work had to have a deeper meaning behind it, but I never understood why. Why couldn't I just create something simply because it brought me joy and I wanted to share that joy with the world? This is why I love photography, it's just another way to create beautiful images that bring joy to all involved in the process.
Yes Please
fudge brownies & vanilla ice cream • comfy jeans • book stores
• conversations with my husband • art projects & reading with
my kids • saving the best for last • my Bible & Jesus
No Thank You
large crowds • mosquitos • grocery shopping • confrontation
• too many choices • chaos & drama
Hey, I'm Jake
As a kid, I was brought up on your fair share of comic books, video games, and Saturday morning cartoons. This is what inspires and fuels my creative endeavors and, by extension, my kids creativity as well. It's why we've taken to creating our own comics and illustrations, and it's so cool to see their unique styles shine through. I love how any art form can tell a story, and so that's why I like to add this kind of depth and complexity to anything I create. I also appreciate art just as "art," because sometimes it's okay to have an epic image just because it looks awesome. All of this naturally ties in with photography quite nicely, much in the same way a comic panel can tell a story or capture an emotion even without words or dialogue. This is the same thing that I hope to accomplish with any of my work.
You Betcha
unsweetened tea (hot or cold) • spending time with my wife • crispy French fries
• making stuff with my kids • curling up with a good video game • theology and philosophy about God that's way over my head • chocolate chip cookies &
vanilla ice cream
Not My Thing
heights (acrophobia) • hot & humid summers • judgmental people • coffees and sodas • public speaking • wasps (they're just angry insects and that's not right)
If you think our hands are full,
you should see our hearts!
B
Being a family of seven, there's never a dull moment. The house is almost always a bustle of movement, laughter, singing, crying and, yes, even shouting. We'll leave it to your imagination to guess who can be the loudest. But as loud as we may be, we LOVE even more. There's definitely a certain passion for each other that you can only find in family. And in all the struggles of raising a houseful of kids, we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! It's these very kids that inspire us to be the best that we can be... to work hard, play harder, to love, laugh and create, because in the end, we want to inspire them to do the same.
There always seems to be some type of art project going on in our home, whether it's drawing, painting, comic book illustrations, crafting 3D creations out of cardboard, building Lego masterpieces... the list (and the mess) goes on and on. But even though things can get a bit chaotic, you can still find us sitting and reading together, which is another one of our favorite pass times. Whether it's a thrilling adventure, a fanciful fairytale, or even a silly, nonsensical narrative... the possibilities are endless. Everything just seems to settle down into a quiet stillness when we read together, and it's quite a peaceful contrast to the busy-ness of our lives. Outside of this, we also love the outdoors! Our kids are often found climbing trees, riding bikes, running barefoot through the grass or playing in the dirt. There's just something about the fresh air and sunshine that brightens up our day (literally and figuratively). It may not always be "picture perfect", but it certainly is perfect for us. This is us, this is family, it is and will always be the most beautiful and creative work of art that we have been blessed to be a part of!
