We created our Artist Fellowship Program to help creative people find the space and inspiration they need to bring their ideas to life. In March, we hosted photographer, Steph Grant, at Getaway Piney Woods outside of Dallas. Here’s what she had to say about her creative process, her relationship to nature, and her Getaway:
I’m all about human rights, photographing the LGBTQ+ community, making others feel included, and my chihuahua, Rusty. I’m constantly learning whilst taking others along for the adventure. I’m the founder of Steph Grant Studios, a full-service media agency owned and operated by a powerhouse team of LGBTQ+ creatives. I have proudly shared my personal story alongside and through my professional work, awarding me the opportunity to be honored on the Senate floor in CA, speaking engagements and inclusivity productions with Google, partnerships with Fossil as the face of their 2019 Pride Campaign, and a feature in Proud Women, a book highlighting 100+ fierce women in the LGBTQ+ community. I believe that by sharing our stories, together, “we can soften hearts and, ultimately, save lives.”
I am from Southern California originally. I spent a majority of my life living 5 minutes from the beach and an hour from the mountains. So when I moved to Dallas, TX 10 years ago, I found myself missing that connection to nature. Like a piece of me was just missing and craving that next time I’d get to be in the ocean or smelling crisp air and pine trees. Luckily, my career involves traveling to places like Thailand, the Philippines, and the snowy Tetons in Jackson Hole, WY. Nature reminds me to stop and take things in. It reminds me to feel. When I allow myself to feel, I live more fully.
I desperately needed to find stillness… The kind you only find in the wilderness. I swapped out my laptop for some books by a fire. I needed this time to clear my head and reset after the past year. I first heard about Getaway on Instagram and had been wanting to try it out. It was just what I needed to unplug, process, write and make pancakes for my pup and I. I really enjoyed the book selection in my cabin! How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh was mandatory at that exact moment in my life.
I wrote pages and pages in my journal with no concern for perfection and no concern for who might read it. Scenes that have played on a loop in my mind (therefore halting my creative process) had finally made their way out of me. Sitting with yourself in the darkness is part of the healing. Giving yourself permission to confront those things inside of you is a crucial part of the letting go. FEEL IT. GET IT OUT. LET IT GO. PRESS ON. What a feeling of relief. I feel lighter. I feel ready to create.
You can keep up with Steph’s creative journey by following her Instagram and checking out her website.
Ready to make your own creative escape? Book your Getaway today.