So for now, I am going to keep this update relatively short, because A LOT is going on. But I know that with the way I am, if I kept waiting to write a proper post, then it would have taken me forever to get that done. So here are the cliff notes as to what has been going on:
1-I am booked for a speaking engagement next month in Harlem to discuss historical costuming, the roles and contributions of Black dressmakers (particularly Elizabeth Keckley) in historical fashion, and showcasing some of my ensembles! When I say that my flabbers were gasted when I received the call about it! I am so excited for this!!! And of course, VERY very nervous. I hope I don’t curse or babble on stage! When I have the official promotional material and such, I will share.
2-THIS upcoming weekend, I will be heading to Albany, NY to attend the Crown Tournament of Ryouko’jin and Indrakshi (who are AWESOME people, and this will be their second reign in the SCA), but I will also be officially taken on as an apprentice to my longtime friend, Duchess Isabella, who has reigned as Queen of the East Kingdom twice thus far. I have admired and respected her since I first joined the SCA, which was something like 13 years ago. She has always encouraged me and pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone and expand my skills when it comes to costuming and service to the Kingdom. I will readily admit that I was speechless when she presented this opportunity to me. She has not taken on an apprentice in upwards of 20-something years, so this is a BIG DEAL for me, and I hope that I do her and my apprentice-siblings proud.
Over the next couple of days, I will be working on finishing my ensemble (16th c. Persian-which my persona is based on), and I cannot wait to share the process and the final look with you.
3-Since coming back from France and with the new opportunities and events that are unfolding in my lap, I had quite a few friends convince me to start another GoFundMe to help contribute and offset the costs that go along with my historical costuming journey. Things such as travel/accommodations for events, fabrics & materials, and the tools/equipment to document and share my projects and research will benefit from this new GoFundMe.
As some of you know, although I am a professional photographer who has had my business for 16 years – Marisa Taylor Photography, I am also disabled due to multiple chronic illnesses. So I have had to scale back how much physical work I do when it comes to photography (weddings being the main aspect), because I just can’t physically hold up to doing them longer than 2-4 hours. And then the recovery time after has gotten days longer compared to how it was before. For me, being down for the count for so long doesn’t do anyone any good, especially my family. It is a really hard thing to grow your business and watch it blossom, while knowing that you’ve already reached your peak and have to withdraw from it little by little. But that does not mean I am giving up photography forever, NOR does it mean I am giving it up at all. I am focusing my business on smaller, intimate weddings & elopements, along with my normal portrait photography, as well as my fine art print site!
You can check my site out here: https://www.marisataylorphotography.com/PrintSite/
I do think that that is all for now, or until I remember that I need to come back and update this with something else!
OH WAIT! (see, my brain loves to do the “OH SQUIRREL!” thing). Although I have had my youtube channel for YEARS now, I only recently started uploading more content to it, and try to do so on a consistent basis. If you are a Youtube user, I would greatly appreciate it if you could give my page a follow! Youtube – TheMarisaZimmerman
Until next time my friends!
theplushseamstress.com 
Congrats on the apprenticeship!
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Thank you so much!
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