Jodie Jolley has always been an entrepreneur at heart, building small businesses out of her basement and loving the creative process that comes with it. After she had her third daughter, she reached a turning point in her life and business. With her personal and photoshoot schedules completely filled, she decided she would never shoot anything that she wasn’t absolutely in love with. Jodie went through a complete rebrand of her business and decided it was all or nothing when it came to shooting beautiful studio and magazine style portraits. With the rebrand and new climate of the business, she had to choose a new name. It was only appropriate that she name her new studio after her youngest daughter, Aven Willow.
Jodie aspires to change the way a woman views and feels about herself. She wants her subjects to be awed by themselves. Jodie’s desire is for her clients to see the very best in their portraits and to be awestruck. With this goal in mind, Jodie started a special project inspired by the women she had worked with over the past 10 years. She noticed that the women who were 40 and above had tremendous beauty and wisdom to share with the world, but they were normally putting everyone else first. They were getting portraits taken of their kids while hiding themselves in the back of the family photos. According to Jodie, “A lot of times it’s hard for women to really decide what their value is or to even just ask for what they want or what they deserve.” She knew these women needed a special reason to be photographed, seen, heard, and celebrated.
The 40 Over 40 Project focuses on beautiful luxury portrait sessions. Jodie wanted these women to be able to step outside of their comfort zones in a place that was built just for them. Additionally, she wanted to share their stories with the community and with the world by honoring them and celebrating them with the 40 Over 40 Project. All 40 of these women are interviewed and featured in Aven Willow’s Portraits Magazine and are celebrated at the Goddess Gala! Each one of the 40 women will have their portrait enlarged and on display at the Gala with their journey highlighted in an interview format. It is a beautiful celebration of women, their beauty, their strength, and their wisdom! Their families, friends, and our community are able to come together and celebrate these incredible women who stepped outside of their comfort zone and shared themselves in such an incredible way with the community. “The biggest challenge I would say is actually your own personal mindset. A lot of the limitations that we experience are things that we actually put on ourselves,” Jodie shared. “It’s incredible how freeing and how limitless you become when you learn how to get out of your own way and to think differently about what you are capable of.”
To learn more about the 40/40 photo shoot visit www.avenwillow.com or 682-233-1188.
Read Jodie’s FULL INTERVIEW on our Facebook Page, Allen City Lifestyle.
