Rosa Swim Creative Direction + Photography

From set design to creative direction to taking and editing the images, this shoot was super hands on — and super fun. The set worked two-fold as a way for us to create engaging and on-brand campaign imagery, while also shooting ecomm images for site.

Rosa Swim is hand made in California, so we wanted to create imagery that put the focus on the intricacy of each suit while paying homage to the brand’s southern California roots through cacti, palms, birds of paradise — made fun and sexy with pops of color, confetti, and all that lovely natural light.

PALEO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

MALDON SALT. If you take anything away from this blog post, let it be that fancy salt is worth it and makes everything taste better.

I’m not going to do that thing where bloggers write 2,500 words about the drama at their toddler’s preschool before they get to the recipe, but there are some things I should say before taking you straight to the goods.

I first started eating paleo in 2014 — and immediately found ways to make paleo cookies. Because I am a monster. A cookie monster. I think at one point I was making paleo cookies every. single. night. As such, I memorized the recipe and have, in recent years, started free styling these bad boys. They never turn out the same twice, but they’re always THE BEST. So what follows are more like guidelines, versus a recipe. It really stresses some people (Type A people) out when I say I make up this recipe as I go each time, but personally, I think it’s super fun to roll the dice and see what happens.

First up: you’ll mix your dry stuff and your wet stuff separately.

Wet:

2 tablespoon-ish melted coconut oil

1/2 tablespoon-ish vanilla extract (I think conventional recipes skimp on vanilla)

1 egg

Dry:

About 2 cups almond flour (you’d think coconut flour would make more sense for baking but almond is actually sweeter and yields a much more *moist* cookie. LIke, I would never make scones, but if I did, I would use coconut flour)

Coconut sugar! Honestly, no idea how much! I want to say 1 cup?

Chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand. Widely used in paleo baking despite not being 100% paleo because of the, ya know, cane sugar, but I can’t afford to chop up a $6 HU Chocolate bar every time I make a batch of cookies)

A pinch of salt

A pinch of baking soda

Optional: I recently started adding cinnamon and it makes these REAL good, even better, 10/10 would recommend

NOW WHAT, CHEYENNE? SO GLAD YOU ASKED.

Mix the wet stuff into the dry stuff. If you feel like it’s too dry, you can add either maple syrup or just a tinyyyy bit of almond milk.

Put the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes so that they’re easier to ball up into future cookies.

Fire up the oven to 350 degrees and line your baking pan with parchment paper.

Scoop out spoonfuls of dough and ball them up in your palms and place on parchment paper.

MOST IMPORTANT PART: Sprinkle the fancy, chunky sea salt onto the tops of the cookies. Then rip off a little bit more parchment paper and use it to flatten out your cookies, mess-free. If you don’t flatten, them, they’ll be too thick and cook funky. If you don’t add the salt, you’ll just be missing out big time on flavor town.

Cook for 10 minutes, remove, flip cookies and cook for another 3 minutes or until you feel like they’re done.

Enjoy with ice cold almond milk n thank me later!

xx

Cheyenne

READING THINGS YOU WROTE SIX MONTHS AGO IS WEIRD

It’s been a while! And it’s certainly been a weird road to where I am now (which is, by the way, New York City). The last time I wrote a real blog post (so like, not about work), was my post about The Divine Bunny Trail, about 13 months ago. A lot has happened in the last year; some of it was great and some of it was hot hot garbage. A lot of it was of my own doing. A lot of it was just… how the cookie of my life crumbled. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a really, truly #blessed life, but in the context of that gilded existence, the last year was dark. Which made me preaching about The Divine Bunny Trail a little sad, since the feelings I was having when I wrote that blog post were decidedly unavailable to me for so long.

I’m happy to report that I have since righted my ship. I’m living in New York, I am gainfully employed, and living out a less couture, more self-deprecated Carrie Bradshaw existence in the West Village. I am getting my heart broken, my hopes up, and figuring it out. Just how I wanted to.

I’ve had a draft sitting in my email inbox for over 6 months now — a draft of an Instagram caption that I so badly wanted to be able to publish… but I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready because it wasn’t all the way true yet. It’s only in the past few months that I feel like these words, at the time hopeful and aspirational, are finally true. Here it is:

“This one goes out to all my haters — jk, I don’t think I have many haters. But I do know of one, and this one goes out to her: myself. I spent the last 6 months hating so much about myself. I I hated myself for feeling like a quitter. I hated that I started big projects and companies, only to let my passion fizzle out and walk/run away from them. I hated that my freelance dreams didn’t come true. I hated myself for hurting someone I loved for over a decade. I hated my body (and hated myself even more for giving up so many times, saying fuck it and baking a big plate of cookies). I hated myself for not wanting to leave the house. I hated myself for not being able to find a job that I loved and/or loved me back. I hated myself for being snappy with my parents and making friend time all about me me me and my problems. Most of all, I hated that I didn’t feel like myself. I didn’t like the Cheyenne I had become. But I guess that’s the crux of the biscuit: alllll that ^^ was me (and still is part of me), and it all adds up to who I am today, tomorrow and forever on and on.

It had to happen, I’m glad it did, but I’m also happy to report that I’m finally done with all that. Done with all the self doubt and hatred that stopped me from being and loving ME. No matter which iteration of myself I was on.

The point of this post isn’t just to celebrate my return to your regularly scheduled Cheyenne-ness, it’s also to give anyone else who feels like they’re going through a dark patch some hope. It’s cliche, but it’s called going through it because there WILL be another side to it all. You’ll emerge stronger and wiser and more accepting of yourself. It can feel incredibly stagnant, but be patient with yourself, and love yourself — whichever version you are at present. Just know that it might not feel like you’re making moves and evolving, but you most certainly are.”

—

Wow, reading stuff you wrote at a very different time in your life is weird! And it’s crazy and so exciting that life can really change (for the way better) in mere months. But more on that later.

xx

cheyenne

The Divine Bunny Trail

WHAT IS THE DIVINE BUNNY TRAIL

For a month or so now, friends (and strangers) have heard me talk about the Divine Bunny Trail. I’m pretty sure some people think I’m talking to bunnies in my head and let’s just say that’s not too far off — kidding, kind of. So I’ve decided that the best way to introduce the Divine Bunny Trail is to tell you how I realized it was there.

A friend and I were talking about my most favorite city in the world: New York City. The best times I’ve had in in New York have happened when I had no plan. My favorite days (that turn into nights) in New York happen when I step out the door and fill the day with walking, discovering, meeting new people, and following the unforeseen path; head first into memories that I’ll have forever. This conversation was the first time I had put my philosophy about “doing New York right” into words, and in verbalizing these ideas, I realized that my advice to anyone visiting NYC is this: You don’t actually “do” New York, it does you (in the best way). You have to let New York happen to you. Don’t hold too tight to lofty expectations, just do what feels right and fun in the moment and watch how the day and night unfold for you in all of their exciting possibility.

How I look when I tell people about the Divine Bunny Trail.

Actually, the idea of possibility is huge when thinking of the DBT. Like I said, you can’t hold too tight to one set of expectations on the DBT. Instead lean into the possibilities of what could happen. Embrace the unknown because even though you may not know what’s going to happen, you have to trust that whatever is coming your way is yours for a reason. I have a hard time relating to people who are scared of the unknown because I find the unknown to be the most exciting and romantic part of life. Sometimes I wish I could speed up time so I could find out what happens, but I also know that the fun is in the waiting and the anticipation. There’s no way to know what’s going to happen to you, in both the short and long run of your life — the minute to minute and five years from now. And to me at least, that’s the coolest thing ever. For followers of the Divine Bunny Trail, the unknown is the carrot at the end of the stick.

At first I thought the Divine Bunny Trail was a travel philosophy but then I realized, the Divine Bunny Trail can be applied to every facet of life. Hop on the Divine Bunny Trail for happiness and clarity in your career, relationships, and your day to day.

My new pickup line, tbh.

HOW TO GET ON THE DIVINE BUNNY TRAIL

Head + Heart alignment is the name of the game when looking to get on the Divine Bunny Trail. When you’re in it, Head + Heart alignment feels like you just had a really strong espresso — or a small amount of ecstasy. Like, just a little bit. A while back my head and heart were operating on different planes, but when I took the necessary steps to get into Head + Heart alignment, the result was extremely visceral. It was as if I could see my heart, which had been floating somewhere to my left, zoom back into place. While my brain — which had been floating somewhere to my right — zoomed back into my head. All at once, they were where they belonged; in line with one another and communicating honestly with each other for the first time in a long time. I immediately felt whole, aligned, and light as a feather. And like I was on ecstasy, lol.

Being in Head + Heart alignment can also feel like flow state. Think back to a project, at work or otherwise, that you thoroughly enjoyed working on. One that didn’t feel like work and that you couldn’t put down. That’s an exciting, up high and sparkly, flow state. Head + Heart alignment also reminds me of the fourth or fifth time listening to a really good album; you know, before you’ve listened to it too many times and you’re still able to be so in it, hanging onto each lyric and feeling them to your bones; volume all the way up because you just want more more more. (Shoutout to Ariane Grande’s new album Sweetener).

It’s such a powerful feeling, that once you’re in Head + Heart alignment, it’s really easy to recognize when you’re not in it. Don’t know if you’ve ever been in Head + Heart alignment? That’s OK, start by recognizing your energy when in certain situations or around certain people. Start collecting data. Get quiet and listening to your intuition, your gut feeling, your spidey senses and your inner bun bun. For example: I like me best when I feel really up high and sparkly (picture my hands above my head making jazz hands). So when a situation makes me feel dull, like there’s molasses-like resistance, like I can’t be up high and sparkly, or like I can’t be my true self, I know it’s not the right situation, person or place for me.

Little higher, Jim.

Take note of the things that do make you feel up high and sparkly. And do more of that. Take note of the ones and people who don’t. Let them goooooo. Embrace the unknown. Prioritize having fun. Listen to your inner bun bun and I promise, Head + Heart alignment will come and the DBT will unveil itself to you.

RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PLACE

People use the saying ‘right place, right time,’ a lot, but in reality — or in my version of it — we are always in the right place at the right time. And that’s more or less what the Divine Bunny Trail boils down to: the unshakeable belief that you are exactly where you need to be in this moment. I like to picture the DBT as an actual trail. A trail where your next move lights up like in a video game. How do you know where the path will light you? Just get quiet and listen to your inner bun bun. What do you want? Forget what other people want or what they want you to want. What do you want? Do you feel like for whatever reason you need to change course and head to that one restaurant or bar right now? Go, because you probably do. It might not be obvious or immediate, but if you feel it, it’s right and you should go! The Divine Bunny Trail always provides.

How you feel when you’re in Head + Heart alignment and hopping down the Divine Bunny Trail.

MISCHIEF ON THE DIVINE BUNNY TRAIL + CLOSING THOUGHTS

To date, my most memorable DBT experiences have come from being a little sneaky. (Mischief has always been my preferred operating procedure.) So when you’re trying to sneak into a music festival or onto the field at Qualcomm Stadium to see BEYONCE (best night of my life), you really need to trust the Divine Bunny Trail to light the way. And know that even if you don’t get in, you’ll have a good story to tell anyway. But for the record: I haven’t failed yet and that’s because I trust in divine bun bun energy.

If you’ve ever read or seen Harry Potter, you’ll remember Liquid Luck, or Felix Felicis, a rare and hard-to-make potion that promises the drinker good luck. When you’re tuned into the DBT, it feels a lot like that. So have fun, trust the DBT, don’t have any expectations, take your time, and embrace the unknown. Also: get a bike and ride it as much as possible because we miss too much when we’re in cars.

Thanks for reading!

Have fun out there on the Divine Bunny Trail! XOXO Cheyenne

SWELL: Summer of Spontaniety

You know when you drink a gallon of coffee and conjure up an entire catalog on a Saturday morning? That's what happened when I set out to make Summer of Spontaneity; which heralded the return of SWELL's beloved catalog.

In order to tell a full product story, I broke the catalog into three parts: a summer morning, a beach-filled summer day, and a hot summer night. This allowed us to tell important product stories like active wear, swim, and festival. To add dimension to the story, we made sure to include non-transactional elements to the catalog like summer smoothie recipe, tips for beginner surfers, and the model/muse's summer playlist. 

While not able to be on location in Australia, I detailed every shot for the photographer. I also wrote all the copy, designed and directed the studio shoot (utilizing plants, exposed lighting rigs, and photo studio sweeps); and just had a blast in general. Click here to see my process, along with all the studio shots and copy. 

The catalog does not exist online since SWELL has since been merged with Surfstitch in Australia, but I am trying my hardest to find a copy to share. 

Aus Open of Surfing

Recently, a friend asked me at what point I had been the happiest and most fulfilled in my career. It didn't take long for my thoughts to drift back to Manly Beach, Australia in February of 2015 to the Australian Open of Surfing. Hurley was the title sponsor, but the event was being put on by IMG, so I was sent as the Hurley representative — the person in charge of making sure all content coming out of the event looked, sounded, and felt like Hurley. 

I lead a team of interns to create daily recaps for the site, photo galleries and engaging Instagram content. And within ten days, @ausopenofsurf was up to 10K from the 5K that it was at before I logged in. 

I did this by first and foremost elevating the visuals on the feed and then using storytelling tactics to make the event come to life, even for people who weren't there on the beach with us. Where in previous years, the Instagram merely provided event information, I used it as a vehicle to evoke emotion through exciting athlete storylines, romanticizing and celebrating Manly Beach itself, and building excitement around the event as a whole; effectively making people feel invested in the event.

When Carissa Moore, defending champ showed up, we let people know and helped set the scene. When young hopeful Isabella Nichols got ready for one of the most important heats of her life, we made sure to capture it. Manly Beach itself was easy and fun to celebrate, and this post remains one of my favorites of the whole event; not only did it celebrate the unique and magical Manly Beach community, it served as a way to let people know where they could watch the contest online. 

With events like these, you have obligations to sponsors that you need to deliver on — and it takes a certain skillset to make sure you're honoring contractual obligations without sacrificing quality. That's what I'm most proud of when I look back at these ten days. Here's a post I directed for Pure Pops' sponsorship, a shoutout to the Sydney Zoo (I actually took this photo! One of the coolest moments of my life haha), making sure people knew about the Hurley H2O booth, this post for Canon Australia's giveaway fit seamlessly into the feed while still getting the information across, and then there's this post, which was about a contest put on by an Australian bank, and it's actually my pride and joy. 

I bookmarked my time there with a sweet nod to the community of Manly Beach — and then wished I could do it all over again. 

baby's first photo show

Late last summer, a chance encounter lead me to Solomon + Co. Hair Studio in Leucadia, CA. The owners, Leigh and Eric Zamora had a vision that their hair salon could be so much more than just a salon. They envisioned a community gathering place, where artists of all kinds could come together. Shortly after they opened, they began hosting local artists' work for two months at a time; kicking off each new artists' showing with a reception featuring a local musician, restaurant, and beer/wine purveyor. They mentioned they were still looking for artists to fill the spring months and in that moment something (blind millennial faith?) came over me and I nominated myself. Cue months of nervous laughter, Leigh and Eric encouraging me the whole time, and here I am... inviting you to come to my first photo show. All the details are on the flier below!

Hope to see you there!