I’ll be real with you. This idea is well over a year in the making. It came to me one day; I jotted down notes as it was flooding my brain space, and then … I sat on it. When I finally decided to move forward with making the ice cream scoops, I collected the needed pieces and waited until I got some scrap bits of styrofoam that were the appropriate thickness for the ears. And then pushed everything to the side. Probably a month or two later, I had zero plans one weekend and spent a good amount of that time just making the top scoop into a Frenchie-esque shaped head. Shortly thereafter, I got the paints and specifically chose the colors to represent all my Frenchies, past and present. Pink for Mia, Blue for Bridget, and Purple for Sofia. Then once again, I shelved the project and proceeded with other things, shoots, and tasks; my business was steady too. I was reminded of this unfinished idea every time I walked into my craft room, so I just closed the door. I think because I wasn’t sure what exactly my past self was hoping to achieve, I didn’t have the passion to move forward. And I have always told myself not to rush my craft or force anything, because for me that doesn’t work out well. And honestly, I was also hesitant about using a new-to-me medium (spray foam), which was the best way to give the scoops the needed texture. That unknowing and the fear of wasting time, supplies, and, most importantly, money caused me to pause and keep holding off. Then one week, I pulled the scoops out and set them on a table in my kitchen area to stare at me and call to me. Hoping it would spark the fire I desperately needed to get me there creatively. Well, it worked! I woke up one day ready to go. I did a ton of research that morning on how to use the spray foam and then just got to it. A few days after the foam dried, I painted them. Finally, after well past a year, they were ready. My next dilemma was where to squeeze in the shoot and what else I could use (dog toys/props) to better tell this obscure story. I rummaged through the pup’s insane amount of toys and found these French baked goods I got from Chewy a while back and was like, I could attach them to some blank canvas and have them appear as if it’s the French street artist showcasing his work. After that, the ideas on what I needed and should do to pull this together just appeared in my mind. At first, Sofia was going to dress as a tourist in Paris, France, but then I found a set of cute ice cream hats I'd bought for the girls a long time ago. I got everything set up with a few redirections and changes. Dressed the girls, placed them in their spots, and Snap! Snap! We had the photoshoot wrapped up within eight frames. In fact, the photos we used are the second and sixth photos I snapped. Voilà! The Cone Artist has finally come to fruition.
