Nashville

         When you hear "Nashville, Tennessee" two words, country music, come to mind.  Yes in the last year the television show Nashville has taken off as well, so maybe that was your first thought?  Growing up outside of Cleveland, Ohio and spending my entire life in North East Ohio, Nashville is the city I dream of living in someday.  My Mom was born in Elizabethton, Tennessee and some of her family still live there.  As kids, we traveled extensively to the South.  I was country before it was cool.  My Uncle Wayne had a small ranch home which sat in front of his barn.  He owned a horse and many other farm animals.  We really got to see the countryside.  My Grandparents moved the family to Ohio in 1957 as it was a state with huge job growth.

                 I now live in the suburbs of Cleveland in the snow belt of Ohio.  The city sits near the lake and we can get clobbered with bad weather.  As an adult, I don’t partake in winter activities and HATE winters since we get five months of it here.  In the last few years, Cleveland is on the comeback but the economy has taken a HUGE hit.  As a makeup artist I could make three times more what I do now in Chicago or NYC, but I don’t want to live there.  WHY?  I want to live in Nashville.  There is more work for me there, it is the hub of country music, and has an energy that can’t be described.  An added bonus is the kind people of Tennessee; it has a family friendly atmosphere, and NO snow!  In the last few years, I have been networking in Nashville to set the stage for my future move.

                

I am a firm believer in sending  positive thoughts out into the universe with the hope they will come true.  My family knows I want to move and my friends keep asking when I am moving.  So why haven’t I?  Timing!  I am not twenty anymore and my life isn’t just about me.  Last year, my partner and I did travel there so I could sell him on the city.  A few years back, I took my kids and they loved it.  This year I will visit again with leisure in mind, but I might schedule a small photo shoot while in town.

                I think the television show Nashville has pushed me to have a greater desire to be part of the country industry. Would I miss Cleveland? Maybe, but I would be following my dream. This dream has been there for many years. In addition, our friends could always come and escape the gloom of Cleveland  winters and visit us.  One thing I have learned in my past is we can set goals and make all the plans we want, but then God laughs and we realize he is still in charge.  For now I will continue to work in the Buckeye state taking my coat and boots along to all of my shoots waiting for the right time to move on.

So cold in March, with singer Erica Lane

Summertime! I am  in a hoodie at the beach...No lie!
Eric Mull photo