From Snap to Heart: The Journey of a Picture!

 In this deeply personal and emotional Shower Sprinkle, I reflect on my recent conversation with photographer Jama Pantel and the profound impact of pictures on our lives. I share stories about about my grandmother, highlighting the importance of capturing memories, preserving legacies, and cherishing the moments we often take for granted. I emphasize the power of pictures to transport us back in time, evoking emotions, smells, and the very essence of cherished experiences. In this episode I ask you all to take more pictures, print them, and appreciate the lasting impact they have on ourselves and our loved ones. 

I highly encourage you to go listent to the last epidsode with Jama! 

You can sign up for her workshop and connect with Jama at:https://www.jamapantel.com/

You can find me at:
https://www.instagram.com/cataton/
https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/

You can find what sparks me at:
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/
https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/

Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler
Artwork by: https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

Transcript

0:04

Hey friends, welcome to the inner spark podcast. I'm your host, Casey Tatum. If you're looking to hear stories of transformation and personal growth, this podcast is for you. My guest and I will be sharing those sparking moments that has changed them into living a more fulfilling, authentic life. I'm so excited for you to hear each unique story. So sit back, relax, and let's get started.

Yeti Nano (2- Yeti Nano): 0:32

Hey friend, welcome back to the EnerSpark podcast. I'm your host, Kasey Tayton. Welcome to another Shower Sprinkle. Today, my Shower Sprinkle is about reflecting on my episode from February 1st. It was with an amazing, powerful friend, Jayma Pintel. It was how photography and family fueled Jayma Pintel's success. If you haven't listened to this episode, I highly encourage you to go listen to it. Jayma is a person that truly fuels me in so many ways, and there were so many good takeaways from that, I tried to make a recap. I'm gonna be honest, this is just me. I tried to make a recap of all the good takeaways, but just a fast story of some of the things she's been through. I think you should go listen because in some way, I believe that every person listening will relate to a part of her life, From being compassionate, to being judged, to living in a place where she literally grew up with nothing. I mean, I'm talking the basics of like, no heat, no air conditioning, things we often take for granted. How the importance of a picture, which is truly what sparked J Ma, And her business and photography, there's other amazing things she does. she is, if you're in the politic world, she is that. She went through college, paid her way through college, worked multiple jobs. She has lost loved ones. Sorry, this hits everybody. If it doesn't hit you. I don't even know what to say. Jamea's parents both battled cancer at different times in her life. And if you know anything about battling cancer, watching a family member battle cancer. Um, you know, I do parties for kids in the hospital that have battled cancer. And my own grandmother. And Jamma talks about that, how she supported them, loved them, and just her whole entire story about who she is as a person, how she overcame everything, how she just dreamed and didn't let the world stop her. Didn't let the judgment stop her, didn't let, oh, you don't have this, you didn't grow up in a house like this. You don't get to go to a big college. Um, you guys she's just such a powerful badass friend I highly encourage you to go listen to that truly believe Everybody has something to take away from that. She is a small business owner as well. She's a former influencer Her story just goes on. It's incredible. And excuse me, I'm sorry. I want to tell you what I really learned from this. Jayma's a photographer. If you go back and look at my pictures, you'll see that, the picture of me in the snow, I reached out to her in a panic and was like, Hey friend, I need your help. I'm launching a podcast and I don't even have a picture. Like, how do I do that? she talks about the connection she makes and I'm going to tell you what, if I could really fly her here, I talked about that in that podcast. I would, she values connection and her pictures so much and every picture she takes with each person and how, when she gets to see them, it's almost like meeting a friend because she connects with them deeply. She looks through their closets. She gets to know them. She wants to know what lights them up. We all go through different phases and at that phase of their life, what lights them up, what lights you up right now, isn't going to light you up in 10 years. We also talked about how selfish it is to not get behind a camera. And to say that, oh, I don't want my picture taken. I don't need my picture taken. But honestly, you guys, a picture leaves a legacy. A picture that she had when she lost her grandma suddenly and laid her grandma to rest. That picture meant the world to her and also sparked her to do what she does now and be the badass, caring, compassionate photographer she is. This hits home to me because I also lost my grandma from cancer right as my trailer was launching. I was so excited to launch my podcast and 30 minutes before my 41st birthday that my podcast was going to go out. I lost my grandma. And it was unexpected. She had been battling cancer. We thought she was on the other side of it. And she was my world, just like Jima lost her grandma so unexpectedly. And so what sparked her to keep taking those pictures? And these connections is one of the most powerful things I want to talk about. I also have a picture of my grandma sitting in my living room because my family is my world and my grandma was my world. She was one of the biggest support people I have in my life. I recently, sorry, I recently went on a ski trip with my boyfriend and I didn't release a podcast last week and I was really hard on myself about it. the reason why is I wanted to recap all the big things that Jayma talked about, but what I realized is one of the biggest takeaways I had from that is truly the power of a picture. I took pictures on our trip and I was like, Oh, I'll just do a podcast when I'm there. And I didn't, I lived in the moment. I got to slow down for the weekend. I got to draw in the piece and just all the feelings. But the cool thing is my friend Jayma just reminded me is. You have those pictures. And every time we look at a picture, go grab a picture of your friend or someone you love, and it takes you back to that moment. I currently just looked at a picture of my trip. And I was talking about just standing outside in the trees and how I could truly feel that moment going hiking, just being out in nature, just what it does for me and how important it is to really reconnect with yourself. When I look at that picture, I can almost feel, sorry, wow, talking about my family and my grandma, it gets me. But this is why pictures are so important because I can take myself back to that moment in Colorado Where I was just having such a fun time standing on a tree stump Hiking in the mud and just connecting I can smell it you guys. I remember the smell I remember the feelings. I remember the laughter of hiking through the mud and being covered in it and It just is truly important. So when we say we don't want to be behind a camera Really, we're hurting our loved ones and our friends and ourselves because you want to remember the good times. Also, it shows growth. These pictures aren't only for ourselves, but they're also for somebody else. Just like her and I both lost someone unexpectedly. We have these pictures. Every time we look at them, it takes us back to where we were in all of the feelings. Every time I look at my grandma's, I could hear all the words come through. I often laugh. My grandma was always very well put together. Even when she had surgery, I laughed. She was having an emergency. I think it was her appendix. And she was like, I need to do my hair and I need to put on lipstick. And I'm like, I worked in the O. R. I'm like, Grandma, no one cares. No one cares what you look like in the O. R. We just need to get you there and have this surgery. Like, what, what is wrong? And she was just that person. And I am so grateful that I am the person that carries my phone around and takes these pictures. And it's taken so many family pictures because When I hold that picture, I can hear her voice, and I know that she is always with me. I laugh, when I look at it, I think of the things she said, I think of the the times I irritated her, or said something inappropriate, and I can hear her. She actually would, when she would get frustrated with me, she would say, Casey Ann! Not very many people use my middle name, but my grandma did. Casey Ann. Take a breath. I can just hear her saying that. I can see the look on her face when she would say that. The power of a picture is so important, you guys. I can often smell her. She always wears perfume and it was, she's just a beautiful woman. If I didn't have these pictures to remember her, yes, the memory is always in our head, but each picture I have of her doing all these beautiful things, seeing how well put together she was, how she always cared about her appearance, how she'd always put on that lipstick and give us a kiss. And I'd be like, Oh, grandma just left lipstick on my face. on my cheek. Always. She always did that. And I was like, Oh, and now I'm thinking, God, what would I do to have a lipstick imprint on my cheek? She always got her hair done, had her nails done, and she was a lady of pride. She was a lady of just strength and confidence, and she held our family together. She valued our family. So much. She valued our trips to the lake, we take a trip every year to Table Rock Lake, and it's truly my happy place. She water skied on her 80th birthday. We celebrated her birthday. It always usually fell when we were at Table Rock Lake on the family trip. And there's usually like 30, 30 some of us, our families grown. And that was a trip I looked forward to every year. By looking at her picture, I get to remember all of these powerful things. She was also someone who took me to a lot of my appointments as I was sick. She, sorry, when someone means so much to you, I don't know that I talk about her, but anybody that met her knows what a truly powerful, Woman, she was, she always told me it was going to be okay. She always told me I was going to be okay. I was going to beat my battle. Just like she beat her battle of cancer. She got cancer in her eighties and she was by my side through so much of my journey, she was by my side when I was young, she, you know, they were the grandparents that showed up to my events. Her and my grandpa took me. So many, so many of my appointments because my parents were working and, you know, my mom wanted to be there, but she also had a job that she needed to be at. My grandma could tell my mom that it's okay. We'll be by her side. You go to work and we'll be by her side. I also had a crock that was stolen off my porch that my grandmother had given me. And I was heartbroken by that. Someone stole it. And the reason it was so important is because my grandparents. Collect antique glass or depression glass I got to learn about glass something I at one time took for granted like Okay, this is cool glass now things I treasure She collected crocs. One day she surprised me in putting a croc on my porch and her and my grandfather filled it full of flowers because I had joked about how she always had her house so perfect and You Just always wanted us to live she lived when we would do holidays she Would want us to eat off her glass and I was like, oh my goodness can we eat off paper plates, please and it was kind of a joke in our family with me and my cousins like We don't want to if we scratch this don't scratch the glass. Don't break anything. But she didn't care She lived she wanted to use that glass because it was important to her and when I interviewed jayma I realized how important it is to take pictures and actually print them off. We take hundreds of pictures a day and how many do we print? When was the last time you printed pictures? I actually printed pictures this year and I give them to my great aunt, great uncle, some of my family, and I hang them around my house because when you see these pictures, they take you back to the moments. They take you back to the memories, the stories, the legacy she left behind. She impacted so many people, not even just me. She welcomed everybody into our house. We would take friends on vacation and we would play dominoes and I'm gonna tell you what you guys We have I had friends that still joke about like my grandma did not show any mercy to any of us She didn't let you win just because you wanted to win. She was gonna win I joke about she also said shit and I remember the first time I heard her say it She didn't say it very often when she did You you stopped like, Oh, grandma just said shit. I remember the first time one of the great grandkids said shit and we laughed and we all looked at my grandma, like wonder where they learned that word from. It's just the little things that you remember in a picture and the value of a picture and the legacy and the feelings that it brings back when I get to hold these pictures and see them and. Actually feel and it's almost you can smell and remember some of the things they said I remember the things we did in these pictures And I think we take pictures for granted so much or we want them to be perfect Right. Everybody wants the perfect picture, but the truth is life isn't perfect Things happen. We don't always look the best when people are trying to take pictures of us But I am so grateful that I take so many pictures that remind me of everything I've been through. Remind me of my grandparents. Remind me of my loved ones. And I get to hold that legacy still. I get to look at them and see how powerful these people and the impact they left on me. I never truly realized How much it would touch my heart to see pictures and hold pictures of different things I've done in my life, different events I've been to. As I flipped through the pictures of my trip last weekend, I didn't post the podcast last week, but I remembered one thing. When we slow down, when we're at peace with ourselves, And we just snap a few pictures, we can go right back to that moment. We can feel all the feelings. We can see the love, the happiness in that moment. I want to thank my friend Jayma for really just doing what she does, being a badass photographer, and encouraging us to keep taking pictures. Even when you don't feel like taking a picture, take the picture. Because the pictures will mean something later, the pictures will bring you so much joy. And they may bring you tears, like this episode is bringing me tears because it's real life. I am forever grateful, the family pictures that we took, where we were all together and we're like, Oh my goodness, such a hassle to get everybody in a picture, to move these things around. But I remember the joy in those pictures. And I remember, and I still know, how family meant so much to my grandmother. I just want to encourage you all to start taking those pictures. And go develop those pictures. Because, hard drives crash, your phone crashes, things won't always be there. Go develop the picture. Put things in your life that you love. Pictures are so powerful to bring us back to places and memories that made us happy and bring us joy. Sorry, wow, this is emotional because I do talk about my grandmother, and I talk about trips and I talk about things we do, but what really brings us back is sometimes the memories fade, but a picture when you're holding it in your hand, those memories, they just come back to you. And they will come back to your loved ones. I want to leave you with something today is start taking those pictures, but not only take the pictures, develop them so you can see them and remember and feel. So you have them forever. We never know what's going to happen in a blink of an eye. I never thought I would lose my grandmother right then. We had plans of going on vacation the next month. She actually had her toenails done, or her nails done, the day before. Without buying us birthday cards because we were going to celebrate our birthdays together. That's just what our family does. And I am forever grateful that we took pictures. And I can hold my grandmother, even though I know she's with me, I get to see, live, and feel, and smell, and wish that I had those lipstick and prints on my face that I once was like, Oh, Grandma, she just put on lipstick, she's gonna kiss me again. I'm so grateful for those days. So please, go take a picture, develop it, and hang it somewhere, so you can remember these things, and these joyful moments, And you don't have to take tons of pictures, guys. Just take a couple pictures to remember. I took a couple pictures on the trip that I was at, and as I scrolled through, I was like, Oh, this was so fun. I faced my fears. I was on top of a mountain, skiing. And I'll tell you about that journey, because it was truly an experience. It changed my view on skiing. I'm a water girl. I didn't think I liked the mountains. And I will make a whole episode on this. I want to remind you that taking a few pictures wherever you go and with your loved ones Truly leave the biggest imprints and allow you to feel the feelings When you do them, when you take them, when you see them, when you get to hold the pictures And then when you get to talk about the legacy someone left in your life and the imprint that people leave in your life if you haven't listened to that episode, I highly encourage you to go listen to my amazing friend, Jayma, who is a photographer and reminded me the value of a picture. That's what sparked her to do what she's doing now. I want to thank you all for just letting me spread the joy of what my grandmother brought to my life, how impactful she is, what family meant to her. And how I get to hold on to her legacy forever how I get to remember the little things she did and when she said KCN I knew that I was doing something wrong and I knew that I needed to refocus and calm down because Those words didn't come out of her mouth unless I was doing something that she was like KCN And I did stop when she said that my good friend Jayma is offering an event on Saturday, February 15th. I encourage you all to go sign up for it and go follow her page. Go listen to her last episode. It's all about taking pictures, finding the confidence. Being able to take good pictures, the importance of being behind a camera and that the pictures don't always have to be perfect and it's really about confidence. We often just get caught up and the picture has to be perfect and my friend is going to walk us through that. But more importantly, the value, the importance of a picture. I will drop the episode again. Please go listen. I ask whatever you do today, please go take a picture, get it developed, and remember the picture isn't just for you. It truly leaves your family, your friends, and everyone else with a great memory. I hope you all enjoyed this episode of Shower Sprinkles. I thank you for letting me be vulnerable. I hope that you go pick up a picture and go take a picture today. If you have a picture that reminds you of something special, reach out to me. I would love to hear that story. I would love to know why that picture is important to you. Thank you for listening to this episode. I will leave Jayma's event in the show notes, and I encourage you to go listen to her last episode that her and I did together. Why the picture she took and had sparked her, and why it sparks what she does now as a photographer. As always, thank you for listening to another episode, and let those sparks fly.

23:31

Thank you for tuning in to another episode. I hope today's story inspired you to embrace your own journey of growth and change. Remember, transformation isn't always easy, but it's always worth it. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. If you found something that sparked you in this episode and may spark a friend, I encourage you to go share it with them. If you have your own story you would like to share, I would love to hear it, so please reach out to me. Until next time, friends. Go have some fun, and let those sparks fly.