If you have been following my Instagram (if you aren't go follow now-@ theprincessfusion). you might have noticed that I have been continuing my photography here in Chicago. Many people are asking how I have been shooting so much, in such a  small span of time, and the answer is pretty simple: Meet-ups. 

The hustle and bustle of moving into a new city is slowly but surely coming to a close.

 In the past month, I have seemingly done the impossible; I started my new job, found an apartment, and even got a new car. I would like to consider myself a vet of some sorts when it comes to moving. In the past five years, this has been my third time leaving the nest (aka the Twin Cities) for the great unknown.

Maybe I was naive, but somehow moving from one state to another has been more complicated than leaving the country (which perplexes me). When you leave the country, you essentially get up and go; crossing your fingers that good fortune will come your way. Like any move-in process, there are hiccups along the way, but I just shrugged it off and blamed the French bureaucracy for any minor inconveniences and reminded myself that Monoprix had 1 euro wine.

In America, one dollar wine is unheard of and so are the hiccups along the way.  Hiccups have become hurdles and the list of things to do doesn't seem to stop.I'll admit that there are days where I get overwhelmed with everything that is going on. For the first time ever, I am living alone. I don't have a roommate to laugh with during dinner time or a host mother counseling me on what areas of town to avoid at night. It's just, me.

The great thing about time is that there is always something new and unexpected around the corner. Every day, I am meeting someone new; whether its the group of moms in my  Tuesday core-circuit class or creatives in the photographer-model meet-ups downtown. Weekends feel like vacations and sometimes, just sometimes, you might be able to catch a tiny tear falling down my eye because I am in disbelief that this is happening.

Until next time,

Sabrina Kennelly

Before the beginning of the New Year, many people (including myself) ponder on what resolutions they would like to set out for the year to come. Everyone has a different method to their madness; some create vision boards while others sit down and write out their aspirations out on a sheet of paper.

For myself, creating and writing goals is something that I do year-round.My goals are by no means special or different than the average human being. Just like others, I too write down goals about traveling to new places, working out more and meeting a cute (and hopefully well off) boy.

One of my goals last summer was to find a job in the Twin Cities that was in my field of interest. If you have been keeping up with my blog posts, you know that this has proved to be a challenge. After countless job applications, interviews and networking I found myself expanding my search outwards from the land of 10,000 lakes.

I would be lying if I didn't say that I was losing motivation when it came to my job search. There were moments where I could just feel that I was getting close to an opportunity and then BAM! fate would push me back to square one. As the end of the year approached, I decided that enough was enough and that if I didn't hear back by my 24th birthday, I would have to come up with another plan.

If I were doing a Cosmopolitan quiz and my friends had to describe me in a word they would probably say "dramatic". So it will probably come to no surprise that I am announcing a major life decision on my blog: I moved to Chicago.

A lot of people are probably right now scratching their heads wondering the following
1) What are you doing down there?
2) Why didn't you tell me you where moving?
3) Will I ever see you again?

Here's the story: It was December 18th, aka my 24th birthday and I was lounging in my sweatpants looking my messages on Facebook when I got a call. My heart stopped and I was prepared to hear the worse. I had become so conditioned to hearing no's from potential employers that when I heard that I had received a job offer I was in shock. That night, right before I blew out the candles on my birthday cake, I told my parents about the offer and that I would be moving down to Chicago. Suddenly, I found myself packing my life back again into suitcases.

And here we are to present day Sabrina learning day-by-day about life as an adult. I understand that many people will probably wonder why I didn't tell them in person and the answer is this: I'm honestly still in shock and I physically didn't have the time.


There are many things that I love about the Twin Cities and I have valued the last couple months and the connections that I have made because of it. My moving to Chicago does not mean that we cannot still implement creative projects, gossip or anything else in between. I don't' know when I will be in the Twin Cities again, but I can tell you that I won't be gone forever. My family is there (and that includes my friends) and I will do anything in the world for them if needed.

Moving, yet again, to another city isn't easy, no matter how many times you have done it before. I'm excited about the adventures to come to Chicago and cannot wait to see where my photographer, writing, and connections will take me in the year to come.

*Insert the beginning of Frank Sinatra singing 'My Kind of Town'*

Until next time,

As a freelance photographer, one of the most frequent questions I receive is how I connect with models. Until recently, I was one of those photographers that I only had a handful of models. Thanks to a little networking, some marketing techniques, and an updated website I now can say that I have an array of models to shoot. So how did I go from having a few models to people DMing me on Instagram? Here are a few tips in order to gain clientele.

1. Connect with like-minded people on Instagram; This is probably a no-brainer, but it is a necessary tip that has helped me expand my network. As great as it is to be connected with your friends and family on social media, think about following other photographers, models, and makeup artists. This is a great way for you not only to see what they are doing, but to get inspired, and hopefully extend an invitation to work with you. 
2. Meet IRL: Attend local networking events and meet the people that you follow on social media in real life. This will allow for you to gauge who you want to work with. We mesh with people in different ways. By meeting people in real life, you not only create a connection with others but also allows for the possibility of creating some spontaneous art. 
3. Join groups on social media group: Facebook has a lot of photographer/model groups that not only allow for you to connect with others but promote your artwork and receive critics of your latest shoots. 
4. Go above and beyond: There are always those people that we wish we could connect and snap pictures of. The worst thing that someone will do is say 'no'. Take the chance and contact those individuals that you think could help you move to the next limit. You never know what those valuable connections will do for you. 

We've all been there. It's time to start thinking about your next career choice. You upload your resume onto various job boards and press the 'apply here' button. You sigh in relief at how easy it is to apply for jobs nowadays and go on with your life.

It seems like every day there is a new name (or names) of people accused of sexual misconduct within the workplace. Since the Harvey Weinstein case broke out in October 2017, there have been over 50 public figures that have either been fired or called out for sexual misconduct (check source here).  It's scary to think about but the facts are a harsh reality of the world we live in today. Sexual misconduct is taking place all around the world and it is not just high profile people that are standing up. 223 women, including 60 current and former ambassadors, recently signed an open letter #metoonotsec accusing their industry of discrimination and harassment (check out article here).

The #metoo hashtag (which I talked about in a previous blog post ), has been a helpful tool to open up dialogues and create waves within the workplace in terms of what is and what is not appropriate conduct. As the unfortunate list rises of victims sharing their stories, it is important to use this time as a period of contemplation when it comes to our interactions with our co-workers, peers, and individuals.

For many of the accusers, the first statement that they have generally made was a state of shock.
"This has been a shock and it's been extremely humbling," said Minnesota State Senator to the New York Times (article here). While friends of the accusers, such as Roy Moore, typically brush away accusations because of their values and personal attributes.

The reality is this: sexual misconduct happens. No scratch that, it IS happening. Sure, you might not be grabbing at someone inappropriately at the office, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be evaluating your behavior towards others. Reflect on your behaviors towards others. Question yourself and others. If you sense something, say something. Did you just see a cute boy and want to holler across the street? Think about how you would feel if you were in their shoes and continue to evaluate your daily interactions so that you aren't that person that is sitting in HR now, or in ten years, being questioned for their behavior. Because the sad reality is that it could be your brother, sister, best friend, leader, or boss. So until this behavior stops, I will continue to write and write about why this behavior and actions need to stop.

Until next time,

Sabrina Kennelly

With the new year around the corner, my travel bug is definitely itching to go somewhere (or in my case, multiple places because why not). Here are a few locations that I am dreaming of doing that are on my 2018 bucket list. Make sure to tell me what your dream locations are in the comments below.

1.  Alaska
2. Thailand
3. Germany
4. Portugal 
5. Brazil

With the cold weather creeping its way into Minnesota, my travel-obsessed mind has one thing on my mind: going somewhere warm. While I may not be going anywhere anytime soon, it is fun to pretend and go bathing suit shopping just in case the moment arises. Below, you will be able to see four of my favorite picks (which I might have to buy for myself) from Amazon.com. All of the suits are under $20 and seem to have good reviews of the product. Let me know what you think of the suits below and have fun shopping (even if you aren't planning on sunbathing anytime soon!).

Photo by Abby Furry

For the past five years, I have been snapping pictures for fashion shows, promotional shoots, senior pictures, and a little of everything in between. Throughout the years I have learned that photography can be more than just a hobby; it has the potential to become a business.

Ever have the desire to move away and teach in a different country? Being an assistant in France was a rewarding experience to utilize my newfound skills from college in a new and challenging environment. If you want to learn more about my experiences you can click on this link. There are many post-grad teaching programs to choose from. Make sure you check out the guidelines for each program before applying. The majority of programs will require a minimum level of a college degree along with experience in a foreign language. Below, I have a couple of programs that have been recommended for traveling abroad.

• TAPIF (Teaching Assitant Program in France) -https://www.tapif.org/
• Cultural Ambassadors: North America Cultural Ambassador Spain: https://www.mecd.gob.es/eeuu/convocatorias-programas/convocatorias-eeuu/auxiliares-conversacion-eeuu.html
• Disney English (Teach in China) https://jobs.disneycareers.com/teach-english-in-china
• Teach in Thailand https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/work/teach-english-abroad/programs/teach-thailand
• Teach in South Korea https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/work/teach-english-abroad/programs/teach-south-korea
• Jet Program (Japan) https://jetprogramusa.org/

Let me know in the comments below if you have taught abroad and if you have any recommendations!

Until next time,

ThePrincessFusion