Welcome to Palet
palet (pa·luht)
There was a time when my friends and I sold jewelry, poetry, food, art, mix cds, and bespoke blankets at craft fairs. A time where my friends made music in garages and learned how to make merch. God how we loved those moments between the artists’ studio and the gallery wall, the recording session and the stage, the kitchen and the dining table: those moments were thrilling but scary. How do I convey what I do to the world? How can this ethereal moment be captured, or conveyed?
Photography and writing are creative pursuits, but when you utilize them in a way that involves business, marketing, or grant writing it takes on a different heft. I created palet as an extension of what I already love to do: capture artists, people, and changemakers. Report their events, products, and services. Give these materials back to them in order for them to flourish, to get more money, to tell their story to their audiences.
But, this business isn’t cheap. Camera gear is expensive, and marketing can feel overwhelming right now. I wanted to find a way to both earn a living as an artist myself, but also find ways to support other creators by offering discounted rates. In this first year of palet, I hope to allocate extra earnings from commercial work to pay for things like: pay-what-you-can headshot sessions, sliding scale day-rates, and barter opportunities. If you are an organization that might be able to support this kind of mission, please get in touch!
There might be a world where one day palet is a non-profit herself; able to connect as many artists and entrepreneurs with affordable marketing mavens and photographers across New England. But for now let’s get to work: I want to tell your story. I want to share your jewelry, mix tapes, performance art, painting, yoga moves, flute solos, or jalepeño key lime pie, at the world’s proverbial craft fair.
In the 2010’s I worked for either free concert tickets, beer, or subway fare. I photographed other musicians who were paid about the same for their shows. It was one of the happiest times of my life.