A Designed Photo Series: Parts 1-6

If you follow me closely on Instagram, you may have noticed I recently posted a 6-part photo series with a few stories in the caption. I decided to do this because Mad, the photographer I worked with, created such beautifully designed images from our photoshoot, and I wanted to do something special with them.

Alas, this photo series idea was born.

I am blown. away by the comments, messages, and verbal remarks about this work. They mean the world to me! Here, you’ll find each part of the photo series so you can read them cohesively and have a link to refer back to for them.

To check out more of Mad’s work, be sure to follow her on Instagram.

PART ONE: The Brand of Jess

As I started to share and talk about the work I did with @madsierraphotography in more detail, I’m sure there were some thoughts about what I was referring to beyond the headshots.

A lot of the photography work I share on here is pretty straight forward. However, in working with Mad, I’m really truly excited about taking my content to the next level.

As seen here with this first image, Mad took the elements that make up my brand and really brought them to life: my tattoos, my love for fashion, my personality and even my curves. It’s all of the things that make up Jess, which also makes up Hungry Jess Big City™️

My brand has come a long way since it started seven years ago. A lot of good, a lot of not so good, and everything in between. One thing I’m thankful for is how much of my true self is evident in my photos and all of my work. Whether it’s a caption, email, or seeing me in a coffee shop or meeting, it’s all the real me.

I’ll be elaborating on specific stories and moments that have helped build or shape my career, and I hope you enjoy the unfolding of this series.

A special thank you to @madsierraphotography for being an amazing photographer and graphic designer and helping me bring my brand to a new level 💚

PART TWO: The Travels of Jess

When I graduated from Pitt in 2017, I truly never thought I would live here again.

I started interning in Manhattan at age 16, which was an opportunity that changed my life. With that came learning street smarts, the subway, how to commute “like a pro” which included wearing commuting shoes so my feet didn’t bleed from blisters (which I learned the hard way).

Fast forward to 2017 and I was beyond excited to have gotten an internship after graduation with a company doing a lot of innovative things with video and social media. This Instagram played a really large role in me landing that, and I couldn’t have been more exited.

I got my first taste of disappointment when that company didn’t hire me full time after the internship ended. I felt like a failure. I loved that job so much and I wanted nothing more than to stay. But in a series of events, I went to freelance as a social media editor at an even bigger and more well-known company, and I was excited for what that had in store for me.

Unfortunately, it was mostly miserable due to an awful immediate boss (but the best co-workers ever that I still am in touch with). I learned there how to advocate for myself in the work place and left with my head held high.

This was the summer of 2018. After a two-week spontaneous trip to Europe, I was going to get back into the job game and look for something new in the city.

But then, I took a trip to Pittsburgh for a weekend, and something had shifted. I found myself wanting to move back, and within a month span, that was a reality. Almost four years later, and I’m still here.

In a way, I think if I had stayed working in New York, some things would have been easier. It would have been more corporate, more routine, more predictable. I crave that sometimes, especially when it’s time to pay my taxes.

But, I really wouldn’t trade running my business and living in this city for anything. Truly. Taking this leap has also changed my life and solidified what’s coming is better than what’s gone.

PART THREE: The Tattoos of Jess

I got my fork and pen tattoo in February of 2018. I had just gotten to my job at Forbes and needed a reminder why I started doing what I do.

When I say I needed it, I truly mean that. The day I had my tattoo appointment in Brooklyn was a freezing, snowy day. They called and asked if I wanted to cancel, but nothing was stopping me. I’m almost stubborn in that way.

I trekked from New Jersey to Brooklyn to get it. First a bus to cross the state lines, then a subway or two. If I’m being honest, that tattoo definitely hurt the most. It was a bit bigger than I wanted it to be, but I still loved it. It was so simple yet so perfect for me.

When I got my knife tattooed in the South Side in 2019, it was my 6th tattoo. And that hurt pretty badly… both when I first got it, and then when I got it touched up 3 months later.

I got the knife tattoo more on a whim than the other one, but it held as much importance to me at the time. I was going through some life changes: career burns, a heartbreak, and it was a lot. The knife was to remind me that I’m bold and sharp and intimidating at all times, even if I didn’t feel like it.

It’s about three years later, and these tattoos still mean so much to me. The fork and pen is even my logo today, which you may have seen in my re-brand or on my billboards.

PART FOUR: The Body of Jess

This is one of my favorite photos from the photoshoot 💚

I remember from an early age spending a lot of time being insecure about my nose. I thought it was too big, curved, and hideous. I used to think maybe getting a nose job one day would solve my problems.

But then, I was 12 and started to grow curves and had bigger problems. Before I knew it, I was 13 and shopping for a semi formal dress and nothing fit me. I distinctly remember going to every store in the mall and nothing would zip, and the dress I finally decided on was so plain and not representative of my personality. All I wanted was to wear what everyone else was wearing.

I remember being 17 and having to wear a “grandma bathing suit” because the cute ones my friends would wear didn’t stand a chance of fitting. I remember being 18 and interning in New York and being cat called for the first time. I literally changed my outfit on the way to work because I felt that out of my skin and uncomfortable. I tried my hardest not to cry in the dressing room.

When I got to college, that’s when a lot of things changed for me. I went to the gym daily, drank more water, and felt my self-confidence grow more than it had before. I started feeling more comfortable in my skin and it definitely showed. I experimented in what I wore and tried new things, and my love for fashion came slowly back.

When I got my first job post-grad, I was in the public eye a lot. I was making food videos online that I would sometimes be in, and I’ll never forget what each of those hate comments felt like during my time there. From comments about my nose to my glasses to my chest and even my nails, it was hard to not let it get to me.

As I approach turning 27, this is the happiest I’ve been in my life with myself, both my mind and my body. I am definitely still hard on myself about a lot of things, but I truly believe that I’m beautiful, worthy, and proud of where I’ve been and where I’m going in life.

That’s a big reason why I share so much of myself on here: because I remember spending so many years hiding myself. And maybe it will inspire someone that feels the same way to break free from that.

PART FIVE: The Re-Brand of Jess

We’re almost to the end of the photo series! I promise regularly scheduled programming will resume next week… but I feel like this is a good way to get to know the business foundations and a little bit of my backstory throughout the last seven years of operating.

Speaking of seven years ago, if you’ve followed me for some time, you know that I started as ‘Hungry Grl’ and not ‘Hungry Jess.’ This time last year, I rebranded and changed up my branding slightly, which was really well received! I have gotten some great feedback since then.

In June of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, I was served with a cease and desist from a woman with a similar brand name. In my mind, I had an LLC and was operating completely as my own person, so I thought all of my t’s were crossed and i’s were dotted. But, that wasn’t the case!

Business aside, it was crushing to get something like that, especially right at the start of the pandemic. I was in a space of even wondering if it would be worth continuing what I was doing with HGBC. How would I afford new branding AND a trademark attorney? Especially when the world was so uncertain.

However, I had this epiphany that this wasn’t my time to give up. And as my mom would say, to try my hardest to turn lemons into lemonade. I was connected to an incredible lawyer who has been the best throughout this process (if you need one please lmk because he’s truly great). I have a new (and more fitting) business name that I now own and have had two billboards since the re-brand. I also vowed to always handle my future business with grace, especially after first-handedly seeing the other party not do that 🐸☕️

I thought losing my prior identity would be the most soul-crushing thing, and no one would like the new name or branding, and that it wouldn’t stick. However, it was almost as if this all happened for a reason, because my brand and business has never been more well-received and supported. And I am so so thankful for that! 💓

I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for Hungry Jess this year and for many to come, because I’m definitely not going anywhere.

PART SIX: The End of the Beginning of Jess

Congratulations on making it to the end! For those that engaged and read my essays of captions, thank you. I hope you learned a little more about my why and how I got here, very candidly. I loved sharing some rawness with a side of creativity because it’s usually 100% business at all times.