April 2022
I was paired with Rianna Alvarado for the 2021 Waco Chalk+Walk and she won my heart before she won 3rd place for the vintage camera and panda art that perfectly represented my brand. (It’s worth a peek at my highlight reel on Instagram if you haven’t seen it.)
Her Instagram feed @warmhoneytoast introduced me to Waco’s very own Secret Garden, where I wouldn’t be surprised to spy a Beatrix Potter character mischievously exploring, or a fairy or two flitting about dew drenched flowers. Images of preschoolers painting in the garden, actual bunnies, lush greenery and bright flowers, evoke a scene that is much different from most mainstream classrooms.
If I could turn back the clock, I would love for my children to have experienced this kind of learning opportunity, so I knew it was perfect Monday Mom Minute material.
In our conversation, with gentle and wholesome sincerity, Rianna shares the real magic she is creating through Artphoria Studio and Garden. She focuses on creativity (just in case “art” gives us too much of a preconceived notion about expectation). She offers classes, workshops and camps that combine art and gardening in a experiential curriculum that focus on the whole child. As she describes a day of exploration, tactile learning, poetry and creativity, it’s hard to imagine any child not loving the experience.
The Monday Mom Minute is an interview series by Heather Sullivan of Leila Photography, to serve parents in the Waco, Texas area with local resources surrounding pregnancy, postpartum care, birth, newborns, babies, toddlers, preschool, and childhood.
To make the Monday Mom Minute more accessible, Instagram will show a month of mini-clips from our chat each Monday. You can watch the full interview here via the YouTube link.
I’d love for you to find me on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/waconewbornphotographer and subscribe on YouTube. Enjoy each episode of the Monday Mom Minute series headed your way!
Heather Sullivan, Leila Photography
Leila Photography by Heather Sullivan 