Grants, Music, and a Fine Draft

Yowza!  Onward, my friends, into the great unknown. We have reached a handful of milestones over the past couple of months, and I am delighted to finally share some of this exciting news with you! It is summer, life is full, days are long, and this remains a wild & wonderful time to be alive. I am grateful to share it with you.


Somehow, with editing superhero powers yet unknown to the universe, our magical and beloved Garrrrr (aka Garrett Russell) has turned a 500 hour Film Blob into a 100 minute Rough Draft of Ultimate Majesty. What a freaking honor to have this man onboard. Seriously, I am forever grateful. Gar - It has been a joy to work so closely on this project with you, friend. Thank you.

We just submitted a rough draft of the film to the Women In Film Finished Fund Grant, and will hear back about funding in November. In the meantime our rough draft is quickly becoming a fine draft. Our music library is growing every day and is full to the brim with super talented local musicians (I cannot wait to share our developing soundtrack with you, ohmyGawd).


Pepper Daniels interviewed me on KVEC about my journey and process making this film, and our conversation will weave throughout the final narrative of the documentary. It's a bit of time-traveling goodness. Check out that friggin' amazing film crew behind-the-scenes at our final big shoot for "Where There Once Was Water".

A big thank you to Pepper Daniels, my brother from another mother, and to KVEC and all my awesome radio family - so much love & gratitude for you all. And to my epic crew - Garrett Russell, Gabby Pajo, and Kaori Funahashi.... I love you so much. 


There is much afoot. Much on the way. Much to be excited about.

A "Where There Once Was Water" fundraiser party is in the works for August in SLO. There will be Live Music, Zoo to You animals, an Art Show, Silent Auction, and perhaps even an opportunity for you to give feedback on a rough-edit of the film. Details to come...

Some Kickstarter Rewards are starting to go out to my Kickstarter backers, so be sure to add my email addy to your address book so that you don't miss any updates.

And last but not least.... A "Where There Once Was Water" sister project is brewing. And I think it's going to be huge. (But that's all I'll say for now.) *wink

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. 

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”  

― Bruce Lee


Mini-Sessions : ROUND 2!

Due to popular demand, one more round of Mini-Portrait-Sessions is now available!  Book yours while they last...

These sessions are great for families, couples, doggies, head-shots, kiddos, modeling, maternity, you name it.  It's a bit of double-whammy goodness : You get 40% off normal portrait session prices, AND 100% of the proceeds will go directly towards post-production of "Where There Once Was Water", Brittany's first feature-length documentary film.


Here's how it works:

1) You donate $200 to "Where There Once Was Water" (from the dropdown menu) on the Ecologistics Donation page….. HERE

2) You pick a desired date/time/location slot from the following list:

Sunday June 3rd : Morning
Cuesta Park : San Luis Obispo, CA


8:45 am -
9:30 am - 
10:15 am - BOOKED : Brandie A.
11:00 am - BOOKED : Quinn B.
11:45 am - BOOKED : Melanie A.

Sunday June 3rd : Afternoon
Spooners Cove : Montana de Oro : Los Osos, CA


3:15 pm - BOOKED : Wendy L.
4:00 pm - BOOKED : Lauren P.
4:45 pm - BOOKED : Regina M.
5:30 pm - BOOKED : Megan R.
6:15 pm - BOOKED : Savannah R.
7:00 pm - BOOKED : Newton H.
7:45 pm - BOOKED : Sonja W.


3) You email/forward me a copy of your donation receipt & your preferred time slot to brittany@appsphotography.com

4) I give you a Mini Portrait Session (approx 30 minutes) on the date/time/location you select.  Approximately 2 weeks after our shoot, I deliver to you an online gallery of high-res image files, complete with 16+ final images, BW & color, ready for print & web….

5) Taa Daa!  Everybody is stoked!  You get a portrait session at approx 40% OFF the regular price (16-proof sessions are normally priced at $350 plus tax).  And you help bring "Where There Once Was Water" to life!


Easy cheesy, lemon squeezy.  Let's do this!  Please feel free to spread the word!

Only the 12 spots listed above will be available.  First come, first served.  Please be sure to indicate your desired time slot/s when forwarding me your donation receipt.  Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for your un-ending love and support on this project.  Cheers!

 

See more of my photography at www.AppsPhotography.com

Mini-Portrait-Sessions!

Mini-Portrait-Sessions are BACK!  Book yours while they last...

These sessions are great for families, couples, doggies, head-shots, kiddos, modeling, maternity, you name it.  It's a bit of double-whammy goodness : You get 40% off normal portrait session prices, AND 100% of the proceeds will go directly towards post-production of "Where There Once Was Water", Brittany's first feature-length documentary film.


Here's how it works:

1) You donate $200 to "Where There Once Was Water" (from the dropdown menu) on the Ecologistics Donation page….. HERE

2) You pick a desired date/time/location slot from the following list:

Sunday April 15th : Morning
Cuesta Park : San Luis Obispo, CA


9:30 am - BOOKED : Cathy D.
10:15 am - BOOKED : Jennifer S.
11:00 am - 
11:45 am - BOOKED : Sarah L.
12:30 pm - BOOKED : Natalie B.

Sunday April 15th : Afternoon
Morro Strand Beach : Morro Bay, CA


3:15 pm - BOOKED : Jewels C.
4:00 pm -
4:45 pm -
5:30 pm - BOOKED : Kristen B.
6:15 pm - BOOKED : Michael M.
7:00 pm - BOOKED : Mariah B.

Sunday April 29th : Morning
Los Osos Oaks Reserve : Los Osos, CA


9:30 am -  BOOKED : Josh M.
10:15 am - BOOKED : Andrew C.
11:00 am - BOOKED : Terra P.
11:45 am - BOOKED : Danielle M.
12:30 pm - BOOKED : Aja M.

Sunday April 29th : Afternoon
Sweet Springs Nature Preserve : Los Osos, CA


3:30 pm - BOOKED : Adrienne H.
4:15 pm - BOOKED : Shannon E.
5:00 pm - BOOKED : Jeremy B.
5:45 pm - BOOKED : Natalie R.
6:30 pm - BOOKED : Alice M.
7:15 pm - BOOKED : Ashley O.


3) You email/forward me a copy of your donation receipt & your preferred time slot to brittany@appsphotography.com

4) I give you a Mini Portrait Session (approx 30 minutes) on the date/time/location you select.  Approximately 2 weeks after our shoot, I deliver to you an online gallery of high-res image files, complete with 16 final images, BW & color, ready for print & web….

5) Taa Daa!  Everybody is stoked!  You get a portrait session at approx 40% OFF the regular price (16-proof sessions are normally priced at $350 plus tax).  And you help bring "Where There Once Was Water" to life!


Easy cheesy, lemon squeezy.  Let's do this!  Please feel free to spread the word!

Only the 22 spots listed above will be available.  First come, first served.  Please be sure to indicate your desired time slot/s when forwarding me your donation receipt.  Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for your un-ending love and support on this project.  Cheers!

 

See more of my photography at www.AppsPhotography.com

Art Opening & Fundraiser Party

 

This Friday : Come out to play!

Gallery 2G is excited to present Brittany Anzel App's newest collection of haunting and hopeful images from her current documentary film project
“Where There Once Was Water”.

Mark your calendars for Friday, March 2nd from 6-9pm for Brittany's Art Opening & Fundraiser Party at Studio2G in SLO.  Light refreshments will be served. Come on by (and bring your friends!) to this free, kid-friendly event.

All proceeds from print sales will go towards post-production of "Where There Once Was Water", and to our water-warrior colleagues at DigDeep.

Brittany's work will be on display for two months at Studio2G. 
Studio2G Architects : 1540 Marsh St, Ste 230, SLO
RSVP for the event HERE


www.WhereThereOnceWasWater.com
www.AppsPhotography.com
www.studio-2g.com
www.DigDeep.org

 

Drumroll please

 

Welcome 2018

I've been mindful thus far, and it feels right & good to be living life by design. I start each week by scheduling my priorities. They come in the form of mountaintops, conversations, and time spent with my feet in the sand. The film is growing, maturing, and inspiring me, every day. I remain immensely grateful for your support, your friendship, and your company on this wild ride. Onward!


And now for the Drumroll... the news I've been busting at the seams to share... the best upgrade this film could possibly receive... Ladies & Gentlemen... we have an EDITOR!!!

In 2010 I pedaled a bicycle across the United States of America to raise money for WaterAid International. (which was beyond awesome, by the way - best bike ride EVER). My companion on that epic journey was none other than Garrett Russell, a good friend from Semester at Sea days, a badass filmmaker & editor, and a fully radical human. Today I am beyond stoked to announce that the one-and-only Garrrrrrrrrr, as we affectionately refer to him, is back in town, and he's going to edit this film like nobody's business. His expertise & story-telling skills are treasured & much needed, and the magic & excitement around here is growing every day. We are excited to continue sharing this story with you as it unfolds.... Yeeee!


In other exciting news... Please Save the Date!
for a fun "Where There Once Was Water"

Art Show & Fundraiser Party


Friday March 2, 2018 : 6 - 9pm, as part of Art After Dark
at studio2G Architects, SLO


It was my honor to document the local Women's March Event on January 20th in San Luis Obispo.  To see the full collection of images, and to download any that you'd like to keep (my gift to you), please visit the online gallery.


In January I also had the great honor of participating in a community dinner hosted by Edible SLO Magazine, featuring Florencia Ramirez, the author of "Eat Less Water". Florencia read passages from her book, alongside local dry-farmer John DeRosier, and spoke to us about the importance of food quality, dry farming, biodynamics, soil health, buying local, and knowing your farmer. 70% of the world's fresh water goes towards agriculture, so we really do have immense potential in this area to reduce our water footprint, both locally and globally.


You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.
— Mahatma Gandhi

Winter Wishes & Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!

I hope you are enjoying the magic of Winter as much as I am.

Each year, in honor of our beloved friends, family & colleagues, and in lieu of physical presents, my husband and I donate money to some of our favorite non-profits. Sooo, Merry Christmas!  As our gift to You & to the Collective this year, our sharing went towards the following three groups....

(and there's still time to join us!)


DigDeep
DigDeep.org

A small group based in LA, working to elevate the lives of people in Navajo Nation, through the installation of basic running water systems in their homes. Roughly 1.3 million Americans still don’t have hot and cold running water, a bathtub or shower or a working flush toilet. DigDeep is on a mission to change that, and is working to give running water to the whole town of Baca, New Mexico, for Christmas this year.


TreeSisters
TreeSisters.org

A global, grassroots network of women who are reforesting the planet through monthly giving, and encouraging us all to make “giving back to the planet” a normal everyday part of our lives. This reforestation of our tropical forests is a collective expression of planetary care, and in November we joined them in what will now be an ongoing monthly gift towards this effort.


Elevate
ElevateFoundation.org

This is a crew of filmmakers based in Ojai, CA, who are making a big difference in this world through their art and storytelling. I had the pleasure of meeting some of their crew at Standing Rock. They recently lost everything (their home, their studios, their equipment, their footage) in the Thomas Fire, and we donated funds towards their recovery.


We love you, and we want to thank you for being a continual source of love and inspiration in our lives.  In this season of giving, our hope is to give generously, from both our hearts and our wallets, in a few of the many places where the need is great…
 
With Love & Gratitude,
Brittany & Steven

Hello there!  It's been far too long...


 

I've missed you....

What a wild ride 2017 has been. Thank you... for holding on, holding steady, and maintaining crazy amounts of patience with me as I wade through these unknown waters. I have much to share, and want to begin by sincerely apologizing for the many months that have gone by since my last update. I'm not sure how that happened, but it most definitely did. Now let's get to the good stuff!


We are amidst a powerful time of year. Every year, November feels intense, in a way that I cherish & honor. As if the leaves falling from the trees are asking me to let go. Let go of what no longer serves me. Make space. Go inward.

Over these past two weeks I have been remembering vividly my time at Standing Rock. I was there on the day we call "Thanksgiving". On the banks of the Cannonball River in North Dakota, Bill, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux, raised his arms to show that he was unarmed and in prayer, as law enforcement stood fully armed on top of the tribe’s sacred mountain. On land that belongs to the Sioux, on a day in which we typically and naively celebrate the massacre and genocide of Native Americans, these tribes & their allies were gathered to pray for the water. I remain utterly grateful for the opportunity to stand with them, to learn from them, and to share their stories. If you would like to watch some of the stories I brought home from Standing Rock, please visit my Vimeo page.


In September I attended the National Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa, (just before terrible wildfires ravaged the region). If you're interested in seeds, seed sovereignty, permaculture, biodynamics, local food, or regenerative agriculture, this is a great event to put on your radar for next year. It's like a feast for the farmer/foodie senses, and there is many a brilliant human to dive into conversation with. 

If you'd like to see a short film about the fires that devastated the region, I recommend this one by my dear friend and fellow filmmaker, Emmett Brennan...
Reflection : A California Fire Story


I was fortunate to attend the annual Bioneers Conference in San Rafael - which is a conference like no other. I left feeling full to the brim. I got to meet Amy Goodman (holy crap you guys, Amy Goodman!), and I had the immense honor of diving into conversation on camera with some greats in the water world...

Andy Lipkis - Founder & President of TreePeople, working to restore Los Angeles

Kandi Mossett - Environmental Activist with the Indigenous Environmental Network, and the woman who inspired me to travel to Standing Rock last year

Clare DuBois - Goddess, Whirlwind of Inspiration & Founder of TreeSisters, working to plant a billion trees a year globally, encouraging each of us to give back to nature.

and last but certainly not least....
Mark DuBois - Co-Founder of Friends of the River and lifelong river advocate, well-known for chaining himself to a rock at the base of the Stanislaus River to protest the filling of New Melones Reservoir. 


Over the past few months I've been digging deep. I've been feeding my mind, nourishing my soul, and doing research through a rediscovered love of... books, books, books! Here are a few of the titles I've devoured this year... most of them focused around water, some focused on the bodies & minds we will need to cultivate to get where we must go, all of them highly recommended.....

(and if you find yourself grubbing on this list and want more, you can keep up with my reading list on Instagram or Facebook by searching the hashtag #brittanyappbooklist)


Finally, in addition to promising you that I'll send out updates more often than every six months, (I will!), I have some reeeallllyyy exciting news to share with you... soon. To tantalize your tastebuds a bit... it has to do with post-production, and a collaboration that will have the potential to move mountains. I am THRILLED.

It's a crazy journey to be on... making this film... everything is admittedly taking longer than I anticipated, but it couldn't be moving along more perfectly. I have surrendered to a power mightier than myself, and I'm holding on for the ride. Much Love y'all. Thank you, truly, for being with me on this sacred journey...


If you haven't had a chance to view the 19-minute sneak preview that we shared at the 2017 SLO Film Fest, we invite you to do so, and to share it far and wide.... and then keep your eyes and ears peeled for the feature-length film, coming Fall of 2018.