People Aren't Niches
NAPERVILLE - WHEATON - GLEN ELLYN - ELMHURST - GENEVA - ST. CHARLES - BARRINGTON - BARTLETT PHOTOGRAPHER
Happy Sunday my friend!
This week has been a little bit of everything around here.
On the work side, we’ve been busy with senior sessions, headshots, and a modeling session. On the family side, we had our weekly Mimi Papa Ellis Sleepover Party—yes, that is its official name around here—and we’ve started phase two of our kitchen remodel.
I’m a big believer in doing renovations in phases. Partly because it makes the financial sting a little less painful, partly because I don’t want my entire kitchen torn apart for months, and partly because I actually like having something new to look forward to along the way. Why have all the excitement at once when you can drag it out?
And then there’s the puppy.
It’s been a bit of a challenging week. If you read last week's newsletter, you know my dad has had a hard time adjusting to her. One thing I definitely did not think about when making this rather huge decision is that puppies bite. A lot. She’s constantly trying to play with his hands, and at 85, his skin is so thin that those little puppy teeth can easily cut him and make him bleed. Understandably, that hasn’t exactly helped their relationship.
But today, we had a little glimmer of hope. The two of them seemed to be connecting, and he wasn’t nearly as aggravated with her as he has been. With dementia, you never really know whether something has shifted or whether you’ve simply been given a good day—but either way, we’ll take it.
We’re also beginning to suspect that this little girl may be quite a bit younger than we originally thought, so needless to say, we have our work cut out for us.
But boy, is she cute.
And I suppose it’s time I officially announce her name.
Meet Peanut.
I hope you’ve had a wonderful week. Here’s a little peek at what’s been happening around here...
Some BTS from this week.
Soft Focus: People Aren't Niches
I have no idea where any of this is going.
And strangely enough, I think that might be one of my favorite things about it.
A little over a year ago, I started writing this newsletter. At the time, I’m not sure I knew exactly what it would become. I just knew I wanted to write.
And somehow, week after week, I kept showing up.
I actually sat here trying to remember whether I’ve ever missed a Sunday. I thought maybe there was one somewhere along the way, but honestly, I don’t think there has been.
That feels like a pretty big accomplishment.
Not because writing a newsletter every week is some monumental achievement, but because life around here is full. I run a photography studio. We photograph an incredible number of sessions every year. I’m a wife and a Mimi. I help care for my parents. We live in a multigenerational home where there is almost always someone coming or going, something happening, someone needing something.
And yet, every week, I sit down and write.
What makes even less sense is what I started writing about.
If you originally found me through Alicia’s Photography, you may have wondered somewhere along the way:
How did we get from senior portraits to dahlias?
Fair question.
Because suddenly I was talking about my garden. And our house. And something I cooked for dinner. And a trip Dan and I took. And my grandchildren. And flowers. And aging. And dreams. And grief. And whatever else happened to be rolling around in my head that particular week.
And if you’re wondering what the grand plan is for all of this, I should probably tell you:
There isn’t one.
Our Cozy Compound Instagram started much the same way.
When we moved here, I created an Instagram account simply because I wanted somewhere to document our life in this house. I thought I would share a little decorating, a little gardening, maybe some projects we were working on.
Then I started making reels.
Then I started growing more flowers.
Then I started sharing recipes.
Then I started filming myself making the recipes.
And lately, people have even started asking me if I’m writing a cookbook.
A cookbook?
I’m still slightly amused by that question because I’m not secretly working on a cookbook. There isn’t a master plan hidden behind the scenes.
I’m just having fun.
And maybe that’s exactly why I keep doing it.
After all these years, I have reached a place in my life where I don't think everything I do needs to lead somewhere.
It doesn't have to become a business.
It doesn't have to make sense to an algorithm.
It doesn't have to fit neatly beneath the title on my business card.
And it certainly doesn't have to stay in the lane I've been traveling for more than three decades.
I am a photographer.
But I am not only a photographer.
I love to garden.
I love to cook.
I love decorating our home and rearranging a room for absolutely no reason other than I suddenly decided something would look better on the other side.
I love traveling.
I love writing.
I love making little films about ordinary moments.
I love flowers and old houses and beautiful meals and wandering through markets and sitting around a table with my family.
I love change.
I love learning something I don't know how to do.
And I think somewhere along the way, especially in a world of careers and personal brands and social media algorithms, we started believing that we were supposed to pick one thing.
Find your niche.
Stay in your lane.
Be consistent.
Make sure people know exactly what you do.
But people aren't niches.
We're whole human beings.
We are allowed to be interested in a hundred different things.
In fact, I think we are supposed to be.
Long before anyone worried about whether their Instagram feed was confusing the algorithm, people painted and gardened and cooked and wrote and played music and built things and learned new skills simply because those things made their lives richer.
Maybe what looks scattered from the outside isn't scattered at all.
Because when I really think about everything I love, there is a thread running through all of it.
Creating.
Photography is creating.
Writing is creating.
Cooking is creating.
Gardening is creating.
Arranging flowers is creating.
Decorating a room is creating.
Even making a silly little reel about something happening around our house is creating.
I look at almost everything as if it could become a piece of art.
Maybe that's why this all makes perfect sense to me, even when I can't explain where it's going.
Across all of my social media accounts, there are now more than 60,000 people following along, which is a little crazy when I stop and think about it. But Our Cozy Compound, this little corner I started simply to document our life here, has somehow grown to over 6,500 people all on its own.
That number surprises me. Not because it's enormous in the world of social media, but because I never set out to build anything there.
And yet, little by little, a community has formed.
People who want to talk about gardens and recipes and homes and flowers and travel and family and all the lovely, messy things that make up a life.
That part means more to me than the number ever could.
Maybe someday all of this will become something else.
Maybe there will be a book.
Maybe there will be a cookbook.
Maybe there will be something I haven't even thought of yet.
Or maybe there won't.
Maybe I'll just have years' worth of photographs, recipes, essays and little films documenting a life I was lucky enough to live.
That would be pretty wonderful too.
I spent a lot of years thinking that the things I did needed a purpose. There needed to be a goal, a plan, an accomplishment waiting somewhere at the end.
These days, I'm becoming much more interested in the things that make me wonder:
What would happen if I tried this?
I think there is tremendous freedom in reaching a point where you trust yourself enough to follow the things that interest you without needing to know where they will lead.
So no, I don't know where any of this is going.
I'm going to keep taking photographs.
I'm going to keep writing.
I'm going to keep planting flowers I probably don't need, trying recipes, making reels, traveling whenever I can, rearranging the house, dreaming up projects and following whatever creative idea happens to wander into my head next.
Not because I'm trying to become something else.
But because all of those things are already part of who I am.
And if there is anything I hope you take from watching me bounce from photography to flowers to recipes to essays and back again, it's this:
You are allowed to be more than one thing.
You are allowed to change your mind.
You are allowed to begin something without knowing where it will end.
You are allowed to have interests that don't make sense together on paper.
You are even allowed to do something simply because it makes you happy.
Maybe not everything we begin needs a destination.
Maybe sometimes it's enough to be curious about where it might take us.
*This essay and more can be read on my Our Cozy Compound substack
WHAT I’M LOVING THIS WEEK
Inspiring Follow: @buttergirlnyc
Okay, this is a fun one.
Greer Hiltabidle, better known on Instagram as @buttergirlnyc, is a Brooklyn girl who started making homemade butter—and somehow turned it into the most delightful little corner of the internet.
And we're not talking ordinary butter. Think French Onion Soup Butter, Caesar Salad Butter, Grilled Cheese Butter, and most recently, a Crème Brûlée Butter she created for Josie Maran. I haven't actually tried any of it yet, but believe me, Instagram has me convinced I need to.
What I really love, though, is Greer herself. She's funny, real, completely authentic, and just cute as can be. Watching her little butter business take off has been so much fun.
She recently found herself at that terrifying/exciting crossroads of wondering whether she should leave her job and take a chance on doing this full-time.
She took the chance.
And then, because sometimes life has a funny way of rewarding a leap of faith, she received an invitation to cooking school—in Julia Child's home in the South of France.
Suddenly this girl from Brooklyn who decided to follow a crazy little dream about butter was standing in Julia Child's kitchen in Provence, cooking.
I mean... come on.
If that isn't a reminder to follow the things that light you up—even when you have absolutely no idea where they're going—I don't know what is.
This girl is living her best life, and I am thoroughly enjoying watching it unfold.
What I’m Loving: Hulken Forest Green Signature Rolling Tote Bag
Okay, this is one of those things that makes me wonder how I’ve gone this long without one.
The Hulken is basically an enormous tote bag on wheels—and I can think of about a hundred ways I could use it. Hauling things back and forth to the studio, farmers market trips, groceries, flowers, props for shoots, travel... basically all of the schlepping I seem to do on a daily basis.
It’s lightweight, water-resistant, folds flat when you aren’t using it, and those little 360-degree wheels mean you can load it up and roll it instead of carrying everything. The large can hold up to 66 pounds, which feels slightly dangerous for someone like me who tends to think, Oh, I can fit one more thing.
And naturally, I’m drawn to the Forest Green. Practical, useful, and actually good-looking—which is pretty much my favorite combination.
I have a feeling this could become one of those things that lives permanently in the back of my car.
Local-ish: Kyle Johnson—Personal Trainer
Okay, this week’s Local-ish is for anyone who keeps saying, “I really need to start working out…” and then promptly finds something else to do.
Meet Kyle Johnson. Kyle is a personal trainer and is incredibly knowledgeable at what he does. He has worked with everyone from Division I and high school athletes to people who simply want to get stronger, feel better, and have someone who actually knows what they’re doing tell them what to do at the gym.
And no, you absolutely do not need to be an athlete to train with him.
Kyle is great at meeting people wherever they are. He works with athletes looking to improve performance, people who simply want to build strength and feel better, and clients working around injuries or transitioning from physical therapy who need someone knowledgeable to help them continue building strength safely.
Basically, whether you’re training for a sport, trying to get stronger, dealing with an old injury, or just tired of wandering around the gym pretending you know what half of those machines do, he can help.
Kyle is currently taking on new clients locally, so consider this the little nudge you’ve been waiting for.
Call or Text 630-915-6517
FROM MY KITCHEN
Who says you can’t have crumble for breakfast?
This has quickly become one of my favorite easy breakfasts. Warm berries, a cinnamon-oat crumble topping, a little honey—and it tastes far more indulgent than it actually is.
The berries, egg whites and chia seeds make it a nutrient-packed way to start the morning, and I love serving it warm with a generous spoonful of Greek yogurt on top for some extra protein. You can also throw a handful of nuts or seeds into the crumble for a little extra crunch. I used pepitas for that warm nutty flavor.
Best of all, it makes a big batch, so you can keep it in the refrigerator and warm up a serving whenever you want one.
Ingredients
Berry Filling
7 cups frozen mixed berries
2 teaspoons chia seeds
4 tablespoons honey
Crumble Topping
1½ cups jumbo oats
2 generous tablespoons smooth nut butter — cashew, peanut, or almond
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 egg whites
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Optional Add-Ins
Crushed walnuts
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Flaked almonds
Chopped hazelnuts
Or whatever you happen to have in the pantry!
For Serving
Greek yogurt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a baking dish, toss the frozen berries with the chia seeds and honey, then spread everything into an even layer.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg whites, nut butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth.
Fold in the oats and any optional nuts or seeds. The mixture should be nice and sticky and form little clumps.
Spoon the crumble mixture evenly over the berries. Bake for 30–40 minutes, until the berry juices are bubbling and the topping is golden and crisp. If the top begins to get too brown, loosely cover it with foil.
Let it rest for about 5 minutes, then spoon into bowls and top with a generous dollop of Greek yogurt.
Healthy enough for breakfast, cozy enough to feel like dessert. My favorite kind of recipe.
Studio Happenings
The Fall Sessions Are Almost Here!
Fall sessions are right around the corner, and if updating your family photos has been on your list, now is the time!
Our Fall Mini Sessions are relaxed, easygoing, and all about capturing your family in the beautiful colors and textures of the season. Think cozy layers, rich fall tones, lots of snuggling—and photos that feel like you. They’re perfect for holiday cards, updated family photos, or simply documenting this little season of life before it changes again.
We’ll be photographing Fall Minis on October 24th & 25th, with a few select weekday dates available throughout October and November in the Wheaton/Warrenville area.
These sessions are limited, so grab yours while we still have some beautiful fall color left.
Location: Naperville/Warrenville, IL
with love and light,
Alicia Staley Johnson
of Alicia’s Photography
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