Construction paper, markers, and stickers covered half the table when I sat down to write our first post.

“A project! She likes to do projects,” Kendra said about Hadley.

A project. Perfect.

Taryn

This is a project. This is the pursuit of the dream we have to combine our passion for people and art in a way that others can enjoy. This is the journey of a journalist-wannabe-photographer, a photographer-wannabe-journalist, and a two-year-old who likes to take all the crafty stars out of the package and paste them on one piece of paper.

I’m Taryn, the journalist. Or at least I’m trying to be. Nine months out of the year, I live in Minneapolis, where I attend the University of Minnesota and work at The Minnesota Daily. School is great, but most days I feel like I pay tuition just so I can work at the newspaper. It’s where I learn the most, anyway. I should tell you I also get pretty good grades (in case my parents are reading). My classes teach the mechanics and the conscience, but the real education comes with experience.

Kendra, 25, founded Hadley Photography in Fargo, ND nearly two years ago. It is named for her daughter Hadley, a little girl who makes you wish you always carried your camera. She’s adorable. And smart. And inspiring. But I’m the aunt, so maybe my opinion doesn’t count. Kendra has a big heart for the diversity of the human experience. She graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2006 with a degree in international studies. She has lived on her own in Los Angeles and Chicago. Since moving back to Fargo, she has worked for Lutheran Social Services where she helped new refugee families acclimate to their new home.

Spending time around my sister and her business – occasionally acting as the model, but mostly taking advantage of free Facebook profile pictures – opened me up to learning the visual side of journalism.

Kendra & Hadley

Kendra and I are city people who grew up doing the military-family thing. Originally from North Dakota, we have our fair share of small town ancestry, but life circumstances have kept us from settling into the rural regions. We’re city people who feel at home in LA, Chicago, or Minneapolis, but we can appreciate the beauty of small towns. Since North Dakota is full of those, we decided we’re going to spend the next three months traveling to different towns, armed with cameras and notebooks (and an adorable two-year-old) to discover their essence. This blog is meant to give you a taste of what we hope will turn into a book.

Our goal: to introduce you to people and tell you their stories in words and images. I want to capture them on a page, but when you read it, I hope you’ll feel like their standing in front of you.

I’ve been told that North Dakotans put Minnesota-nice to shame and so you could say this project is a quest to prove that. I’ve also been told North Dakota is a wasteland. That just seems ridiculous. May this be a quest to prove that, as well.

Like I said, this is a project. It’s only part one. After this summer we hope to take this beyond our state’s small towns. We want to find the interesting and unique parts of Fargo. We want to get to know the growing refugee community in the state and find out how they fit into this Midwestern life. We are passionate about learning the increasingly ambiguous concept of culture. It kind of gets our adrenaline pumping, don’t ya know? We’ll start with rural North Dakota. But it’s just a start. We hope you will follow along.

T

Adventure, Essence, Hadley Photography, North Dakota, Small towns About, North Dakota Project