From Mums With Love: Anna Hardy
We are thrilled to announce our newest collaborator! Anna Hardy is an awesome photographer based right here in Manchester and I have the pleasure to announce that Anna is shooting some very special photos for Acorn & Pip!
Anna's images are inspired by her love of people, their character and their stories. She effortlessly captures blissful moments – sometimes ordinary, sometimes extraordinary – of pure beauty, hilarity, excitement and emotion that lift us up and make life so wonderful. Without a doubt, Anna creates photographs that still make you smile / laugh / well up / gasp, no matter how many times you’ve seen them. Check her out and get in touch if you are looking for some extra special photos of the ones you love.
I’m Anna, mum to Joe (12) and Huey (2), wife to Adam, living in sunny Manchester. I’m a photographer http://www.annahardy.co.uk specialising in relaxed, creative documentary family photography… and when I’m not taking photographs I also run a family blog, The Curve http://thecurve.space with my friend Caroline. We cover design, photography, food, home, style, craft and adventure, with a focus on keeping things simple – for families who want to enjoy the good things in life, without running themselves ragged in the process :)
Motherhood is the main reason I do everything that I do. My passion for photographing children grew from taking pictures of my own, and the pleasure I get from families seeing the love they have for each other in the pictures I give them is all the stronger and more rewarding because as a mother myself I know how little time we get to stop and appreciate these precious connections amid the chaos that is family life. Similarly, wherever I can, I try to design my work and career around being a mother, nurturing streams of work where I have some degree of control over my hours and location, so that I can be with my family as much as possible.
God, that’s the million dollar question isn’t it?! I’ve definitely not nailed it, and I don’t know many women who feel like they have… I think most of us sadly feel like we end up looking after one at the expense of the other. But I’ve learned to say no to projects or commissions if my gut is wincing at the thought of them… I have fixed times for working that I try to stick to… I try to generate work that will give me freedom in terms of time and location… and just generally try not to spread myself too thinly – but I’m not very good at the last bit!
The off-licence? JOKE (semi-joke). Aside from my husband who always champions whatever projects I’ve got going on and is a devoted, hands-on dad, I’m so lucky to have an amazing group of badass girlfriends who are all such honest, kind, funny, open people. I think we all feel that we can voice our struggles to each other without being judged and know that the others will stand alongside us… helping practically but also cheering each other up with a lot of laughter… We might have had similar feelings or problems or we might not… but either way, we understand and prop each other up anyway. They’re amazing.
“Leap and the net will appear.” Sometimes it’s so scary to take the plunge to do something new, or push your business out of your comfort zone… but often if you don’t fully make the commitment to doing something, you’re not giving it the resources it needs to succeed, so it’ll never happen… Whereas if you just take a deep breath and take that leap, fully commit to it, you make it happen because you have to – you give it the room in your life it needs to grow properly.
The freedom to change it as and when I want to. If I stop enjoying an aspect of it, I make plans and take actions to stop doing it. Similarly, when I absolutely love doing something, I can focus on it and make it grow. We all change over the months and years and our priorities change with us, and I love being able to immediately take steps to adjust my work accordingly without having to get anyone else’s approval. I’m so grateful for the flexibility with working hours too, particularly in the context of having my own family. Best of all though is how rewarding it is to create something totally new all by yourself and see it grow from nothing.
Huey would be a date… by simple virtue of the fact that he ploughs through the things like they’re made of crack… Joe probably a banana due to his daft comedy value.
#ipromisenextmonthwillbelesshectic
Humans of New York – amazing, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking stories from real, ordinary, everyday people
The 8 Street – mind-blowing street and travel photography
The Daily Mash – for laughs
In the city, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Whitworth Art Gallery always have amazing stuff going on… the Chill Factore is also pretty much on our doorstep; both Adam and I love taking Joe snowboarding there. But we love escaping the city too - the Peak District, Ramsbottom, Macc Forest - there’s so much beautiful countryside right on Manchester’s doorstep.
I particularly love Slow Loris by Alexis Deacon, Would You Rather by John Burningham, I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen, Misery Moo by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross and Oh No George! by Chris Haughton. Also, I know the Donaldson/Scheffler books are absolutely everywhere but no matter how many times I read it (and I’ve read it a LOT, as my 12 year old had it as a kid so it’s been with me over a decade), The Snail and The Whale still always gives me goosebumps and I never get bored of it. It’s got such a pleasing rhythm, and I really love its celebration of friendship and adventurousness.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say the unimaginative but ever-reliable splodging on the sofa with a TV series… The Americans, Game Of Thrones, Breaking Bad (of course), The Walking Dead, The Fall, The Wire, Narcos, Sons of Anarchy, Homeland… But when I’m not being a lazy cow I love to read books, cook, snowboard, crochet, travel and do karate. Most of all though, we love escaping to the coast to camp, surf, walk and explore. My husband is a keen surfer so we spend a lot of time in our ‘local’ surf spots in Anglesey and North West Wales – sometimes staying with family, other times in holiday cottages, other times in our tent or our campervan. Anglesey is very much where our hearts are and somewhere we consider a second home. When we’re ready to embrace a quieter lifestyle I’m pretty sure we’ll end up there.
Flash Cards by The Jam Tart
https://acornandpip.comshop/toys/animal-flash-cards/
Mint Dipped Toy Basket
https://acornandpip.comshop/decor/blue-woven-toy-storage/
Super Kid Sweatshirt
https://acornandpip.comshop/clothing/cribstar-superkid-black-jumper/
Love from Anna xx
Watch this space for Anna's collaboration with us coming soon :)
Anna's images are inspired by her love of people, their character and their stories. She effortlessly captures blissful moments – sometimes ordinary, sometimes extraordinary – of pure beauty, hilarity, excitement and emotion that lift us up and make life so wonderful. Without a doubt, Anna creates photographs that still make you smile / laugh / well up / gasp, no matter how many times you’ve seen them. Check her out and get in touch if you are looking for some extra special photos of the ones you love.
- Who are you?
I’m Anna, mum to Joe (12) and Huey (2), wife to Adam, living in sunny Manchester. I’m a photographer http://www.annahardy.co.uk specialising in relaxed, creative documentary family photography… and when I’m not taking photographs I also run a family blog, The Curve http://thecurve.space with my friend Caroline. We cover design, photography, food, home, style, craft and adventure, with a focus on keeping things simple – for families who want to enjoy the good things in life, without running themselves ragged in the process :)
- How does motherhood inspire your work?
Motherhood is the main reason I do everything that I do. My passion for photographing children grew from taking pictures of my own, and the pleasure I get from families seeing the love they have for each other in the pictures I give them is all the stronger and more rewarding because as a mother myself I know how little time we get to stop and appreciate these precious connections amid the chaos that is family life. Similarly, wherever I can, I try to design my work and career around being a mother, nurturing streams of work where I have some degree of control over my hours and location, so that I can be with my family as much as possible.
- How do you achieve your work life balance?
God, that’s the million dollar question isn’t it?! I’ve definitely not nailed it, and I don’t know many women who feel like they have… I think most of us sadly feel like we end up looking after one at the expense of the other. But I’ve learned to say no to projects or commissions if my gut is wincing at the thought of them… I have fixed times for working that I try to stick to… I try to generate work that will give me freedom in terms of time and location… and just generally try not to spread myself too thinly – but I’m not very good at the last bit!
- Where does your support come from?
The off-licence? JOKE (semi-joke). Aside from my husband who always champions whatever projects I’ve got going on and is a devoted, hands-on dad, I’m so lucky to have an amazing group of badass girlfriends who are all such honest, kind, funny, open people. I think we all feel that we can voice our struggles to each other without being judged and know that the others will stand alongside us… helping practically but also cheering each other up with a lot of laughter… We might have had similar feelings or problems or we might not… but either way, we understand and prop each other up anyway. They’re amazing.
- What is the best business advice that you’ve been given
“Leap and the net will appear.” Sometimes it’s so scary to take the plunge to do something new, or push your business out of your comfort zone… but often if you don’t fully make the commitment to doing something, you’re not giving it the resources it needs to succeed, so it’ll never happen… Whereas if you just take a deep breath and take that leap, fully commit to it, you make it happen because you have to – you give it the room in your life it needs to grow properly.
- What’s the best part of running your own business
The freedom to change it as and when I want to. If I stop enjoying an aspect of it, I make plans and take actions to stop doing it. Similarly, when I absolutely love doing something, I can focus on it and make it grow. We all change over the months and years and our priorities change with us, and I love being able to immediately take steps to adjust my work accordingly without having to get anyone else’s approval. I’m so grateful for the flexibility with working hours too, particularly in the context of having my own family. Best of all though is how rewarding it is to create something totally new all by yourself and see it grow from nothing.
- If your child were a fruit, what would they be?
Huey would be a date… by simple virtue of the fact that he ploughs through the things like they’re made of crack… Joe probably a banana due to his daft comedy value.
- If you could create a hashtag that summed up your life, what would it be?
#ipromisenextmonthwillbelesshectic
- We all love a bit of social media indulgence (stalking), who are your top 3 accounts to follow?
Humans of New York – amazing, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking stories from real, ordinary, everyday people
The 8 Street – mind-blowing street and travel photography
The Daily Mash – for laughs
- What are your favourite things to do with the kids in your local area?
In the city, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Whitworth Art Gallery always have amazing stuff going on… the Chill Factore is also pretty much on our doorstep; both Adam and I love taking Joe snowboarding there. But we love escaping the city too - the Peak District, Ramsbottom, Macc Forest - there’s so much beautiful countryside right on Manchester’s doorstep.
- What are your favourite bedtime stories?
I particularly love Slow Loris by Alexis Deacon, Would You Rather by John Burningham, I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen, Misery Moo by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross and Oh No George! by Chris Haughton. Also, I know the Donaldson/Scheffler books are absolutely everywhere but no matter how many times I read it (and I’ve read it a LOT, as my 12 year old had it as a kid so it’s been with me over a decade), The Snail and The Whale still always gives me goosebumps and I never get bored of it. It’s got such a pleasing rhythm, and I really love its celebration of friendship and adventurousness.
- How do you relax?
I’d be lying if I didn’t say the unimaginative but ever-reliable splodging on the sofa with a TV series… The Americans, Game Of Thrones, Breaking Bad (of course), The Walking Dead, The Fall, The Wire, Narcos, Sons of Anarchy, Homeland… But when I’m not being a lazy cow I love to read books, cook, snowboard, crochet, travel and do karate. Most of all though, we love escaping to the coast to camp, surf, walk and explore. My husband is a keen surfer so we spend a lot of time in our ‘local’ surf spots in Anglesey and North West Wales – sometimes staying with family, other times in holiday cottages, other times in our tent or our campervan. Anglesey is very much where our hearts are and somewhere we consider a second home. When we’re ready to embrace a quieter lifestyle I’m pretty sure we’ll end up there.
- What are your top 3 picks from Acorn & Pip?
Flash Cards by The Jam Tart
https://acornandpip.comshop/toys/animal-flash-cards/
Mint Dipped Toy Basket
https://acornandpip.comshop/decor/blue-woven-toy-storage/
Super Kid Sweatshirt
https://acornandpip.comshop/clothing/cribstar-superkid-black-jumper/
Love from Anna xx
Watch this space for Anna's collaboration with us coming soon :)
