Walter Vincent Smith Museum - Springfield, MA
Walter Vincent Smith Museum - Springfield, MA
Crosslight Church Cafe - Westfield, MA
Ryoanji Temple (龍安寺, Ryōanji) in Kyoto, Japan
The Painted Burro - Waltham, MA
The Painted Burro - Waltham, MA
Big Y Foods
Big Y Foods
Big Y Foods
• graphic designer • photographer • musician • multimedia professional •
Hi, I am Theresa, founder of Tennessee Rose Creative. I am a Western Mass based photographer with a background in Fine Arts and Architecture. My interest in photography started with a point-and-shoot camera exploring the forgotten spaces at my community college and in my hometown, Springfield, MA. Since then I've taken to commercial photography, shooting cakes, pizza and more for Big Y Foods, architectural projects for Jablonski DeVriese Architects, as well as weddings and senior portraits.
My path through design, photography, music and architecture has not been a traditional one. Although I claimed I wanted to be an architect at 7 years old, I didn't really know what that meant at the time or how to get there, or that "getting there" is a series of twists and turns - many unplanned coordinates on a map. I just wanted a house with a wrap around second floor to view the roller rink that everyone should clearly have in their home and I thought being an architect was the way I could make that happen.
As a kid I was always making things. The plastic kitchen from the toy store came second to the sand pit underneath the back deck. Mud pies were a best seller. The doll house was out of context without the wooden trainset and bustling shoebox skyscrapers nearby. This soon became a movie set for the aptly named "Dollhouse Stories" trilogy my sister and I filmed on VHS and subjected our family to on Thanksgiving. I'm not sure if they were fans of musicals, but they put on a brave face to support our creativity.
Today, I look back at the series of twists and turns, including nearly a decade working part-time in a bakery while exploring teaching Italian, freelancing in graphic design, food, product and wedding photography, interning in Architecture, and over a decade of playing music in a rock band. I've learned to be persistent, resilient, open-minded and patient because these opportunities cannot be ordered and at times life can seem like it's veering off track.
There is still work to be done. Studying Architecture while working full-time and supporting myself has pushed my creative limits and introduced me to fields I never knew existed. My understanding of design has been stretched from creating beautiful 2D visuals, to include 3D spaces to create in. It includes not just static spaces, but also dynamic areas for people and nature to thrive in.
I am in pursuit of this kind of design, as a creator and as one who captures design in action.
Today, I look back at the series of twists and turns, including nearly a decade working part-time in a bakery while exploring teaching Italian, freelancing in graphic design, food, product and wedding photography, interning in Architecture, and over a decade of playing music in a rock band. I've learned to be persistent, resilient, open-minded and patient because these opportunities cannot be ordered and at times life can seem like it's veering off track.
There is still work to be done. Studying Architecture while working full-time and supporting myself has pushed my creative limits and introduced me to fields I never knew existed. My understanding of design has been stretched from creating beautiful 2D visuals, to include 3D spaces to create in. It includes not just static spaces, but also dynamic areas for people and nature to thrive in.
I am in pursuit of this kind of design, as a creator and as one who captures design in action.
When I'm not researching the latest developments in photography or architecture, I am writing for my solo music project, Tennessee Rose. I am always ready for new opportunities,
If you are interested in my work – please reach out!
If you are interested in my work – please reach out!