Baesha is someone I have been waiting to work with for a little bit. She is a Gainesville native and one of those rare people who seems to have known what they want to do growing up, and gets to do it. Not only is she Gainesville born and raised, she is an esthetician born and raised.

One of the first things to stand out about Baesha is her unique name. It's not a family legacy, but a tribute. Her mother gave her the name in remembrance of a close friend who passed away suddenly and too young.

When talking about her work it's clear that she loves what she does. Her mother owned a salon when she was a kid. Back then she was a barbie kid and loved all the girly stuff. As she grew up she got her own style but still loves the hair and make up part of it. Looking at her it's pretty clear she has her own style. She started beauty school when she was a teenager, a mentor there actually lined her up with her first job. THe mentor was retiring to take care of her family and was apparently impressed enough to recommend to the owner that Baesha replace her. This actually sparked a conversation of the merits of earning your place or getting lucky. I am of the personal opinion that you make your own luck and that's what I think she did here.

One of the reasons I wanted to sit down with Baesha is because she does a lot of modeling. As a photographer it is something I am interested in. When I was younger I actually worked with models quite a bit shooting fashion to lifestyle, nothing high end mind you. So I was interested in her perspective. About the same time she started beauty school she started modeling. She asked herself what she could do to get paid and modeling was an opportunity that came up and she took it. If you go look at her photos on instagram, and you should, these are not the modeling photos she was paid for when she was younger. She did a lot of bikini, lingerie and is even on a lot of local rap covers. On her page now you will still see some modeling work but this is stuff that she has a bit more of a passion for or a connection to. If you look at her style she absolutely screams vintage and I think her tattoos, images, and personal style all represent that.

That was the last big part of our conversation. We talked a bit more about local life, and how Gainesville feels like a town within a town in regards to college kids vs the people who live here. She has lived here all her life, and has generations of family here also, it makes since her perspective is going to be different from someone who is only here for a few short years. She pointed out people complaining about nothing to do in Gainesville, they simply are not looking. She is someone who always has a project going on and recently learned stamp making at a local class.

Bottom line, I think it's safe to say if you're in the same circles as Baesha you're in good company.