Temperance - Finding Balance

Wow has it been 15 cards released in a row? So far we've seen....

0 - Best as the Fool Card

1 - Brandon as the Magician

2 - Selene as the High Priestess

3 - Alexis as the Empress

4 - David as the Emperor

5 - Jordan as the Hierophant 

6 - Brandon, David, and Joshua as the Lovers

7 - Chelsea, Jen, and Olivia as the Chariot

8 - Devon as Strength

9 - Lauren as the Hermit

10 - Kerri as the Wheel of Fortune

11 - Megan as Justice

12 - Salvatore as The Hanged Man

13 - Kevin as Death

and now... 

14 - Malena as Temperance!

Featuring beautiful face makeup by Sam Leigh, wings by Tommy Elias, and the crown by the model herself! A pretty cool collaboration, I'd say!

Originally Malena was referred to me by another model, the gorgeous Deven Williams, who was in Gods and Monsters!

Now it was time for Malena Grosz to shine. Let's talk about what the Temperance card can mean. 

TEMPERANCE 

Capable · Control · Harmony and balance · Moderation · Self-confidence

An optimistic card, Temperance encourages you to find balance in your life and approach problems with a calm demeanor. It recognizes that opposing forces need not be at war within you. Tread carefully in any major decisions you make, with confidence that good decisions will lead to a good resolution for you." - trustedtarot.com

I can absolutely relate to wanting self confidence, more control, and balance in my life! Sometimes it feels like these cards are telling a story...

Much of Malena's work with the community is often about finding balance. She studied arts entrepreneurship and management at ASU, and part of that journey was helping students understand the power of consent.

This is something that's important to both of us, so we created a workshop! We felt that schools and festival culture could be improved, we just needed to start the conversation.

From there, I started working at Festivals helping people vocalize boundaries through the art of body art. It culminated with me painting people at 4am for a sunrise celebration in the middle of a desert. I certainly have adventures!  

Back to the wicked art though! I think you're going to like the next shot!

This almost ended up as the Tarot card, but I stuck with mostly the original release. Here is what debuted:

And this is what the card evolved into:

I improved the colors, filled in some negative space that wasn't doing anything, added some stars, and a water reflection beneath her feet (which you can't totally see because of the wording...but if you squint, you just might)!

Do you know what you can't see? The other makeup artist hiding behind the wings holding them up! I included this bonus shot for a laugh. That's why we have Photoshop, right? :D

Also thank you so much for your patience while I get these out late at night. I literally got done filming with Donald Tilghman, and went straight to editing. You may remember him from working on my Patreon video (thank you) as well as staring as "The Penguin" from my Heroes and Villains series! How cool (and spooky)!

What a journey! Thanks for taking the time to read this. I've been crazy busy, but if you've been enjoying these posts, I'd love to hear from you!

Trying To Find Balance,

~Brandon