BAM OF MARCH 2021

I wanted to share a little bit about myself and my family and how I got where I am today. I am originally from Moldova, a little country in Eastern Europe. When I was 6 years old, my parents abandoned my two sisters and me in an apartment complex. We had to fend for ourselves for a couple of weeks before a man reported our existence to a local orphanage. The three of us were picked up and taken to a boarding school across the country and were put in school. We were so scared and our fears grew even more when we began to be abused and taken advantage of. It was two years later my now adopted parents saw our pictures from a local agency and had to have us. So we came to the states along with one other boys from Russia. Our childhood was not easy but we quickly learned the English language and started school and all graduated now and a couple of us started college and one is still in college. I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers, all adopted by my amazing parents. My parents split and my mom raised us pretty much on her own. I look up to her since now I am going through similar things. I have two boys who are 3 and 6 years old and full of energy. I never imagined being a single mom. I always pictured my life happily married with children. I did not marry their father but lived with him trying to make things work for 7 years. It was hard and exhausting and very toxic. I was blamed for everything and then kept getting told I was nothing to the family, I was worthless, was told my kids and I were mooching and freeloading, I was not able to get a job therefore couldn’t afford anything for self care including tampons and soap and razors and diapers. I had to keep selling my things to come up with money to buy wipes and diapers and soap for the kids and food. I had to get rid of my car because I couldn’t afford to pay for insurance and gas. I would have to earn to use his car by doing favors. I never in my lifetime imagined I would be with someone who was so selfish. The only escape I had was photography and the ocean with the kids. Photography has opened up a new me I never knew. Definitely do get an adrenaline rush when there are waves and I am asked to come out and film or take photos of the surf or take photos of events or families. My love for photography started in high school when I worked for the school year book documenting school events. Now I have done family, newborn, weddings, special events, maternity, engagement, portraits, soccer games, football games, surfing, and landscapes. I love a good photo of a sunrise and sunset! I would escape to the beach any chance I got to take photos. I love that the surf community is so supportive of my love of photography. I started making a little here and there from that but it didn’t cover expenses. I put up with the kids father for 7 years, and the day after Thanksgiving this past year, he went to visit his family for a couple of days. While he was gone, I had packed everything the boys and I owned and moved it out to a temporary home my brother has that is being remodeled so he can sell it. A job as a CSR at Donovan Heat and Air landed in my lap that pays pretty well, so I am trying to save up for a car so I could get my boys where they need to be without worrying about getting stuck in the middle of the road like what happened tonight... I was given a car and the previous owners(family friends) told me it had no issues. First day, flat tire. It has been a month, the alternator belt snapped. Now the battery is dead. I keep thinking God is using all of this for a greater good. I am still trying to figure out what that is. I didn’t want to bore you with my life story, but I feel like it explains a lot why I’m so drawn to capturing photos and creating memories for people. I don’t have a single photos of me or my sisters when we were younger than 6, 8, and 11. My mom did so well with capturing photos of us growing up in Ponte Vedra on the beach. I am trying my best to make my two boys

Have a good life, it’s hard and I don’t get a lot of time with them now since I started working over full time, but I hope one day they look back at my journals and read the entries and know I tried with everything in my heart and soul to give them a good life.

Thank you for starting this brand and for the tshirt and glasses! I wear my shirt to the gym, keeps my head up while I train. #badassmoms are all around us, and I am super thankful for the ones I’ve been blessed enough to get to know. Roberta is one of those women. I hope one day I can support, empower, encourage, and strengthen other moms like the moms around me did for me.

Thank you,

Ivy Rose Scott