Sunshine and Olly

by Jonathan Blaustein

Jessie and I are making moves.

Yesterday, we signed a lease on a new mixed-use studio in the heart of Taos.

An A+ location, with parking and views of Taos Mountain.

She’ll use it for her therapy practice, and to teach dance, and Hip Hop Yoga.

I’ll use it to teach mixed martial arts, Yoga, Qi Gong, and as a photo studio.

To think how much has changed since I started Sunshine and Olly!

I have to check the dates, but it was almost exactly when I began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which was itself a directive from my Jeet Kune Do Sifu, Lawrence Martinez.

The big man told me I couldn’t be a JKD instructor unless I studied BJJ to the point I could approach a Blue Belt level. (As a refresher, JKD is Bruce Lee’s mixed marital art.)

I put my head down, suffered a lot, and as you know, late this summer he gave me the instructor certificate. (Having proven I was sufficiently serious about grappling to track towards the Blue Belt.)

Now it’s mid-November, and as I wrote the other day, I’ve gotten the second stripe on my White Belt. Furthermore, I’m going to compete in NAGA, for the first time, in early December. (Having trained for 10 months straight.) On Saturday, in my first comp training match, I got a big win, both on points, and with two submissions.

Today’s blog is about what can happen when you stay open, read the tea leaves, be willing to take risks, and persevere.

Anyone who’s read from the jump knows how unhappy I was in February.

It’s there in the archive.

(And while I might like to have more opportunities at present in the photo world, they’re not there, so it is what it is.)

Thankfully, having done some very hard work, my family and I are embarking on an exciting new journey.

We feel ready.

If I did it, you can too.

Obviously, I’ll write more about the new venture as we officially launch in 2024, but for today, I just wanted to share some good news.

For a change.