So, we’re only almost halfway into 2018, so it’s probably about time I write a re-cap of 2017, right? Haha.
I really meant to have this done as an update for the end of December or early January as a New Year thing, but due to life events at the time (which I will get to in my NEXT blog post), I could not. So here we are.
2017 was pretty awesome, but honestly, I say that about EVERY year. I know a lot of people were posting about how terrible the year was for them (I had some struggles, too) but I like to focus on the positive things, so an activity I like to do to keep me in a positive mindset is enacting a regular habit of GRATITUDE. We have so many things to be thankful every single day if we just take a moment to recognize them...like the smell of a freshly mowed lawn, the taste of freshly brewed coffee, the fact that you woke up that morning--any little thing that brings you joy. One of the things I am incredibly grateful for are my FANS, because without them, without YOU, I would not be able to do what I do.
Because I’m generally HORRIBLE at marketing and self-promotion (unless you count the animated GIFS and preview vids I post with some regularity on Twitter), I figured I should probably document a review of my year for anyone who might be curious, but who might have missed it, because really, I am terrible at posting things. (A skill I hope to get better at...and I am trying!)
Here we go! Kudos to you if you make it all the way through. You might find some surprises. :P
I had just gotten a puppy in early December who was proving to be very needy and made it difficult for me to get any kind of work done, so the early part of the year was kind of a struggle and learning curve for me, especially since we had only just moved into our new house a month and a half prior to getting him and still weren’t completely set up yet. I had a lot of emotional breakdowns, I’m not going to lie, most of which would occur after Watson would do a “naughty poop” when I tried to do some kind of work and then the robot vacuum would find it before I did...and smear it all over the house. #Firstworldproblems, right? :P
I really meant to have this done as an update for the end of December or early January as a New Year thing, but due to life events at the time (which I will get to in my NEXT blog post), I could not. So here we are.
2017 was pretty awesome, but honestly, I say that about EVERY year. I know a lot of people were posting about how terrible the year was for them (I had some struggles, too) but I like to focus on the positive things, so an activity I like to do to keep me in a positive mindset is enacting a regular habit of GRATITUDE. We have so many things to be thankful every single day if we just take a moment to recognize them...like the smell of a freshly mowed lawn, the taste of freshly brewed coffee, the fact that you woke up that morning--any little thing that brings you joy. One of the things I am incredibly grateful for are my FANS, because without them, without YOU, I would not be able to do what I do.
Because I’m generally HORRIBLE at marketing and self-promotion (unless you count the animated GIFS and preview vids I post with some regularity on Twitter), I figured I should probably document a review of my year for anyone who might be curious, but who might have missed it, because really, I am terrible at posting things. (A skill I hope to get better at...and I am trying!)
Here we go! Kudos to you if you make it all the way through. You might find some surprises. :P
I had just gotten a puppy in early December who was proving to be very needy and made it difficult for me to get any kind of work done, so the early part of the year was kind of a struggle and learning curve for me, especially since we had only just moved into our new house a month and a half prior to getting him and still weren’t completely set up yet. I had a lot of emotional breakdowns, I’m not going to lie, most of which would occur after Watson would do a “naughty poop” when I tried to do some kind of work and then the robot vacuum would find it before I did...and smear it all over the house. #Firstworldproblems, right? :P
Since I work from home and shoot video for a living, having a dog who would freak out anytime he couldn’t access me (aka be touching me at all times) made shooting content impossible, but over months and months, we made slow strides to me being able to go to other floors of the house without him freaking out. I essentially had to train him that I’d “be right back” by saying those words and immediately coming back again and again until I could increase the time and he would be okay with waiting.
I ended up only being able to put out 50% of the content that I used to, and I learned to be okay with that as my major goal of the year was to work less for better work/life balance. I might not always be in the Top 50 on C4S every day because of this decrease in content, but I became happier not stressing about it anyway, so it worked out. The moral of this particular TAIL (or...tale…) is that as stressful as life was (and sometimes still can be from my crazy ball of energy Boston Terrier), I’m much happier now than I was 2 years ago. Dogs can be a lot of work, but they really do add something special to your life. The biggest thing having him has taught me: you can’t control everything...and sometimes you just need to go with the flow and adapt.
In spite of the changes I had to make to the amount of content I could put out and the amount of custom commissions I could take (and the hurdle of trying to train a very needy dog), it was a good year career-wise, as well as on a personal level. Here are some of my hightlights from 2017:
I ended up only being able to put out 50% of the content that I used to, and I learned to be okay with that as my major goal of the year was to work less for better work/life balance. I might not always be in the Top 50 on C4S every day because of this decrease in content, but I became happier not stressing about it anyway, so it worked out. The moral of this particular TAIL (or...tale…) is that as stressful as life was (and sometimes still can be from my crazy ball of energy Boston Terrier), I’m much happier now than I was 2 years ago. Dogs can be a lot of work, but they really do add something special to your life. The biggest thing having him has taught me: you can’t control everything...and sometimes you just need to go with the flow and adapt.
In spite of the changes I had to make to the amount of content I could put out and the amount of custom commissions I could take (and the hurdle of trying to train a very needy dog), it was a good year career-wise, as well as on a personal level. Here are some of my hightlights from 2017:
Though print-work has certainly been on the backburner for me since focusing on my own fetish production business the past few years, I was honored to have a 10 page feature in Hustler Magazine photographed by Scott Church, and they asked me to do a twitter takeover for them which was a lot of fun. You can get a signed copy from me here: http://ludellahahn.storenvy.com/products/21021305-hustler-june-2017-10-page-feature-signed
It was my first appearance in Hustler proper, though I had a centerfold and feature in Hustler’s Taboo two years prior, which I also have available on my shop if you want to check it out.
I was also on the cover of a French erotic novel photographed by Chas Ray Krider.
It was my first appearance in Hustler proper, though I had a centerfold and feature in Hustler’s Taboo two years prior, which I also have available on my shop if you want to check it out.
I was also on the cover of a French erotic novel photographed by Chas Ray Krider.
I didn’t go to AVNs last January due to going on a cruise (which was a bucket list item for me). It was an electronic music dance cruise called Holy Ship! and it was a blast. I had an incredible time (after getting used to the motion.)
Near the end of February, I created a Patreon page, which has been a great place for my fans who are more interested in my pinup and cosplay modeling work instead of the niche fetish content. After polling my earlier patrons, I learned they liked having an exclusive video and photoset in a matching theme each month, so that’s what I do now. It has been a fun creative outlet for me and a way to keep me actively shooting as a model since I don’t really leave my house ever.
May consisted of some medical issues (bad reaction to a vitamin d supplement I was put on after I had bloodwork done, which went on to cause me issues through July). I also spent all my weekends at my house in Boston prepping it for sale, which was tough as I had an emotional attachment to that house. It was meant to be an investment property when we bought it, and it turned out to be a good one when we listed in in June with the way market prices were in Boston last year, and luckily the couple that we sold it to loved the house for all the vintage charm it had, which was important for me.
In July I went to SDCC for the 3rd time with my friend and fellow cosplayer Minnie d'Moocha. I had spent some time leading up to the con prepping new cosplays. We of course had a blast, and it was really cool that all four of our cosplays received press features.
In July I went to SDCC for the 3rd time with my friend and fellow cosplayer Minnie d'Moocha. I had spent some time leading up to the con prepping new cosplays. We of course had a blast, and it was really cool that all four of our cosplays received press features.
 Minnie, Ludella, & Kendra James |  |
One of my biggest highlights of 2017, was receiving FOUR nominations in the Fetish Awards, and I was incredibly honored that due to the amazingness of my fans, I won all four of those awards. It was an emotional night for me, as I really was not expecting that, and you truly blew me away with your support. I am beyond grateful.
As a sidenote… as amazing of an honor as it has been to have won 6 Fetish Awards in the past two years (WHAT?? You guys are AMAZING!), there are SO MANY other actresses, models, and producers out there who deserve recognition, so I do not want to be nominated this year as I believe there are many more deserving folks. (And really, 6 awards is already more than enough, and I am SO GRATEFUL!) To nominate some of the amazing talent out there to be recognized for their hard work, click here!
It was also a lot of fun to have experienced Fetish Con with my bestie and to spend a lot more time hanging out and having fun instead of booking myself up like I had in the past. I went to the pool party for the first time and danced around in the water with friends and it was awesome! I also did my yearly shoots with Scott Church and Kenny Lee, and still managed to do some content shoots for my fetish sites.
I will unfortunately not be able to attend this year's Fetish Con due to that same mystery thing I keep alluding to....which will be revealed in my NEXT blog. I will miss all my fetish friends and fans though and I hope they have an amazing year!
I will unfortunately not be able to attend this year's Fetish Con due to that same mystery thing I keep alluding to....which will be revealed in my NEXT blog. I will miss all my fetish friends and fans though and I hope they have an amazing year!
After the con, my friend Tiffany and I hit up my favorite park Hollywood Studios together for celebratory shenanigans. I am incredibly thankful that I got to go to this park twice last year (once in January and then in August) since it will probably be a looong time before I can make it back, but we’ll get to that next blog. ;)
After quite a hectic & busy summer filled with lots of socializing, I needed to recharge. I ventured to one of my favorite places: Monhegan Island in Maine for a solo walkabout of sorts. I unplugged and spent time in the beauty of the island taking photos and listening to the whispers of the sea./If you ever have a chance to go, do it. It really is a magical place.
My other biggest highlight of 2017 was a Roman Holiday. Evan and I spent a week in Italy (mostly Rome) with a day trip to Tuscany and a couple of nights in Napoli for an excursion to Pompeii. As a Classics major, the Pompeii trip had a lot of impact for me. Rome is just so beautiful and filled to the brim with history. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the ability to travel to so many places over the years, and I look forward to returning….though next time, perhaps in a summer month as it was quite chilly in November. And this trip...well, this trip resulted in something unexpected and magical. And that is what I will share in the next blog.
Thank you so much for all your support in 2017. TRULY.
And thank you for everyone who has shown support this year. It really means a lot to me. A lot of hard work has happened for me this year and I am so excited to share it all with you.
I hope you will find the beauty and things to be grateful for in your life, whether big or small.
Much love,
Ludella
And thank you for everyone who has shown support this year. It really means a lot to me. A lot of hard work has happened for me this year and I am so excited to share it all with you.
I hope you will find the beauty and things to be grateful for in your life, whether big or small.
Much love,
Ludella
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