We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jax Mennenoh a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jax, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with important influences in our lives. Is there a historical figure you look up to?

Shel Silverstein has left a permanent mark on my creative journey. His book “Where the Sidewalk Ends” has been with me since childhood. I remember many afternoons daydreaming on the living room floor while paging through the bite-sized, fanciful poems and giggling at my favorite drawings (“WARNING” always brought a chuckle!). Since then, I have cherished reading these poems to my boys, especially when they were toddlers and I would receive big belly laughs before bedtime! I declared this book their “Forever Book” when they were both in kindergarten, in hopes that they will one day pass along the imaginative reads to their own children.

Not long after opening my photography studio in 2017, Shel’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends” drawing made it to my manifestation vision board. For years, I had imagined creating an interpretation, in a medium that I adore. Finally, in 2022, I made it happen! My husband and I searched high and low for the perfect “sidewalk edge”. After finding it behind my son’s school, I gathered the boys and our Boxer, Rockefeller, and proceeded with a photoshoot. I then photographed numerous images of dirt and gravel at parks, construction sites, and mulch suppliers. All final assets were composited in Photoshop, with texture and fog overlays providing the final touch. Initially, the composition felt daunting, but I was thrilled with the outcome, and so were my clients! Soon, I had requests rolling in, and PROJECT-SHEL was born.

PROJECT-SHEL is an imaginative photographic series, inspired by the poems & drawings of Shel Silverstein. This project allows me to expand upon and explore my love for these treasured poems while offering a one-of-a-kind photoshoot experience to my clients and their children, resulting in unique works of art for their homes.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Jax. A wife and mom to two amazing boys. I am also a graphic designer and award-winning portrait photographer with a home studio based in Waukesha, WI.

My journey started at the end of 2016, after creating a superhero mask for my two young sons, Kaden & Kian. The design included 2 letter Ks, back-to-back, resembling wings. These “wings” symbolized imagination, strength, and dreams—to nurture and “give flight” to their beautifully creative minds. I decided to embrace that symbolism myself, to follow my own dreams, and immersed myself in photography education. With the support of my husband, I bought gear, learned how to use that gear, worked hard to create a beautiful portfolio, and opened my studio doors in September of 2017—named after my boys, Kade’n Kian Photography by Jax Mennenoh.

After an abundance of experimentation, I found my passion in fine-art portraiture with a focus on maternity, motherhood, children, and family. My background in graphic design has helped me to quickly and effectively develop my unique painterly style, which concentrates on emotive and authentic expressions, deep rich tones, and a hint of whimsy.

Ongoing education is also important to me. I’m an active member of The Portrait System Powered by Sue Bryce, where I have earned Associate Level in the Portrait Masters Awards & Accreditation program (working my way to Master Level!). With access to their vast library of educational videos and industry resources, I use this platform continuously to push and challenge myself, which improves my skill set and ability to produce the best work possible for my clients.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Prior to photography, I started a graphic design studio (Jacqlines, LLC). At the time, being self-employed was important to me. I wanted to create a lifestyle with good work/life balance, allowing me to be a hands-on mom to my adorable 3 year old son. For years this worked out great, as a supplemental income to my husband’s full-time salary. I would take on a few projects per month while managing and enjoying my time as a mom. Fast forward to 2013, our second son was born! With baby number two, came greater financial strain. I decided to take on temporary employment with a marketing agency, alongside my self-employment work. The position involved a long-term design role within an agile team that included many developers. While I enjoyed the project in the beginning, during year 2 and 3, I began to dread it. The project’s sprint deliverables required frequent daily meetings, primarily for the developers, and it quickly started to drain my time, energy and creativity. When the project drew to a close and I was offered another similar position, I chose to politely decline (actually, I told my supervisor it was sucking the soul out of my creative drive, and I truly meant it!). It was at this time I chose to pivot, took a leap of faith, and opened my photography studio!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Making sure my clients are taken care of, and celebrated, from start to finish. I strive to create an enjoyable, stress-free experience. Assisting with wardrobe selection and vision planning, offering professional hair & makeup, providing gentle guidance throughout the entire photoshoot, hand-retouching each image with love and great attention to detail, helping with image selection, and delivery of finished products helps my clients feel at ease. Many are brought to tears when they see their results. I couldn’t ask for anything more, it fills my heart with incredible joy knowing the impact and connection I’ve made with my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kadenkian.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kadenkianphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kadenkianphotography