Unposed: The Real Reel "Oh Give Thanks!"

"Oh, Give Thanks!" 

By VaShaun J. Pickens 

Yooo Family, let me be real with you for a moment. Running a small business will teach you gratitude on a level that hits the heart and the funny bone at the same time. One minute you are celebrating a booking, and the next minute you are whispering and praying, “Lord, please let somebody else click that link." And somehow, He keeps sending people who believe in what we do. 

So today, Pictopia is pausing to do something sacred. We are giving thanks. 

Not the polite, pretty kind of thanks. I am talking about the kind that comes from remembering every time you helped us keep the lights on, every time you told a friend, every time you booked us when you really could have gone somewhere else. The kind of gratitude that makes your chest tighten and your eyes get hot before you blink fast, so nobody catches you tearing up at your computer. 

Oh, give thanks. Because you did not just support a business. You supported a dream that refused to quit. I felt that in my ShaunNaNa!

See, Pictopia has been through real life. We have been stretched, tested, humbled, and upgraded emotionally and spiritually. But through every season, you showed up. You brought your birthdays, your businesses, your babies, your brands, your families, your friends, your photo ideas, and your movies, your videos and even the wild visions. And you trusted us with your moments. 

That trust means more than you know. We needed you. And the truth is, you needed us too. 

You needed a space where you could walk in and say, “Oh yes, this fits my vision." A space that is clean, affordable, creative, and practical for real people with real budgets. A space where you feel safe, celebrated, and supported. 

And we needed a community that saw our value before we could even put language to it. A community that understood the love poured into this little yellow, black, and white oasis. A community that clapped for us, booked us, believed in us, and bragged on us like family. 

Oh, give thanks. Because you helped Pictopia survive another year. You helped us keep building. You helped us stay hopeful. You helped us remember the "WHY!"

I know businesses do not usually say this out loud but let me go ahead and speak the Unposed truth. Running a venue while working a full job, DJing weddings, designing graphics at midnight, photographing events on weekends, and still trying to eat a hot meal before it gets cold is not for the faint of heart. But when we see your photos, your joy, your celebrations, and your growth inside this space, it gives us strength we did not know we had. 

You remind us that Pictopia is worth it. That you are worth it. And that this little creative home is changing lives, one celebration, one picture, one moment at a time. 

Oh, give thanks. For our clients who became family. For our future clients who are already on the way. For the way God keeps sending the right people at the right time. For this community that lets us serve with excellence and love. 

So, from Pictopia’s heart to yours: Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for choosing us. Thank you for trusting us with your stories. And thank you for letting Pictopia be a place where beautiful moments and loud laughter always meet. 

We love you more than we can say. And we cannot wait to create even more with you. Love you. Mean it!

💛Pictopia 

Smile. Pose. Snap. Capture your moment. It matters. 

#UnposedTheRealReel #ThePictopia #GratitudeInRealLife #ThankYouUpstate #PurposeAndPeople