If you can be anything be real...

So, you’re curious…

I was hoping you would be.

You already know what I look like. You’ve seen the pictures, the dresses, the heels, and probably enough skin to have formed a few ideas about me.

I’m probably not quite what you’re expecting—and I mean that in the best way.

Because the woman behind those pictures has a big personality.

I’m bubbly and affectionate, I laugh easily, and there’s usually a little mischief hiding somewhere behind my smile. I grew up in New England, so there’s a straightforward side to me, and my Sicilian roots probably explain why I’m expressive, passionate, and occasionally incapable of telling a story without using my hands.

Put all of that together and you get someone who genuinely loves experiencing life.

I get excited about things.

A beautiful restaurant. A place I’ve never been. Great seats at a game. A gorgeous hotel. An idea I suddenly need to turn into something real. Give me something to look forward to and half the fun for me is the anticipation.

I love getting dressed up. I appreciate beautiful things, thoughtful plans, and being treated well. And when we get there, I’m going to actually enjoy it with you.

Food is a perfect example.

I spent ten years in restaurants and worked my way up to sous chef, so sitting down to an incredible meal hits a little differently for me. I know what went into it. I notice the details, I appreciate the talent, and I’m always curious enough to try something new.

I’m probably curious about what you ordered too.

You can decide how generous you’re feeling.

That curiosity follows me pretty much everywhere.

It’s one of the reasons I love business and entrepreneurship so much. I can become completely fascinated by an idea and immediately start wondering how to make it real. I love the building part—the brainstorming, figuring things out, creating something from nothing, and watching an idea slowly turn into something.

So if you’re passionate about what you do, I’m probably going to want to hear about it.

I understand what it feels like to become completely absorbed in something you’re building.

I’m an artist in much the same way. I paint, cook, crochet, photograph, and almost always have something in progress. Every photograph on this site was created by me too. I’m the photographer, creative director, and woman in front of the camera.

And I have to admit…

I have a lot of fun with that last part.

I’m very comfortable with my sexuality.

I like being feminine. I like affection. I like teasing. I like that little bit of tension that starts building between two people while they’re still doing something completely ordinary.

A glance that lasts longer than it needs to.

My leg against yours under the table.

That mischievous smile appearing because my thoughts just went somewhere they absolutely weren’t a minute ago.

And now you’re wondering what I’m thinking.

Good.

I like a little curiosity on your side too.

Because that playful energy is part of me. It doesn’t disappear when we’re having dinner, exploring somewhere new, laughing about something ridiculous, or talking about something that genuinely interests us.

It runs underneath all of it.

That’s what I want our time together to feel like.

I want to enjoy where we are. I want to discover things with you. I want us laughing. I want the unexpected moments that become the part we remember. I want the chemistry that keeps sneaking into perfectly innocent situations and making them considerably more interesting.

And I want you to feel like you’re spending time with an actual woman.

Because you are.

I’ve worked hard. I’ve built businesses. I’ve worked in kitchens. I’ve made art. I’ve moved hundreds of miles from where I grew up and made a life for myself in Charleston. I’ve taken chances, changed directions, learned things the hard way, and collected some pretty good stories along the way.

There’s substance behind the pretty pictures.

There’s also sass, ambition, affection, curiosity, a slightly dangerous smile, and an entrepreneur’s brain that may already be three ideas ahead of whatever I was supposed to be doing.

That’s the woman you’re meeting.

Not just the dress.

Not just the photographs.

Me.

And if you’ve reached the bottom of this page wanting to know what I’m like when there isn’t a screen between us…

I’d say the pictures did their job.

I’m Charlotte West.

As Real As It Gets.