Creating A LIFE, not A CAREER(part 1)
I wanted to give a full and honest look behind the curtains of my business and how I found myself here. I'd love to spill that photography has been a life long passion of mine and that I have had a camera in my hand since before I can walk, but that just isn't my story. As a matter of fact my passion for photography is still relatively new.
Many many MANY years ago when I was mapping out what my life would look like-- college studying fashion merchandising and business, marriage to the kindest man I know, career as a buyer for a large retail chain, and family size -- THIS was not only NOT a stop along the route... it wasn't even on the MAP! I didn't even have a camera let alone know how to use one when my journey first began, but God would lead me to it in a very unique way.
I studied abroad my junior year of college, fell in love with my surroundings and used my small point and shoot to capture every detail and that's when I knew I wanted a nice SLR camera, but I would have never guessed the butterfly effect this would take on my plans for life. I bet that if we all look back at the journey we've walked we could find these small, seemingly insignificant, changes in our lives and how they have snowballed into something we are hopefully eternally grateful for!
(Where the seed for my passion about photography was first planted! Be kind... all these were taken on a canon powershot point and shoot and I spent the whole trip longing for a camera that could do more!)
So I came home and for Christmas was gifted my first ever SLR Camera, a Nikon D60. It felt heavy in my hands-- I now had an awesome camera that many people dreamed of having and I had NO CLUE how to use it. Power-ON, Setting-AUTO was about as far as a got. People loved my pictures though and soon I began taking a lot more pictures! My favorite subject? My boyfriend's band of course! And man what fun and energetic subjects they were to capture! THE STANDOUTS of Austin, TX!
I rarely missed a show and I ALWAYS had my camera! I started improving on my basic photography skills, but was still doing nothing more than setting the camera on auto and snapping! It was one of the most fun times of my life and I enjoyed every moment of it... but like most college students do I graduated and started a career with Target as a Senior Team Lead. I loved my job, was planning a wedding to the man of my dreams-- things were on track! Graduate- CHECK, Marry- CHECK, Career I love- CHECK! I still enjoyed taking photos, but photography still didn't hold any significant priority in my life!
And just like the tune we all knew and sang in elementary when our friend had a crush on someone...
FIRST COMES LOVE...
(HOLY smokes we were young--- and SO IN LOVE!)
THEN COMES MARRIAGE...
(Photo cred: J Marks Photography out of Round Rock Texas)
and THEN (YOU GUESSED IT) COMES BABY IN THE BABY CARRIAGE!
So I had finally checked a tick on each stop of my life map. College- CHECK, Career-CHECK, Marriage-CHECK, Starting a family-CHECK! I should have been fully complete and lived out the rest of my days in my perfectly planned happily ever after.. but if that were the case there would be no part 2!
