Inspirational Words

September 18, 2014

I was asked to write about a quote and how it relates to my photography. I keep meaningful quotes around me. When I come across one that touches me, I usually jot it down on a post it note and tack it to my desktop. Currently, I have 7 stickies on my computer.

I’ve noticed that nearly all of these quotes relate to business, comparison, and passion.

A few of you probably know how passionate I was about yearbook in high school. I would spend hours ensuring that the photos were lined up and creating layouts for every page. I recognized that this was how I was spending my free time and that translated into attending a six week photo course in Maine before I started college.

“We lose ourselves in the things we love.
We find ourselves there, too.” –
Kristin Martz

Some of you may have seen my dorm room – literally covered wall to wall and floor to ceiling in photographs. So many people would compliment me and I would brush it off. Because photography was my passion, I would surround myself with magazine clippings of other’s work – which would often inspire me…but unfortunately also sometimes defeat my spirit and confidence.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” –Theodore Roosevelt

Later, I began photographing my friends. It was often what we did for fun. We would head to the parking lot behind an apartment or visit the beach and snap into the sunset. I remember never wanting to lose the fun in photography. I also remember never wanting it to be stressful. I said to so many people, “I’ll never photograph a wedding – what if something goes wrong? That’s way too stressful!”

Before I graduated from college, one of my best friend’s friends reached out and asked me to photograph her wedding. Suddenly, all of my fear disappeared. I wanted to do this.

“Each of us has an inner dream that we can unfold if we just
have the courage to admit what it is.”
– Julia Cameron

“Forget all of the reasons why it won’t work and believe
the one reason why it will.”
-Unknown

And so it began. I spent countless hours researching posts and skimming blogs. I reached out to other photographers (shout out to Richard for actually chatting with me!). I scouted the venue three times. I purchased oodles of equipment – you would be surprised how many memory cards you need…. I could hardly sleep. It was all I thought about. I was ready.

The day flew by. Mistakes were made – lessons were learned – happiness and joy were experienced. I felt warmth and excitement flow through my body. I swear the guests could hear my heart beating through my chest as the vows were exchanged. Tears gently rolled down my face.

After the first few weddings, the business picked up. I never imagined it would grow the way it did. Soon, Thomas and I graduated with our master’s degrees and moved to St. Petersburg, FL to start our real jobs (anyone who has seen my cubical knows that it is also plastered with photos).

The first few months after the move were slow. Transplanting a business is tricky and it takes awhile to feel stable again.

After six months of my real, big-girl job, things started to pick up in my full time role. I wasn’t able to get home at a decent hour anymore. I didn’t have enough time to make progress on the photos and have time to take the pups for a walk or cook dinner (let’s be real, Thomas was cooking dinner). Not to mention, I was mentally drained when I got home. This wasn’t sustainable. I couldn’t put my clients on the backburner.

I’ve always been a morning person – I feel refreshed in the morning and I feel so good when I accomplish tasks in the morning. So. We set the alarm for 3:45. AM. For real.

“Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams
or wake up and chase them.”
-Unknown

We both thought it would be a temporary thing. After two months we’d stop being semi nocturnal. Well, nine months later, that is still when the alarm goes off. Photos pull me from my bed and I feel so good waking up to the images we’ve created.

“If you are working on something exciting that you really care about,
you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”
-Steve Jobs

Fine art wedding invitation by Blush Design StudioSpring wedding bouquet