Today is a really big milestone. Something I dreamed about for years, and never really believed I could do. Something I always aspired to do, but always worried I wouldn’t achieve. Today marks one full year of being self-employed!

Well, technically, it marks my last day at a cushy office job, with so many “perks” and “benefits”. And while it did benefit me in so many ways, it also drained me of my passion and zest for life. It instilled fear, feelings of “I can’t” and “what if it doesn’t work out”. But at the end of the day, life is WAY too damn short not to live it to its fullest, the way it was meant to be, the way you always dreamed it could be. They always tell you as a kid to follow your dreams. Well, dang it…I am!

I am a full-time photographer, part-time yoga instructor. I am living proof that those daydreams do become reality if you live it, breathe it, and believe in it. And while there are hard days, days where the to-do list seems never ending, days where I make mistakes, days where I don’t feel like I will ever be good enough…the big picture outweighs all of that. It makes the ugly, scary stuff feel easier, lighter, more exciting to get through. It makes doing what I do so much more rewarding. I will never stop loving responses I get from couples who are so grateful and appreciative of their photos and the memories I have captured. I will never stop loving the “thank yous” and “great class” from students who come to my yoga classes. I will never stop loving how great it feels to be behind my camera, watching life unfold before me, in a way that only I can see it in that very instant.

Thank you to everyone who believed in me, supported me, and silenced the “I can’t”s in my head. I would not be where I am today without each and every one of you – my clients, my fellow photographer and wedding industry peeps, my friends, my family, my husband…you make each and every day more exciting than the last.

I can’t wait to see what the next year as in store…! Do what you love…and the rest will fall into place.

Stay cozy, friends xo