Two months ago, my mom and I set out on a trip out West along Route 66. I'll save my details of the trip for another time, but today I'm mostly just talking about emotions.
I was so ready to get out of the city (and state) of Muncie, IN. I was born, raised, and grew up in that small city. I went to college there, I met all my closest friends there, and of course my mom is there. I am so grateful for my experiences and everything in between that Muncie gave me, but it was time to leave.
I think people get comfortable, sometimes too comfortable and we don't like to talk about it. I could have easily stayed in my hometown. I had made a lot of good connections there and my business was taking OFF which was one of the hardest things to think about. I had just graduated college, I was starting to have a steady income from my photography business that I started all on my own, so why would I leave that?
I was ready for change and to be inspired by something new (and I'm sure some of you are saying, "what a millennial thing to do.") It's true though. People need to see new places, do new things, and like so many people say, get out of their comfort zone.
So I decided to leave, and move in with my long-time boyfriend, Brannon (who moved out to Arizona six months before for a software development job).
It's obviously not all rainbows and butterflies though, I want to be honest and realistic. Arizona has been everything I ever dreamed, waking up someplace where I can see mountains out my bedroom window in the distance, palm trees and cacti lining every street you turn down, and there's so much stuff to do everywhere you go. Moving your photography business across the country though? Not so easy. Don't get me wrong, I know what I'm doing with my life. I often joke with my friends or family, or the internet for that matter by saying, "I have no clue what I'm doing with my life." The thing is though, I do know. I'm a portrait, lifestyle, wedding, and anything else in between photographer, and I own my own business, and I want to be successful and have this be my full-time career.
It's been a process, and I've only been here for two months and I've already gotten discouraged a number of times. I'm not used to not being busy taking photos, editing, and talking to clients nonstop. For the last year that had been my life, so moving across the country, hardly knowing anyone, I should have been prepared for the halt in business. I wasn't though. Most recently I spend my days reading about marketing and business (I highly suggest John Harrington's book, Best Business Practices for Photographers, Third Edition), connecting with other photographers, learning about advertising, and updating my social media as often as possible to stay relevant.
When you're staying in your apartment during the greater part of the day and only taking photos 2-3 times a week (when that's your career) you tend to feel a little lazy. If I'm being honest, I'm just winging it. I don't have an exact plan, I wish I had a more set direction of how to do what I'm doing and reach my goals (I've done a couple thousand Google searches though and I haven't found a direct map of how to become successful), and there's not.
A real life photo of me chasing sunsets + dreams in Moab, Utah.
So here I am, writing a blog post talking about my feelings and what I'm doing with my life, hoping people will take the time to read it. I don't know exactly where I'm going or where this is going to take me, but for now I'm just riding the adventure wave and doing everything I can to get to the top (was that too cliche?)
Until next time.
-S
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