"Professional Development"

After going through a relatively tough time in my professional life last winter, I decided to make some big changes in my personal life. Bear with me on this post - I'll try to keep things short and sweet. I've got a lot of ground to cover.

So much of my time and energy over the last 6 years has been devoted towards developing my career. I've learned a ton and had incredible experiences starting a photo studio from the ground up and learning what it means to be surrounded by dedicated, creative individuals. We went through a lot of change and I've always prided myself on the ability to cope and run with it. Things got tough, and those were simultaneously some of the best and worst times I've faced in my professional life. I put a lot of my personal work and relationships on the back burner for my budding career. Though I am proud of my achievements, I wish I took a step back earlier. I'd come to realize that the passion and dedication not only to my work but to myself and my relationships are pivotal to being a holistically happy person. It changed my outlook on working as a creative. How could I consider myself completely successful if other aspects of my life were suffering? I needed to find that balance again. 

I decided I was going to buckle down and just do the work. Pick up my camera every opportunity I could find. Develop project ideas and see them through. Rediscover what excites me about photography, find my voice in it. Connect with other like-minded creatives and surround myself with positivity and progress. It's a lot of hard work, but it is so incredibly worth it. I say is and not was because it is ongoing, never-ending work. It can be tiring and test my patience, but I'm excited about everything all the time. This is what it's about. Cue the vague inspirational photo. 

I'd like to share some of my experiences this year that brought me to this point. Getting out of my comfort zone, involved in the photo community, trying new things like exhibiting my work. I've met some wonderful and supportive people over the past couple months, and because this post is too long as it is I'll be highlighting my experiences in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned to hear more about the shows/events I've been to, meeting the Portrait Meet and Let's Shoot: Boston communities, and even more awesomeness. This is where it gets good, friends.