I’ll save the “Where did the year go?” freak out for Chris (but seriously, where the heck did this year go??). 

Let me preface this post by acknowledging this year has been very difficult for many people and not without challenges for our own family. That being said, I haven’t hated this year. I’m not ready for it to be “done and over with”. It’s simply been another chapter in my story coming to a close and 2022 is simply a new chapter beginning. This post comes from a place of celebration, excitement, and gratitude. 

Since you, as my followers and clients, are such a big part of my business, I feel it’s important for me to share where I am and where I’m envisioning my business. I’ve officially been full-time for two years now so this post would be much longer if I talked about everything, but I did want to take time to highlight a few of the big celebrations and key lessons learned of this year. 

What I’m Celebrating

Checking Off My Goals – I talked briefly about my business goals for this year were to invest more into my business by way of a mentorship and new gear, have community with other photographers, and try something new. Well fam, I’m able to cross every single one of these off my list and it feels so dang good. 

Another Year In Business – Honestly, I’m still celebrating making it through the pandemic. I know, all of my posts seem to mention Covid, but it was only by the grace of God that I did not throw in the towel last year. I’m thankful for that and I’m celebrating the heck out of it. 

What I’ve Learned

I’m Not Just A Social Media Presence – There. I said it. My relationship with social media (Instagram in particular) has been turbulent at best, but something just clicked this year and I realized that it doesn’t have to be this internal roller coaster every time I open the app. The energy I’m wasting by scrolling and overthinking my next post can be put to much better use. I’m not where I want to be with this because it’s a mindset you have to practice and choose daily, but I’m taking steps in the right direction. 

I Need To Create For Me Too – One of the main goals in my business is to serve others and that will always be the case, but I realized that I needed to get back to creating for me too. That’s all I used to do before I took photography so seriously and started trying to attract clients. This year, I did a couple of “for me” modeling shoots and they were amazing. I’ll be carrying this into the new year with me. 

Again, these are just some of the highlights of my year. Things that really stood out to me in terms of celebration and growth. So much good has happened this year annnnd I’ve also been knocked on my bum a few times. I expect this to continue each year I’m in business and I’ll be thankful for it (even if I’m not in the moment) because this means I’m growing and more than anything, I don’t want to become stagnant in any area of my life. 

Thank you so much for hanging out with me this year. Y’all have encouraged me, humored me, and walked alongside me through so much. From launching my new brand to losing my grandfather and getting ready for a new year. I love each and every one of you. 

Cheers to 2021!