ONE YEAR AGO | PERSONAL

one year ago today was “the jump”.

you’ll hear a lot of photographers who mention this term.  though frankly, you’ll hear several people in a number of professions toss it around.  deep down, i think we all recognize it.  it refers to that moment where you have to leave what is stable and secure, for something unknown and potentially harmful.  the jump is that time where you take a risk… and you push off from a cliff towards something beautiful, alluring, and dangerous.  my jump came one year ago today.

i started doing photography while in college, never planning to ever make a living from it, and mostly looking for a way to pass time with friends.  dressing friends as gypsies, night club debutantes, lost boys from Neverland, and even a gothic rock band, photography became an outlet for creative energy and the multitude of images that would flood my imagination daily.  i loved doing it… and whether i was photographing high school seniors, weddings, or fashion-minded portraits of friends, photography filled me constantly with all kinds of joy.

there were many times that i almost took the jump.  i’d get ready, i’d plan and prepare, but inevitably something would hinder me from going for it; sometimes that something holding me back was my own fears.  i wanted desperately to be a full time photographer, but the financial security of my previous job kept my feet planted firmly on the ground.  however, on this day last year while moving to the small artsy community of New Hope, i decided not to seek the familiar path with the steady paycheck.  i think i knew that if i did that, i might never make the jump.  my feet might always be planted firmly on the safe and the secure.

so today is a bit of a celebration.  i’m celebrating the human spirit and the drive that we all have in us to try new and scary things.  i’m celebrating the good fortune i’ve had to see this experiment turn into what looks to be a legitimate future.  and i’m celebrating finally all the amazing support from my husband, my family, my friends, and my followers who have all encouraged me in this endeavor even when the prospect looked scariest.  i’m thankful for life, love, and God… all that propel me forward and profoundly inspire me.

and i’m thankful that in jumping, we can find someplace new and exciting to plant our feet.