When I was younger, I was paralyzed by perfectionism. If I couldn't do something right (and by right I mean absolutely perfect), I wouldn't do it. I collected notebooks, beautiful ones, and would never write in them because if I wrote in them I'd probably end up crossing something out and they wouldn't be perfect anymore. I remember saying that to a friend in college, asking her if she ever felt bad about crossing stuff out and making a mess of something beautiful, and she answered incredulous, …
personal
People Remember How You Made Them Feel
Not that long ago, I was sitting with a friend having coffee. We were discussing some pretty heavy stuff, the kinds of things I would never blog about and only those closest to me know. I was telling her about things that had happened in the past, things from a million years ago that I can't recall in exact detail, but I have a sense of it in my memory. They aren't good things, but they are things that needed to see the light of day. As I was recounting what happened, I kept returning to the …
Things That Changed My Life in 2014
Last year began with the idea that I would start my portrait photography business. That was my main focus -- getting ready, getting focused, and launching. Apparently, I was totally on board with the Amy Poehler quote before I had ever even heard it. Like I've said before, sometimes you have to just start. In a lot of ways, 2014 was about my photography business. I wanted to have all my ducks in a row and have a game plan. But in a lot of more important ways, 2014 was about how my photography …
Just Start (and Some Thoughts on Blogging)
When I was deciding whether or not to start blogging again, I kept coming up against this idea: Just start. I saw it all over the place, heard it in podcasts, felt it inside me, whispering. Go on, already. Just start. And though I'd like to say that it was just that simple, there was actually a lot of hemming and hawing involved. I had purchased a domain and web hosting for my photography business, but I couldn't seem to get things into place. And since I had already shelled out the money, I …
Connection
Last week, a friend sent me a note wishing me a happy birthday. She added that she hopes I will have a year of connection. And I thought, 'Yes! That's exactly what I want.' I also thought, 'Why isn't that easier?' The connection, I mean. I recognize my need for it, seek it out, flounder around a bit, and seem to come up short. Wasn't this easier in college? I can't be the only one. I've emailed back and forth with this friend many times in the last few months, astounded that we've never met in …