{GROWTH} The Cost of Being Stretched

2011 was a very stretching year for me as I stepped out in faith towards something that had long been a shelved idea: being a working photographer. Granted, this wasn't the first time I made a major life-altering decision that scared me to bits. Quitting a career job and moving across the country to attend university at an age when all your friends are getting married, buying houses and getting promotions is not an easy thing to do. In both cases, I have no regrets (most of the time anyway... there are always the lingering what-if's, but they are very quiet in comparison to the what-if's I would have heard had I not made the choices I made!).

This year will be even more stretching. There is an ever-growing lists of personal and professional goals that I make for myself. The hard decisions I am becoming more and more accustomed to making in order to achieve these has me well on my way to reaching my goals for this year, some of which are:

1> Book and shoot 14 weddings (more than halfway there).

2> Get published.

3> Officially launch High School Senior Portrait website and Spokesmodel program. I am so excited about working with High Schoolers in Charlotte County!! AND, next week I meet with my first two Spokesmodels!!

4> Develop client gift program (Oh boy! I have some wonderful treats in the works!).

5> Make more photographer friends. The new relationships have been endless, and this is in part to the awesome online community of Showiteers (the gaggle of photographers and designers who subscribe to the same website builder that do... seriously in love with these people!!).

6> Grow as a business women. This is happening everyday, and I am so thrilled to be going to Boston next week (along with fellow New Brunswick photog friends Randi, Carla and Jen, to learn from one of the industry bests, Jasmine Star. 

7> Grow as an artist. I am consistently looking for inspiration as an artist, seeking to develop my skill levels, and striving to improve the quality of my work. Thus, I am over the moon excited and feel so privileged to be one of only fifteen photographers to be spending two full days with International Wedding Photographer Clayton Austinin his Austin, Texas studio this June.

8> Encourage, support and promote other local businesses and artists (My Passing on the Love interview series is helping me get started with this!).

9> Develop a "Client Lounge" website for my brides and grooms and pepper it with all sorts of tidbits that will help make their wedding planning and wedding photography absolutely perfect (I started working on this last night!!!).

10> Learn to love like Jesus, more and more.

Wow. Writing those out is an encouraging exercise! But also makes me realize how much work I still have to do! And, the cost of allowing myself to be stretched and grow towards fully achieving my goals? Letting go of the belief that I can't do it.

Love & Sunshine,

Shannon-May