What I've Been Up To...

I have been a little silent lately on my blog and Facebook page... or at least it seems that way to me. This is mostly in part because I moved apartments at the beginning of March, and with that I made March about Me (and will continue this vain a little bit into April as I prepare for the official onset of wedding season). Although I have been meeting with Brides and Grooms, making business plans, doing a little bit of shooting, and keeping up with responsibilities, I have tried to spend little time at the computer so that I could organize my new space, enjoy my new town and allow a new weekly rhythm to set in.

My new apartment is almost set up. I had shelves that I ordered for my kitchen installed last night, which means I will be able to finish unpacking the rest of my boxes and finish the organizational part of moving in. I am happy to get this done so that I can move into the decorating and personalizing part of setting up a new home!! I have a DIY to-do list that I am eager to tackle that includes repainting some furniture, ordering some fabric for some decorative pillows, and recovering a chair! I also have some prints I want to have made from my 2007 and 2008 travels to South East Asia and Europe, and want to create a collage of canvases and framed prints over my desk with favourite images from last year's wedding season! Theses things will keep me busy over the spring and summer when I carve out personal time in the midst of the busy wedding season! I also want to paint, but I am saving that task for when my parents come out for a two month visit towards the end of the summer (it's on the Daddy-To-Do list!!).

I have been blessed with some pretty awesome weather since moving to Saint Andrews, motivating me to get out and walk. My apartment is walking distance to the grocery store, the coffee shop, and little shops filled with beautiful things to look at; I love walking along the main street of shops. I feel tall and at home here. Loads of people are always out walking their dogs or running errands, and it is always nice being greeted by my fellow townies!! I also live right by the ocean (it's basically across the street) and I am only a seven minute walk from a large beach where I love to take my dog for longs walks (she loves it too because I let her off leash!!). I actually find myself craving to get outside for a walk, anxious to feel the fresh ocean air and soak in the quaintness of Saint Andrews (except for today when the wind is bitter and cuts right through every layer).

In taking time away from the computer and enjoying my new home I have recognized a new rhythm unfolding that is making it easier for me balance more of my time between personal and professional commitments.  Since beginning my business in 2011 I have found it hard to separate work and non-work time, especially since I mostly work from home (except when I am shooting of course). I have rarely scheduled myself regular days off and if I am home I feel that I should always be working on something... photos to edit, emails, etc; the problem with this is I am never as productive as I should be, I never exceed expectations, and I can never fully enjoy down time because I am always thinking I should be working!  This past month of taking each day at a time, paying attention to how I spend my hours, and thinking ahead to this summer when I will be shooting a wedding nearly every weekend beginning May 18th until the end of September (I have a few breaks in there, thankfully) I have realized a work schedule that is going to allow me more balance, more productive work time and keep me on track to exceeding the expectations of my clients, which is my number one goal. Changes to how I run my business are coming, but they are good changes!!

Love & Sunshine,
Shannon-May

And because every blog post is better with a picture, here is a little peek from a "just for fun" spring inspired (but it was freezing outside) shoot I did earlier this month.