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Cultivating a Sense of Wonder – Reverb10 Day 4…

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Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

I’m truly fortunate. I have a sense of wonder naturally, which is so helpful as a momma boudoir & destination wedding photographer.

With my boudoir photography, I have had the opportunity to get to know women who are nothing short of amazing. I always make a point of starting off my sessions with some time to just talk and get to know each other. To learn a bit more about them. After all, they are allowing themselves to be quite open and possibly even vulnerable with me. I want to make them relax and be comfortable. It is through our conversation, and them letting their guard down, that I get the most amazing photographs of them. I always love the photos that involve laughter. True, hearty laughter, accompanied by genuine, beautiful smiles. It makes my heart sing. I love that I get to empower women, especially moms, to see how amazing and beautiful they truly are. As women, we are often so hard on ourselves. I get to use my camera to show them what I see. A sense of wonder is what gets me to that point – they are the ones that make the photographs beautiful.

Farhana, Waiting

I also love looking for the little things, the small details, and the moments of love between people. It is the most incredible thing to be an observer on the inside of a wedding day. In the past three years, I have had a front row seat to some of the most amazing and beautiful moments. I’ve gotten to hold bride’s hands as they were nervous before walking down the aisle. I’ve listened to people as they shared stories through tears of the loved ones who were unable to be there that day. I have seen some of the most joyous moments in people’s lives, that pure elation as they walk back down the aisle after they have said their vows. The toasts, dancing and celebrations. Laughter. Tears. JOY.

My love of people and the life around us only grows stronger as I am affirmed over and over of the goodness in this world. I see it all the time in my boudoir sessions and at weddings. It is just incredible, and it has made me grow in my sense of wonder. I am incredibly blessed.

Sarah & Sean's Wedding - Alone Time

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A Moment Remembered – Reverb10…

Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

I’m one of those people with rather vivid memories, and being a photographer definitely adds to me having photographs to go with it. It was quite a challenge to think of a “most alive” day. Maybe the fact is that I struggle with “most” or “favorite” types of things. Ask me for a favorite movie and I’ll try to list 20!

So I took an extra day to think about this one. In the end, I had to come down to sitting on the edge of the Pacific in Mexico. Mike, Elaine, Kenny (Elaine’s husband) and I went to Bahia de la Luna for a destination wedding that Elaine & I were photographing. We had one of the most adventurous drives that I’ve ever experienced in my entire life for the entire day beforehand, and if it wasn’t for our awesome driver Ishmael, I don’t know what we would have done. 7-8 hours through the mountains on a road that was hardly two lanes, and had 150 degree switchback curves. UGH. By the time we arrived, we were hot, carsick, just drained. It was dark, and though we could hear the Pacific, we couldn’t see it yet.

When we woke up the next morning, the view was incredible. The Bay was isolated, and it was just us there. It was an idyllic paradise. Palm trees, sand, the heat of the sun, the breeze off the water. Listening to the waves crash. Resting in the hammock and reading a book. Icy margaritas. Making new friends with the bride’s family and other wedding guests that were there. Learning Spanish (you would think that living in Houston I’d know some!) and being glad that Elaine is fluent in Spanish. Just unwinding and getting away from it all. It was *incredible*. Matter of fact, the whole trip was.

I feel just calm and serene when I think of that day. It always makes me smile. It also made me realize that sometimes you have to go through some pretty rough times to get to the really great things in life. The bad makes the good that much better!

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Writing – Reverb10, Day 2…

Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? – Reverb10, Day 2

Hmm… interesting question. Just recently, I commented to someone that Twitter killed my blog years ago. I am still writing when I post to Twitter, but it is only 140 characters and there isn’t the rest of the story there. Only what I could fit in so few characters.

I’ve realized that I really miss writing though, so I’m working on fixing that. About the only thing I can do to eliminate it is just make a focused effort to write longer posts instead of 140 characters at a time.

I am trying to make a time each day that is my writing time. It is hard to write “on command” though, so I’ll see how that works out. Having these Reverb10 prompts has been helpful though, so I’m hoping that by the start of 2011 it is a solid habit!

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One Word: Learning… #Reverb10

Blue Ribbon

I remember regretting last year not joining in on the Reverb movement, so it caught my eye when I started to see people talk about it the other day on Twitter. As I mentioned, I miss writing. What better way then to have 31 days of prompts!

Today is the big day! Reverb 10 is all about reflecting on this year and dreaming about the next. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes. Are you joining in? Leave a comment so I can read your posts too!

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

My word for 2010 would have to be Learning. It felt like every week, I was learning something new about a whole variety of things. Adjusting to having a son that is now out of high school but still living at home and how that changes the family dynamic. Learning to let go of control of things in my business that are not my strength so I can focus on where I shine. Learning that I can’t do it all, and that is ok. Learning sometimes things I already knew, but had no idea I knew.

I love learning, most of the times. Sometimes, lessons are hard though. In the end, I’m grateful for all the things I’ve learned.

Learning wasn’t the first word I chose though. The first word was growth. As I looked back on the year, I feel like I’ve grown a lot, but that growth? It wouldn’t have come without learning. Sometimes it is important to acknowledge what got you to where you are at.

I would like the word that captures 2011 for me to be empowerment. I’ve been working behind the scenes of my business (part of that whole growth thing) because I’ve realized that I’ve got the chance to do something big. Bigger than just me. With my boudoir photography, I’ve had the opportunity to really impact women, especially moms. I will be focusing on that even more next year, because every mom is beautiful, and I want to show them just how much – just as they are. I want to empower them to know that beauty, and to be ok with it.

To be honest, at the end of it all I think there is some empowerment for me there too. I’m still learning about that though…

Be sure to leave me a comment if you’re participating in Reverb10! I’d love to check out your site and follow along!

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Learning How to Dream…

I attended a workshop earlier this year with Jeff Jochum of Startup Strategy all about Selling to the Millennial Bride. Ironic, because it was during this workshop that I first said out loud how I want to focus even more in 2011 on working with moms and showing them how beautiful they truly are through my boudoir photography. It had nothing to do with brides for me in the end.

Later that night, Me Ra Koh came and joined us for dinner and a more informal chat afterwards. (I wrote about all of this before in my workshop review post.) Somewhere late in the evening, she suggested that it was important to dream big. Like crazy big. REALLY REALLY BIG. Dream about what it was we wanted to be doing in 10 years. Dream HUGE. Crazy dreams, as if you had no limits.

I realized later that night, I don’t know how to dream big. Not that big, not on that scale.

Or maybe I do, but the voice inside just tears the dream down before it can fully form. Either way, I can dream short term – a year, maybe two out. When it comes to business, I can launch an idea fast. But I can’t always see the great big picture. I don’t know how to dream on a huge scale.

I’ve always struggled for years with the fact that if I make plans and then it doesn’t work out, I’m really distraught over it. It is why I’m not a big planner in my social life. Have plans for 3 weeks from now on Friday? Eh, I don’t know. Maybe. I might do something. This isn’t a good thing. I know this.

I’m learning more and more how important having solid, concrete goals are – having them written down is even better. Next up? I want to learn how to DREAM BIG. Like super big. I could change the world big.

A few weeks after the workshop while I was in Asheville, NC working with Regina Holder and photographing weddings at the Grand Bohemian and the Biltmore House, Jeff Jochum sent me a direct message via Twitter. It was in response to a conversation that I really don’t remember anymore. Doesn’t matter. What hit me was his message to me.

He told me that I underestimate myself. I cried as I realized he was right.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. So now I’m putting it out there. My goal for 2011 is to learn to DREAM BIG. Then to hone & craft my dreams. To stop talking and start doing. I’m constantly having small dreams, little ideas come to me constantly, and I talk myself out of them. I’m either too worried that someone else is already doing something similar, or I just don’t have enough time to focus in on where it could really go. I don’t honor my dreams. One step I decided to take towards this goal today was to sign up for the Mondo Beyondo class in January. I’m pretty super duper excited about this!

That is actually just one part of my learning how to dream big plan – I’m also attending Jeff’s Biz Clarity II workshop in Denver next month. I attended the workshop in Houston last month, but I hit upon such a big breakthrough half the day that it sort of rocked me off my tracks. I decided that attending Biz Clarity II will help take me into 2011 on a stronger footing then if I did it alone. (Think that it sounds like something you could use? The December class is full, but Jeff said that January still has spaces available.)

Interesting thing about all this dreaming – I think everyone has the power to change the world, even in some small way. I guess it is time to learn that that “everyone” includes me as well.

I’ll be in Denver, Colorado and have times available on December 17th for boudoir sessions. If you or someone you know would like to set up a boudoir session while I am there, please contact me through my photography site and we’ll get it all set up!

Mondo Beyondo Dream Big