My inspiration

Well, it’s been a year, and I haven’t done much with this site. I really spent most of last year just “being” with my friend Deb, who was battling cancer. She lost that battle in October, but at one point she told me that if she got better she wanted to be a photographer. We only went shooting together once, in Rockport, before she got sick. Kids, commitments. Wish we had made more time for that.

Well, Deb’s dream has also been my dream for the past 5 years. I first picked up a professional camera when my sister-in-law Laurel died at age 49. I just needed something creative to do to feed my soul and all of a sudden the indulgence of buying the expensive equipment didn’t feel like an indulgence anymore. Really, what was I waiting for? So I’ve spent the last 5 years learning and practicing and here I am still loving photography.

Now, with Deb’s death – also at age 49 – I think it’s time for me to live out both our dreams. I am now going to officially call myself a photographer. I’ve spent the last month working on my website, deciding what services I’ll offer, deciding prices (yuck to all this business stuff!). I’m not quitting my day job, but I’m making the jump from a hobby to a side business. And every time that idea overwhelms me – I still have so much growing to do – I think of Deb and her brave struggle against cancer, and feel her with me encouraging me to follow our dream.