be where your feet are

BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE, aka the title of chapter 1 in Hannah Brencher's new book Come Matter Here. I need this tattoed straight across my forehead some days... If not as a reminder to myself then to everyone else in the world. Since quitting Hardee's, I've found myself leaning into slowness and savoring the work I'm actually getting done. I've been taking courses and reading guides that other photographers I look up to have put out in the world; reading and hearing what they have to say makes me strive to work harder to build these photo dreams into reality.

I spent the bulk of today working on my website and getting info on advertising and trying to budget for it. My goal is to book six weddings next year. I have one booked already thanks to a sweet theatre friend I've known since childhood. But now comes the hard part... How am I going to book FIVE more weddings? Word of mouth only goes so far, and I still have a pretty limited portfolio. It's almost enough to make me regret taking a five-year hiatus from photography.

But also, looking back? I can't regret a single thing. I needed those years to find myself. To get out of my hometown and figure out what my life was going to look like on my own terms. I dealt with hard, heavy things, and still came out stronger on the other side. I planted my feet and set down roots, even in the thick of the mud when all I wanted to do was run. I have cultivated a community around me full of light and joy. Photography is still calling to my heart, though, and who am I to deny my heart what it really wants?

So here we go. Be where your feet are. Put your head down and WORK. You have to put in the work in order to get the reward.