I've had this post in my drafts since last December. It's never easy putting yourself out there for the world to see. Blogging opened up a world of possibilities for me, and an endless amount of support along the way over the last 2.5 years. The relationships I've made through this blog have been so wonderful, and I know that some of those relationships will continue after this blog.
As you probably guessed, this is goodbye for now. I can't give a specific reason... only that parts of blogging that once made me feel so welcome, have now turned... icky. It took me awhile to realize what was going on, and that blatant materialism was getting the best of me. I would log in and check my favorite blogs only to be bombarded with new computers, new shoes, new cameras, what colors were "in" and I started to feel bad about myself because I refused to spend $300 on a purse. Sure, I worked hard, and I felt like I deserved it. But somewhere along the way, I started to think about the person I really wanted to become, and spending $300 on a purse when so many people are struggling just seemed... wrong. It's hard to step away from all of those "things" in the land of blogging, especially since it's so competitive and everyone seems to "need" the next best thing.
I really can't say what spurred these thoughts. Maybe it was our trip to Peru, where we saw complete and utter devastation in some parts of the country. And yet, people here are trying to figure out which $200 iPad case to buy. I hope this doesn't offend anyone - we're blessed here in America to be able to even have those choices. And if you can afford it, why not, right? But to me, it just didn't feel right. Or maybe I started to feel this way when I realized, 50 years from now, what do I want to be remembered by? Do I want to make a difference?
Right now, I'm on the verge of figuring out what kind of photographer I want to be. I love weddings, I really do. But I don't feel like those trends represent me. I also don't feel as artistically inspired when shooting a wedding. I will most likely still do weddings. But right now, I'm trying to get away from the Pinterest-style weddings and focus more on the craft of photography. I'd love to do some pro-bono work to help those in need, which I think is really rare in the wedding industry, unfortunately. I'd love to do a project that both challenged me creatively but also helped support a cause. That would be my dream. And I hope that I can inspire others with a public platform to utilize their talent to do good things.
Right now, I want to focus on helping others, loving my family, traveling the world, and being in love. Because those are the things that matter the most to me.
If you want, you can find my photoblog here, follow me on Twitter / Instagram, or add me on Facebook. I love you all! Goodbye for now.
I really can't say what spurred these thoughts. Maybe it was our trip to Peru, where we saw complete and utter devastation in some parts of the country. And yet, people here are trying to figure out which $200 iPad case to buy. I hope this doesn't offend anyone - we're blessed here in America to be able to even have those choices. And if you can afford it, why not, right? But to me, it just didn't feel right. Or maybe I started to feel this way when I realized, 50 years from now, what do I want to be remembered by? Do I want to make a difference?
Right now, I'm on the verge of figuring out what kind of photographer I want to be. I love weddings, I really do. But I don't feel like those trends represent me. I also don't feel as artistically inspired when shooting a wedding. I will most likely still do weddings. But right now, I'm trying to get away from the Pinterest-style weddings and focus more on the craft of photography. I'd love to do some pro-bono work to help those in need, which I think is really rare in the wedding industry, unfortunately. I'd love to do a project that both challenged me creatively but also helped support a cause. That would be my dream. And I hope that I can inspire others with a public platform to utilize their talent to do good things.
Right now, I want to focus on helping others, loving my family, traveling the world, and being in love. Because those are the things that matter the most to me.
If you want, you can find my photoblog here, follow me on Twitter / Instagram, or add me on Facebook. I love you all! Goodbye for now.
