I’ve learned SO much about the photography/wedding industry in the last 3 years. And it’s crazy that it’s been almost 2.5 years since this business started officially! It’s been long and short at the same time and I know there is still so long to go and so much to learn. I have noticed some trends though in the way that creative professionals relate to each other!

Just like in the rest of the world there are a set amount of questions that get asked when you meet someone new…what do you do, where are you from, are you married, do you have kids. These questions are so funny because we all have rehearsed answers to them and they’re almost necessary questions before we start to have a real connection with someone. And it’s the same in the creative world. At any given creative gathering you can expect these questions…what do you do, what do you specialize in, how long have you been shooting weddings, how did you get started…and of course, are you full time? I answer these questions a lot, and I LOVE answering them. I’m a photographer, I specialize in weddings and engagements, I’ve been shooting on my own for two years now and shooting weddings in general for a total of 4 years, and then I give them my long winding story of how I fell in love with photography. And then, I say no…I’m not full time right now and I don’t plan to be any time soon. And this is where I tend to lose people.

I love both of my jobs. I live in two separate worlds at any given time. And a lot of times, people in each of those worlds have NO idea what my other world is like. I feel like a double agent sometimes and depending on the setting, when someone asks me “what I do” I answer differently. Sometimes I say one job before the other and sometimes it’s the opposite.

I spend about half of my time maintaining a semi elegant/professional (who am I kidding?! friendly/creative/spastic excited) image as a professional wedding photographer. See below. I’d like to think this is how I come off a lot of the time, calm, poised, peaceful….but usually I’m more of the laugh too loud, crazy creative who just loves loving her clients.

The other half of my time is spent like this. With beautiful college students who are looking for significance and identity in Jesus. This image might be a little more accurate. Surrounded by some of my favorite goofballs, loving life and laughing a lot. I get to spend time sitting down with them over Starbucks, talking real, messy, authentic life and hashing out what it looks like to live a life that honors God first.

Half of my life is spent writing blog posts, having editing marathons, and photographing clients in love. The other half is spent leading bible studies, loving on college girls, and being a part of what Jesus is doing on Radford’s campus. This is really baffling to most people I talk to! And I’m okay with that. The majority of time these jobs work perfectly together. College is out of session during wedding season, and I get to make my own hours with both jobs, allowing time for both! Yes, I’ve got to make sacrifices, but ultimately it is worth it.

And it’s worth it because I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I am called to both places. And I have heartfelt vision for both places. Vision and calling are what keep me going when the hours are long. They keep me motivated and help me avoid burnout when these two wonderful jobs don’t mesh well together. And vision and calling give me peace when I answer back that no, my dream isn’t to go full time.

And that’s okay. Full time in the creative world doesn’t mean that you’ve “made it.” As I’m sure many, many seasoned photographers will tell you, that time never comes. But for me, I try to spend my time feeling incredibly lucky and thankful that I get to do, not one, but two things that I love dearly. I’m not sitting at a desk job wishing the hours away until I can go home and work on my dream. I’m not stuck wondering if I’ll ever get to do what I really want to do. I’m not doing a job that makes my soul wither. Instead, I’m doing the things that set my soul on fire! Because in all honesty, shooting a wedding lights me up just as much as having college students gather in my living room to talk about Jesus. And I’m incredibly grateful for that.

So whatever it is you’re doing, I hope you know what sets your soul aflame. And I hope that that is the calling and dream that you fight for.

PS: I’m also incredibly thankful that BOTH of these jobs mean I work alongside my husband. I know it won’t always be this way, but right now, it’s really good.