Ok, I've Got A Short Story For You.
Once upon a time, I was 10 years into my career as an Account/Project Manager for some big-name advertising agencies. It was a crazy, alluring, yet often brutal gig. More often than not, I would find myself thinking, "I wish I had chosen teaching instead of Journalism in college." But, I kept getting promoted & starting over seemed incredibly risky so I stuck it out.
Then in 2012, I lost my best friend suddenly to suicide. The ripple effects pushed me to finally walk away from that path. Fast forward... I met a guy who became my husband & then we had our super awesome kid.
For as long as I can remember, the thing I've wanted most was to be a mom. But after my daughter was born, I struggled with a bunch of unexpected challenges, including PPD (postpartum-depression), PPA (postpartum-anxiety) & even post-weaning depression. Luckily, I had a saving grace: meeting my sisterwife for life, Lesley, on a "blind date" for new moms. Together, we created Mom Squad SF, an online Facebook community that connected local moms with babies born in the same birth season/year. I still pinch myself when I think about how lucky I was to meet this gal.
When my daughter was born, I knew I would want to do all of the photoshoots — a fresh 48, a newborn session, a lifestyle session when she turned 6 months old, then again for her first birthday, etc. But it just wasn't feasible with our single-income budget. So instead, my (incredible & wonderful) husband gifted me with a DSLR camera so I could "take all the professional pictures of the baby that you could possibly want." :D
Shortly after that, I took a 'Photography Basics' class & was completely hooked. I've been a creative person since childhood, and this medium tapped right into the skillsets I'd already developed. And when Lesley asked me to take her maternity photos & her family's holiday photos, I shared my work with our Mom Squad SF group. The positive feedback was life-changing. I remember thinking, "Wow. I'm kinda good at this!" And in November of 2020, my business was born.
Getting past the imposter syndrome & convincing myself that I was good enough to join the plethora of talented SF photographers took some effort. But with the help of an amazing life coach, I asked myself some hard questions – and discovered that the answers were wrapped up in honing this newfound craft while helping others celebrate their most special moments.
Today, I can say that I truly love what I do: bringing families joy with my photos!