What the future holds.

Happy Saturday my friends! 

I hope you are all having a great start to your weekend and that you have some fantastic weather to enjoy.  Welcome to the second week of my blog, the one that I've been two years creating :)  They say that the best things in life take time so hopefully this blog will be worth the wait. In that same thought this week I am going to talk a little about where I have been and where I am heading.  Just as I mentioned, time is often the greatest gift we are given.  It can be our most valuable possession in life yet is something we really don't posses at all. 

For many years I was blessed to be a general photographer.  I loved the challenges of shooting weddings, the joy of shooting families and the pride of shooting seniors as they embarked on the next step in life.  Each of the sessions over the years gave me something, a memory, a lesson and a dream.  As I grew older and in many ways more focused on my own ideas and visions, I realized I was being given another choice.  The choice of where I wanted to take my work, my career and my remaining time in the world of photography. 

A year ago I revamped my plan for the future.  I renamed my business, gave it a new look and feel and basically started working my way into a new direction.  For me this was a tad scary and overwhelming.  I began to move away from general photography. I left behind the boundaries of a traditional studio. The knowledge of being comfortable in my daily routine.  I began to trade that for the honor of becoming a photographic artist.  I realized that all the countless days of shooting general photography subjects and all the hundreds of thousands of images had been to bring me here.  They had served to teach me, to shape me and to inspire me into the artist that I am today.  

Being a photographic artist is an honor.  I now have the creative freedom and the inspiration of experience to capture the world in a totally different way.  I have come to see the beauty of the world.  I now see the world with an eye that I had never before been aware of.  To see the miracle that is a butterfly, the colors and textures painted by a loving God on such a delicate creature. The wonder of a bird in flight or a flower growing wild with a beauty that is breathtaking.  The power of a mountain river or the majesty of the ocean waves.  This is the world we were given.  The world we share and so often look at but never really see.

Over the next few months I will begin placing my art in various places around the Southeast and if all goes well eventually nationwide.  My work will be in galleries, both physical and online and in art exhibits and home decor stores.  My hope is that with each print someone will see the beauty of our world and appreciate it for the gift that it is.  My dream is that my work will inspire people to think, to be thankful and to live life with a bit more hope and peace than before.  While I will still take on a very few select assignments such as weddings or portraits they will only make up about 20% of my schedule.  I will devote the remainder to my art and to the craft of creating images that I can share with my patrons and clients. 

The future for each of us is uncertain, full of wonder, challenge and mystery.  The time we spend each day making that future our very best present is what will make it a wonderful part of our past.  Until we meet here again, take care, be safe, happy and full of joy and may you have peace in all you do.