3 Years Later…

I’m back!

In some ways I didn’t really go anywhere, but in a lot of ways I did! 3 years ago I deleted my Instagram account. Facebook followed soon after. While I still took on sessions (and even 2 weddings!) over the last 3 years, my business shifted in a major way. After saying no to social media, I had to start saying no to some clients. And then a lot of clients. I stopped marketing altogether.

So the big question - why?

Here are just a few of the reasons…

Now I’m not at all saying you can’t run a business and be a home maker. You can! I did! And I’m doing it again! But for that long season…I couldn’t. God was so clear that it was a time that I needed to step away, focus on my family, and work on myself. My business had to look and function differently during that season, and it’s okay.

In May of 2022 (when I deleted my Instagram account!) I gave birth to my third baby! I still had a whole slew of weddings and sessions scheduled, and they were amazing! I’m so grateful for the clients who put their trust in my abilities even when I had a lot going on in life. That summer it felt like the competing pressures of being a mom, homeschooling, being a wife, being a photographer, and being online (a whole other level of pressure) was too much and the answer became clear. Step back. Trust God to provide the clients in the meantime. Wait until a season of peace to return.

Summer 2023 came and I was pregnant again! To quote my friend Makaila I have “like a million babies” now. I still continued to quietly shoot sessions, learn, grow, and just live a little slower.

I realized I could live my life just as well without an audience.

That concept is probably pretty obvious to some, but when you spend years building a social media presence, a network of other creatives, and a whole host of clients, it sort of feels like setting fire to your business prospective. It felt like a big step of trust for me. I had to really internalize the belief that the audience within my 4 walls was so much more pivotal than the one online.

I had to really believe that the simple, sometimes mundane workings of my everyday life were actually more important than the mountaintop elopement or the magazine feature. So what have the last three years been filled with?

Quiet mornings reading the Bible and then going for a long run or walk. Lots of date nights, particularly at the Raleigh Room for live music, falling in love over and over again. Some heartache and loss. A lot of growth. Some of the closest friendships I’ve ever had. Gardening, chicken raising, book reading, recipe trying. Living life to the fullest.

Now, I’m back. My priorities have been realigned. It only took 3 years.