When I was little I had many dreams. Photography wasn't one of them. I actually wanted to be a hairstylists, vet or a dolphin trainer. Fast forward to my senior year in high school, My school offered a program called CTC ( Career and Technology Center ) where Senior students had the option to choose a trade and go for their whole senior year. My first option was Cosmetology and my second choice was an EMS paramedic. ( I knew I wanted to help/serve people ) I remember that day so perfectly when my parents excitedly told me my acceptance letter had came in the mail. Eagerly, I opened the letter and found that I had been accepted into Brownstown CTC for Cosmetology for the 2010-2011 school year. As tears filled my eyes I screamed "I got accepted!" I couldn't believe it. I was SO happy. My dreams were slowly coming together. Now off to cosmetology school I go!
It was an amazing year, I learned so much and really fell in love with the trade. Serving others and making clients look and feel their best. How could it get any better?! I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After graduation, and completing my state boards I landed a job at a local salon. I was finally living my dream, being a cosmetologist or so I thought. I was there for about 8 months before everything came crashing down. One day my boss at the time pulled me to the side and said, "I don't think this is going to work out, you're not bringing in enough clientele" and they kindly let me go. My heart was shattered. I remember being so confused and hurt. I cried to my mom that day and asked "Why did this happen?" "This was my dream!" after pulling myself back together determined I set out and applied to every salon that was hiring even salons that weren't hiring currently. I tried to get my name out there but I only got met with " I'm sorry, we prefer to have someone with at least 3-5 years experience" In my head I'm thinking, "How can I get the experience If no one is willing to hire me?" It was a long, exhausting and frustrating search. Dead end after dead end, I eventually gave up pursuing being a cosmetologist. My confidence was shattered.
At that time, my fiance' and I were also planning our dream wedding. ( Yes, we got married young. We got married almost 1 year after my graduation date ) So I decided to focus on that instead of my career. After we got married, we started a family. God blessed us. In April of 2013, we were going to be parents to a beautiful baby girl and how excited we were! During those early years of motherhood - I knew I wanted to be a stay at home mama. I found a new dream you could say. My main focus was trying to be the best mother I could to our little girl and along the way, I found a love for capturing every moment I could of her childhood.
In 2015 my husband bought me my first DSLR camera. I found a new hobby and a love for photography I never knew I had. Capturing those fleeting moments sparked a new passion and a new dream. Looking back, I can't help but wonder if God was shaping me for this exact moment- unraveling a part of me I never knew existed. My experiences, failures and trials are what led me here today and for that I am truly grateful. I never thought in a million years that I would ever want to be a photographer, yet here I am! pursuing a new dream, a new passion. A dream that I hope can touch the hearts of many. A dream where I can serve others, to be able to use this gift that God gave me to not only keep for myself but to use for others and to use this gift for his glory. After all, he deserves all the glory! My hope is that I can convey my love and passion for photography and that it would shine through in my work.
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve on another, as good stewards of God's varied grace" 1 Peter 4:10
