Hi there, friend. If you’re reading this, it’s because my new website and brand refresh finally launched, woo hoo! This has been in the works since the fall and I am so pumped to finally be able to share it with you. 

Can I be real? This was a super scary investment for me. I knew I needed a cohesive brand and website that was better than what I could piece together in the hours I had between shooting and editing, but it was still kinda nerve-wracking. Thankfully, hiring the pros at Alisabeth Designs definitely payed off. 🙂 It was a *calculated* leap of faith. But, this isn’t the biggest leap of faith I have taken the past few months.

Just this past November, I quit my job to be a wedding photographer based in Charlotte North Carolina. 

Whenever I tell people that I am a full-time photographer they seem impressed, and a little concerned. (Insert mental picture of a starving artist here.) Most people ask what it is like not having “stable” income, and how on earth I did it, and let me tell you, the nuances of running a business and being self employed are a blog post for a wholeeeeee other day. Today I just want to be open with you and share the story of my leap of faith. 

Let me preface this by saying: I am no one special. I know that I am certainly not lucky. Blessed, yes. Lucky, no. Since I started to get into wedding photography in 2018 I realized that I had never done something so fulfilling. It made me work so freaking hard every day in between my college classes and my desk job. Growing up I never knew what I wanted to be, but after photographing my first few weddings, I felt the Lord telling me “this is where you belong.” After that I knew I wanted to be a photographer full-time, I just didn’t have any clue how. 

Eventually, I came up with many well thought out plans for how I could slowly transition to following my dreams.  I knew I wanted to move to a new city, but starting all over with my business would not be easy so of course I would need time. Guess what? All of those well-thought-out plans fell through. (It seems that the Lord does not work on my timeline!) 

All my job opportunities fell through and I was left with two options: sign a lease in Charlotte, quit my job, and go full time with my business, OR stay in my hometown and continue to work my 9-5 until I felt more “comfortable.” Bet you can guess which option I chose? 🙂 

The way I look at it, I am not scared to fail. It took a little encouragement from my mentors and a few Gary Vee podcast episodes, but I have realized that if I fail, I can just do something else. If I try something and it doesn’t work out, it is okay. (And trust me, many, many things in my business/life have  not worked out!) 

Good news, friend! I am not a starving artist. In fact, I would say I am a pretty well-fed one. 

I am fully aware that I am not here of my own accord. The Lord has given me my  gifts and now it is up to me to steward them. (I also owe SO MUCH to all my photography/wedding vendor/social media friends for helping me out!) 

One of the things He has been teaching me in my business is this: initially when I started, I was photographing for me. I wanted shots that looked good in my portfolio or that made me look good. He has been showing me that is not the purpose at all. I am here to serve, and to create images for every person who steps in front of my camera. And you know what’s funny? When I started focusing more on the people, and less on myself and making it about my art, my photography got better. 

So, here I sit, typing on my laptop in my apartment in a brand new city. It has not been easy the past few months, but it has been good. I am growing every day and couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come. The Lord is with me, and we are walking into this new chapter together. 

Enough about me, it’s your turn to share. Have you taken any scary leaps of faith and lived to tell about it? Do you need encouragement to take that next step?