I'm competitive. I'm not the girl who was on the winning team. I don't have a varsity letter, I don't have any trophies the best I've got is a few ribbons from my summer camp horse shows. But that doesn't change my desire to win. I try not to be a sore looser but to be honest I have my very sore moments when I'm not on the winning side of things. You could say that I don't win because I don't ever think I will, but for me it's not about not believing in myself. I think so often winning is about luck. Most of the time you win because your name was drawn from a hat or because the random number generator pulled up your #. Those winnings are all luck and I think my brother got all of this kind of luck in my family. But, I got the luck that means something. I'm lucky to know what I want to do, to love what I do and to be passionate about my job. The things that get my blood pumping and my head spinning with ideas are often about work. Crazy right??!
Miss Katelyn James is a very smart and talented lady. She is successful at a young age and is also passionate about what she does. This girl lives and breaths passion. Be it her love for photography, her husband and family, her church or her new puppy. Well today Miss Katelyn is running a contest and I want to win.
When I first read about her contest for a free seat at her upcoming workshop I admit I thought "nahh I wont win" Then I read all the info and realized it's not about a random # being pulled, it's about passion. It's about our love for our industry and our vision for our business. Now that I think I can win.
I want to win this seat at her workshop. I want to spend some time with some amazing people in this industry and re-charge my brain. I'm saving up for my own wedding this year and so I'm pinching pennies and am not making the trip out to Vegas for WPPI that I had really wanted to make this year. I picked one local seminar and am passing on the rest. To be able to have the opportunity to attend this workshop and ask questions, work one on one with someone so full of life, ideas and talent would be pretty much mind blowing.
My business is doing well so I'm not looking at this as an opportunity to start over or even to jump start my business I'm look at it as an opportunity to push myself, challenge myself and really hone in on the important things to me in life and in business. I really need organizational help!!! There is no question that my organizing skills are lacking and who better to teach this then the girl with the blog post about organizing her closet? Katelyn is real, genuine and so easy to talk to. I met her a WPPI in 2010 while sitting in a large room waiting for Jasmine Star to speak. She was a bubbly ball of laughter and smiles and after noticing that we had the same pair of amazing Bass boots, I was knew we must have many more things in common.
When I started taking photos it was all about me. It was looking at things I liked, capturing them so that I could enjoy them forever. I was in 8th grade and had no idea that I could be this passionate about something for the long haul. I never wanted to be a wedding photographer. I went to college for photography and thought wedding photographers were all stuffy old men. When I started working for a small studio in TX with three other fabulous women I realized that wedding photography isn't about stuffy old men, it's about love. It's about using talents and passions that I have to immortalize someones love. Thats a really big task to take on. It is not easy and learning from other photographers is what keeps me going. I have this passion for photography and for love. I know I can do this but having the help and encouragement of my friends and mentors over the years has fuled that fire inside of me that wants to do more, do better and take on the impossible.
Maybe I wont win this contest, maybe my story and my ounce of luck isn't enough but either way, thank you Katelyn for giving me a reason to do this reflection. For giving me a reason to sit down and remind myself why I love what I do and why I'm passionate about it.
XOXO
Spring
P.S. One huge, totally non photography related, perk about the possibility of this win is to visit my 91 year old grandfather. He live just a few hours north of Richmond in Leesburg, VA and any excuse I can find to spend time with him I'll take!!!!
