Lately

Lately things have slowed down. It was a conscious choice and decision I made throughout the whirlwind of October and November, that come December, I would take a break from photography. This business took flight before I was ready for it to and there I was at the end of November feeling frazzled, because there was no time left for, well, me. With a full-time gig and photography on the side, I was half-assing a lot of things in my life and it started to show on all fronts. It most certainly started to show in my photography.

I'm proud of all of my "firsts" this year and eternally grateful for those who had faith enough in me and my work to deliver their vision, but in the end, I wasn't happy with what I produced, all around. It was me over committing, as always, and not slowing down for long enough to ask myself if what I was capturing was the best it could possibly be. And it wasn't. I am the first to admit that I pretty much picked up my camera and started snapping away, before I gave myself time to learn the technical side of things. I tend to do this with most things in my life, so I'm not surprised by this action. Act now, think later. Not always the best or brightest approach.

So, here we are, two weeks into December and I have not picked up my camera or edited a single image and I'm . . . calm. I'm happy. I'm focused on Christmas and all the delight that this month holds. I have been working with this gem, Chelsea Fullerton on a complete overhaul and branding of my blog and website. I was lucky enough to stumble upon her after reading Ana's blog,  Grown-up Shoes. Ana hired Chelsea for her redesign and raved about her talent, professionalism, and badass vision. In short, Chelsea does not disappoint. The final files will be delivered today, yippie! AND my amazingly generous sister-in-law, Kim has offered to help me in my migration over to Wordpress. I'm giddy with excitement over the redesign and experience working with Chelsea. She has made my vision a reality and I couldn't be more grateful for her.

With every new year, I get like this. I reflect, I ponder, I obsess over how I can become a better version of myself, but I remain very hopeful and excited about starting anew. Lord only knows what 2012 will bring, but that's what makes it so interesting. It is what we make of it and I'm going to make it a good one. ;)

More to come . . . and in the meantime, here's a few snaps of our holiday decor that I actually had time to work on this week.

love,
kelley