Looking Back & Forward
In many ways 2013 was one of the biggest, most chaotic years of my life to date. 2014 is shaping up to be even better (more on that later).
2013 began with starting out on the adventure of entrepreneurship. It was my first full and successful year as a photographer and graphic designer. The freedoms and restrictions that this endeavour brought have been life changing. Suddenly I don’t have to answer to anyone but myself, but at the same time I have to make my own way in life. I do have to market myself, which is always tougher than it sounds (for me anyhow). I wrestle with self-doubt and self-criticism with each photoshoot and each blog post I do. It’s good though, it keeps me on my toes and tells me that it means a lot to me to succeed in this field that I love so much.
In Vancouver at the time, I was a very small fish in a very big pond. Thanks to family and friends I was lucky enough to kick off my first year with some pretty fantastic projects, such as the work I did for St. Georges School. I dove head first into networking for the first time with BNI, pushing the boundaries of my social comfort levels. I am painfully shy in these situations… yet BNI still afforded me some wonderful projects, working with amazing entrepreneurs like the AdWiz, George Pytlik and Focal Point Coach, Rupert Whiting.
In the design world, I could not have done it without Julie Coad of Fundamentals Unlimited (we’re working on her website as we speak). She is a fantastic event coordinator, an amazing project leader and a wonderful person to boot. We did some great work for Visual Effects, Little Teeth are a Big Deal and the NWT's anti-smoking youth campaign, Don’t Be a Butthead – just to name a few. I could not possibly thank her enough. I've also had the amazing opportunity to work with the NWT Sport and Recreation Council on branding consultations and a fun new advertising campaign.
Travel wise, 2013 was perfect. I knocked off two major bucket-list trips. The West Coast Trail (well, most of it) was immensely challenging, totally rewarding and I was able to share it with two of my favourite women on earth! I was fortunate enough to go to Hawaii for two incredible weeks with the love of my life and wake up every morning to the lapping sounds of the ocean and hear the roar of lava. I have completed a portfolio selection for my Hawaii trip, but will be editing a different selection for a more telling story in the blog soon. I was also able to re-visit Yellowknife and see some dear friends once again. We lived in BC, probably Canada’s most beautiful province, and regularly went on amazing hikes and camped plenty. Look for my blog post on our Year in Vancouver soon.
On our trip to Hawaii, Melanie and I made the decision to embark on the biggest adventure yet… Parenthood! We decided the time was right to start our family and we also decided it was time to settle down and move back New Brunswick. Little did we know that quickly after that we’d be getting our first ultrasound.
Living in Shediac, NB has been quite the change from the hustle and bustle of Vancouver in a good way. The pace of life is slower and we are taking the time to enjoy life more. Business wise, I’ve been working hard at implementing new systems, creating price lists, culling a brand new portfolio and launching this beautiful new website. The new site includes a lot of previous work that I have not displayed before, so please share it and I would love to hear your comments. I couldn’t think of a better way to kick-start it than with a look back at the past year.
2014 is quickly rolling by and as I sit writing this with my beautiful newborn son Luca in my arms, I realize that I have a new year of fantastic adventures and experiences to look forward to. I also know that I would not be afforded the opportunities that I have without you – family, friends, partners and clients alike.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
It’s a new year and I know it’s going to be the best one yet!
Here is a selection of some of my favourite images of 2013.
