Through the years, I’ve had a lot of creative outlets. I’ve always been heavy on the creative side of the brain and light on the practical side. But something happens when you put your creative talents into a business. Sure, it’s really my dream job, even though I’m still at the 0h-my-gosh-will-my-bills-get-paid-this-month stage.

So, here’s a confession: I am very feelings oriented when it comes to wanting to shoot. Or really doing anything. That intuitiveness of knowing when my peak creative times can be a great thing, but the last couple years I’ve learned that creativity can be a discipline also.

Photography as a business has taught me several things about myself. I’ve learned that even though I am a total introvert, once I get out of myself and meet the people I am photographing, I love it. Maybe I’ve just been really blessed by working with such fabulous people, but I am slowly learning to get over my shyness.

It’s also taught me that even when I don’t necessarily feel like shooting, it’s always beneficial. I can’t remember one time that I came back from a shoot feeling the same funk that I felt before it started. It’s like all the stress from my daily life just melts away when I get the camera in my hand and I start solving the problems of light, posing and composition.

In between paid sessions, I give myself assignments also. I love doing artistic self portraits, something I’ve carried over from art school when I used to paint and draw. (Now you’re all going to think I’m a goon). I used to spend a lot of time photographing my own kids, but really they’re sick of me and my camera. And self portraits have taught me so much about posing and light for when I do other sessions.

Every artist knows that you can’t wait until you feel like it to create. It’s great when that burst of inspiration hits, but discipline to create when that burst isn’t there really does develop something awesome inside that you can draw upon over and over.