There are days when I’m so full of myself and my own “accomplishments” that I’m surprised people can stand to be in the same room as me. Honestly, sometimes I can’t believe I even had friends in college. I was (and often still am) so sold on my own self that it really must have been nauseating to be anywhere near me. I’ve found myself comparing my business and my achievements to other photographers and peers, tallying up all the “great” things I’ve done, all of my “accomplishments.” Then I get a reality check in the form of my dad telling me to stop smoking my own pipe, and I realize just how incredibly far I have to go.

I’m so excited about everything that’s happened in the past year and a half, but sometimes I need a bit more perspective than that. Instead of tallying up all the things I can brag about, I should be going back through all of my old work to remind me that I started out having no clue what I was doing. Instead of sitting around self-righteously judging  and scoffing at other photographers for where they’re currently at in their business and skill level, I should be reminding myself that if it weren’t for the generosity of others in the industry, I probably wouldn’t be a photographer in the first place. And instead of jealously fuming over the fact that others are more prosperous in their business than myself, I should thanking God for everything he has given me (because believe me- it’s been a LOT).

Sometimes it’s nice to have little reminders around about my roots, about how I got my start, about just how woefully ignorant I was at the beginning of all of this, and about just how woefully ignorant I still am to this day. I need to remember that it all began with my mom’s 1985 Canon AE-1, a couple of rolls of TX film and a pure, unadulterated love of seeing life through the lens of a camera.

And at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many weddings I do or don’t have per year or how many fans I have on my Facebook business page. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that I love what I do and that I’m glorifying God through my craft. Everything else can take a hike.

Happy Tuesday!