She Needed Those Lessons...

A note on beginnings, belief, and becoming

My grandparents handed me my first camera when I was around eight years old. Before that, I was already deep in my Suzy Snapshot era and completely obsessed with flipping through National Geographic magazines, dead set on becoming a photojournalist. Safe to say, photography was in my blood pretty early on.

Then in high school, a teacher told me photography wasn't a "real job." I should be more realistic, she said. Go to university. And honestly? If I have one regret in life, it's that I actually listened and chose to pursue international politics instead, as if that was the more purposeful path.

"Something that might surprise people who knew me back then: I was incredibly insecure. The weight of expectations was almost paralyzing at times, and I got pretty good at hiding it."

Still working on that last part, if I'm being honest.

Luckily, I've grown a lot since then. I'm coming up on ten years in business, and by my own measure, I'd call that a success. I get to choose how busy I am. I get to choose what I photograph. And I get to come home to a family and a life that I'm genuinely proud of.

You know those trends where people talk about what they'd tell their younger self? Honestly, when I look back at her... I'd just let her live it. She needed those lessons. She needed to make those mistakes. That messy, uncertain chapter is a big part of who I am today... and who I am today is someone who knows how to hold space for women who are still finding their way back to themselves.

That's what this work is, at its core. A little bit of homecoming.

I shared these photos on Instagram but I thought I would share here too :)

With love, xo