A Year in Review – 2015

Last year at this time, I did a fun little exercise looking back over the previous year and looking forward to the following year [if you’re interested in going back & reading what I wrote, that post is here!]  I really enjoyed that exercise & wanted to continue the tradition and go at it again this year! I have lots of fun posts planned for January, highlighting 2015 in photographs, so, if you want to see lots of pretty pictures – hold out just a little bit longer! It’s coming! Including everyone’s favorite – behind-the-scenes images of yours truly! So, stay tuned! This post, is all about words though.

LOOKING BACK
What are you most proud of this year?
2015 has been my biggest year of business yet! From 2012 to 2013, I doubled my business. From 2013 to 2014, I doubled my business again. I haven’t 100% pulled together the numbers from 2015 yet, but if I haven’t doubled my business again, I’ve come really close! It has been an incredible year for my little photography business and I couldn’t be happier.
On the personal side: I began teaching piano lessons for 2 students – my cousin Eli & my sister Ruby. It’s handy because they live next door to each other so I can do one lesson, walk across the driveway and do another! I began taking piano lessons when I was 6 years old & continued with lessons for 10 years. I always knew that I would be able to teach, but stepping out and actually doing it was slightly terrifying! It’s going splendidly though and I have to admit that I absolutely love it! My cousin is starting from scratch, so it’s so fun to teach him from the ground up & see him progressing every single week. My sister took lessons from my old teacher for almost a year and she’s brilliant with the piano, so she’s a little more advanced! It is an absolute joy & I’m so proud of myself for stepping out & doing what I knew I could.

What was the biggest risk you took?
Even though I technically went full-time with my photography business in 2014, 2015 was my first full year being full-time. This was also the very first year that I actually paid myself a salary! YES – 2015 was the first year I cut myself a paycheck every month! It kind of goes along with being full-time – up until this point, I had a paycheck coming in from an outside job and didn’t need the income from my photography. In 2015, we needed my income and I’m so pumped to say we made it! It felt like a huge risk, but looking back, it was completely natural!

What did you learn this year?
The thing that instantly comes to mind is posing! I took an online workshop from Justin & Mary called “The Art of Authentic Posing” and I learned so much! I feel like my confidence in posing people instantly took a turn for the better – suddenly I was more confident & thus was more satisfied with my sessions! I feel like I still have so much to learn, but I love what I have learned this year and the strides forward I made!
I also learned and am learning how to be a Mama. Not only did we meet our baby girl at the beginning of this year, but it started a huge learning cycle of how to care for her, feed her, get her onto a schedule, etc. Learning how to breastfeed was the most difficult and challenging task I have EVER undertaken. I had no idea – for something that was supposed to be completely natural, it was so so hard. [Maybe one day I’ll write about that journey, would you be interested in reading about that? Leave me a comment if you would!] As much as I wanted a natural, medication-free birth, I wanted to be able to breastfeed Braelynn more. It was my number one goal and without that steely determination, I’m sure I would have given up. I’m so thankful that I didn’t though!

What do you wish you had made more time for?
I think I cry to Derrick at least once a week that I wish I spent more time with Braelynn – to which he’s become accustomed to replying, “You’re a great Mom and doing a great job.” I love the time I get to spend with her and love that while she’s napping [and after bedtime most nights] that I can sit down and pound out multiple blogs, schedule Facebook posts, and edit edit edit! Maybe one day, I’ll get used to our schedule & will quit feeling like I spend too much time in front of my computer, until then, we’ll keep working on it!
I also wish I had insisted on being IN photographs with Braelynn more. That sounds really crazy, especially since I’m a photographer [doesn’t she know better?] but I think that’s the problem: since I AM a photographer, I was the one who would always be taking the photos, instead of getting in them. It’s a goal for 2016 – exist in photographs!

What are 3 highlights (business or personal) of your year?
1. Meeting our little baby girl on January 25 was the most amazing incredible moment of my life. I’ll never forget the moment, the cheers, the emotion, her big blue eyes staring up into mine – it was breath-taking. It’s so crazy to think that 1 year ago, we were still waiting to meet our little munchkin – it feels like she’s been a part of our lives forever and I literally cannot imagine waking up in the morning without her here with us. [if you’re interested in reading Braelynn’s birth-story, it’s in 2 parts – part 1 & part 2!]
2. We bought our 2nd home! After 6 months of searching, walking through numerous houses, and one declined offer, we found our dream home. Okay, maybe not exactly “dream”, but it’s absolutely perfect for us, for right now. We love the location, the character, the neighborhood, and the price was perfect. We put in a ton of work to make it our own and we have more work to go, but we couldn’t be happier! [if you’d love a tour of our new house, it’s in 2 parts – part 1 & part 2!]
3. We were so blessed to be able to spend so much time at the Lake House this year. For my entire life, I have spent almost every single weekend from April until October at Deep Creek Lake and when Derrick & I got married & moved north, quick weekend trips to the Lake House suddenly weren’t really an option. We’d visit 2-3 times a year, but that was all. This year though, with our moving back to the Pittsburgh, PA area, we were able to go to the Lake House every weekend that I wasn’t shooting a wedding + we spent almost a whole week on vacation there! It was glorious. I love that place so so much & I’ve loved introducing Braelynn to it!

LOOKING FORWARD
What “word” do you want to define 2016?
Confidence. I want to stride into 2016 confident in my accomplishments as a business woman, confident in my skills as a photographer, and confident in my learning to be a Mama. I want to be more confident in who I am and who I’m becoming and make decisions based in that confidence.

What are 3 big goals (business or personal) for 2016?
1. I’ve already given away my first goal: exist in photographs! And not just selfies! I want to actually hand my camera over to Derrick and let him take a few photos of me too.
2. My goal for 2016 is to book 15 weddings! I’m over half-way there already! But, getting from where I am up to that number is going to take a lot of work! I have lots of ideas to propel myself toward that number, but I need to actually take the time to carry them out! It’s challenging with a little babe, but I need to stop using that as an excuse & go for it! She’s older now and I have lots of willing babysitters, I need to carve out dedicated time to build & grow my business!
3. I really want to be more involved – with Derrick & Braelynn, with my family, with my church, with the local small business community. Sure, it’s easiest to sit on the couch and cruise Instagram on my phone, or get lost endlessly scrolling Pinterest, but I want to be present and get out of my comfort zone a little bit!

What do you want to stop doing in 2016?
This is the most challenging question! I remember it being really tricky last year too, but when I went back and read last year’s answer to this question – I’ve actually done it! Having a baby has kind of forced me to stop procrastinating! I have always been a last minute person, I work well under pressure, but with a little person to tak care of as well – waiting until the last minute suddenly isn’t an option anymore, because if I wait that long, we end up being late! I’m so happy to report that I mailed my cards out earlier than ever this year, I’m completely finished Christmas shopping, I’ve even wrapped everything! WHAT?! YES!
So, what do I want to stop doing next year? I’d love to stop complaining, stop seeing the glass as half empty, stop letting silly things steal my joy. I want to stop being bogged down by the mundane and instead allow the little things to be the big things and simply be happy! A huge goal, I know, but that’s what I truly want!

What things excite you about the upcoming year?
I have some fabulous weddings booked for 2016! I am so excited to be shooting half of my season in the Twin Tiers, in Sayre & Towanda, PA and in Binghamton & Ithaca, NY and the other half of my season will be centered around South Western Pennsylvania, in Monroeville, Greensburg, and Pittsburgh, PA!
2016 is a HUGE year for birthdays in my family! My Dad turns 50, one of my sisters turns 20, Derrick turns 30 [!!], Derrick’s Mom turns 60, and my Grandma turns 80! There is talk of going on a cruise to celebrate, but so far we haven’t been able to find the perfect one. We’ll see! I’m crossing my fingers – the last cruise we went on was one of the brightest highlights of my life – so I would LOVE to do it again!

What do you want to learn in 2016?
I would really love to learn more about light. How to manipulate it and use it to do what I want. How to photograph it properly and how to really embrace it. I want to learn more about backlighting and how to get more of that beautiful golden glow in my images. I want 2016 to be the year I become a student of light!

If you’re interested in playing along and looking back over 2015 & looking forward to 2016 along with me – here is the list of questions to copy & paste! If you do, would you tag me in your post either on Instagram or on Facebook? I’d love to read up on your year in review & your goals for 2016! You can even grab my graphic to use! Here’s the link to download it!

LOOK BACK
What are you most proud of this year?
What was the biggest risk you took?
What did you learn this year?
What do you wish you had made more time for?
What are 3 highlights (business or personal) of your year?

LOOK FORWARD
What “word” do you want to define 2016?
What are 3 big goals (business or personal) for 2016?
What do you want to stop doing in 2016?
What things excite you about the upcoming year?
What do you want to learn in 2016?