2014...As my camera lay idle, only resting in my hand once or twice during the last 3 or 4 weeks, I began to wonder why my camera lay idle, for I love my camera and everything it represents in my life. But there are many reasons why I haven't touched it. The most obvious is that my eyes and hands have grown tired. I needed to rest them desperately. And rest them I would. In the meantime, I have been spending quite a bit of time just being still in the hopes that being still would bring me some much desired and desperately needed clarity. You see, I'm a Mom. And a wife. And I have a career too, one that I love and that I am extremely passionate about. And I have my camera, my instrument, and my voice which has to my complete and utter surprise has helped me turn it into another career. A husband, four girls (swimmers, dancers, gymnasts, basketball players, girl scouts, students), a full-time job, a growing and very active photography business, a home to maintain, a sweet little dog, and only 24 hours in a day. I ran across this saying recently: "Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." 

Be still. And think about that. I have thought about this during my stillness and for someone like me, a person who breaks through barriers with relative ease to achieve a goal, nothing seems impossible. But just because it's possible, does it meanit's right, or it's best? For quite a long while, I have known in my heart of hearts that I wasn't living the life that I wanted in the way I wanted to live it. For that reason, 2014 has been filled with much angst for me. Appropriately so, as I'm on the verge of a major development milestone in my mind, I know that the there are big changes that I need to make. I need to fully acknowledge this huge need to simplify my life, to change things in order to open the doors towards movement. There are many reasons that I have a difficult time being still, and no matter those reasons, I know I have to follow my need for constant movement in a different way. To begin this journey, tomorrow I start a 365 project which will require me to shoot every single day. I will document all of the ways I choose to simplify my life. I will capture the thoughts and feelings of those around me as I do so. I hope to inspire some of you to go back to the basics with me, too. I will share what I want, when I want, and then I might not share at all. The goal of this is to push myself both creatively and technically so that I can focus on my art and what it means to me. Feel free to ask though, and if your toes are on the edge of a diving board like mine, share it with me. We can process it together. None of this may seem clear to you, and that's ok. It's clear to me. Crystal. I haven't done my best work yet. That is coming, though. I'm not sure that'll look like yet, or what that'll be. With all of this said, I am so incredibly grateful for the time I have spent with you this year. I am honored to have shared in your celebrations, and milestones, and that you let me peek into your lives and freeze moments for your forever. There have been newborns to the very old, and everyone else in between. You're all a part of me. Finally...if you want to book me for anything in 2015 I will try my best to accommodate you within my availability. Looking forward...