| a freshman again

[I debated over writing this post. I wondered if it would be better to not say anything, to make it seem like I had my act together, like it came easily for me. That was until I realized that I'm a horrible liar and the artists (and their blogs) that I respect the most are the ones who are willing to be vulnerable and share.]

{sigh} No, I'm not going back to school. But I feel like a Freshman all over again. Starting out on a new venture will do that to you. There's all the excitement of "the new" combined with the nervous butterflies (and slight urge to hurl) knowing that everywhere you look are people who are doing it better and longer than you.

This past weekend we drove up to Madison, WI to visit with some great friends who we hadn't seen in a while. They're an awesome duo with an even awesomer (totally not a word but I'm using it anyway) kid - she's way cooler than I'll ever be. He does videography and she's a photographer so together they're a one stop shop for documenting that special wedding day. So, of course our conversation often turned towards photography. I tried to glean as much of their professional wisdom as possible in a 48 hour period.

This is where feeling like a Freshman comes into play. I had a 300 level class my freshman year of undergrad that was probably a bit premature, but I did it anyway. I remember feeling so intimidated by the upper class men who understood the material and could ask in depth questions, all while I was still trying to figure out what page we were discussing. But every now and again there would be moments of "I get it!" where something would click and I'd actually feel like maybe just maybe I could hold my own if I was called upon. Welcome to my world. This is how I've been feeling lately. Immensely intimidated most of the time, with short bursts of confidence sprinkled in to keep me going in the right direction.

So... all that to say, the ball is rolling. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but it's rolling. I'm going with it as best I can. There are some important things in the works this week. I hope to share a new online gallery with you, which will allow you to order prints and have them sent straight to your very own door. I'm going to put together a price list for sessions. I need to pull together forms for all the legalese which needs to be signed off on. Basically, the little things that can't be overlooked but often aren't thought about when conjuring up that "big picture" plan.

Stay tuned!

[Shameless plug: if you're in the Madison/Chicago area and have that big day coming, book Primavera Studios. They're great. Seriously. Go, call them, now.]