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A week ago I attended a Wildflowers Workshop in Austin. I have done nothing but think of the experience since I returned home. I even came home a day early because I was excited to get home to surprise my husband and tell him all about it. The main idea I took away from the experience was a need for balance.
As a small business owner balance between personal and professional is a constant struggle. I work in the same space I live, so turning it “off” isn’t easy. The work being so accessible on my iPhone is both a blessing and a curse. How many personal images and words are appropriate to share on my blog and social media? How can I be more present for my family and limit how much the business spills over into our family time? Near the end of last year I had already begun a process of winding down workshops to offer them less. I had been conducting them more than half the year and was constantly glued to my computer. So spending a weekend with Joy and the girls made me realize balance needed to happen, immediately and just in time for my fifteen year wedding anniversary. I really thought this trip was for my business, but I think it was a great anniversary present for myself.
So that is what I am working on now, more boundaries between work and home so that I can be present for my family. I haven’t had much opportunity in the last week to implement changes, but there has been plenty of togetherness as Chloe and I spent the week sick in bed.
I took the workshop photosessions as an opportunity to experiment. I shot almost exclusively with my rarely used 85mm, with a little 24mm mixed in. Overall the experience was incredibly inspiring and exactly what was needed for this year. Joy is an open book, kind but firm in what you need to do to grow in this business and in your personal relationships. If you have ever thought about signing up for one of Joy’s workshops just do it. I will be counting the days until the reunion.
denver, dallas
& worldwide