Today’s challenge, “Give me something to believe in,” was about making statements about what I believe in as a photographer. What I wrote speaks so much to who I am as a person and professional, that I have dubbed it my Manifesto. Enjoy!

I believe in soul mates in the Jim and Pam from The Office sort of way. You know, the wait until the timing’s right, propose in the middle of the pouring rain, build an extraordinary life together in an otherwise ordinary setting. Fight through the bad, celebrate the good, laugh at the little things and put each other first.

I believe in being kind, even if it’s hard. When someone knocks you down, I think you should smile and thank them for providing you with the opportunity to get stronger. I don’t believe in hurtful words or actions, and I believe that every wrong can be righted.

I believe that emotion, tone and character can be heard through the written word. That’s why I use smiley faces, exclamation points and endearing verbs whenever possible when communicating with clients, friends or colleagues via text, email or social media. It may seem a little over-the-top bubbly at times, but hey, that’s the type of positivity, excitement and LOVE I want to put out into the world every day.

I believe that it’s okay to make mistakes if you learn from them. I’m the type of person that can be eaten alive by anxiety and overthinking EVERYTHING imaginable, which is why I try my hardest to take each challenge or obstacle I face and turn it into a learning opportunity. Part of learning from mistakes includes saying “I’m sorry,” admitting when you were wrong, and being open and honest.

I believe that anything is possible with hard work. I am not professionally trained in photography, but I wanted to be great at the craft and create a business that I’m proud of, so for the past couple of years, I have busted my tail to make it happen. I can’t begin to tell you how many nights I’ve stayed up hours past my husband and little boy have gone to bed working on editing images, watching webinars, reading blogs, perfecting my website, planning marketing, doing client outreach, and more! Though I still have a long way to go, I am so proud of all that I have accomplished, but most importantly, how I have accomplished it.