When I launched my business on April 1, I began a series of blog posts introducing my new business. I planned to post them all my first week, but God had other plans. I had all of my posts written and somehow lost the document where I’d written them when I came back to write my second post. So I had to start all over!! It’s super late, but today I’m finally sharing the last of my 5 posts. So far I’ve introduced my private photo editing business, recapped my 10 years as Kingsbridge Photography, talked about why I want a personal brand, and what led us to California. Today I’m sharing what led me to decide on becoming private photo editor!!

I have to be honest, choosing a new job was really, REALLY difficult. In the past I’ve done so many things: lifeguarding, swim coaching, piano teaching, photography, and performing. I just have so many interests!! But the reality is I can’t do it all. So what was I going to do??? Below are some of the realizations I came to as I tried to answer that very question.

Why I Became a Private Photo Editor

1. I want to own a business

As I began my search for a job in January, nothing seemed to excite me. I spent many hours looking at job postings, but I couldn’t find anything I felt passionate about. It got to the point where I thought, “maybe I’m not really passionate about anything at all.” But then one day it dawned on me – I’m passionate about owning a business! Once I made that realization, I started brainstorming about what kind of business would fit my current stage of life.

2. I want to be a creative entrepreneur

The next realization came after I attended a Tuesdays Together meeting in February. Side note: If you haven’t heard of Tuesdays Together or the Rising Tide Society, go check it out now! I was part of a Rising Tide chapter in Greenville and was so excited when I found out there are THREE chapters within an hour from me. I went to the group for inspiration and to build connections in my new city. And it was amazing. After that meeting I realized that the creative industry is where I want to be! These were MY people and they understood me. I don’t want to just own any business – I want to own a creative business.

3. I want a similar schedule to my husband’s

One of the biggest hurdles when it came to looking for a job was that I wanted to have a similar schedule to Matt. As a single woman, I pursued anything and everything because I had the time to do it. But now as a married woman, my priorities have changed. There’s nothing I love more than being with Matt, and a lot of things I’ve done in the past were things that would take time away from us being together on the weekends or in the evenings.

As a photographer, I was always leaving before he got home from work or having to be gone on weekends when he was off. While I love photography, it always made me SO sad to leave him! Also, Since we are in such a beautiful state with so much to explore, I wanted to be free to explore with him on the weekends. It’s also so much better when we can spend the evening together after Matt gets off work. So I knew that when looking for a job, I didn’t want to work nights or weekends.

5. I want a home-based business to set myself up for the future

Matt and I would love to start a family at some point, and eventually Matt would like a job where he can work from home. I’d love to have the same thing! I don’t want to have to close up shop when we have kids or constantly be looking for babysitters, so I wanted a job I could continue to do when we build a family.

6. I want a business that can move with me

From the beginning, this move to California has been temporary. How temporary, we don’t exactly know. 1 year? 5 years? 10 years? Only time will tell. We would love our kids to grow up near their cousins and grandparents, plus we love our home town and would love to come back to the south eventually. But even if that doesn’t happen soon, I want to have a business that can move with me so I don’t constantly have to look for new clients and expand into new areas.

7. I want to use skills I already have

I considered becoming a virtual assistant, but that was something I’d never done before. The skills I have pertain to weddings and photography, so I wanted to find something I already knew how to do. Could there be a home-based business I could do on weekdays, have a flexible schedule, and use skills I already have?? YES!! The answer is private photo editing!!! I already know how to edit, I already have all of the programs I need, and I know the pain points that most photographers experience when editing. This is PERFECT for me at this stage of life.

8. I love cheering on others

One surprising thing that’s happened since becoming a photo editor is I am LOVING seeing people’s posts on social media and commenting on all the pretty images. Now, I do normally love it but not THIS much. As a photographer, I always felt pressure to post beautiful images and rock the social media game. I often fell into the comparison trap and didn’t feel good enough. But now that I’m not focusing on photography, I haven’t felt that anymore!!! It is so FREEING and I am so looking forward to cheering on my clients and their businesses.

9. I love photography

I still LOVE photography and all of the technical, artistic, and creative aspects of it. As a photo editor, I can still work on beautiful images and feel connected to the photography community without having to spend my whole weekend away from Matt (or being totally incapacitated after a 12-hr wedding day. Let’s be honest. Wedding photography is HARD WORK).

10. I love the creative community

Yes, this is really similar to number 2, but when I got to number 9 I just had to add a 10th reason haha! I cannot say enough about the creative community. The people I’ve connected with are SO friendly, helpful, and always willing to share. Meeting for coffee, collaborating, going to workshops together, or just getting together for fun is a regular occurrence. I’m so happy that I can still be a part of this community as a photo editor!!

I’m SO excited about this little business of mine. I don’t know if it will be a success, but for now I’m enjoying it and thriving! It really is a perfect blend of all of my passions, skills, and needs at the moment. And I cannot WAIT to see how it grows.

Thank you for reading!