Happy Thursday lovelies!
Back in action from vacation this week with a very special post- a late Truthy Tuesday, so we’ll call it Truthy Thursday :)
DFinney Photography has officially been in business for SIX years! The official anniversary date was last Thursday, September 3rd… I still remember being laid off right before my 22nd birthday and deciding to do a little more with my photography until I found another job… Fast-forward to now and sometimes I am in utter disbelief at how far things have come from those humble beginnings.
I am quite simply amazed. Amazed at not only my growth as a photographer, but also as a business owner, and now instructor (what?!) The fact that I teach others is still something I can’t believe sometimes. I have so much more to learn and share and I am so ready for the lessons that the next 6 years will bring.
Since I’m calling this a year 6 reflections post, I think it’s fitting that I share a few! And not just facts regarding the story of how I got started- which can be read here :) So in no particular order, here are a few musings that reflect the current state of where I am as Danielle the person and as Danielle the artist and business owner.
Over the years I’ve learned many things about myself and now more than ever, I am becoming more okay with being introverted. I can be somewhat of an outsider and instead of seeing that as something I have to change (as I once did), I’m learning to accept it. Everyone doesn’t have to be “in the mix”- sometimes an outsider’s viewpoint is needed to tackle problems in a new way. I like to think of myself in that light :)
Something else I’ve learned? It’s okay to not “want it all”. It’s okay to not have the goal of expansion, building an empire, or traveling the world- instead, just being content and happy with what you do. That has honestly been my goal for a long time, but for a while I felt bad about it. I felt like I was missing something by not having a grand vision for the future. But now, especially since I began traveling more, I realize that what I truly crave is stillness and simplicity.
Being a sensitive artist and business owner is hard. I am responsible for everything that goes on with my business and the older I get, the more sensitive I’ve become. Learning to manage these feelings while still being productive is quite the struggle at times. This is partially some of what I planned to cover in Part 2 of my Superwoman post, but still fitting for this one…
In short, I am extremely humbled, appreciative, honored, grateful, and quite emotional about how far my (not so baby :) business has come! There are many more lessons to learn I’m sure, but even more awesome experiences to have, and beautiful people to meet. So, regardless of when you joined this journey, I’m happy and thankful you’re here ♥
-Danni
Photo by Keith Layne
