Achieving confirmation...

Do you ever have a moment in time when suddenly you know you have made the right choices in life? Today was precisely that moment for me. Most of us go through our lives day to day in quite a similar way, believing all we need to unwind and feel complete is a dinner out or a movie in. Those of us who weren't so lucky as others to have found our true calling at age ten go on in our current method of "making a living", afraid to steer into the unknown of our dreams. A couple of years ago, however, I did steer through the fear toward a dream I wasn't even sure had fully materialized yet. And, I am now discovering that it never will, which is great for me because it means a life of constant change and exploration, something I never even knew I wanted. Until it happened.

Today, because I had the balls to stand up and declare myself a photographer two years ago, regardless of the lack of certain letters behind my name or pieces of paper proclaiming me as such, I spent the day in beautiful Tampa shooting the state thespian conference in all its glory. It's not even the fact that I had the opportunity to shoot it, but the chance of being surrounded by creative minds and wonderful friends that brought about this moment of clarity. Two of my closest friends are acting (among other varied mediums) teachers, and they taught several classes today that I was fortunate to behold. First and foremost, I got to spend time with my universe son, er, godson, and get some amazing shots of him. But in addition I got to bear witness to the knowledge of these amazingly inspiring people. I found myself engrossed in their words and reasoning though I know not the first thing about acting. This is because I felt their application to all areas of life. To lend energy to your character is to live your life as truly yourself. To be unexpected is to take risks in life. To expand upon your character is to expound upon yourself. To be comfortable working and relating to perfect strangers is to communicate and collaborate in all areas of your life. Each of their lessons led me on a new thought wave to powerful places.

The energy of the attending high school students was equally as beautiful. I have never in my life seen high school students as respectful and thankful as these. Several thanked them for the class, apologized for being late, and get this, they followed direction- not just followed, but absorbed. They were all so excited to learn, to better themselves. They showed no fear of identifying their weaknesses and incorporating new ideas into their work. It was just amazing. I was totally in awe.

All this in the setting of beautiful downtown Tampa made for an absolutely perfect day. I took some of the best photos of my life, and I owe the overwhelmingly positive energy of the place all the due. This was a day that filled me with a sense that pointing my life in the direction of a creative career is most definitely the right path for me.


Thespians. I love the focus in this girl's eyes. That is the look I wish to achieve in my daily pursuits.