This Momma Is Going Back To Work

Tomorrow's the day, I'm going back to work. Like a real job, going back to work. "Real Job" is a term commonly thrown around among photographers who left a "real job" to run their photography business full time, a decision I made almost 3 years ago. And while most people will read this title and think "oh she is going back to shooting after all this corona virus craziness" that's not entirely the whole picture. I am going back to shooting. In A Glimpse will be back up and running in just a few weeks and I cannot wait to get back behind the camera. But this momma is going back to work, like a real job, 9-5, Monday through Friday, working for someone else. It was never really part of the plan, not that I honestly really had a plan. When I took my business full time a few years ago I did it knowing that it probably wouldn't be forever but that it would at least afford me the luxury to travel for a bit (which it did) and the luxury of being a stay at home mom as a became a single foster mom (which it did). I never really had an endpoint in mind. My plan was to do it for as long as I could afford to support myself and my family and see where it lead me. It's been an amazing journey. I'm still in shock that I built a business from the ground up that has fully supported me. But here is the thing, it takes everything!

I knew running my own business was a lot of work but it wasn't until I had a real break from it due to the covid19 that I realized how all-consuming it really was and has become for me. For the record I don't think that is a bad thing, I almost think it's necessary if you really want to run a successful business, but now my life is about more than me and my business and my desire to travel. It's about my family. My husband to be and little man and the kiddos to follow. It's about having time with them and having time to build an even bigger family than the one we currently have. I want that. More time. And in full disclosure financial freedom, and guys here is the cold hard truth that while my business has grown by leaps and bounds, I'm not rolling in the dough. Photography has seasons, some really great, some not-existent.  I budget for the year, watch my spending, stopped treating myself, stopped travel…because I couldn't afford to. Anyone who knows me knows that money isn't important to me, never has been. It's never been a motivator for me, but not having the stress of when and where your next paycheck is coming from sounds really amazing. Even still money has never, nor will it ever be the motivating factor for me in any big life decisions. But I am one of those people who's business was drastically effected by COVID 19. I've lost 3 whole months of income and counting because even as things start to open and people go back to "normal" lives, this business….isn't picking back up to tomorrow where it left off. People aren't planning weddings, they aren't taking family vacations to Disney World, they aren't celebrating birthdays, they aren't booking branding sessions when their businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, and there is no telling for how long this will last. So while I would love to just sit and wait it out, I don't have that luxury. And thankfully I have other things that I'm extremally passionate about. Before I was a full-time photographer I was working as a registered dietitian. Helping people to get and stay healthy and I'm going back to that and I'm really freaking excited. I'm excited to once again be able to make a difference in people's lives through food and nutrition, my first true passion.

The downside, little man is going to daycare. Gasp. Ugh, it sucks. It’s the one thing I didn't want to do as a parent. It’s the one thing I swore I wouldn't do as a parent. Now, that’s not to say I have any judgment towards parents that do because there isn't any. I just really wanted to be a stay at home mom and was thrilled that I managed to find a way to do that as a single mom. But things are different. COVID changed things in so many big ways for so many people and also so many small ways that even if we go back to a day where we don't have to stand 6 feet apart and wear a mask to go anywhere our lives will never be the same. My life will never be the same. I learned a lot these last few months about myself, and my future husband both of which I am forever grateful for but the cold hard truth is that it changed us. It changed the trajectory of our lives and while I was hesitant at first, I'm coming around to the idea that our life is going to be drastically different starting tomorrow morning but it's going to be better. Little man had a few days at daycare last week to adjust and he did great. I did great. There were no tears from me or him on his first day so I will take that as a win. He is learning new things and getting to socialize with other kids and other adults. Things are going to be crazy for a while as we adjust to our new normal, two full time working parents, but I do really well when I am super busy. I eat better, make a bigger effort to carve out time to work out. I do better with more structure. I'm more productive. I'm excited for that version of me, it suits me well. I think it will suit us, well at least I hope. It's all-new, all of it. But I'm going back to work with a super grateful heart. I got 8 1/2 months at home with little man. More than most parents get. I got to build and run my own successful business for years, and just for the record, In A Glimpse isn't going anywhere. My availability will be slightly different but I will still be capturing people’s happy memories. I've always said I was one of those super lucky people who had more than one thing they were passionate about and I'm excited to be able to get back to a time where I get to do them both.

So if you’re a full time working parent and you've got any advice for this momma going back to work, I'm all ears. And stick around because of course, I will be sharing the journey with you guys as I navigate all of it hopefully with as little tears as possible.