Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020!

We’re a week or so in to 2020 which means after a week of warming up to 2020, it’s time to officially let go of 2019 and set goals for 2020. 

2019 was a tough year for me personally. At this point, it was without a doubt the hardest year of my life, and hopefully the coming years won’t beat that record. School kicked my butt so hard, I struggled with my mental health, and experienced suicidal thoughts for the first time. It’s something I’ve had a hard time being open about, but after months of working on talking openly about my feelings and experiences, it’s high time it became a little bit more of a public part of my life. 

Looking back of course hindsight is 2020, and I have a much easier time now seeing that 2019 was a difficult but beautiful year of my life that was absolutely full of learning about myself, others, and nursing. It was an amazing year for photography, which was in many ways the bright and happy refuge I needed through the year. I had the opportunity to travel more this year, going to Texas, Arizona, and Utah for weddings. I updated my website and started a blog (haven’t been consistent with it but whatever), rebranded my logo with the amazing Ayanna Mendoza (visit her website at www.ayannamendoza.com), started newborn photography, and had some of the most beautiful shoots of my life. I could not have asked for better growth and support from this amazing community in the last year. It’s a pretty high bar, but I’m hopeful that 2020 will bring even more photography opportunities my way. 

Every year I set some goals for my business, my self, and think of a few bucket list items I want to cross off. Last year I only shared the business goals, but this year one of my goals is to be more open and present as a real person with you guys, so this year you get to hear about it all, starting with my personal goals for 2020! 

1. Run a 5k! 

In high school I ran a lot and loved it! I ran one season of cross country and had to stop because of my horrible knees, and running has taken a back seat ever since. I’m starting out this year with hopes to get back into better shape by doing my friend Kendra Griffits (find her on Instagram @kengriffitts) January bootcamp and so far it is KICKING MY TRASH. But, I’ve also started running as part of it and it felt so good and didn’t even kill me as bad as I thought it would, so yay for progress! 

1. Graduate College

This is a huge goal that I’m currently just a few months away from, and after years of working towards it I can’t believe it’s finally here! I can’t wait to start a new job as a nurse later this year and start life as a real adult. 

1. Enjoy Life More

A little too broad? Maybe. But after a year of struggling and sometimes not enjoying life at all, I don’t think a little enjoyment is asking too much! This year I want to take more time to do the things I love, and maybe even explore some new hobbies. 

Ok now we’ve got the goals out of the way, let’s hit the bucket list!

1. Go to a concert

Yeah ok, I admit it, I’ve never been to a concert. And I’m not talking about an orchestra or something very fine art performance-y, I mean like a jumping, screaming, waving your phone flashlight in the air kind of concert. If anyone’s got some good suggestions for artists to see live, let me know! 

1. Visit a new state 

So far we’ve got Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, California, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Hawaii, and Florida checked off, so I’m thinking maybe this year it’s time to see a little more of the east coast? If you’re getting married somewhere I’ve never been, let me know and there might be a discount on travel in it for you 😉

1. Sew my own dress

I’m kind of a big dress lover. There is just about nothing I love to shop for more than a new dress. This year I’d love to make my own dress and hopefully with help from my super seamstress baby sister it won’t even look too homemade. 

Ok, on to business! So far I’ve done three goals per category, but there’s no way I could choose only three goals for this year, so please enjoy this very long list of hopes and dreams for this business I love!

1. New camera

I try to update my equipment every 3 years, and this fall will be sweet baby Sony’s 3rd birthday. I’ve loved this camera, but it’s already on its way to no longer meeting my needs, and I want the best pictures possible for you guys so it’s time for this one to find a new home!

1. Blog more consistently

I’m trying really hard to set goals I know I can’t achieve, so for now I’m gonna set the bar low and say I’d like to publish a new blog once a month. Obviously last year blogging was something I struggled with so much. Hopefully this year as I end my time as a student, blogging will become a little easier! 

1. Be an active part of my business

This sounds so weird, but I’ve fought with myself a million times over how visible and present I need to be in my business. I love photography, and I’m confident in my work, but not always so much in myself. Being vulnerable is already something I struggle with, and doing it publicly is the ultimate challenge. At the beginning of my time as a professional photographer, I didn’t worry too much about making myself known because the majority of the people who followed me knew me personally, and I was ten times more worries about proving myself as a good photographer. Now, as my business has grown and moved, there are a lot of people here who don’t know me at all! But I can’t even tell you how hard it is for me to take a video of myself talking, and then listen back to it and hear this little lisp I can’t get rid of, and then post it for anyone to see. But this year I want you guys to come to your shoots feeling like you already know me. So buckle up and get ready to be friends!

1. Travel MORE

I can’t help it, I’m selfish. I started travelling more for photography last year and I want to do more! I can’t even tell you how cool it is to shoot somewhere and something completely different. 

1. More newborns please!

I can never decide what kind of shoot is my favorite, but newborns are such a special one. There is such a sweet kind of trust and responsibility that goes with being the first person to professionally capture a new life. It’s that crazy feeling of knowing that someday those pictures might be shown at this child’s wedding, and their parents will have a favorite one they’ll show absolutely everyone. It doesn’t get any better than that. 

1. Shoot the stylized shoot of my dreams

I don’t do stylized shoots much because they take a ton of planning and it’s just not my strong suit, but it’s a been a long time dream of mine to have some of my images published in a bridal magazine, and a stylized shoot might be the way to do it! If anyone wants to model for me, let me know!

2020 has already been an amazing year, and I can’t wait to see where it’ll go. Let’s make some beautiful photos this year my friends!

Love,

Brittany