When did I get all adult?!?

I have spent today working.

I didn’t have to punch in anywhere, didn’t have a boss, and didn’t even have to shower (although I did!). Today I was working from home. I was working for my business.

That is wired for me to say. I have a business.

100000words is (as of this weekend) a business in the state of Oregon.

Holy crap! I have a career!

I’m still kickin’ it at JazzKats Coffee Bar and the Rhinelander (gots to pay them bills), but those are my day jobs. I am a professional photographer and designer.

Never really thought I would be able to say that.

After high-school, I didn’t take the ‘American path to adult hood’- work yourself through school so that you can finally have a decent job and finally make some cash. That course just wasn’t for me. I have too much artist in these bones.

For a long time, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. I figured that I would I would just find an ok job and work to pay the bills while I tried to serve a church somewhere and maybe be a writer. Not a bad idea, but really nebulous and direction less at its core.

After Sarah and I moved to Portland, she bought me a camera (my Nikon d40- freakn’ love this thing!). I started taking pictures, and found it to be a real joy. I mean, I never got sick of taking pictures… I still don’t.

Then, an idea got into my head: why couldn’t I do this for a living? People say I have a good eye (check out my flickr stream and judge for your self), and even though I have a lot to learn I seem to be pretty good at it. Long story short, I got hooked up with KJB Design Photography doing weddings, and thus a career was birthed, surprisingly painlessly.

In the process, I also discovered that this eye is good for design. So, I started designing business cards, fliers, web elements… pretty much anything I needed. I have gotten chances to design things for others, and they have liked my product. Sweet!

Example 1: this is a post card image I was doing today for First Methodist in AK:

Seriously, this thing has been so much fun to make!

So, not only do I have a career, but it’s something I enjoy doing!

Being married and getting pregnant has done something to me. It has filled me out, completing me in ways I never thought would happen.

All that time I spent in my early twenties sort of floating about, dreaming of an artsy job to support my ‘some day’ family… that was my heart reaching out saying “This is what I was made to do. This is part of who I am!” Only, I never really knew it.

But now, I have a wife and a coming child (oh… and two cats, can’t forget them) to take care of, not just support. This has fulfilled me, given me direction and clarity, and made me realize (largely thanks to Sarah’s belief in me and her constant affirmation) that I can do what I have dreamed about. I am able to do this, and to do it well! …even if,(for now) I have to work elsewhere to get all the bills covered. I will always do whatever it takes to make sure that our bills are paid and food is on the table. But, sometimes that’s not enough.

I’m not saying I want a huge ass house and three cars or any of that shit. I do want my family to thrive though. They cant thrive if I’m not happy, because I’ll be draining away their joy. Or worse, I’ll just be absent. So I will take care of them, I will be around, not working late to squeeze out some extra money. I will (someday) be able to be home with my wife and kids. They will see me work, know that when I have appointments I will be home later and we will play, and I will be present in their lives just as they will be present in mine. They will see that I freaking love my work, that I work hard at it,  and I hope it will inspire them to follow their passions.

And they will see me serve.

One reason I love the idea that is slowly coming to reality of working for myself as a free lance photographer/designer is that I will have time to serve other people. I will have time to be more and more a part of the Evergreen Community. I will have time to take friends out to lunch, for coffee, have people over for breakfast. I will have time to be involved in peoples lives.

And I’ll have a kick ass job career that I love.

For now, our bills are getting paid (sometimes barley, but it’s enough), I do get to have lots of time with Sarah (my beautiful wife), and I get to start a kick ass career making images that dont suck and taking awesome pictures.

That rocks.

P.S.-You should hire me to do something for you.