Front page draft
100000words.com is undergoing a face lift! I’m I’ve been trying out my web design chops with it.
Here is a sneak at what I’ve been working on all day (and last night). Not quite done yet, but you get the idea…
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.
Jobs
On Saturday, I got some much needed good news. I got a job. It’s a serving position at the Rhinelander restaurant here in Portland. This is such good news for my wife and I, for so many reasons. Top two: 1) We can now try and catch up on bills and try and get ahead. 2) I got to quit my other crappy job.
I know quitting any job right now sounds nutz (especially for a family that is trying to catch up on bills) but this is a good move actually.
See, I was working at a photo studio in the mall. Very talented group of people, and I did learn allot from them. The problem has been the hours and limitations.
I do understand that in any retail environment, hours are the suck after Christmas (especially this year). At this studio, mine have been extra not there for quite a while now (like 4-8 a week). However, I have still been scheduled for 5-6 days a week, being expected to be available just in case they need me to work. Often times, I won;t know if I am needed until an hour or two before my start time. This means that any pick up work that I might have been able to get for that day is lost, because I might have to work.
Working at that studio also had one very large limitation (among others): the conflict of interest statement we were required to sign. Basically, I could only do photography outside the studio that was deemed by the company to not interfere with their business. Translation: I can’t really make money from my photography as long as I worked there. (Oh, and did I mention I was working FOUR HOURS A WEEK!?!?!) Resigning from that studio now frees me up to do any and everything I can dream of. And, since I have a steady paying job, I really can do some of the crazy ideas in my head without worrying about how the wife and I are going to eat.
Currently, I have a band photo shoot with Fenbi International Superstars on the back burner, as well as some weddings and various other photo shoots with KJB Design (a company I am freelancing for). I also can fully pursue on location family portraiture (which I LOVE doing). I’ll have some more photos up in my image gallery very soon.
Thanks for taking the time to hear my little rant. I owe you a cookie.
PS: the people of the Evergreen community have been so supportive and good to Sarah and I during this time of financial suck. They really do show us what it is to be loved.
Father, Husband, Theological Dreamer, Web Designer, Photographer, Coffee Chugger... It's kind of like listening to a cross between guerrilla radio and a street corner prophet with a bad case of tourettes.
