I sat down with the universe and told her I wanted to grow. I told her to use me as a vessel. So she made me uncomfortable. She stripped me of everything I knew. Made me learn how to be silent, how to let go, how to move on, how to stand my ground, how to be more understanding, how to fight, how to survive, how to be more assertive, more loving, less naive. She told me to take everything I had learned and share it with others ~ unknown
Iâve always been a believer in the saying âfeel the fear and do it anywayâ. Yesterday I really put this to the test as I challenged myself to face one of my biggest fears and climb up a mountain â° I have always been deathly afraid of heights and I couldnât be more proud of myself for pushing through my fear! I can honestly say I almost called it quits at least once and I felt every emotion imaginable. At one point when I thought I couldnât go any further but this guy was amazing at understanding how afraid I was and convincing me to believe in myself to keep going.
Iâm grateful to have experienced something completely out of my comfort zone in the capable hands of my friend Jacob who is passionate about sharing his love for the outdoors and what it can do for others. He is in the midst of developing âThe Colâ which will be mountain retreats and experiences focused around utilizing nature and mountain adventures to guide you to dig a little deeper and reach the goals you want to achieve in your life ~
Although I was too afraid to carry my camera with me Iâm happy to have snapped these photos with our cell phones! Iâm always excited to broaden my portfolio so the next time Iâll be brave enough to bring my camera along ~
 I really wanted to expand my business and focus on getting my original prints out to the masses in a big way in 2018. Not knowing how to do it or where to start a friend of mine said I should have an art distributor do it for me. Long story short I thought that was a great idea but hadnât fully invested in finding this distributor so I thought Iâd leave it up to the universe. This January I received an email and it was from an Art Distribution company.. out of Texas of all places! Iâm happy to say Iâve partnered with Wonderwall Studios of Austin, Texas and my artwork will be available to purchase at stores such as Crate & Barrel, Neiman Marcus and Anthropologie to name a few! So the moral of my story is to really believe in the law of attraction and let it work in your favor! Hereâs the very first print that they have printed to be showcased!
Do you love what you do?
 I feel that success is not an accident. It involves work ethic, determination, perseverance, an open mind, sacrifice, consistency, studying and most of all a love for what you are learning to do. Success takes enthusiasm and some faith. I find that success can be catapulted into reality much faster when you are following your heart and its true intentions. Success is taking what you have the ability to do combining it with motivation and a positive attitude.
Your work fills a huge piece of your life. To feel most fulfilled is to believe in the work that you do and to really love what that is. If you don't know what it is that you love to do, ask yourself what it is that makes you feel most alive?
Good morning! I love Mondayâs itâs the day I set aside to get my shit together ~ whether it be returning emails and phone calls to crossing things off my to do lists or creating new ones. Today Iâve already accomplished what I wanted to which feels good! I start everyday with gratitude for the amazing life Iâm able to live and on Mondayâs I make sure to do so even more and set that intention for the rest of the week. Today Iâm creating outlines for some big projects that Iâve been working on this winter. But Iâve also set aside some time this morning to revisit some of my old goals and see if Iâm on track or if Iâve actually accomplished any! And I dug up one list in particular
Four years ago before I really found my photography I was at a crossroads in my life where I didnât have a clear vision of where I wanted to go next or even what it was I wanted to do; my mom sat me down and made me put together a list of the things I wanted. I wanted freedom (financially and spiritually) I wanted variety, I wanted to nest and create my own space, I wanted horses in my life, and I knew I wanted to live in the country, travel, be creative, happy and connect with people (to list a few). She then made me take those vague answers and break them down into specific lists. How would each make me feel? And how would it actually look? Every single thing I said I wanted I did this for. It was super challenging at that time but I did it. Ten pages later I had a specific outline of what I wanted out of my life. And then I ordered them in the order of importance for me and I put them in a box and let the universe do its thing.
 I did not have a clue how I would attract these things. But I can confidently say I have attracted them into my life... and in the order of importance that I gave them. I still have a couple things left to do and I want to reorganize the importance of them now after reading through the lists, but I am so grateful to have taken the time to outline them four whole years ago.
So I want to know if youâve ever sat down and done something similar? Do you use a vision board? Or what have you found success with in manifesting what you want most out of life?
 I find that it really is true that our "thoughts become things" for many years I have turned to Pinterest as a valuable resource, not just to pin the typical delicious recipes, the DIY projects or my dream wedding gown. I've used it to sort out my thoughts, share new thought patterns and embrace things such as the Law of Attraction. Every night and again in the morning I research Pinterest until I find a new quote that resonates with me and inspires me to start and end my day on the path to higher thinking as well as maintaining positive thoughts and affirmations.Â
To follow along click the link here ~Â Â Â Pinterest - My Thoughts
It's Monday. But unlike a majority of people I absolutely love Mondays. It is the day that I have designed for myself to set goals for the week and to answer emails or touch base with clients. Mondays I wake up and feel inspired to get to work.
As a self taught photographer I never imagined I would be able to work from home. Are there struggles like any other job? Absolutely, everyday. But I love what I am doing so much that I try really hard not to resist my "growing pains" because I know it's preparing me to be that much better at what I am doing. From an early age I knew that I would one day be self employed, yet I never would have guessed it would be as a photographer. But now that it is happening it makes perfect sense to me.
I love horses, I love fashion, I love being on the road and I love helping people feel good about themselves. A few years ago when I was going through a transition in my life my mom sat me down and made me write a list of what I want, in every area of my life. She asked me to start writing what it was I wanted, but then to take it one step further and describe and be specific about what it looked like. I can honestly look back on those lists and know that I have attracted the perfect job into my life. So if you feel that you are not exactly where you are in life or not doing what you really long to do. Write it down, what does it look like? What steps can you take to get there?
On Mondays I focus on one part of my business that I think I could work on. Sometimes it is far too easy to put things off when you are able to make your own schedule. But I know when I have been slacking because I feel a sense of anxiety. And I know I am the only one responsible for making myself feel that way and that I can simply get to work and it will subside. My close friends know that I also do not text as much as I have in the past. Being self employed means that if you are not spinning your wheels towards productivity you are only hurting yourself. My friends and family are still a very important and vital part of my life. But I find that there are so many hours in the day that you can be distracted by social media or meaningless group texts and I make the conscious choice to focus on my business instead.
On Mondays I try and smile and be grateful for how far I have come. And work on my plans to where I plan to go next. All of my past experiences have lead me to where I feel I am meant to be (so far). I have learned to not let what others think affect me like it once used to. Because I have worked on discovering who I am and I have always been quite good at focusing on a goal and being steadfast in achieving it. I have learned some extremely valuable lessons in the last few years. I've learned about people, about life and about myself. It feels good to be able to process them, break them down, learn what I can and turn around and make them useful to me. I've been learning to accept compliments much more gracefully, and to not let one rude comment diminish the hundreds of amazing things others have taken the time to share with me. I've learned that it is usually when I am most nervous to post a new photo or share a photo shoot that it's going to get the most response. Because if I had let my own insecurities about my art stop me, I never would have posted the photo that was on the cover of the Western Horse Review magazine.
So I hope that if you aren't a fan of Mondays that you choose to make a change. Because I feel it's important to do what you love, and love what you do.
There's no need to be perfect to inspire others.
 I'm not perfect, my photography isn't perfect, my life isn't perfect, but it is real. Real as in I try to grow everyday as a person and be grateful for everything around me and to be the best possible version of myself. Every imperfect moment gives me something to grow from, every day I can learn something new about myself and the world around me. And that will just make me that much better as a photographer. Not because I will be able to utilize my camera better, but my mind and my heart.
Self growth to me is one of the most important tools in all aspects of your life. I know it has been in mine. Every time you feel uncomfortable about something. Ask yourself what am I to learn from this? What is it showing me? What is it opening my eyes to? Because every experience in your life is preparing you for the next step towards wherever it is you are meant to go. So challenge yourself to be uncomfortable, because it will be worth it.
But remember to not be that hard on yourself for not yet being where you want to be. Instead listen to the lessons your current situation is providing you with. Grow with it.
Work on empathy. This one is huge. Apply it everywhere. It means to be able to stop and put yourself in another persons shoes, aiming to understand their feelings and perspectives and to use that understanding to guide your actions. But there is no growth if you are not open to it. Have an argument with a friend? Stop and ask yourself where they may be coming from (empathy). Feel a bit jealous from someones social media post? Stop and ask yourself what it is you are lacking in your life to make you feel that way? Do something everyday to work towards recognizing your own thoughts and emotions and take responsibility for them.
Thoughts become things. Be aware of this. What is it that makes you feel most alive? What makes you feel inspired and positive? It is amazing how once you recognize what that may be and start focusing on your goals and holding onto positive thoughts and emotions your life can be completely transformed. That doesn't mean you may not have a bad day, but those days don't come around as often if you are committed to your goals and maintain a positive mindset. Surround yourself with people that share that same mindset. You may find that you lose old relationships to make room for new ones on your journey to your best self. Not everyone evolves at the same rate and there is nothing wrong with that.Â
These are all choices to be made. Fear can be a big distraction. But that is all that it is. You can make the choice to think negatively out of fear or you can choose to be positive. Which one will get you further in life? Which one will make your personal relationships better, or more fulfilling? Which choice will make you better in business? Which choice will make it easier to look in the mirror each morning?
Do you need to be perfect to inspire others? No, you really do not need to be. But what will inspire others is the choice to inspire yourself.