My perspective on life changed when my photography hobby altered the direction of my existence. The idea that I could take my my love of photography and reshape it into a career was the furthest thing from my mind. How did it happen?
Change is Good
Shortly after retiring with over twenty five years as educator with the New York City Department of Education, I awoke to the realization that I no longer had to set an alarm. At first, I reveled in the fact that I did not have to hit the snooze button or punch the clock.
However, after a few weeks of leading a carefree life, I became alarmed. What would an active retiree do to fill the void? Most of my challenges came as as a result of thinking about the next phase of my life, I was driving myself and my poor supportive husband crazy.
A spark was necessary so that I didn’t spin out of control. Past hobbies were considered, but a stab at the book arts resulted in a total blowout. That’s when photography changed my point of view.
“Photography came about naturally”
The End of an Era
Photography came about naturally to me. This was the obvious choice for the next phase of my life. Furthermore, for most of my over 25 year career as an educator, I was “unofficially” the school’s photographer. All of the photos captured and shared at staff functions, on bulletin boards, and at school wide events number in the thousands. The final event photographed, punctuated a quarter century as a not-for-profit school photographer.
Family With Benefits.
The benefit of being a part of my family is that you will ultimately have your photo taken. For as long as I can remember, being the “family” photographer was the norm. As the elder of nine siblings, that’s a lot of photos! Not only do I have an extensive library, but those photos are all neatly organized into folder after folder. These photos represent forever memories captured through my lens.
A Career Choice
Photography as a career choice happened quite abruptly. It became clear to me when I posted a gallery which initiated a few prospective clients. To think, I didn’t even have a business card! That moment changed my perspective on life. There is life after retirement. Photography put me on this career trajectory and I continue to learn and grow everyday.
“Pursue a hobby and take a leap of faith.”
To sum it up, dream big and your goals will come to fruition. When you are afforded the time and space to pursue an hobby, you take the leap. When I decided to explore new avenues and it changed my outlook on life.
What is something that changed your perspective on life? Share your thoughts.
6 Comments
Leave your reply.