It has been almost a year since we started packing up our retail studio in River Falls and since moving we have been fairly silent on our blog. I thought it was about time to break the silence and let you know what we have been doing in this last year.
The answer is simple yet complex. When we planned our move last September, we had every intention to continue business as usual at our farm location for Brite Idea Photography. Our plans included building an indoor portrait studio and extensive landscaping to our farm to accommodate children's, family and senior portraits. But shortly after we loaded up the truck and transported all our photo equipment, furniture and fixtures to our home studio, we took a moment or two to reflect on what the past two years in River Falls had been for us.
Perhaps when you are in the middle of something, whatever it happens to be, it can happen that you lose sight of your long term goals or you simply are too busy to step back and look at the big picture. Moving the studio gave us the opportunity to take a hard look at our goals and we realized we wanted to make some big changes in our business and personal lives. So this past year we have taken an unofficial Sabbath break to see what life was like without the studio or at least, cut back our workload.
When we did we quickly remembered that there was more to our lives than photography related interests. I enjoyed reading books of literature, sewing, biking, gardening and writing. Our children enjoyed being home to play in the yard, ride their bikes, pet the dogs and cats or make huge Lego messes in the playroom. My husband dusted off his road bike and again started logging miles on the road riding the beautiful countryside that surrounds our farm. We've also enjoyed getting to know our old and new friends better by simply having dinner together. This extra time has also allowed us to renew our faith and continue to walk with Christ with deeper commitment and purpose. By moving Brite Idea Photography, the transition has proved to be much more than a simple geographical move.
Our time at the studio was amazing and we have created friendships from our time there that we hope will last a lifetime. But our "business as usual" plans are on hold for a while. We will continue to photograph portrait sessions on location and by appointment only, however Doug and I are working on personal and professional projects utilizing our love of photography, business and other interests which will be our focus in the coming months. In addition, we are enjoying a renewed commitment to our family time and more time to spend with our children.
We have been very blessed by our experiences and even more blessed by the people we have met along the way. It has been a journey of learning humility, faith and grace as we walk together with you. We are excited as we continue on in a new direction.
May the grace of Yeshua be with you as you walk upon your own journey!
