making.things.happen.

back in mid-december, i traveled to watercolor, florida for a retreat with a bunch of women.  i coerced my best girlfriend since age 11 into going too (you can read about that here).  when i arrived at dulles airport at oh-dark-thirty for my flight to florida, it was quiet and peaceful.

i just love the brightness and lines in this photograph.  i did get a couple of weird looks while shooting inside the airport, but i tried not to aim too directly at any people.  anyhow, the serenity of this image belies the utter mayhem that ensued the rest of the day including a no-less-than-a-10-minute-2-mile-sprint while carrying 30+ pounds of gear from one terminal in the Atlanta airport to the absolute furthest terminal away.  and though i arrived with my connection still at the gate, i was met with a closed door and the stern face of the attendant who assured me that no-way no-how was i getting onto my connection.  i cannot recall being more defeated (or quite frankly, more winded).  the gate attendant, bless her heart though, told me to stand aside, and once the crowd dispersed, she quietly rerouted me to another airport in florida.  i called Becca on her cell and said, “hey, i’m getting in, but to another airport.  and i have no idea where it is and my luggage won’t be with me.”  in true friend fashion, her response, “no problem.  i’ll find you.”  did i mention it was after midnight by this point?  gosh i love her.

so, i arrived.  and i had no luggage.  no extra clothes.  no makeup.  no hair stuff.  no nothing that makes me, well, me.  and i was about to spend a full day in one room with 25 other women examining our souls and sharing the depths of our emotions with each other.  the task ahead of me, especially without all my comforts, seemed daunting.  but i had Becca at my side, and truly, that made all the difference.

i sit here and try to summarize Making Things Happen.  and i’m having difficulty.  not because i can’t but because i fear i cannot do it justice.  let me first mention the incredible women who run the workshop ~ Lara Casey, Emily Ley, Gina Zeidler and Natalie Norton. it is they who make the workshop what it is.  Making Things Happen is an intensive, and yes, in this context, i’m using that as a noun.  because that’s what it is.  you examine your life.  you examine the people closest to you.  you examine the positive relationships in your life, and yes, the negative ones too.  you make plans to get rid of those negative ones (who needs ‘em, right?).  you dream about what you would do if you had no limits, and then you make plans to do those things anyhow, damn the limits (they’re probably self-imposed).

feel the fear, and do it anyhow.

you dream about what your perfect day would look like.  and then you make plans to put those elements into every.one.of.your.days.  why not, right?

you cry.  yep, everyone did.

you will make extraordinary friends.  who.will.have.your.back.  encouragement is waiting to come flying at you with a simple post in our private forum that you need it.

and it wasn’t all photographers.  i now have a network of wedding planners, stationary designers, and marketing and finance people across the United States.  and they’re my friends and i can ask them questions.  i trust them.

my weekend ~

i came home with my notebook.  all my notes about me and my fears.  and i’ve been afraid to open it ever since.  oh, the irony.

and yesterday, arriving in the mail was a smaller notebook filled with personal notes of encouragement from the fellow women who attended the workshop with me.  it astounded me the words they used to describe ME ~ “fearless” “courageous” “strong”.  i am humbled.

and i am ready to own those words.

and, i just have to say, i love these girls.  HUGE.  every day i hear their voices in my head.  and my life is better with them in it.

xo,

A

p.s.  these images were all shot on my Pentax K1000, which my mom recently found in a box in her house.  in fact, this was the first roll of film i loaded in it and shot.  fairly certain the film was kodak BW400CN.