So, Maureen, What Did You Do All Summer Anyway?

I've had that question posed to me more than once since I quit my corporate job in mid-July. Whoa. It's been a wild ride, I assure you!

After 8 1/2 years working for a corporation, I took a MAJOR plunge and left the safe, secure world of the steady paycheck to venture into the unknown and scary world of the artist. Did I face criticism for putting my family in financial danger? Yes. Did I think about the consequences of my actions? Assuredly, yes. Did I have any reservations? Absolutely, yes. Do I regret my decision. Decidedly NO.

I can feel myself coming back to a person I used to be. That sounds dramatic, but I assure you that it's absolutely true. I've been able to pay all my bills with my camera since the day I left the day job. I've been more attentive to the needs of my children. I sleep through the night without the assistance of Tylenol PM. I am happier. I am kinder. I am slower to anger. I have cooked regular family meals almost all this week. Essentially everything I sacrificed, rightly or wrongly, to a corporation that didn't really care about me personally, I have begun to rebuild. And it feels intensely, almost insanely, good.

What I did discover during these last seven or so weeks was the impact of burnout on a person. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I was hit and destroyed on all of those fronts. The further I get away from it, the more I see it and wish I had intervened for myself long before it got to this point.

So in the midst of all this healing, I have had some fantastic experiences.

1) I was hired as the photographer for Next Step Prep, a seven-week performing arts academy associated with the Missoula Children's Theater. You can tune in to the blog I created for that program to see what these amazing 26 inaugural students did and the amazing experience I had documenting the process (there are about 10 more blog posts to do...sorry...things got a little hectic there).

2) I had a fantastic wedding with Suzanne and Bobby, two amazing actors who chose me to tell the story of their day. What wonderful people. What a beautiful wedding. I was blessed to have been a part of it.

3) I have been back in the studio doing what I love to do most--creating!!! I am also experimenting with some new lighting techniques that I think will knock the socks off some of our senior photos.

4) I am also hard at work developing marketing plans, strategies, and great deals to re-launch myself in the photography world, now that I have all the time and energy to do so.

5) I get to volunteer at my little boy's school. Thomas started kindergarten this year. It's amazing that this little teeny preemie baby is now sitting nicely in his chair at circle, engaged in lesson plans, and able to do the monkey bars unassisted (this was a LONG process of physical and occupational therapy this past summer and he has just excelled). I am so excited to be a part of his elementary school experience. If I'd kept that old job, I doubt I would have been able to do much. I also get to go to Madelyn's cross-country meets and cheer her own without the worries of having to schedule it around a corporate schedule.

So there you have it. I feel like a butterfly newly released from a cocoon. Cliche, yes, I know, but it's the God's honest truth.

I want to express a heartfelt thanks to my dearest friends, who not only supported me through thick and thin, but who also gave a rousing HURRAH when I made the decision to leave, to my clients, who were patient with me when I got a little behind, to the Missoula Children's Theater, for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to work on a fantastic project, and for my husband, Andy, who ultimately encouraged me to work 100% on the studio.

Life is good.