In case you missed the memo, we recently moved into a shared creative space with fellow photographer Paul Smith of Photohouse Studio and Christine Shea-the best RMT in Brantford.
We are almost 4 years into our business, and that moment of getting a set of keys to our very own office and a shared studio space was truly a culmination of so many dreams coming true.
We moved in a month ago and the whirlwind that has followed has left little room for processing or reflection of any kind.
But all these weeks later, I find myself alone in our building, coffee in hand and surrounded by quiet. So here goes.
We've both been professional photographers for over a decade, but we started our business with a meager collection: one old camera and an older camera, a free set of decades-old lights, a few acceptable lenses, one decent lens and a mountain of hope.
For almost four years we sat together day in and day out, in a tiny corner of our 1-bedroom apartment, working our hearts out for this dream.
With almost no business experience or marketing knowledge, we had little idea what commencing upon a path to a successful photography and videography business truly meant.
Starting our own business has been, without a doubt, the headliner in challenging, terrifying (and fulfilling!) things we've done in our lives. Unless you've done something similar, you have no idea the formula of vulnerability and desperation this involves. It's basically like standing up naked in front of a million people every single day asking "Am I good enough?"
That part sucks.
So many people have told us "No."
And that hurts on a level I can't begin to describe with mere words.
But so many others have said, "Yes, a thousand times over, YES." And that's why we're here today.
I'm not bragging when I say that we work as hard as humanly possible. It felt accurate when one of our interns said earlier this week, "You guys work so hard, I'm surprised you're not millionaires by now."
Spoiler alert: we're not.
But we've sweated, bled, cried, laughed, attempted, failed, fallen, soared and worked our asses off for the last four years. We've given it everything, every day, with all we are.