A soft farewell....

I am whispering a soft farewell here, not to dreamstime and the wonderful people on it, but to the year 2014. This year was a tough one, as I left my home in Michigan and moved in with parents to help them care for infant grandchildren. I became a licensed foster mom, relearned first aid, cpr and potty training, learned again how to exist on only a few hours of sleep, and basked in warm hugs and wet kisses and the beautiful weight of a tiny head sleeping against my breast.

I learned a lot of things in 2014, for example the favorite photos of that spectacular sunset or adorable child might mean a lot to me, but the buyers liked hardworking snow plows, tsa baggage handlers, flowering mums, and fish breath polar bears.

I learned how to see a stock photo vs a family photo, and how to tweak it just enough to get both. I learned to ask for copyrite releases and that a meal and a few beers goes a long way to getting an ok from family and friends.

I learned to think outside the box, try new things, and not give up. I went from struggling for my first 50 images to having over 2000 accepted images and over 500 sales. I learned to look at other images, listen to the pros and helpful tips and try try again for the contest images.

I learned to not fear mistakes, because if you are making mistakes it means you are trying new things learning and pushing yourself. if you are doing things you've never done before, then you are at least doing something!

So goodbye to 2014 and hello 2015. Here is to new memories, fresh moments to capture, and a year of creativity. Happy new year!