Happy Spring! Or if you're in the Midwest like myself, it might be feel more like “5th winter” with the recent snow dump. Luckily the temperatures are warming up and we'll be seeing buds forming on the trees and things turning green before we know it. It's been a whirlwind of a time since my last post, plenty of ups and downs. With it being so snowy and bitterly cold this winter I was tempted to sneak away to California for a little bit just to feel the sun.
Luckily, I had some summer memories to think back on. July 2022 marked 10 whole years of being with my partner, Brandon. We went on a little vacation to Duluth to celebrate. My initial plan was to take a morning on our vacation to write down a blog post, but we had so many things planned it was nice to just sit by the lake and let my mind be filled with the sound of the shore when we had down time. I'll be sure to add more pictures as I narrow down my favorites!
August brought a family expansion with four paws! We adopted our first dog; a 2-month old rescue named Trixie. She's a quick learner, but still keeps our hands full! Trixie loves playing tug, crinkle toys, zoomies in the snow, and snuggles. Oh, and lots of attention (She's currently sticking her head out from under my the desk as I'm typing). Even though she can get a little overwhelming, she's been a huge serotonin and activity boost, which I have been needing plenty of these last 6 months ago.
The end of September I got laid off from my full-time job. It was very unexpected and was extremely devastating. I felt like all of my future plans were dashed. I was hoping to use a lot of 2023 to build Studio Kal more and help get it off the ground, and when I had a certain amount of money in my bank account, to leap into photography full-time if I was getting enough inquiries. Overall that's still the long-term goal, but it might not happen as soon as I thought it might. I am very grateful for all who have stuck with me as the spare time for my business has ebbed and flowed, and especially those who have given me opportunities to keep the dust off my camera.
Speaking of, you may have seen some new photos floating around the website! One of my friends, who I have photographed a few times before, reached out to see if I would be available to take her engagement photos at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Of course we set up something quickly since the leaves were changing FAST. The weather cooperated, the sun was a bit much at times but we made it work! I'm planning a full post for that so I don't want to give too much away, but it was a blast and I would absolutely shoot there again.
The first three months of 2023 have been a lot of the same, though I do regret pushing myself to the point of burnout looking for a job multiple times, which overall sucked time away from photography-focused work. I did manage on getting a job that is a natural step up for me in the customer service area, thankfully. I can breathe a little easier now.
One of my long-term goals is to have Studio Kal Photography well off the ground and booking sessions regularly by I'm 35, which gives me about 2 ½ years. Will I make it? Hopefully! I've been yearning for this to be my full-time job since... 2016? Whenever it was when I pivoted away from calculus-heavy meteorology.
In my venture to achieve my long-term goal, there are some stepping stone goals I'd love to reach within the next 9 months. My Instagram has been very quiet lately, so I do hope with more focus I can get more images edited and have regular-ish posts. My @studiokalphotography Instagram has 171 followers as of this writing, and I would love to get up (and over) 200 followers by July 2023. End of the year goal would be 350 followers. How will I get up there? Hopefully by setting up at least one shoot per month. If I end up with 3 in a month, great! But I figured since I feel like I'm starting out again, keep it low and manageable for quality's sake.
With any luck, blog posts will come more often than 6-9 months apart. Photography is my passion. I had a shoot last weekend and I was on Cloud 9 with a camera in my hands doing what I love.
There are many things I want to write about, but that will be saved for another blog post.
If you've made it this far, THANK YOU! Feel free to leave a comment about this blog or if you have an idea for a future post.
Warm wishes,
Kirsten