A believe strongly in a few things. Peanut butter goes great with jelly. Strong coffee goes great with cream. And exploring new passions should always be cultivated. I think it’s so important, in fact, that I’m not even sure finding our ever-evolving truest core nature is possible without it. We are human. We want to express ourselves. We want to feel fulfilled.
I started college at Oregon State University with the idea I wanted to be a teacher. Summers off seemed like a no-brainer at the time. And then life does it’s inevitable thing and I experienced a terrible loss. A heartbreak that left me questioning both what I was doing at school and what I wanted to do after. I’m blessed to have a person in my life that is equal parts aunt, life-coach, spiritual teacher, god mother, and dear friend. I will never forget her advice as I turned to her, heartbroken and questioning my path. She asked me “Amy, what is something that gives you a spark? It could be something you have never even tried, but something that you have seen someone do that lights a fire in your heart?” I easily answered that question. Photography. I knew exactly zero about it except that a prior roommate had taken a photography class at a community college and when she had come home with camera in hand and an assignment for light painting at night, it sparked a curiosity and a heart flutter in me. Yes. It was an easy answer.
And so, literally the very next day, 3 weeks into my second semester at school, I went to the admissions office and changed all of my classes. Then I went downtown and bought a camera.
Telling the story of how I started my Equestrian Photography business over the course of the few years after college is for another time. Suffice it to say, my career has exceeded my expectations and then some. I will never give that up. What I will do, though, is keep my aunts words tucked in close during my lifetime, and always look for that little spark. The one that, if listened to carefully, will lead to an exploration of new passions. An expansion of this crazy little thing we call being human.
For me right now, that spark lies in stones and metals and torches and a bench. We’ll see where this new path will lead. I have a feeling it’s going to be good.