Turns out, I did not reach my dreams. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, seeing as all I ever wanted was to be on “Star Search.”
All I ever wanted to do was be a singer. I was in multiple bands, and knew that I would spend the rest my life on the stage. I went on to attend Louisiana Tech in vocal performance.
Funny how life changes, because somewhere along the way, I realized I didn’t like being gone all the time doing concerts, and I accidentally picked up a camera.
Well, it wasn’t completely an accident… I did it to impress a boy. I was madly in love with this guy, and he was a photographer. I spent a lot of time in the darkroom watching him process photos. I was intrigued. Without ever having owned a camera, I convinced his boss at the Louisiana Tech yearbook to hire me. Long story short, that summer, I bought my first camera, and spent all my time in the darkroom. I was hooked.
Like so many things that happen, I didn’t intend on becoming a photographer, it just happened. I took a few peoples’ photos for fun, they told their friends, one thing led to another and by the time I graduated college I had a full-fledged business on my hands.
In the summer of 2002, I married my amazing husband. He was a pilot, and I was a photographer, and for the first five years of our marriage, we had a blast pursuing our careers. I photographed over 55 weddings by myself. I was on a creative high, and no one can stop me… then came our first kid!
Of course, it was amazing, there is nothing like becoming a parent. But I was a workaholic, and I had no concept of making time for my family. I was gone all the time, and I feel like I missed the first two years of my oldest daughter’s life. I remember like it was yesterday when my husband sat down to confront me about this issue. I had no idea it was a problem, I thought this was just how we had to live. I remember him saying, you put so much effort, talent and time into your work, but I don’t see you putting this into our family. That moment was a turning point for me in my life and my career.
It was not long after that when I had the idea to make a new type of camera bag. All I wanted was a fashionable camera bag that looked good and had function. There was nothing like it on the market. I talked about it for a year or so, and finally decided that I needed to pull the trigger.
I prayed that if the Lord wanted it to happen that he would open the doors and set things into motion… boy, did He! Let me just say I had absolutely no idea how to create a camera bag, or get one manufactured. Only by the grace of God, I met the right people at the right time, and we made our first prototype.
We decided to mortgage out home to be able to start this venture.
My family thought I was crazy, and that I had really gotten snookered. Thankfully, an 18-wheeler full of bags finally showed up, and we began shipping our first bags out of our garage in January 2010.
Within only a few months, we had sold out, and we were placing another order.
Just as our bags have evolved to be so much more than when we began, I have done the same as a wife, as a mother, and as a business owner. I would have never dreamed I would end up on 30 acres, raising chickens, goats, kids and a garden!
Over the years, the overwhelming desire to simplify and slow down has become a reality. I find myself trying to delicately balance being a working woman AND being a wife and a mom who is present and active in my family’s life.
My wonderful husband (also named Kelly), my three daughters and I live in the country where we have recently built a barn house! My goals moving forward are to take one day at a time. I try not to make too many plans, because I know those can always change!