I create my own reality

Life is short. Time goes so fast. They grow so quickly. The good die young. All of these cliché things we are conditioned to say from the get go. We grow up and the people around us remind us over and over. Finally at 31 I've had my AHA moment on all of that bullshit. To STOP saying these words. Our words create our reality. I know this and have known for a long time yet still I talk about time and how fast it goes. I say these stupid cliché statements I'm sure even more than I think. So I share this now for accountability. I will move forward with even greater intention. Life is abundant. Time goes slowly. Moments last a lifetime. I trust the divine guidance. We never truly lose someone. As you may or may not know my photography journey has been greatly influenced by loss. It's been almost 4 years since we lost Callum, my first husband. 4 years since we held him and he stood with us in this physical plane. It feels like yesterday and it feels like an entire lifetime ago all at once. We hold his spirit in our hearts and feel his energy everywhere in this magical world around us and I know we always will. As our daughter is growing and as her mind expands and takes on all of the great knowledge of the universe I am so grateful for photographs and videos. I am so grateful that no matter how much space in her brain is being taken up by new information and all of the wonders of the world, we can continue to visit these memories that I have documented and she will always know her Daddy. She will know who he was and she will know their relationship. Without these photographs, she would only know what I tell her. With these photographs, she knows what she feels. I have met some people who don't seem to understand the importance of photographs. Perhaps it's that they don't get the same feeling as I do. Maybe they've never been left with nothing but photographs. For me, the power of photography is beyond how cool you can look posing for the camera. It's not about a perfect vision of a family or how well you can twirl your fancy dress (though that's always nice too). It's about the real moments and the feelings we get when we revisit these moments frozen in time. And it's not just about loss either. It's about growth and change. I feel like I transform every year. I look back at photos from different stages of my life and see a different person. Experiencing amazing things and growing through every moment. When we look back at photos our brains literally release the same hormones we experienced when the photo was captured. The love. The joy. The happiness. I want to give you that gift. To hold onto these moments and keep that feeling beyond what your mind can hold. I try not to be hypocritical... you'll also hear me say stop, put down your device! Take a picture memory in your mind. Drink in the moment. Sometimes I have to leave my camera at home because the distraction of my lens can take away from my moments. That's what I want to be there for. To allow you to enjoy your moments and be present in time without being the one to document the beauty. Without the distraction. I want to give you a chance to be in your moment and dance and play like no one is watching. The magic that will come through in your photographs will be priceless. You won't regret it, that is one sure thing! As amazing as our brains are, we can only hold so many experiences before we tuck them away in little boxes and make room for new memories. Photographs give us the chance to trigger and revisit those little boxes. If you're anything like me, you can look at a photo and if it holds something special for you, an entire day or month or year of feelings can come rushing in. I have a good memory. I can hold endless little boxes of information and experiences. And I am so grateful for photography and the magic it holds, like a reverse image search in your brain to bring forward the box that memory lives in and all that it holds. We create our own realities. And I will continue to do so with intention and love and compassion. "Daring greatly" really hit me and resonated this year. Be courageous. Be vulnerable. Be present. Live in the now. And once in a while be sure to document the now to revisit and reflect back on. To cherish all of the wonderful stages of life all that you have grown through. 

I am courageous. 

I am present. 

I manifest my dreams. 

I am open. 

I am patient. 

I am a photographer. 

I am an artist. 

I am a storyteller. 

I have endless stories and I will share them and heal and grow. 

I create my reality.

With appreciation and endless gratitude ~ Amanda