I recently met up with Kara-the creative mind behind the Whimsy Soul-in San Francisco for a day of well, whimsy. We wanted to have a day to just get comfortable shooting with each other and have fun and recharge as creatives. It started off in downtown San Francisco in the FiDi (Financial District) and moved further and further north in the city. We had a lot of moving conversations about how terrifying it can be to put yourself out there and claim to be a creative and show your pictures to the world proudly. There are far more talented individuals out there who make a living shooting gorgeous photos that are truly art; it's hard to not compare yourself or be afraid the community will belittle your growth as you strive to learn. We reminded ourselves that you can't compare your beginning to someone else's middle, or your middle to someone else's end. It was so valuable to meet up with Kara and to encourage one another and remind ourselves that "Nothing holds you back more than your own insecurities." 

For me, those insecurities can be both physical and mental. I think about how I look in my clothes. The fact that in the past few years, as a result of poor health choices and depression, I've put on some 30+lbs and feel very self-conscious about my appearance. I overanalyze how my photos aren't consistent or have poor composition. How I haven't determined my "brand" yet and stuck to it. I worry about how many followers I have and if it makes me look foolish to be blogging if no one is reading or viewing my content. It's hard not to spiral and stop putting myself down. When that happens I'm not having fun with my work. I'm not creating. I am going through the motions and letting outside influences dictate what I'm doing. That's why I was so glad to just have a day to celebrate being comfortable and free with Kara. She is such a positive influence and is wonderful at heaping love on others. We talked about our insecurities, how they aren't helpful or productive, and reminded each other to be kinder to ourselves and to find the joy in what we are doing.

Most of these photos are from the beginning of our day and as we got more comfortable the creativity just started to flow. I can't WAIT to show you the other sessions from later this same day as they turned out gorgeous. However, this was our beginning and I wanted to celebrate and respect it for what it was. FUN. Remember folks, sometimes all you need to get started is to do something fun.