Over a year ago, I was contacted by the delightful Bee Kim, founder of WeddingBee- where many brides blog about their journey through wedding planning all in one place! I thought the blog was the best thing since happy meals, so when she asked me to become the first photographer blogger on a new blog dedicated to wedding professionals, I didn't hesitate to say yes. Since today is the official 1 year anniversary of the WeddingBeePro launch, I thought I'd share a little about my journey of being a featured blogger.
I knew WeddingBee was big, but I didn't realize what kind of spotlight I'd be under when I joined WeddingBeePro - to me it was just another opportunity to help brides on a larger scale- but I quickly found that it elevated me to a status I wasn't quite ready to handle, especially after having the busiest year of my business on top of moving to a new city. I felt really guilty when I had to take an extended break from blogging and social media, just months after the Pro blog launched, in order to catch up on all the private parts of my life that had slipped through my hands over the last couple of years while my business was taking off like crazy. I had been trying to do everything myself, which I now realize is impossible if you actually want to be successful. However, I'm so grateful that taking time off allowed room for so many other wonderful photographers to become featured bloggers. WeddingBeePro has become a collection of some of the most talented, thoughtful, humble, and loving wedding professionals in the industry and I'm so glad that I get to be included in that bunch of people.
I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of a community of people who love and share love on a regular basis. It's inspiring and joyful to see people pour their hearts into their work. I almost considered walking away from it all this year after the stress of the prior year, but after taking time to find greater balance in my life, I'm happy to say that this really is the best career I could ever have. I get to utilize so many of my talents in different ways and then share everything I love with people who love it as much as I do. Now, before you think it's an idyllic life, let me remind you that there is a balance to everything and there are plenty of painful, stressful, and boring parts of this job as well, but when all is said and done, they make the reward that much sweeter.
I sincerely want to thank Bee Kim for creating a wonderful and thriving community of bloggers. I know she works incredibly hard with very little reward or recognition because so often she's just behind the scenes pulling the strings and connecting the dots. I know that there are a lot of other bloggers and wedding industry professionals out there who have probably considered giving up at one point in time because they felt like no one cared. So if you love what someone shares with the world, please let this be the day that you take a moment to let them know how much you appreciate them. Bloggers are a special breed of people who give, often without receiving much of anything in return, but are inspired and motivated by your appreciation for what they take the time to share. :-)
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