Last winter I went to Grand Cayman for a week of incredible diving and sunsets. I’ve only just gone through the photos…
You see, that was a problem I always had as a self-employed photographer. I’d work my tail off for my clients and finally save up enough money to take a trip somewhere amazing where I had a chance to take my own pictures, photograph what mattered to me. But I always found it difficult to find time to actually sift through these images because, as soon as I arrived home I’d, once again dive headfirst into client images. After all, those were the ones that paid the bills and, as it turns out, that’s a necessary thing to do when you’re a grown up – pay the bills.
The driving force behind my desire to become self-employed was the flexibility and freedom it offered me to travel. And while I was able to journey to some amazing places and see some incredible things in the years I worked for myself, I never was able to fully focus on my own images because, frankly, they weren’t paying me anything.
I’m speaking in the past tense because, as of early February, I’ve joined the traditional workforce. Not only that, I’ve moved cross country for a new job. The phrase still sounds a bit nuts to me but it’s true. Chicago will always be my home but, for now, Charlottesville, VA is where I live. And last night, like a “normal” person, I got home from work, took my dog out, made some dinner and started to sift through the thousands of travel images that have been patiently sitting on a series of external hard drives for nearly eight years.
I’m excited to share more about my new job at a later time. Suffice to say, I work in marketing at a travel company because if there’s one thing I can fully get behind, it’s travel.
Jenn Winter 