Focus on the Positive...but Develop from the Negatives

This past week in the mornings with my coffee before work and on my days off, I have been focusing even more than usual on editing images. I realized today, I could take a break from the photos for a contest I am entering, but only to edit images from a wedding I shot last week. And, I do get away from it when I go to work, but only to still be editing more images at my actual job! I am not complaining, as Photoshop is one of the most relaxing things to me. And, I am not trying to show off by making such jokes as often as I do, but just remarking how truly funny it is how much of my life is spent working in Photoshop! Even a customer once joked to me, "You use Photoshop at home? What, you don't get enough of it here?" And maybe, I am also just reminding myself to be thankful I have not gotten burnt out on this yet...reminding myself that although things are not perfect, how cool it really is I love doing this. I recall a conversation from a few years ago where some

A friend posted the question on her status, "Are you living your dream?" This has been a thought I have pondered and touched on the last few years.  After some time organizing my thoughts, my response was: "No, not to the extent I envisioned 10 years ago, but dreams change. If I break it down into smaller aspects of my dreams rather than look at it as one overall large-scale dream, then you could say I am living parts of my dream. And, hopefully I am working towards living more of my dream someday!" I think too often we expect all our dreams to come true. We don't recognize little dreams that have happened because they occurred absent from a much bigger dream and are not viewed as magnificent enough to count.  My personal example is my goal in college, like most, was to be financially independent and have a meaningful career. I have yet to achieve the monetary part, however, I have discovered the field I know I belong in, found work doing what I love

I sometimes joke if it is accurate to say I moonlight as a photographer, than I daylight as a photo restoration/retouching artist. Saturday, that statement was exactly correct. I worked my normal day at the photo shop and left early to shoot a wedding Saturday night. On days like that, I am proud of my accomplishments. I may not really have any large career or monetary successes to speak of, but I am fortunate that I like going to work every day and that sometimes I get to get paid for my hobby. In that sense, I guess I do have some success.  ☺

I have been thinking about this recently. Digital imaging, photo restoration/retouching, recolorizing...it IS who I am.  Restoration & recolorization done as a rush service No, it is not saving lives or helping people in a medical, protection, or education sense, but when I can "restore" some happiness to somebody by fixing their damaged photo of a precious memory or lost loved one, I do feel I made a difference, as small as it may be.  Most people probably don't realize there is a humane side in being a Photoshop Artist! I used to underestimate the importance myself.