Hello friends!
Fear is a real booger isn't it? It holds us back in so many ways. Admittedly, I have always been one to allow fear to control me even though one of my favorite quotes is "Always do what you are afraid to do" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Having FINALLY pushed some of my fears aside, at least momentarily, I recently entered some pretty big print competitions. As most artist do, I pour my heart and soul into every image I create so you can see how having experts critique my work has been a bit on the terrifying side. Like all things in life the only way to grow is to learn from the mistakes, so this was a fear I had to squash. The results are in and, while I still have a lot of work to do to improve, I don't totally suck! ;-)
A few months ago I submitted some of my portrait work into the PPNC (Professional Photographers of North Carolina) state print competition and the IPC (International Print Competition) through PPA (Professional Photographers of America). I am happy to say at PPNC four out of four of my images merited! Woohooo! I entered IPC for the first time ever and three out of those four images merited! I couldn't believe it! I am even happier to say that in both competitions all portraits submitted were from my past client work.
Next year my goal is to get all four out of four portraits to merit at both PPNC and IPC. These competitions will mean higher level work for my clients because it pushes me out of my comfort zone and takes my creativity to a whole new level. I am so grateful that God has blessed me with this gift and thankful to all of you for the love and support over the years! Here's to bigger dreams, higher goals, and better results in 2019!
Now, I would love to hear from you. What fear are YOU going to go conquer today?
Hugs + Love,
Jeannie