Creative at Heart has my Heart!

Big thanks to Tyler from The Herrintons for this awesome group shot of all 90+ of us!!

In January I received numerous text messages from my friend Courtney about this new conference that Katelyn James blogged about. It was scheduled for over our spring break so we should make it happen. I remember sitting on the couch with my husband that night talking to him about it, unsure what to do. I’ve never attended a photography workshop, let alone a conference with 90+ other people speaking on photography. I remember thinking in the back of my head that since the conference was more business driven for creatives, this is something that could REALLY help elevate my business to the next level.

Let’s rewind a couple years ago. When I bought my first camera (a little used canon rebel off of ebay that I think I shot MAYBE 5 free “sessions” on), I was only looking for a way to make a couple extra bucks while in college. I had ZERO intention of making it into anything big. Sure, being able to quit serving and be my own boss would had been wonderful, but that wasn’t why I started “Sharpe Images”. Little did I know how my vision would change since then.

Now, back to present day. Courtney, Sarah, and myself traveled the 377 miles south to Roanoke on Saturday morning. We talked about all the possibilities our businesses hold, what we want our futures to look like, our hopes and dreams, and what steps we’ll take to make that happen. What I didn’t realize, is that Creative at Heart had so much more in store for my own heart, and my SOUL!

As eager students to Creative at Heart, the three of us raced to the front of the room for seats. In college, professors will always tell you that the students who sit in the “T” section of the room, absorb the most. Well guess what cool kids….I was the wettest sponge by the end of day two!

We learned so much on just day one. Social Media (which my husband claims is my drug) Blogging, SEO, emailing, how to be financially fit, and creating community that our clients feel like they belong to.

Best part of my day one…sitting RIGHT BESIDE Katelyn James for an entire hour while we asked her and Caroline Logan, Krista Jones, and Alexandra Beautegard questions on how to be better boss ladies. I asked Katelyn afterwards personal questions that pertained to only my business (and the EXCITING CHANGES that are coming in the next couple months) and she was so forthcoming with advice. Her knowledge for this industry is indescribable.

I left the Crystal Ballroom on Sunday evening being on information overload after the first day. When the three of us Ladies got back to the room, I remember thinking that I just wanted the lights shut off, a cold rag over my face, and quiet. I had so much from JUST day one to process and wrap my head around. I didn’t even have the energy to talk and carry on a discussion. Little did I know, day two would have even more of an impactful on my heart and soul.

Day Two starts off with even more of unwillingness to be sociable with my poor roommates and a tension headache. I was still trying to process the micro changes that were already starting to happen to my business, and my head was pounding. I would have sliced the left side of my body off if I knew I could survive without it.

Side story time: In December 2008, I may or may not have totaled my car after splitting a telephone pole, which in fact had so much of an impact that I may or may not had been wearing a seatbelt which then may or may not have resulted in the steering wheel breaking my left collar bone. This injury results in pretty bad tension headaches every now and then. May or may not, remember!

Day two had topics that I KNEW I needed to pay close attention to because they were topics that dealt with my projects this summer: Branding, and answering the Why. Little did I know that these speakers would really be speaking to ME and my heart and soul. By 9:45, Abby Grace from Abby Grace Photography was in front of the room filled with other boss ladies. For the first 10-15 minutes, I felt like I was at comedian hour. And then it hit. My purpose for photography. The rest of her presentation, I bawled my eyes out. I’d compose myself when she’d crack a joke, but she’d say something else, say something that spoke to my heart and soul and I was right back to being a complete mess.

Now don’t confuse my emotional state as a bad one. Because it was anything from it. Abby’s words were poetry to my heart, and love songs to my soul. It was her words that FINALLY made me realize WHY I am a wedding photographer. WHY I spend my weekends away from my husband to capture new love. And friends, this is HUGE! This is huge for not only me and my growing business, but for YOU also! Because of Abby’s words, I now know how to better serve YOU as your wedding photographer. I now know how to better your experience from the moment you book my services, to YEARS after your wedding. And friends, I’m so OVER THE MOON excited for this.

After Abby said her thank you’s, I knew that I had to muster the courage to thank her. To thank her for her story, her words, her guidance for unknowingly help me find my purpose in this crazy industry of ours. You can imagine, if I was mess just listening to her speak, I was a TRAIN WRECK trying to thank her. Her loving hug after it was all over though was just the icing on the cake. Little does she know how much of an impact she has had on this girl who just bought a camera to make some extra cash in college. A girl who didn’t see the picture years ago. A girl who now has this dream so big it’s terrifying. But want to know something AMAZING…terrifying is AWESOME!

Without Abby’s talk at 9:45 in the morning, the other three speakers wouldn’t have had such a large impact on me. It was like the good Lord knew what I needed to hear Abby say to make the rest of my day INCREDIBLE.

Creative at Heart is already making an impact on my business. I’m so glad that Courtney called me that night, and then later, my Husband encouraging me to go. Without his CONTINUOUS love and support, I wouldn’t be able to sit here in front of my computer with this renewed sense of an authentic purpose. For that, I will ALWAYS be in Kat’s debt for having this vision to bring together creatives, and providing us speakers that not only taught, but made us “students” feel like equals.

Thank you to Amanda Hedgepeth for these beautiful headshots on Monday Morning. Would you believe these were taken after I bawled my eyes out during Abby’s speech?? My husband saw these and said “Look at your cheesin'”. Yes, yes I was cheesing, and pretty big at that. I was a happy girl and my heart is so full…even after being home for four days!