I am a Lifest, a term I heard the other day and fell in love with. A lifeist is someone who
thoroughly enjoys life, not to be confused with someone who is always happy or someone who
has it all, but someone who knows the worth of the things they do have. I am a photographer.
Taking pictures of people and things makes my heart happy. Creating still images that people
will show off to coworkers or friends and family is the biggest compliment.
About 10 years ago I started taking pictures of our kids. After investing (an amount
that I will never tell my husband) I moved out of the Imposter syndrome category to
professional photographer. I won awards and I‘ve seen my photos in school yearbooks,
magazines, on Christmas cards and on corporate websites. I created those, and it feels so good,
to have other people proud of my work as well. However, that barely grazes the surface of who
I am. I’m a wife, and though things get busy, I try my hardest to be an attentive one. I’m a firm
believer that your marriage should come before motherhood or fatherhood. It is important and
it boils down the same thing they say about self-care.. if a plane is going down, put the oxygen
mask on yourselves first, because you need to be awake to save the children.
I am a mother of four beautiful children. They are what we call our tree children. We
have, and always will, raise our kids to appreciate the slow life. We go for walks together, we go
camping and enjoy all kinds of weather, we hike in the rain and four-wheel through mud
puddles. My 10-year-old will stop and tell me how beautiful the sky is, my youngest son will
collect every beautiful leaf and rock he ever sees, my girls will take pictures of every bright
colored sunset we can catch. Those things make me happy. They are mindful of the beautiful
life we’ve been given, and they are taking the time to appreciate it. Hopefully they are little
photographers in the making.
I’m a runner and a serious over achiever. I take an exceptional amount of pride in my
ability to get things done. I love to keep busy and push myself to see how much further I can
go, without sacrificing any other areas of my life. I have managed to create a work life balance,
without being a part of the 5 AM Club! I make homemade meals, bread and cookies, I can sew
my own clothes, spackle and paint my own walls and pretty much anything and everything that
my mom or dad ever taught me.
There is a little about me. I hope somewhere along the way I stirred up an emotion,
idea or curiosity that will have you coming back for more. You can follow me on Instagram @ByDesignSSPhotography to see how I navigate life as a mom, wife and photographer!