free.

as much as i hate to admit it, freelance is a much scarier beast than i first gave it credit for. i love the idea of dedicating all the time in the world to projects that i feel make a difference to my community, love setting my own schedule and rate, love that the only thing keeping me back is myself. but that is the problem, too: you are only as successful as you can motivate yourself to be. with no daily deadlines and no newsroom to keep you motivated, every day gets harder and harder to get out there.

after going to the A Photo A Day conference in st. petersburg, fl, this year, i got a better understanding of the freelance gig. most of your time is spent promoting, researching, editing, marketing, calling, emailing... and very little of your time is actually spent shooting. honestly, it's been quite a reality check coming to terms with that.

but every day gets a little better. calls are trickling in slowly. some projects are in the works. and i still get to photograph a few times a month for 209 Vibe. i miss the newsroom and the excitement (even if it was mostly just me) of the daily grind, but maybe there's something to this freelance thing, once you get used to it. at least now i know if i make it, it's because i worked for it; if i don't, i can't blame anyone but myself.

so here are some photos from the last month. looking forward to the exciting prospect of an unknown future.