ABOUT

When I was 13, I found an old analog 35mm camera tucked away in the basement.  I ran around shooting anything and everything with black and white film.  Too young to understand how creativity was essential to my day-to-day life, I continued to shoot, but I eventually set the camera aside and followed my parents desire for me to become “practical.”  I graduated with a business degree from the University of California, Berkeley and started out as a business consultant working with the boards of large public companies.

 A few years in as a consultant, my days were stressful; I yearned for a creative outlet, and wanted change.  I made a leap and interned at Chez Panisse – using all my senses restored and invigorated me.  Chopping, mixing, tasting, smelling and sharing something delicious that I poured my heart and soul in was truly wonderful, but the idea of being “practical” weighed heavily on my mind.  It clouded my judgment; I did not fully comprehend that creativity was an energizing and an integral part of my life, so I returned to my career as a business consultant.

For several more years, I continued to plod away as a consultant.  My life became more frenetic, I was miserable and my health was suffering.  I felt life was too short to be doing something I had no passion for; I took a sabbatical and went through an exploratory phase.  I considered cooking and baking again, but professionally, it was not my true calling.  Serendipitously, it was a gift that steered me in the right direction.  I had been talking about a camera for years and my now-husband surprised me with a DSLR to enjoy during my sabbatical.  To get acquainted with my camera, I signed up for a photography class and there was an instant reconnection.  All the excitement and enthusiasm I had when I first found that analog camera came flooding back.  Photography and wanting to be constantly behind the camera was all I could think about, all I wanted to do.   This deep connection was what I was searching for, enabling me to free myself from the weight of the word “practical.” It has evolved into a new meaning – doing what I love each and every day is practical in every sense.  I feel so lucky and am so grateful to finally understand this.

It took some time to finally find my place, but I feel there was always an inner voice guiding me back to photography, to become an artist and to create.  Subconsciously, I have held onto a black and white print from my early film days.  Somehow, this print has survived many moves and transitions in my life.  It has always found a place in my home and now I fully understand, it was a part of me that I could never let go, waiting to be rediscovered.  Photography is a part of who I am, always has been and always will be.