As I celebrate four years of a dream, a passion, and something I genuinely love, I won’t diminish this journey by pretending it has been easy.
It hasn’t. It has been a work in progress in every sense of the word—creative work, spiritual work, physical work, and personal work. But when I look back over these four years, what stands out most is not just the challenges. It is everything I have gained because I chose to keep going.
The knowledge.
The skills. The creative support.
The personal growth.
The understanding of who I am and what I am capable of creating.
People often say that something “saved their life,” and sometimes those words can feel almost poetic. But I can safely say that photography saved me in more ways than I could probably ever fully explain.
It gave me a new perspective on my abilities. It reminded me that I have purpose. That I have value. That I am enough. And most importantly, that I belong in this creative space. Photography helped me see myself differently. And now, as I step into the next 364 days as the owner and photographer behind Purple Hibiscus Photography, my hope and my prayer are that I can continue to take everything photography has given me and pour some of it back into the people and communities around me.
I want to create intentionally. I want to preserve the moments that deserve to be remembered.
I want to support my community in whatever ways I can. I want my work to bring joy, hold memories, tell stories, and remind people that their lives and their moments are worthy of being documented. I am truly grateful for where I am. I am grateful for where I am going.
And I am even grateful for where I have been, because I am not the same person I was four years ago.
Today, I carry more knowledge, more confidence, more understanding, and a deeper appreciation for what I am capable of doing.
My love for photography began long before Purple Hibiscus Photography existed. I can remember being as young as five years old, seeing a camera and being fascinated by what it could do. The idea that this little piece of equipment could freeze time felt almost magical to me.
And in many ways, it still does. That is still what I love about photography today—the ability to take something fleeting and preserve it. A look. A laugh. A connection. A milestone. A piece of someone’s story that may have otherwise passed by unnoticed.
Four years later, I am still learning. Still creating. Still becoming. And I am deeply grateful for every person who has supported me, trusted me, encouraged me, taught me, collaborated with me, shared my work, stood in front of my camera, or simply reminded me to keep going.
This next chapter is about continuing to inspire myself each day, inspiring the people I meet along the way, and hopefully inspiring someone who sees my work and realizes that their creativity, their story, and their purpose have value too.
Here’s to four years of Purple Hibiscus Photography—and to everything still becoming. 💜🌺📸
