About Me
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AT A GLANCE
- I run my own photography business
- I’m the creative director of a global photography project: 4am Project
- I am a qualified life coach and NLP Practitioner
My creative freedom journey really started about 8 years ago. I was working 9-5 as I had pretty much all of my working life, except for a brief liaison with the Royal Navy. During these working years I craved FREEDOM. However, I didn’t know how to achieve it. All of my friends worked the same way. I had a mortgage and 4 cats to feed. As much as I wanted to change something, I wasn’t sure what to do. I was frustrated and depressed.
To give myself another interest I qualified as a life coach and an NLP practitioner. I was still working in the same job though, feeling frustrated and unmotivated, and I still needed to take a big step in changing something. And I did.
One day I had a lightning bolt moment. I remember the day as if it were yesterday and it was a huge turning point. I woke up that morning unable to muster the enthusiasm to go to work. I guess I had reached my turning point. Something had to change and it had to change now! I had had enough of feeling this way. And then, seemingly from nowhere I knew what I had to do.
I went into work that morning and handed in my notice.
I had a plan. A bit of a risky plan but one that would give me adventure and experience. I had always had a craving for travel and now I was going to spend two month travelling around the USA. On my own.
I needed finances, so used some savings and took out some equity in my house. I would worry about a job and money when I got home.
This is when I got my first computer. I was online! I used this new (dial up) internet experience to plan my USA adventure. I had the time of my life travelling to San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando and New York City.
By the time I had returned home, I had made some more decisions. I put my house on the market, gave away or sold most of what I owned and bought a flat in a creative area of my city. I got a local job which allowed me to work four days a week and walk to work. Slowly but surely I was moving closer to my plan for freedom.
In September 2007 I started a part time photography course as I didn’t know how to use my camera. I quickly turned that passion into a photography career. In 2008 I started going out at 4am and taking photos of my city. That personal project has now turned into a collaborative global photography event: 4amProject.org.
In the last few years I have thrown myself, my business and ideas into the internet, embracing social media and connecting with people from all over the world.
Recently I have realised that I am not ‘just’ a photographer. Running my photography business, growing the 4am Project, and having a social media presence means that I have gained experience in a lot of other areas; social media, building a business and global project from scratch, marketing and pr, giving presentations, talking about my work, advising people, event organising. I’ve learnt a lot and I am still learning.
My goal is to keep doing what I love for a living.
This blog is here to share what I’m learning along the way, and help you achieve your creative goals.
A LITTLE BIT MORE? Oh, okay then ;)
- I love social media and use it to make connections, get business, make friends and arrange my social life!
- I also love anything red, and anything that glitters will catch my eye.
- I’m great at organising events and getting people to turn up! Especially at 4am.
- If it’s furry or feathered I’ll adore it.
- I’m not afraid of hard work and luckily most of my work is really fun.
- I love innovative digital ideas.
- I’ve learnt that the fastest way to get experience is to throw myself in at the deep end.
- I live in the 'creative village' of Moseley, Birmingham, UK.
- I have a craving to live in New York City for a while.
