10 More Things About Me
Since my last “10 Things About Me” post was so popular, you get another 10 super fun things you probably didn’t know about me! :D
When my child decides that he wants to hang out in a freezing-cold lake, I say, “Go right ahead mister!”.
1. I take the lazy approach to parenting
I think there’s a lot to be said to letting children figure things out on their own. After having my own kids, I realized that the “free-range parenting” approach resonates most with the way I’d like to raise my children (fun fact, my husband has pretty much the opposite approach).
So if my kids ask me to get them something, have a question they can figure out themselves, or are simply being lazy, I play dumb. I tell them that they’re fully capable of getting up and doing things themselves, answer questions with “I don’t know, what do you think?”, and pretend to be just as lazy as they are. Now, that doesn’t mean I also force my kids to do things they don’t want to do. I did a lot of “attachment parenting” when they were little and am fully there when they need my support.. I also know that now that they’re older, my support is needed less and less.
Really, I just treat my kids (and every other child, really) as adults. I don’t expect unrealistic things from them, but I also don’t treat them as sub-par incapable humans just because they’re little. Children are capable of so much more than we give them credit for!
2. I’m really into “living history museums”
There is nothing better than spending the day at Old Sturbridge Village, walking the grounds at Stratfold Hall, or trekking all the way out to Zuiderzeemuseum when you’re in the Netherlands. If people are wearing period-appropriate costumes and demonstrating the life skills that were absolutely essential in Colonial times, count me in. There is so much romance when it comes to working with the land, cooking over an open flame, and essentially being able to create everything you need to live day to day with your hands (including your house, your food, and your pots and pans).
3. I’m an ISTJ on the Myers–Briggs Personality type
Well, ok, I basically consider most personality assessments complete rubbish.. which is probably somewhat telling of the ISTJ personality type. While I’m certainly no expert, essentially ISTJ’s are logical, honest, kinda stubborn, super responsible, practical, calm, and fact-based. I’ve had numerous people ask me what my Myers-Briggs personality is and I’m proud to say that I can now give them a proper answer.
The “one of a kind” Blythe doll that I personally customized - this was back when I actually had some free time.
4. I’ve done a lot of crafting in my day
From knitting and crocheting to making a line of stuffed toys, I spent some time exploring and creating in my past (before I had kids and my own business to run). Making things with my own hands has always been a creative outlet and has since transitioned to more practical endeavors (like gardening and landscaping). But back in my youth, I’ve knitted scarves, created a custom Blythe doll, made stuffed animals of my own design, and crafted holiday ornaments out of wool felt and beads. It feels so good to do something for yourself, working with your hands, and learning a new skill!
The kids’ room in our last home. We pretty much did everything ourselves, including the custom-built floor beds (before they were all the rage).. This room is the reason I learned to let go of “perfection” and get on board with getting things DONE.
5. I had to learn that done is better than perfect
As someone who likes things done a certain way, I had to learn to lean back a bit when it comes to perfection. This revelation took place when I got pregnant with my first son. I could no longer dedicate the time and energy to making sure every detail was exactly how I wanted it.. at some point, I had to prioritize the fact that I needed rest and had other, potentially more important things to worry about. The breaking point came as we were renovating one of our bedrooms for my soon to be born first son. It became very clearly more important to get the room DONE before I gave birth than to have the moulding, the painting, and all the decor arranged perfectly (we were doing everything ourselves, including skim-coating the walls, which we got help with since I couldn’t partake in that part). And guess what? Everything turned out 100% totally fine, without all the fussing over insignificant details.
6. I’m up at 6am every day
Being up early is both a blessing and a curse. I wish I could say that I spring out of bed, ready to take on the day and be super productive at 6am in the morning.. but that is often not the case. I have to get up early to make lunches for kids before they wake up for school, and it simply carries over into the weekends and summer months. My next goal is actually to get up half an hour earlier and take some time for myself in the morning BEFORE I have to do all the kid stuff. I’ll let you know how that goes!
My beloved Profoto D2 strobe in the Studio. It took a lot of research to decide to buy this very expensive piece of equipment!
7. I hate buying things
I had to learn to spend money. It might seem crazy or completely unnatural, but I’m one of those people who hates making decisions, and with the over-abundance of options nowadays, I often choose to go without than to risk making the wrong choice, especially when it comes to spending money. This is why I don’t have a huge array of photography products for my own clients to choose from. I spent time researching and testing to make sure I found the best options for prints, albums, and frames, so that my clients don’t have to go through the torture I normally associate with purchase decision-making.
8. I snowboard
When I met my husband (then boyfriend), he loved his winter sports. So it was only natural that I learned how to snowboard as well. Since then, and after taking a break for pregnancies and raising little kids, we all go skiing together as a family during winter months. The only difference is that my boys and husband are on skis, and I end up the only snowboarder in the group. Not to mention the fact that I wear all black and look a bit menacing, but I’m at least highly visible against the snow!
Having DisneyWorld’s Magic Kingdom to yourself in the morning doesn’t just happen, it takes PLANNING!
9. I plan EVERYTHING
I’m a huge fan of my digital calendar, which syncs with my Studio Management System and online call scheduling availability. But my tendency to plan really takes over during vacations/trips. I research and plan everything to the last detail (restaurants are reserved and decided on basically at the same time as hotels). This might seem rigorous and strict, but it’s actually quite liberating to not have to worry about where/when lunch is going to happen and not relying on the random place that’s close by actually being good. I can’t stand wasting time, and planning ahead allows for most optimal enjoyment (yes, there’s such a thing, I swear!). That being said, I don’t plan without accounting for flexibility. There’s always time factored in for things not going according to plan. I pad the timelines, consider the possibility of traffic, and allow “free time” and time to rest, because we’re human and sometimes need some of that, too. But yea, to me it’s definitely strange when people go on vacation without a fully planned agenda!
10. I was laid off.. twice
It would be lovely to say that this whole "starting my own business” thing was a natural and fast upwards trajectory, but it was anything but! While I always enjoyed photography during my off time, it was the fact that I was laid off from my corporate job (twice! from two different companies) that finally made me pause and essentially give up trying to make working full time.. work. After the second time of being told that I need to come into the NYC office, be available for pitches, and basically act more like a “rock star” designer, I took my severance package and poured all of my energy into making my photography side hustle actually bring in some income. While technically lay offs aren’t “being fired”, it certainly felt that way each time. The second time around, I felt in my heart the lack of real passion for what I was being paid to do.. and it finally made sense to cut the safety cord and make the jump.
I hope you enjoyed this fun little post! Let me know if you can relate to any of the things I mentioned in the comments below!