The one where Brandy goes full-time.

May 6

Written By Brandy Kimble

I would like to say I have dreamt of this moment for so long, but it just isn’t the truth.

I hadn’t dared to even dream that this could happen.

I honestly didn’t consider that this was an option for me.

I didn’t know I had the guts and the passion to make a move.

I hadn’t found true belief in myself.

Then, something in me shifted. I don’t know the exact moment but I can feel it in myself, even now. I guess it was a combination of things. The pandemic, depression, therapy (more on all of that later). I had a lot of things happen over the last few years that scared the shit out of me. That sort of righted the ship of my mind.

What matters to me?

What lights me on fire?

What would I regret never trying?

And then I said it out loud. I told my husband, I want to be a full-time photographer. Run my own business from start to finish. You see I had been hiding behind my “side-gig” for 3 years. Photography was a fun little thing I did “on the side”. It was my “creative outlet”. But I wasn’t being honest with myself. I was scared. And that is okay. I wasn’t ready yet.

But today, I am f-cking ready! Pardon the language but it is just how I feel. I am leaping out into the unknown. I am leaving a comfy, cozy career to really give this my all. As of May 14th, you are looking at a FULL-TIME PHOTOGRAPHER BABY!!!!!

I have family and friends that are cheering me on so fervently that it makes me cry (not that it is hard to make me cry). I have friends-turned clients, and clients-turned friends who have trusted me to document their lives. I have a group of fellow photographers (I will now fondly refer to them as my co-workers) who believe in community over competition. I have a badass leader, Elena S Blair, guiding me through every corner of my business and leaving not an inch in the shadows. And I have a true partner in my husband. He not only believes in me but also brainstorms new ideas, and maps out workflows, and researches camera gear for me. He is the absolute best.

And lastly, I have myself. Which until recently, I didn’t think was enough. I will have days ahead where I don’t feel like I can succeed. But I cannot look back and regret not trying. I am charging ahead, with all of the passion, grit, and love I have for this art and the humans on the other side of my lens.