Sean and I were fortunate enough to go to Escalate in Newport Beach yesterday and we were so blessed by it. It’s so refreshing to hear these photographers that I know I personally look up to so much, be so honest and upfront about their business. I loved how the whole feel was about embracing each other and I couldn’t agree more. Competition is pointless, because when it comes down to it… people are going to pick who they want based on your connection with them. You wont always connect with someone, just like people wont always connect with you. All you can hope for are clients that fit best with you and you with them. There are enough people in the world getting married or wanting portraits for all of us, and we should be here to encourage one another.

One of my favorite scriptures is just that.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
I Thessalonians 5:11

What a great thing. God gives us the instructions, and all we have to do is honor them. Sounds easy, huh. ;-)

Of course it’s always easier said then done. As much as I loved seeing these people the other part of me was completely terrified. Serious! I was terrified, nervous, insecure, unsure… oh man, I could keep going. I kept thinking, who am I? Really… who am I? These people are SO talented and they just seem to get it. Will I ever get it? When will I have that “ah ha” moment? Will I have that? God, is that what you want from me?

Then I realize, none of that matters. All that matters is for me to do my best and give all of the glory to the Lord. God will fill in all of the blanks and details. I will always take comfort in that.

I’m going to start sharing a personal somethin’ or other about me as a sign off… hehe, I think it could be fun, so… here goes!

My name is Brooke, and I’m afraid of not being good enough.

Whew! This was long winded. :-)

Feel free to leave some love here and let me know if you relate! It’s always nice to know that I may not be the only person feeling this way at times.

Oh and because a post isn’t complete without a photo… here is one of the loves of my life.

::EDIT::

So, I kept thinking about encouragement and what not… so I’m adding a little bit more to my long winded post. Oh, I bet you’re all excited. :-)

I want to say thank you to two people for being an encouragement to me.

Number one.

My husband and best friend Sean. He is my guy, my love, my business partner. I seriously couldn’t do anything without him. Thank you for believing in the business and pushing me to be confident and try harder and harder. I hope one day we can do this full time together! He is the greatest people, he second shoots with me, he carries around my bajillion pound backpack, takes care of Jude… oh my goodness… he’s awesome.

Annnnd for another thank you.

Elise Simpson. She is such a joy, and I’m so blessed by this girl. She is your typical good at everything (which if I didn’t love her so much, it would get annoying, haha), smart, organized, awesome, talented, level-headed… haha… stop me! :-) Okay, so I don’t usually say stuff like this but to make an example she is like the yin to my yang… the mary-kate to my ashley, the chocolate chip to my cookie. :-)

Not only is she a great photographer, she is a ridiculously great baker, and WEDDING PLANNER! People, if you need a coordinator, planner, or invitation designer ( I wasn’t kidding when I said she does everything) for an amazing price… you NEED to contact Elise! Her email is: elisedsimpson@yahoo.com

Thank you Elise, for being the brains behind all of my craziness. Where I fall short she is strong. We have great balance, and we love to work together. How blessed am I?

Here is a photo of her doing one of the things she does best

Okay… NOW I am done. ;-)