I love words and conversation, so when I have a piece with a word that sparks a conversation that's a triple win.
This one always gets a lot of interest and the conversation that ensues usually goes like this:
"Ooh is that one of those Giving Keys?"
"Umm... It's kinda like it but it's not one of the Giving Keys..."
"Oh cool! So who gave it to you?"
"Umm... (awkward laugh) no one. I gave it to myself."
Great. So not only is it a knockoff, I also gave it to myself (I believe the actual Giving Keys are usually gifted then passed on...). Kinda lame, I know, but sometimes you just gotta be kind to yourself and give yourself something you need.
I bought this necklace on a chilly November night in 2016 from a little stand in Bryant Park in New York. It was the night before our cast of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical was heading back to Nashville to perform the show after two weeks of rehearsal in NYC.
I had been floundering for a few months before trying to figure life out after I had quit my full-time "big girl" job. The two weeks I spent in NYC filled my starving soul in a way my regular routine in Nashville couldn't.
Last night I pulled out my journal from my time in NYC and found some common themes:
Photography. Travel. Freedom. Dance. Passion. Purpose.
And the thread that tied them all together: my need to mirror my Creator and channel His creativity in a meaningful way that would bring hope and joy to the world.
A little over a year later I can't believe I'm actually launching my business; that somewhere along the way the word I spoke to myself, "courage", really did kick in and now photography is a reality.
Courage started with admitting my dream...
...then picking up the camera that sat in the closet for almost 10 years...
...turning it on...
...pressing the shutter...
...and doing it again, and again, and again...
It's awesome and scary, but more awesome than scary and totally worth it. And I'm ready to pass on my key to YOU now. What I want to know is:
What will you courageously pursue in 2018?
If I can do it then you DEFINITELY can. I believe in you.
<3 amanda mae