This week I attended the Rising
Tide Summit, a three night online conference hosted by the RisingTide Society, a group created to educate and empower creatives to succeed
and join together to honor community over competition. And man was it
amazing and exactly what I needed this week!
All the speakers were incredible, each one leaving their words echoing in my heart, pages and pages of notes scribbled to pour over in the coming weeks and months. And let me tell you, we dug deep, I mean deep! Deep into the nitty-gritty of our "WHY" and the purpose behind our work which is everything to me...to serve others and bring JOY to others lives. This has been such a underlining feeling all year for me, one that I can't exactly explain but is absolutely the reason I've been so motivated to push through. Annnddd what's better than learning from other creatives who have similar journeys and feeling empowered in the comfort of your home while wearing sweatpants and sipping Yogi tea?
All the speakers were incredible, each one leaving their words echoing in my heart, pages and pages of notes scribbled to pour over in the coming weeks and months. And let me tell you, we dug deep, I mean deep! Deep into the nitty-gritty of our "WHY" and the purpose behind our work which is everything to me...to serve others and bring JOY to others lives. This has been such a underlining feeling all year for me, one that I can't exactly explain but is absolutely the reason I've been so motivated to push through. Annnddd what's better than learning from other creatives who have similar journeys and feeling empowered in the comfort of your home while wearing sweatpants and sipping Yogi tea?
The conversations ranged from branding to marketing to the most heartfelt and authentic talks I've ever heard. I have been to Women's Leadership Conferences in the past but this was intimate, it was more real than anything I've attended before. The final night concluded with powerful words from Jenna Kutcher and Kat Schmoyer owner of Dear Sweetheart Events and man, did they bring the online house down! And IT GOT REAL friends.
They spoke openly about their journey and my eyes quickly filled up when the inspirational talk shifted and with all sincerity Kat said to "I want you to know that you're not alone, I want you to know that the struggles you face are very real and you're doing hard, hard work" GASP. We are all doing it, in the grind, getting through the day to find rest and getting up the next day to do it all over again. And she is right! It IS hard. But my "hard" looks different from your "hard" and yet sometimes all we need to hear every now and then is for someone to tell us that we ARE doing it. GULP. I'm so grateful to all the amazing speakers and thankful for The Rising Tide Society for cultivating a safe community of creatives who share in the same mission. To serve others and live out a life of passion and grace, #communityovercompetition.
I keep replaying the impactful words Kat shared during her talk, "there is no such thing as
someone who is just an overnight success, there's a story behind
everything" I nodded,
wiped my tears, and felt proud of my
personal story. I do believe that Everyone Has A Story and I am so interested and invested in my
families stories, I believe that your story is such a testament to your success and what you've created.
I've always
been inspired by those who took a different path, who opted out of
climbing the corporate ladder, always looked at them from afar with a ton of
respect and admiration for doing it their way, for choosing a path of happiness
over what may have been expected.
I spent my twenties working WAY too
much. Sure I traveled and saw new places, all fulfilling experiences and fond memories I am grateful for but all I did was work. I was
determined to prove that I cared about my job, because I did, and it didn't matter if that
meant working 100+ hours a week with no days off, I was committed. This
was the way it was supposed to be, right? I was happy, I met amazing
people, had incredible
experiences. But it became
lonely. I missed my family, my friends, my love. The first year of
marriage was an eye opener as Justin was gone four days a week and I was always
working. We would go months without a day off together, barely able to grasp
the idea that we were finally married and finally living together, something I had waiting my whole life for. I missed out on a lot of life
and always knew deep down it was not the life I wanted to lead, that WE wanted
to lead.
What sealed the deal for me was losing a close family member while I was traveling to Japan for work and my family decided not to tell me until I returned home knowing there was nothing I could do to get home for the services. I was crushed. I couldn’t pay my respects, mourn the loss of my loved one. I felt even more alone in my own sorrow that I told myself never again. I learn a lot from doing. If I do something once and it doesn’t work, then I commit right then and there to never let it happen again. And for me, I needed my life to change.
As I started to come up for air when I turned thirty I finally started to clearly see that there was so much more outside of my cubicle, so many lives that I wanted to touch, help, serve and be a part of. I slowly realized what was lost in all those years of work, of being "too busy", what was lost in all those hours spent pouring my energy and time into something other than myself. All the time spent trying harder, doing more, and constantly giving my heart to all the wrong areas. I finally found MY passion, my true calling.
Recognizing that I even had a passion and a gift outside of my job was a life-changing moment. I was obsessed with documenting my life for my future children, through pictures, saved letters, cards, newspaper clippings. I was obsessed with telling meaningful stories through my work but never realized that it was my passion, my calling. I was so "busy" going through the motions and checking things off my expected list that I didn't see my life purpose or understand the bigger picture of my life. I know now that it was always there but was hidden in the flooded inbox, the daily deadlines, the working around the clock. But in all of this, there is a ton of gratitude friends, a ton. I know my path was paved with purpose. I know that my past was all for a reason and has gotten me to where I am today and for that I am forever grateful.
What sealed the deal for me was losing a close family member while I was traveling to Japan for work and my family decided not to tell me until I returned home knowing there was nothing I could do to get home for the services. I was crushed. I couldn’t pay my respects, mourn the loss of my loved one. I felt even more alone in my own sorrow that I told myself never again. I learn a lot from doing. If I do something once and it doesn’t work, then I commit right then and there to never let it happen again. And for me, I needed my life to change.
As I started to come up for air when I turned thirty I finally started to clearly see that there was so much more outside of my cubicle, so many lives that I wanted to touch, help, serve and be a part of. I slowly realized what was lost in all those years of work, of being "too busy", what was lost in all those hours spent pouring my energy and time into something other than myself. All the time spent trying harder, doing more, and constantly giving my heart to all the wrong areas. I finally found MY passion, my true calling.
Recognizing that I even had a passion and a gift outside of my job was a life-changing moment. I was obsessed with documenting my life for my future children, through pictures, saved letters, cards, newspaper clippings. I was obsessed with telling meaningful stories through my work but never realized that it was my passion, my calling. I was so "busy" going through the motions and checking things off my expected list that I didn't see my life purpose or understand the bigger picture of my life. I know now that it was always there but was hidden in the flooded inbox, the daily deadlines, the working around the clock. But in all of this, there is a ton of gratitude friends, a ton. I know my path was paved with purpose. I know that my past was all for a reason and has gotten me to where I am today and for that I am forever grateful.
In honor of the #risingtidechallenge, to live passionately about #LessWorkMoreLife I'm going to take the rest of this weekend off! Spend it with my darling Justin, decorate the tree, bake my traditional pizzelle cookies, listen to Christmas music, spend time with our niece, and enjoy a weekend off together! He's been my rock and our life together is what matters most.
I'd love to hear from you. How are you choosing to live with #LessWorkMoreLife this weekend? Feel free to comment below or email me at annemariephotographyct@gmail.com to share more about your story.
Here is a full list of the creative professionals who spoke with links to their websites:
Kiana Underwood
Jeff Goins
Katelyn James
Lara Casey
Kunbi Odubogun
Amy & Jordan Demos
Douglas Atkin
Jenna Kutcher
Kat Schmoyer
I love this iphone picture we took up in Port Clyde, Maine this past summer. This man is my everything.
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Anne is a Connecticut based natural light photographer specializing in family portrait photography.
To inquire about booking your 2016 session, please contact Anne at annemariephotographyct@gmail.com
Facebook: Anne Marie Photography
Instagram: _annemariemiller_
