The Showroom Journey & Reflections

It all started the week of April 2, 2012.  My full-time position [at the time] took an unexpected turn and I was left asking myself the ultimate question: “WHAT’S NEXT?”

I will never ever forget that week. I called my husband, Tyler on the way home from [my last day] of work and asked him to meet me at Gray’s Lake.  I sat on the end of the dock….and cried. I sat in his car…..and cried. I called my sister …..and cried.

Thinking back, it wasn’t the “unknown next step” that upset me. It was the fact that it came at an unexpected [and unplanned] time. But boy did the big guy upstairs know what he was doing. I guess I just needed a good slap in the face to get myself in gear.

Tyler was so very sweet and supportive throughout that next week of “soul searching”.  I will never forget his words and advice: “Babe, you don’t have to decide or know right now. Take it one day at a time. Why don’t you start with one week of just thinking and a little soul searching.”

And that is exactly what I did. I journaled. I walked. I ran. I cried. And……I took pictures. The trees at Water Works park were in beautiful bloom that week. The result of me sorting out my feelings behind my camera was this: http://kerrisalowphotography.blogspot.com/2012/04/beauties-of-spring.html

One week was all I needed to make the decision on what my next step was to be. The more I thought about it, the more I knew. Tyler and I [and Nellie] met back at Water Works for a picnic on Friday afternoon.  It was when I would officially share with him that as long as I had his support, I was ready to commit to photography full-time. I will ALWAYS remember that day. The sun. The location. The breeze. The feeling of pride and relief I had on knowing my next step….and the feeling of joy/utter fear of all that was to come.

On Monday, April 9^th, I decided to share my big news with the world with this recorded video:  http://kerrisalowphotography.blogspot.com/2012/04/here-i-come.html

Wowza was that fun to listen to again! And simply amazing to reflect on all that has happened since sharing that news. After a few months into the world of full-time photo, I realized I needed a space. A space other than Starbucks to share with clients.  A space that represented me to my core. My values. My business. My mission. My style. And that is where the idea of a “showroom”  started. It would be a space where I would meet with clients, share their photos with them, and process orders. Not to mention a space that showcases my photography style and WHY I do what I do.

The vision started to come to life on November  19, 2012. With….painting the basement ceiling. Now I realize that painting a ceiling is NOT that exciting of a process. But for me, I was a giddy little girl, as it represented the start of my dream space.

Soooo much awesomeness [and hard work] followed.  Putting up barn board walls. Chandelier shopping. Carrying chicken nesters out of the timber. Attending farm auctions. Buying and building antique frames. Ordering large portraits for display. Drawing and making my own giant floor stencil. Scrubbing and polishing on my hands and knees. The list goes on and on.

But it did NOT all come easy. I remember one day feeling like I had ideas, pictures, and visions EVERYWHERE. And that I needed one space to serve as my vision board….so I created a vision board and nailed it to the wall. Once that baby was up, I looked at it [and all it had on it to do] and……cried. A lot. I felt so overwhelmed.  But like I have always said, many small “next steps” eventually add up to BIG next steps. Which is exactly what the showroom has proven to be. A big next step for me and my business.

With the help of so many, over the span of 9 months, I have created my dream space. The showroom.  I have been given the ULTIMATE compliment by many that the space is “so me.” I have poured my sweat, heart, and tears into every inch of it. 

That leads me up to now. Just last Thursday, August 15, 2013, I had the blessing of inviting over 100 people in to share the space for its big reveal. And WOW….I am still in a happy bubble of feeling genuine joy and blessings.  It is simply amazing to think of all that has taken place since that day on April 9, 2012 when I made the commitment to pursue photography full-time.

To my friends, to my family, to my clients, to my parents, to my husband…..THANK YOU does not do my gratitude justice. Thank you from the bottom of my heart  for your support. But more importantly, THANK YOU for believing in me….to do what I hope brings joy to so many in this beautiful life. 

With love....