Wow. Where did the past year go?
Ten years ago I was 17 years old and I had just celebrated the Millennium in Belfast City with my mum, dad and twin sister. For reasons that I will explain, this was pretty epic for me. On that night I took a photo of fireworks over the Waterfront Hall and that's when things began to change for me. When that film was developed and we came across that picture I was at first disappointed because essentially it was a blurred photo, the fireworks had turned into swirly blurs and the lines and features of the Waterfront Hall itself had become swirly lines...pretty cool actually! The more people who saw it began to say, 'you should take more photos...'(I've been trying to find this photo but currently my search through old photos has been in vain!) and so I did =)
At 16 years old I had been diagnosed with the illness Fibromyalgia. The medication dosage for pain relief was so high that by 7:30pm each night I was pretty much doped out and put to bed by my family. In fact I don't remember a lot of that time. That sounds quite melodramatic when I read it over, but it is the truth. I honestly don't. I remember moments of being woken up because I'd obviously fallen asleep somewhere other than my bed and having to then be taken to bed, and the only reason I remember those moments is because of how annoying it was to have to be woken up when all I desperately wanted to do was sleep. I also remember trying really hard to study and make it to my media classes each day. Most of the days I made it in, and some of those days I had to be sent back home again because the pain was so bad. But determination is a funny old thing. I finished my course with the best results possible and went on to study further in it. Because it was somewhere in the middle of my 17th year that I had treatment called Bio Cranial Therapy that set me back on the track of getting better. Charles Delepoulle was the absolutely lovely man who gave me those months of treatments, and I really don't think that I would be the person I am today without him. In fact I believe that without those treatments I would still be unwell today.
Now 10 years on I have had an AMAZING year and I struggle to believe it myself that I have just completed 12 weddings in my first year of business. Now, there have been moments in the past year where I've been very hard on myself for getting something wrong, or not thinking I'm good enough. Moments of being cross with myself and wishing I was more confident and not speaking up when I should have done. In fact there have been some moments where it would have been very easy for me to put my camera down and not pick it up again. But then I sit and think of the past 10 years and I think of just how far I have come and how many obstacles I have climbed and made it through. And I wish to say now to all the people who have believed in me and told me to keep going, and to all my clients who continue to book me - thank you SO much. You have no idea just how much it means to me.
2010 looks to be an exciting year and I really can not wait to get started. I was even booked to photograph my first wedding outside of Northern Ireland, so watch out Essex, I shall be coming your way in October for Gregory and Ann's wedding =)
Thank you to everyone who has given me encouragement! I can't thank you enough for it! Let's see where 2010 takes us!
And thank you also to Charles for your recent email and reminding me just how long this journey has been.
Lots and LOTS of new year love and wishes xox
P.S And what is a post without a photo, here is a picture of my niece Darcey taken a few days before Christmas - drama queen or what?! ; )
P.P.S She was singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!
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