This is late, so it's going to cover two weeks, but its late for a good reason. I got to do a family shoot this past Sunday and it was too good not to include in this update. Outside of that, last week I got some hard lessons in self-care, as well as a chance to learn about being a small business owner at the Small Business Success Summit. Last week was a tough week, but good things came from it. The big takeaway from all of this is that being an entrepreneur requires being willing to work on yourself and trust the process.

CLIMBING LIFE
I've been climbing pretty regularly with my friend Jake Sternquist (left), who is also a photographer and a designer. It's been really good for me to get off the ground and climb. It's reminding me of my goals and reminding me that just because something is difficult or you have to overcome a lot to get where you want to go, doesn't mean it can't also be enjoyable. I got shut down by a really easy route last week, but I was happy to be climbing. This week, I came back to the same route and did better. I'm learning to trust the process of getting stronger. The last decade of my life has largely revolved around either creative work or climbing. It's exciting to me to watch them start to merge into one, and to watch my career take a turn towards a dream come true.

SELF-CARE
HOLY CRAP. This has been such a struggle. I love my work, and sometimes it's a challenge to break away from it to do something other than climb or socialize. Last week offered up a stern reminder of the value of self-care. My anxiety and depression teamed up last week to take me as low as they could go. I see working on my business as the same as working on me personally, and that's not how it works. I learned that I need to take time away from my desk to engage in an activity that is just for me: painting. I find that I really enjoy painting acrylic on canvas. I'm not very good at it but I'm learning to enjoy it. Again, it's about trusting the process.

SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS SUMMIT
After the emotionally draining week, I was dreading going to this conference, but I'm really glad I did. Most of the day centered around the value of advertising and analytics, so getting your message out there, evaluating the effectiveness of your ad, and making adjustments. Beyond that, I discovered some new ways of connecting with clients and letting them know that I genuinely appreciate them. The biggest takeaway from the day was the closing keynote, Cindra Kamphoff, who talked about mental toughness. Talk about reading my mail, right? After a week of my brain taking me down, a message on mental toughness. I found so much value in what she had to say and found it to be extremely validating. Of all the struggles I've had in my career, being good enough and having my career path be seen as valid are the two biggest. She had us write down "I can, I will, I am" statements. I just wrote down the I am statements, validating myself in my career and my abilities. Since then, I've had a slightly different mindset. Not only am I confident in my work, but now I'm confident that my career is not only valid but isn't dependent on the opinions of someone else. Powerful, right?

WOOD FAMILY SESSION
My friend Jenny is a strong, passionate woman whose heart is marked by love. (I have so much to learn from her, and she makes me want to be a more self-controlled, patient and peaceful person. This also makes her a great client. It just so happened that I wanted to do a family session and she was looking for someone to do family photos, so we met up for a Sunday afternoon in the park. It was a really enjoyable afternoon with her, her husband, Jeff, and her five rambunctious, and truly delightful kids. I'm so grateful to Jenny and her family for taking the time to hang out and have some fun. Regardless of how many kids I have, I hope to raise a fun and free-spirited family just like Jeff and Jenny. They're an adorable power couple and they're killing it.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Latest playlist: Christmas or stuff from Bethel Music.
Snack of the week: Lucky Charms, frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. And Starbucks, because I've made way too many stops there this week. Their holiday spice flat white is so delicious.
High point: CLIMBING!!! And hanging out with Jenny.
Low point: Depression and anxiety last week.
What I recommend: Abstract Documentary on Netflix, the episode featuring Bjarke Ingels, a Danish architect. Just watch the whole documentary. You won't regret it.

That's all for this week!

happy trails, kids.
—emma