Water Street Dreams

Well.

It's official.

My website is up and running. {Read this post and then visit http://www.waterstreetdreams.com/.} It has, as those in the world of the internet say, propagated the world.

Water Street Dreams.

Since most of you have no idea the significance of my business name, I thought I would include here, the meaning behind the name "Water Street Dreams" ...
My photography journey began all the way back in the rural Canadian town of Thessalon, overlooking the banks of the Thessalon River, on a street called Water.

It wasn’t a photography journey per se, but If you want a snapshot of who I was and who I am today, you can simply walk down Water Street to our two-story white-with-green trim home and curl up in my childhood window, my favorite perch. It overlooked the Thessalon River.

It was there that I spent hours dreaming and wondering, curious about who I would be when I grew up, where I would live, and what journeys I would take in the decades to come. I was the dreamer sort, full of ideas, ever-positive and hopeful.

{This picture isn't has nothing to do with Water Street but it was just too cute so I had to include it.}

Early Dreams

A huge part of who I am today was fostered there, in that tiny Northern Ontario town of 1,700. My free spirit. My creative heart. My dreaming soul. My love of nature, God’s incredible creation of water, trees, woods, rivers and lakes, was borne and cultivated there. My love for people and a home where hospitality was the norm. My idea of travel sparked by the countless foreign missionaries that sat around our kitchen table. My desire to serve and give and share were exemplified on a daily basis by my parents. And most importantly, the foundation of my relationship with Jesus Christ was grounded there.

My mom absolutely thought I could be whatever I wanted to be, even a doctor or an astronaut. Anything, really. And she was wise enough to know that I actually never could be a doctor {because I hate blood} or an astronaut {because I hate science and math}, yet she allowed me to dream and never once squelched my dreaming.

And so I dreamed. All the time.

Longing
At the end of Grade 10, my parents announced that we were moving to a town an hour away. I was completely devastated. Being a parent now, I know that we sometimes have to do things that our children don’t understand. But back then, in the middle of high school, I truly didn’t understand and struggled through my 11th and 12th years at the rich kids’ school in the big city.

I longed for Thessalon. Water Street was home. The funny thing is, I’ve traveled the world, lived overseas - Indonesia as a missionary - currently live in Chicago, yet Thessalon still begs me to call it home.


Entreprenuerial Dreams
Since graduation from college, I’ve had this entrepreneurial dream swirling around, deep inside. It has taken on various forms. Some months I thought perhaps I’d run a B&B. Other months it seemed that I should start a business to help inner-city kids. And the days strung in between saw about a million other ideas. Possibilities. Hopes. I’m a die-hard optimist, which lends itself to jumping on a lot of bandwagons. Finally, I’ve landed on “it.”

The Dream Realized
The “it” being Water Street Dreams. Storytelling photography. Capturing your stories big and small. Stories that draw emotion. Stories that capture your todays so that your tomorrows will come alive for those that follow you.

Fast forward to Fall 2008. My friend Catherine and I were having a conversation about the need to someday work again {outside our homes} to provide additional income for our families. I shared that I would love to do something creative where I could set my own schedule, adding that I had no idea what that could be, and without skipping a beat she said, "You should do photography." {I can still hear her voice - she was confident and really thought I could do it. Hmmm.}

Fast forward to March 19, 2010. My first ever photo shoot. That same sweet friend emailed me and said that she had a friend who was looking for a photographer to capture her three boys in action. "Could she recommend me? Would I like to try?" Without thinking, I said, “YES.”

And so my story began - my Water Street Dreams story. I remember driving to that first photo shoot, sick to my stomach, hoping I didn't ruin my opportunity to get this business off the ground. Yet at the same time I was bursting with excitement, knowing deep down that I could do it. This could be it.

And so the journey began, and continues. Numerous photo shoots later a website has been developed. Business cards are printed. The word is out that I've started a business. I did the swan dive off the cliff of my dreams and landed in my ocean called "Water Street Dreams."

Go check it out here and let me know what you think. {You can click on the facebook link but there's not much there, yet. I'll get to that the week after next.} I'll be curious to hear your thoughts! And thanks to all of you out there who believed in me enough to give me a chance this past year to chase after this dream. And for my family and friends that have loved on me and encouraged me to jump off this cliff of my dreams!

HERE WE GO.