::306:: so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye!

So.

There were hiccups, there were breaks, there were jump starts, there was renewal of dedication, there were plans to go back and fill in the gaps, there was puttering out.  

I had a ton of ideas for Halloween week, and in the middle the week, I wondered, why am I not actually DOING those things? Swiper as a mummy (oodles of white masking tape), Swiper with a teeny bat I found at World of Mirth early in the year, Swiper trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, being bewitched, and so forth. I really wanted to do them, but I didn't. The reason? Well, there's a lot going on, and as much as I adore Swiper and playing with toys, it sometimes takes an hour or more to set up a shoot, edit the photos, and blog. 

Swiper is a fantastic source of inspiration, which is why he came to the Dominican Republic with me to begin with, and then became the star of his own 365 project. 

But these days? Well, there's the usual stuff - the kids, the carpools, the housekeeping, the school volunteerism, the extracurriculars, the cooking, the time I want to spend keeping in touch with friends and taking care of my body and being with my husband and reading a good book or two. 

And.

There's the new thing I'm growing and birthing: the business I'm starting. From scratch. 

Filling my creative needs these days is the fledgling Jess Lucia Photography, which you can find on Facebook and Twitter, and soon on its own website, jessluciaphotography.com.  I'm in a world of business strategy and pricing and portfolio selection and client emails and scouting locations and photo shoots and late-night editing. It's exciting, it's awesome, it's terrifying.  I'm scared, I'm psyched, I'm stressed, I love it.

Swiper is still along for the ride, stowing away in my camera bag, but he's stepping out from in front of the lens to make room for my clients. And I'm still out there on the internet, too, being an idealist on Spark and on Twitter. I hope you'll join me on an adventure sometime, as a co-conspiritor or in front of my lens. 

Thanks to those of you who were here from the start and those who found me along the way, those who were frequent commenters and those who silently enjoyed Swiper's adventures. Thanks to my husband, who doesn't bat an eye when he comes home to find me laying on the sidewalk with a pile of toys again, and to my kids, who never fail to come up with even cooler ideas than my own, and to the Facebook 365 Artists group that gave me support early on and through which I met fantastic new friends. 

And many thanks to Swiper, my little mischievous vulpine alter ego whose eyes can say anything. Thanks for the fun, buddy.  Awwww, man.

Comments

[Noah]

Sorry to see you go! I've truly enjoyed watching your project and I'm sure your business will do well with all of your creative energy aimed at it!

[Andrea]

I was an occasional visitor who'd try to catch up when I could.

Good luck with the new chapter in your life. I don't doubt that you'll be very busy with work very soon. Life gets so hectic when the children are in school and then some when mamma wants to have a life and work outside of the domestic sphere.