I know it should be an easy question to answer, but I always find myself hesitating when someone asks me what I do for a living. Do I define myself as a photographer? A mother? A seamstress? What exactly am I?
The truth is, of course, all of the above. To lay it all out there, I am a stay-at-home mom who hustles as much as I am able. I like to call myself an Anna, TX child and family photographer. In the mornings before my husband goes to work, I am either enjoying coffee with him on the couch while watching the kids, or I am out at a photo shoot or I am behind my sewing machine trying to get an order out for my little clothing shop. If the kids are in quiet time or napping, I am working. As soon as I turn out the lights at bedtime, I am working. 90% of the day, though, I am with my children, which is exactly what I want.
So why is it so hard to admit this? What is it about being a stay-at-home mom that can sometimes feel so embarrassing? I never feel shamed by anyone–it’s a self-inflicted feeling. For some reason, if I am not having photo sessions every single day, I feel as though it’s hard to call myself a photographer. If I am not making a full-time income from my clothing shop, it’s hard to call myself an entrepreneur. Why do I feel like I am less of a business woman if I also stay home with my children?
I’m not sure if I know the reason for that, or if I truly want to look it in the eye. The fact of the matter is, though, that I left my last job to live this life. 26 years spent learning and doing music with no regrets. I know without a shadow of a doubt that that was exactly where I needed to be and what I needed to be doing. Yet when my job playing music began competing with my family, it was a no-brainer. That job had to go.
So here I am today…a mother, a photographer, a seamstress, an entrepreneur. A woman still figuring it all out. A woman afraid of the world finding out. This is me. This is who I am.
And I am content.
So thank you. Thank you so much to every single one of you who has helped build this dream for me. I hope you love the images you get from me, and I am so thankful that you entrusted me to take them. But just as much, I am thankful that you help support this dream of mine. A dream of putting my family first. A dream of pursuing my passions. A dream of following this road, even when it doesn’t seem to take the same course that so many other artists and entrepreneurs and business people seem to take. I’ll take this road–as messy and unpredictable and obscure as it may seem. I’ll take it, because it is my dream. Thank you to every single one of you out there supporting me. You help make it all worth it, and for that I will always be grateful.
Anna, TX child and family photographer Christina Freeman is a mother to 3 little ones who enjoys capturing details of ordinary life from behind the lens. She currently resides in Anna, TX and loves photographing other families, babies and children in Collin County including Melissa, Van Alstyne, McKinney, Plano, Princeton, Farmersville, Prosper, Frisco, Wylie, Celina, Little Elm and other Dallas suburbs. Contact her at 940-453-4962 to get a conversation started today!