Coming Back to the Studio

With intentions to Close the Studio at the beginning of 2024, I began to lower all Overhead Costs by paying off business equipment, canceling Subscriptions, and not going back to Social Media Marketing. The business was not profitable and Capital had run out. Plus, running all facets of the business on my own for almost 12 years had taken its toll.

By the third Quarter of 2024, Monthly Overhead had decreased by over 70%. Much of the revolving credit lines were paid off and Closed. I transitioned from the Shopify Store to PhotoDeck where I was able to give duties of Order Processing, Shipping, and Inventory Management directly to the Photo Lab through PhotoDeck's partnership with them. This partnership did not exist with Shopify.

I had time to recover having realized I was burned out. I began running the business in ways that were smarter. I had more time to focus on my personal life, which was out of sorts because I focused on the business too much over the past decade. It felt like I was able to breathe again. Yet, I still had no drive to Create Art or Write.

By the end of 2024, I knew major changes were needed if the Studio was going to be revived. I had just completed participation in a few Digital Exhibitions overseas that included France and Spain, but there were no solid leads from these Events. Part of me began to believe my Work simply wasn't good enough to thrive on the International Stage. The audience had spoken.

First Quarter of 2025, focus shifted to my daytime Job where I'd been working for a Fortune 500 Company for nearly two years. My Annual Contract was set to expire late February. I didn't know if my Contract would be renewed again or would I be hired as an Employee or be Terminated. Long Story short, March 2025, I was hired as a full-time Employee. Promoted from an hourly Position to a Salary Position with a significant Pay increase.

At that moment, everything changed. Yet, I still did not revive the business. I focused on my personal finances. Spent the next three months paying off credit cards and cleaning up my credit profile with the bureaus. Then, I Moved away from roommates into my own Space. Little did I know this would have its own challenges, but I'm learning as I go.

Call me an extremely late bloomer. Some of my Journey from Falling to climbing out of the pit I dug for myself is covered in my Poetry Collections. Perhaps, I'll share more details another day. For now, I want to appreciate... Celebrate? How far I've come. You can only beat yourself up for so long before you realize it's time to move on. Learn from it. Then, leave it behind.

July 2025, I find myself eager to Create. I need to Create. It's not what I do, it's who I am. After not Creating any new Work for well over a year, I found myself back behind the Lens wondering what I could Capture. Here's a glimpse:

I don't know what the finished Piece will look like. That's part of the Journey. You start walking without knowing exactly where you're going. But you'll know when you Arrive.

In conclusion, if you're wondering whether or not your Life can turn around after a series of bad choices: Start making good choices. Consistently. Not for days, months, or even a few years. It becomes a Lifestyle choice. Eventually, things can change. Things can change for the better if you change for the better.