Time is a strange concept. It's a manmade "thing" to evaluate the distance between one happening and another or when a certain happening should begin or end. We have an abundance of time in front of us with no idea when this time we are given will run out.
The older I get, I realize the faster time seems to move. Five years ago, I was 20 and over halfway done with college. I had plenty of time to see friends, study for classes, and be creative. Thinking back, I also wasn't sleep a ton, so I probably seemed to have even more time because I wasn't using any to catch some shut eye.
Fast forward five years to now. Time actually flies. 2020 feels like it barely happened at all. I know it did because in a year's time, we lived through the beginning and most difficult era of a global pandemic, I lost my job, got a new one, and reignited a passion I almost lost altogether.
Looking back to my younger self, I wish I could leave small notes of advice around her house warning her how fast time does move. And it truly does not stop for anyone. To be honest, I think this is why my obsession with polaroid cameras and cameras in general grew so much in my younger years.
In college, I took a photojournalism class. It was GREAT, but that's when I learned how much you could edit a photo. Not necessarily did I learn it for that class (journalists aren't supposed to touch anything to make it artificial), but I took the time after class to learn on my own. You can remove skin blemishes, wrinkles, and bruises, but by removing those elements, you remove characteristics. You remove elements of a person's story.
Okay, maybe not so much for skin blemishes. But really think about it. Wrinkles tell the story of how much a person smiles or laughs. I have lovely little wrinkles already coming in by the corners of my eyes because all I did in my younger years was laugh and smile. And I still do today. I have smiled and laughed a LOT in my time.
When I first got my polaroid camera, I loved how I could capture moments. And not just that, I loved how I could capture moments that I would not be able to change with a quick edit. I loved the stillness of that moment in time. I took my polaroid camera to countless music festivals because that's truly where I felt happiest. And the most free. The most grounded. The most timeless.
In 2018, I met Luis. We were shooting on a media team for a music festival that took place over New Year's Eve called Decadence. Luis was different. He was polite and genuine and to be honest, better with a camera than I might I ever be when it comes to optics, composition, light, and color. But he understood the value of a moment. He understood the concept of wanting to capture a moment in time.
Six months after we started dating, it hit me it had been SIX whole months. Nearly 180 days. And I still felt as though we had met only days prior. His love for me was, and continues to be, absolutely timeless. After meeting him, I understood why everyone wanted photos with their significant others. Time is fleeting when you're happy and in love and you really don't want to miss a thing. You don't want to forget a thing. You want this feeling to go on forever. You want this love to be timeless.
When I think of my own personal branding, I think a lot about time. It takes time for me to put together plans, ads, styles, ideas, and colors that I am proud to call my own. It takes time for me to edit each and every collection of photos I shoot. It takes time for me to communicate with my new clients, to understand them, their ideas, their personalities. It takes time for me to create my website, to run through edits and renditions with Luis, to talk to Julianna on the phone and work and rework my business card ideas (by the way, if you need someone for any design projects ever, please reach out to her). It takes time to come home from my 9-5 job and relax before diving in to the next side-hustle photography project.
And somehow, it all gets done. Because I have the time and I know how to utilize my time wisely.
By no means am I saying I am a perfect human being. I enjoy my sleep and quality time and movies and coffee runs just as much as the next person. However, over the last few years, I've read and listened to different books and podcasts that inspired me to do more with my time.
An EDM artist who is a local to Arizona named Ghastly posted on his Twitter account several years ago saying something along the lines of, "If you're not going to commit to doing something in the next three minutes, you're not going to get it done. You'll procrastinate." At the time, I was a college student and I felt called OUT. Whenever I think about doing something, even as simple as getting more paper towels for the kitchen from the cupboard, I will immediately stand up and find a new roll. Or cleaning up dishes after dinner. I commit almost immediately so I can get it done three minutes from the time the thought crosses my mind. Not only does this save me time later, it also forces me to complete my tasks in a timely order.
I am especially reminded of that message today when I am trying to figure out how to cancel and transfer our internet over to the house we will be moving into this weekend. (We're moving!!) I don't like calling our provider because they are difficult and I really do have a higher pitched voice making me sound like a young girl, so I don't feel like they take me seriously. But sometimes, you just have to call the second you think about it to get it done. (Or I ask Luis to help!)
Another small tip I keep in mind is from Rob Dial. I first learned of Rob Dial from my graphic designer best friend, Julianna. He has a podcast full of positivity, inspiration, and life advice. Last summer, I was in a place where I needed a lot of life advice on how to navigate the next chapter of my life and how to effectively use my time. Rob's idea is this: you go to work for eight or nine hours a day. But then, you have four to six hours once you get home from work. So, what are you choosing to do with those four to six hours? It made me realize I could get SO much done whether it be at the gym, on my photography business, bonding with friends, or spending time with Luis in a greater capacity. I DO have the time to do almost anything and if I want to do it, I'll get it done with the time I have.
In 2021, I have a giant to do list. Both for photo and for me personally. I have very strict resolutions I set for myself for the next year. If you can't tell, I'm a very big list person. If I add something to my to do list, it must be completed in a specific timeframe. By reminding myself of these two people and their simple daily mantras, I feel confident in how I will use my time, plan to use my time, and how effectively I will complete tasks.
Time flies and the older I get, the faster time seems to move. I don't want to move too fast and forget any moment with my family, Luis, or loved friends and family I acquire along the way. But I do want to use my time wisely to complete everything in this life I want to do while I'm here. I want to use my camera to capture memories for myself of my friends, family, and loved ones. However, I want to use my camera to capture memories of time spent for you and your family. Memories come and go along with the time used to create them, but nothing can destroy a photograph capturing a moment or several moments in time.
That is why I keep a camera in hand and why I love being behind the lens so much. I understand that time can be spent on anything. If you choose to spend some time with me and allow me to capture a few special moments, I promise you will never forget them. And. you will not regret spending your time with me.
As I said in my little intro on my website, "Moments are fast and fleeting. They don’t last. However, a photo has the ability to span generations and transcend time."
Let's use the time we have to create something timeless.
I hope you are having a wonderful week and I can't wait to talk to you soon!
Kayla