Redefine Success

February 02 2026

Moving to Maine meant doing exactly what the title of this post suggests. I left a secure job in a time of uncertainty, struggled to figure out what I wanted to do next and ultimately landed right in the role people have been telling me for decades I should be.

I spent my life being worried I would be stuck in a box of “just” - “just a photographer” felt hollow and like it didn’t actually signify all that I knew, had experienced and could do. I had lived so many lives and done so many things by the time I was 30 that I couldn’t fathom a profession that seemed to distill it all down to just one word.

After a year in Chicago consulting and working with non-profits and artists during Covid, when we moved to Maine I kept trying to be someone that did it all. Creative director, business and brand developer, stylist, graphic designer, photographer… and, and, and… It was too much, it was confusing not only to explain to new people in casual conversation but also to be able to market myself and build a real business around. I realized I had to stop trying to be an entire creative agency all by myself.