I used to think it would be easy to be self-employed and it was a surprise to me in 2004 - when I jumped the PAYE ship - that actually it can be quite challenging. You are not sure when the next job is coming in, you need to big up your own work, you might not see a real person (other than on your computer) for days on end, you work away a lot, you’re never not working. These are, of course, all of the negatives and they are far outweighed by the good stuff. And actually I am never not working because everywhere I look I see a photograph, I mean constantly…. (I’ve chatted to my brain but it doesn’t listen). So we (me and my brain) have decided that I am in the best line of work.
So when Nikki said she was going to go self-employed I didn’t mention the negative stuff (shhh…) because I know like my own brain, hers likes to do it’s own thing too… TAKE PICTURES!
And this is where Two For Joy Photography began…..
On a cold wintery night in October 2015 Nikki and I were out for a “power” walk talking about how much her life was about to change with the onset of her leaving work… at the start of the walk I hadn’t really thought that it would bear any impact on my life…. but by the end of the walk our brains and mouths were going ten to the dozen as we discussed the idea of us going into business together. And I have to say (much to the exasperation of our husbands) I don’t think our brains and mouths have stopped ever since.
I should tell you a bit about Nikki. She is the sort of person you want to hang out with. She is cool and she feeds you and she makes you feel better than you did before (even if you already felt pretty good). I’m not sure how she manages to do all of those things, but she does. Over the years our broken conversations have flitted between babies, coffee, wine, “have you seen… oh what was it called? Argh I can’t remember” - You know, the usual sleep-deprived conversations that new Mums have. Knowing that actually we are both creative at heart but it was somehow buried under all of the other stuff…. Well it’s not buried anymore! Finally it feels like I am able to get creative again and I have a partner in crime to be creative with. So many ideas… so little time!
