2024 Year in Review

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Jan 2

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2024 - holy, holy, holy

In all truth, friend, the past year brought me to my knees. Some of the most difficult moments I've ever faced were sandwiched between moments that were plucked straight out of my dreams.

One thing that never waivered was my dedication to and love for my work. 2024 was the most fulfilling and successful year I've had in my business so far, and it felt like a tipping point for me in finally being able to run the business of my dreams. I worked with so many dream clients (including a few that were previously on my vision board), I traveled to bucket list places to capture Retreat Magick, and I created some of my favorite photo and video art ever.

2024 was the first year I added Brand Magick to my offers, and it was even more popular than I expected. It showed how much folks crave a high-touch visual experience to help bring their brands to life, and it has solidified my passion for working with clients in a much more in-depth and intentional way, I can see and feel it in the results in every image and video captured.

The year began on a quieter note as we had moved to Maine less than 2 months prior and were still getting our bearings in a new place. In retrospect, it was beautiful to have a slower January to do a bit of nesting and spend quality time at home.

February brought Brand Magick sessions with returning clients and new friends. I fell in love with getting to explore capturing folks in different industries and niches. I incorporated even more pre-session intention and planning, and the results blew me away. The depth of connection with each client increased, the range and quality in every final gallery skyrocketed, and the unique essence of each client felt like it was able to shine even brighter. It allowed every session to flow with so much more ease, creating space for even more magick to come through.

March and April saw even more Brand Magick and last-minute Retreat Magick in Costa Rica. I was more than grateful for a break from the cold Maine winter, and to this day, what I captured on that retreat is some of the most moving art I've ever created. This is also when I started noticing and measuring the benefits of dialing in my backend business systems and processes. I spent noticeably less time behind the computer and more time creating throughout the year, and it was a game-changer.

May and June were full on. I captured the annual Awaken Your Soul retreat in Costa Rica and traveled to Joshua Tree with one of my favorite humans, Sarah Oleson. There were some powerful Initiation Ceremonies and I created even more Brand Magick with dream clients throughout New England. While I was riding a professional high, this time also marked the start of a really difficult personal period.

July started with the heartbreaking loss of my soul dog, P-nut. Being with her as she transitioned will forever be one of the most formidable and devastating things I've ever done, and also one of the most beautiful. I spent the next two weeks deep in my grief and found myself more than once full of gratitude for having built a business that allows me the time, flexibility, and space to be so deeply present at home during such a difficult time.

The Universe has a way of looking out for us, and right as my grief was starting to shift and soften, it was time to prepare for the first Initiation Private Retreat at my home. Working on the land and in the barn to bring this Retreat to life gave me such purpose and passion after such an incredibly challenging time that it unintentionally became one of the most healing experiences I've ever had. By the time the day of the Initiation Private Retreat arrived, I felt fully present and focused on holding the space for the magickal day to unfold.

And let me just say - I've never felt so in my purpose with an offering. Ever.

Spending an entire day holding you and supporting your healing through ceremony, somatics, nature, embodiment practices, co-creating art, and nourishing organic, local foods - I get teary-eyed just typing that out. It's what my soul is here to do. The Initiation Private Retreat experience is getting even more magickal upgrades for 2025 and I can already feel in my bones the depth of transformation and healing that will take place here. Full-body chills.

August and September ramped back up. Brand Magick and Video Magick were the themes of these months, with some unforgettable Retreat Magick in Vancouver in the mix. On the homefront, we rescued a puppy and brought her home on the Lion's Gate portal, which felt serendipitous in so many ways. She's brought so much joy and light back into my life, especially after the loss of P-nut and it has truly been such a gift adding her to our family (but holy moly, I forgot how exhausting the puppy energy can be).

October, November, and December closed out the year on a high note. Each month heading into the end of 2024, there was more Brand Magick and more Initiation Ceremonies. October means one of the most life-changing weekends of my life is happening: capturing the annual Homecoming Retreat with Cait Scudder. I celebrated one year as a homeowner and as a Mainer. I ended the working year capturing Retreat Magick in Costa Rica with a dream client and soul sister (who I met at Homecoming in 2023!). And I ended the year spending my birthday relaxing on the beaches of Curacao and soaking up the sunshine, which I've been calling in for years now.

It wasn't an easy year, by any stretch. But it was full, full, full. Full of lessons, full of community, full of hardships, full of tears and laughter.

I felt more in my purpose and mission last year than ever.

From a business standpoint, it was my most successful year yet, and it was also a year that I deeply prioritized balancing ease with effort. I focused more and quality over quantity and worked hard to streamline the backend of my business to allow me to provide an even more present and intentional client experience for you.

Some interesting tidbits

I captured more vertical photos and video this year than ever before, at your request!

It was a social media and content-focused year, and I loved being able to work with so many clients at the forefront of the trends to help them grow their brands and businesses by leaning into what's popular while creating art that helps them stand out.

I went to Costa Rica three times last year to capture retreats, which feels worth mentioning.

Together, we leaned even more deeply into creating iconic, intentional brand art that goes beyond the standard sitting-at-a-desk-with-your-laptop brand image and captures your unique essence. I got to witness and capture so many badass humans in front of my lens throughout the year. I got to witness you all crush it by using the art we created together to rebuild your websites, update your brands, grow your business, increase your revenue, and share your mission and message with the world.

On a personal note, 2024 helped me lean even more into myself, into Ceremony, and into all of the tools I've cultivated over my lifelong healing journey. Last year felt like a potent year for community in my life. I built new friendships, said goodbye to others, and allowed others to transform and shift without taking things too personally.

I found a personal rootedness and depth of confidence this year that I didn't know I had in me (but one I've been craving for a long time, now). I feel so certain of myself, my mission, and what I am here for in this life that there is no doubt in my mind about what is meant for me.

Looking ahead to 2025, I am calling in a year of abundance and nourishment.

I've revamped my offerings to continue to emphasize high-quality, deep intention and connection, and impactful results because it means so much to me to know you are getting the best images and experience possible.

A few things I'm certain of heading into this year:

🌟 2025 will be a year filled with helping incredible business owners bring their iconic brands to life with Brand Magick and Video Magick.

🌟 2025 will see so many life-changing transformations and Initiations on the land and in front of the lens with Initiation Ceremonies and Initiation Private Retreats.

🌟 2025 will have some of the most heart-centered Retreat Magick captured in the most extraordinary places around the world.

However 2024 may have treated you - we made it through. We get to leave 2024 behind and enter the new year full of hope and possibility. We get to create the year of our dreams, together.