I am a working woman!!!

I am back working at a coffee shop and soo LOVING IT!!!!

As many of you know I was so against working in a coffee shop again...I mean I worked my booty off in college and graduate with honors and then spent four years in coffee and doing internships...now I am in NYC and I was ready to spread my creative wings and dive into photography. God is a mysterious but great God...so I have had a few amazing photo jobs over the past year and a half, I was a Bronx highs school photographer-that was super fun, and I photographed Authors and Rock Stars at a recent conference...and of course a few portraits in between...but the majority of my time was waiting for the next job...sending out resumes, making calls, praying for what to do next, doing interviews where photographers are asking me to give them 3 months of my time at 50 hours a week for free!!! ahhhhh. So this was stressful and at times boring...I mean I am a social person and alot of my time was staring at the computer!

Truly the past year and a half of not working consistently has been a huge blessing, taking time to really focus on my career and passion was something I never really did before...the Lord totally gave me visions and has guided me in a very focused direction...well that could change but as of now I am very confident in pursuing humanitarian photography/documentary photography/photojournalism. Basically I want to tell real stories about real people and share those with others. I have a strong proposal for a photo documentary that I am excited to start whenever the Lord releases me...I need funding and my last application was beat out by a Pulitzer prize winner augh...but I am very confident in this vision. When I first moved here I thought I would take baby photos and then when possible some documentary work...but truly I do not want to do baby photos, well I will do them, but I want to work full time in documentary and so having a year and a half to navigate was great; I have been in touch with non profits pitching my story ideas (the bummer is alot of them don't have money but are on board with my ideas) I have been in contact with other photographers and working in studios getting tips for how to do this.

Also in this time of not working consistently ( I like to say that bc this whole time although I haven't had a regular pay check I have been working hard toward this end) I have had time for just me...to do things that are so truly me and so truly God. Like mentoring a teenager from Africa and visiting a few men at a hospital weekly...I mean that is life...that is me I would truly give up photography to be an advocate of some sort...well but I hope to be an advocate through photography, but only God knows.

Anyhow so I could go on and on but recently I realized that I wanted a part time job (I am just working part time still giving myself time and space to fully enjoy and commit to the other things that I love and to pursue my passion in photography) and that I had to get out of the house and around people; I am so happy with other people! God has made us all relational so it is a joy to be working with people. (dont get me wrong I love my alone time but all day every day was just too much for this chicky).

So I am super blessed to be working at the trendy West Village cafe, Joe.
And people have I met people, after only working a few very short shifts at Joe I have served Reese Witherspoon's high school sweet heart in the movie "Sweet Home Alabama," Josh Lucas and Julianna something from the old ER days...but even better than seeing the stars was seeing my friends on my first day of work. On my first day three of my good friends came in throughout my shift, I felt like a teenager at my first job when my parents and family all came to see me, it was soo sweet to be supported and loved so well! Oh and the funny thing was that I saw one of my regular customers from Reverie my cafe in SF, Craig Newmark of craigslist, he said Joe is his NY spot, funny huh! It was nice to see a familiar face, actually this is the photo he took of my on my first day of work! (Also how blessed am I by tips..yahhooooooo!!!!!!!) Thank You Lord