… A LIFE HALF LIVED

“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” – Truman Capote

I’ve been doing a lot of teaching and mentoring lately and this idea of a fear and being afraid of making a mistake, or fear of not having a perfect brand, fear of not knowing enough, and all other sorts of fears is something that keeps coming up. One of the most important things we need to learn as creatives is to ignore that fear. If I had listened to my fears and doubts about starting I Love Wednesdays, I wouldn’t be here today doing what I love; instead I’d probably be working somewhere ‘safe’ for someone else. Fear makes you stick to what’s comfortable and makes people complacent. Complacency has never been a good thing for creative endeavours.

The risk of failure is inevitable, in whatever we do. Every successful person in the world has failed more than most people combined, and that’s what makes them so successful, being willing to reach further, challenging themselves to explore new ideas, escaping their comfort zone, and getting right back up when they fall flat on their face.

I’ve been working on my list of goals for 2011 and they are extensive, audacious and more than likely impossible… but I would rather be just south of audacious than just north of complacent.

xoxo

Felicity & Scott // Centennial Park wedding

There are certain things that you just know are going to impact and influence your life right from the outset, and I knew that the instant I saw Scott and Felicity at our initial meeting. We met at Fifi Foveaux’s in Surry Hills in April of last year, and I knew exactly which couple they were before I even walked into the door. They looked the picture of togetherness, like they had been together for their entire lives and were two parts of a whole. I remember walking out of that meeting with the song “Such Great Heights” echoing in my head and feeling like the lyrics made me think of Scott and Felicity

If you that don’t know the song, the lyrics begin with the words. “I am thinking it’s a sign that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they’re perfectly aligned, And I have to speculate that God himself did make us into corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces from the clay.” They made me think about what love really was and made me very thankful that I am a photographer.

And so it was. We made plans for their engagement session, which you can see here and then it was time for them to get married.

I don’t know quite what I expected on the day, but Felicity and Scott’s wedding far surpassed anything I could have imagined. Felicity worked by herself on all the details and hand made almost everything so that it reflected the couple that she and Scott are, two peas in a pod.

Felicity and Scott’s wedding is featured today on Polka Dot Bride, you can see more piccies and read more about it here.

I leave you with Felicity and Scott’s first dance song and a wedding that has indelibly left it’s mark on me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

“It is not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It’s whether our work fulfills us.” – Malcolm Gladwell

Thank you all for making my 2010 a fullfilling year and thank you for all you support, care and kindness.

I can’t wait to see what 2011 brings and I wish you all a happy and safe holiday season.

xoxo Len