So, the year is nearly over. What a rollercoaster I must say. It has been a year full of adventures and challenges and also changes. Honestly it has been a very interesting year and probably one of the most up and downs one in the whole life. And it was painful quite a lot. But no pain no gain, right?
It is still early to reflect fully but just the fact that after 8 years of corporate job I decided to go on an adventure and leave comfy corporate chair and instead of working 8-5 i became my own boss and started to work 24/7 haha. It is not exactly like this but it is very different from Monday to Friday corporate hours. Now I am available and working without noticing i am actually working. Do i regret? oh no, not at all. i am finally happy with my work and I do what i love to do. Why did I leave you might ask? So going back to the beginning of this year all i remember is being sick. all. the. time. and there is a reason why. Two jobs, lots of stress in the corporate one and no rest. Where else could it lead if not to a burnout? How blind was i for quite few months i realised just now. But being sick got over the top and i had to take a decision. and i did. Cried for 3 days. Not because i was sad, because i was so freaking scared to leave and go to unknown. and now I am still scared and still learning how to be a freelance and how to handle all this but the sleepless nights and all the sickness is gone. I have sacrificed the financial stability so I haven’t been sick ever since. Magic how doing what you like instead of what you don’t can change your health and sleep.
Despite of being sick I had another challenge sent by universe where I had to get new camera gear. all. from scratch. Cried for three days in my bed again (yes, another drama with 3 days of crying in bed). But I realised crying wont solve the problem and got out of bed to buy the new gear. Realising that loosing material things hurts (mostly the bank account) but it is not the end of the world helped (also all my friends and family who helped me and supported on those quite grey and sad days).
Lots of loses for the first half of the year. Lots of reflecting and lots of thought decisions. But that wasn’t it. there was another chapter with again different pain. Operation. in the middle of the summer. no walk for few weeks and no exercise or mountains for a more than month. Taking away one of the things what I love the most, walking in the nature was really painful. But this was the time to stay home and reflect again on what I actually love and how grateful i am for my health. This is the time where I worked on my portfolio and website and gave myself a lot of time to rest and be lazy.
So many chapters this year, and as my friend says you feel like you live a life when you have chapters and things happen to you. And she is so right, it gives me goosebumps to remember all the chapters and how strong i am or how strong I have become this year. But saying things happen to you is not correct and I prefer to say things happen for you. FOR. not TO you. Meaning these all ups and downs happened for me to teach me something or make me stronger or protect me from something or to push me to be where I am today.
Grateful. So freaking grateful for all those lessons, for all the people who supported and helped me on those though days, grateful for all the new opportunities I got this year, i have worked with so many cool brands and people, I have photographed 4 beautiful retreats (i love love love working as retreat photographer and hope next year will be full retreats), been in Italy twice, started destination wedding photography business with my friend and not only that we started we also photographed wedding in Italy and some weddings in Spain and also did so many styled photoshoots in different locations. We have now booked weddings for next and even 2025 seasons. I have worked with brands like Oysho and traveled to Cannes film fest for that. Created beautiful content for product brands and small businesses.
What a year. Wish 2024 to be less dramatic but same interesting and full of colours and full of emotions. Cause living a boring life is easy, but who wants easy when there is so much fun and challenges.
Will leave something I have learned this year here below, you. can agree or disagree, but I have learned my lesson
”Your comfort zone will kill you”

xx
Domi