The “What’s Next” and the “Right Now”. | McGowan Images Blog

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The “What’s Next” and the “Right Now”.

Tis the season for resolutions. For big plans. For dreaming out loud.

In January of 2009, we made big plans for this business. We asked God to make his plans for us completely clear, and He did that. He’s been taking care of us ever since. We’ve been blessed to see the fruition of almost every goal we’ve set for ourselves in the years since… and when we didn’t accomplish something, we at least got a clear reason WHY. January & February have always been challenging, powerful months for us.

This year, as we sat and talked about what the big “Next Step” might be for McGowan Images, I found myself getting a little overwhelmed. I mean, of course there are “next steps”. It’s important for us to keep growing… to keep stretching ourselves creatively. I don’t think we’ll ever run out of goals, or things we want to try.

But this year, as we took a short break to breathe, reflect, and look ahead, I realized that I might have been guilty of letting my eye toward the future distract me from appreciating the NOW. I realized that in 2013, I was so focused on the big “What’s Next” that I didn’t stop long enough to be really grateful for the amazing “Right Now”.

The fact is, we’re living in an amazing season of our lives. THIS… this RIGHT NOW for McG… is what we were aiming for when we started this business in the fall of 2008. This was as big as we dared to dream. We wanted to work together, to have amazing clients, to be comfortable, to be able to travel. We’re not rolling around naked in dollars or anything, and some months are tighter than others… but we’re here. We did it. We travel with our amazing children (We’re on a trip right now, actually) and our friends, and we’ve been able to frame our family values around experiences over possessions. We love our job, and our clients, and we’re proud of our work.

Is there a “What’s Next”? Well, I’m sure there is. This year, we are going to look into updating our website… we know it’s not very mobile friendly. We want to start tossing plans around for our very first workshop. I want to continue to grow my Girls on Film boudoir business, because I’m incredibly passionate about the work I do with those clients. We’re going to keep raising the bar for what we provide to our clients… and there are some amazing weddings in the pipeline for this year.

But mostly, we’re going to try not to spend 2014 thinking as much about “What’s Next”. 2014 is going to be the year of NOW. That’s going to mean a few changes for our business… changes that allow us to slow down a bit during seasons when we’re not shooting as much, and really be PRESENT with our family. It’s going to mean there are a few weeks this year when… GASP… there’s not a blog post up 5 days in a week. Or even 3 days. You guys, that stresses me out. That’s hard for me. But I’m going to try, because I’d rather be “all in” with content that matters than freaking out about having to have something up just because I’ve set that standard for myself.

We’re praying that 2014 will be a year of rejuvenation, and divine inspiration. Not because we’ve lost our way, or because we don’t know where to go from here… but because we want to keep loving what we’re doing and how we’re doing it JUST AS MUCH as we do right now.

Because right now? Oh friends… right now is really really good.

Jacks-Startrail

The photo above was taken by our son Jack. He chose the spot, he set the camera, he made all the editing decisions. We love how interested he’s become in what we do…. we hope to have more photo adventures like this with him this year. 🙂

What’s your 2014 like? Is it a big “What’s Next” year, or more of a “Right Now” time? There’s no wrong answer… just chime in and let us know what the next 10 months hold for you!

  1. ambo says:

    I am in tears right now. This is so beautiful. I hope you know how incredibly proud of ya’ll I am and how blessed I feel to call you guys my friends/family. This year for me is about committing myself to appreciate all I have, the loved ones, the amazing friends, the wonderful life. To be so in love with what ever I choose to do that I commit 110% and simply be happy. I love ya’ll super a lot.
    OH
    Give Jack a high five from Aunt Ambo for that shot!

  2. ann says:

    Awesome picture Jack!

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