August 1, 2018
We’ve been saying for some time now that we had some stuff in the works over here at ginger + blu, so here it is: I quit. Yep, I said it. I quit!
I have been doing graphic and web design for 12+ years now. Jeeze, that makes me feel old. I have loved it, I have learned from it, I have some AMAZING fra-mily from it and now itʼs time to say good-bye.
For the past 4.5 years, I have been the Senior Design | Digital Manager for United Way of Greater Atlanta. Iʼve helped push forward the mission of child well-being and community health and have worked on projects and created programs that I am completely proud of (unapologetic plug: Silence the Growl). All of that aside, my favorite part of it has always been “my people”. My team made the job. Itʼs rare that you get to work with such an…eclectic group, haha. What I mean is that we were the tightest-knit, hardest working, most inappropriately blunt, ridiculously talented, walking HR issue of a team. And I am beyond grateful. They have truly been adopted into my family and I will, in a way, be lost without them. But, the time has come.
Our past year has been…busy. But my, what a year it has been. Becoming a mom and settling into that role has been the most fulfilling and down right exhausting thing I have ever done. I have tried to embrace it with as much grace and love as I could muster. Some days I feel like I’m crushing it. Other days, I place way too much pressure on myself. I battle my anxiety over potential failures, decisions, schedules, laundry and all of the nonsense in between. Thankfully, I have the most amazing and supportive partner.
Itʼs funny. I always knew I wanted to be a mom. I also knew that I wanted to work. I have literally had a job since I was 14 and the thought of not doing something, quite frankly, never crossed my mind. I used to think that meant sacrificing one dream for the other. A compromise of sorts that would never fully allow me to do what I wanted. In January of this year, Kyle and I took a leap and launched ginger + blu. Since then, we have been soaking up ALL. THE. THINGS. We’ve been making plans for our future and working hard to align ourselves to that path. After much prayer, discussion, more prayer, denial, just a little bit more prayer, a glass of wine (or four) and a couple of “You sure about this?”, we have decided to move our photography business from a part-time hobby to a full-time dream. One which will afford me the chance to raise my love and be at home with her. So officially, I quit. Kyle and I know that this is the best decision for our posse of three, even though it means leaving behind some of my most favorite people on the planet. He’s continuing to remind me of that – when I forget. So cheers to us and fingers crossed. “We doin’ this.”