In my twenties, I made the decision to mark the new chapter of my life with a dramatic change. In 1994, I moved to Spain for three years and used it as a pilgrimage intended to find my purpose. Back then, I (somewhat naively) thought it would take a few weeks to find what I was looking for.
Of course, I eventually found it, but it took 30 years rather than 30 days. When I was younger, I dreamed of becoming a documentary filmmaker. I am the youngest of five and my siblings are all brilliantly accomplished, but I was drawn to the arts.
I felt my path would be creative, so I didn't see myself as smart enough to become something as traditional as a lawyer. I loved theater and music, and law felt like the opposite of that. Obviously as a child, I had a very limited view of the legal world.
I thought it meant working at a glass high rise and being a corporate drone, which didn't appeal to me. I didn’t feel like I belonged in that sphere, I wanted to follow my passions instead. I attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and graduated in 1989 with a degree in Fine Art Photography.
I worked in restaurants, as a writer and an English teacher before becoming a wedding photographer. For 10 years, I had my own photography business that I cherished. It was small, with two other employees, but I loved connecting with families at such an inflection point in their lives.
As much as I enjoyed that work, it became increasingly hard to deny my true feelings. I was burning out, and I felt like there was more for me in this world. I just needed to figure out what that was.
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