When I was in college I used to imagine myself working a typical 9-5 job. Although I'm a homebody at heart and love to run around doing errands during the day I never though those preferences would marry well with my current career! I think it's neat how God works. Anyway, I thought I'd show you a normal work day for me, which is an oxymoron because no day is quite the same. This is what I did Tuesday.
8am
I usually get up between 7-730 and am showered and ready for the day by 8am. Just because I don't go into an office doesn't mean I don't have to be presentable. I think I do better work when I'm more put together.
9am
Time to eat quickly, drink some tea and catch up on e-mails. Most places that I photograph don't want me there until 10am so this gives me an hour to edit, upload to our ftp and yes, check google reader. I usually crank open the blinds, throw on Pandora (today it was The Bird & The Bee) and do a chore or two. This time I was too busy editing to get the chore done.
10am
First stop: a shoot in Edina. I love how close to everything I am, the drive was easy. I spent an hour photographing a shop and it's grand opening and met some great people. I love all the cool stuff that is going on in our city. I love hearing about everything right away.
11am
Second stop: NE Minneapolis. I drove to a fantastic sushi restaurant for a on white shoot (see my backdrop on the left?) People are so incredibly generous and mindful of me when I am working. Usually if someone asks me if I want something to drink I decline, I always have water with me, but this time I said "yes" to some tea. I love that pretty tea pot and cup!
12pm & 1pm
Somehow I lost my lunch time photo, but this shot of my steering wheel gets the point of my early afternoon across perfectly. I did have a chance to eat at home, pasta + fresh veggies, then off I went for two more photo shoots near downtown. I spend lots of time behind the wheel of my car which is why I hope when the time comes, years down the road, if I'm still working like this, that I'll buy a luxury vehicle because I spend more time behind the wheel than actually shooting or in my home.
2pm
Grocery trip time. I won a gift card from my landlord to the local co-op for having the lowest energy bill in the entire building so I used it wisley to stock up on my basics: organic eggs, multigrain bread, spinach, black beans and an avocado. I am craving Maggie's soup that she made for me last week, but there wasn't enough time to pick up all the ingredients. The great thing about this place is that I am a member so I was able to use my discount to save even more "money."
3pm
Back at home, this time to edit. Usually this is my view, and I actually like it. I try to turn around my photos really quickly so that means batch editing!
4pm
And back in the car... this time to another photo shoot. Yes, I run around like this often, but mostly at the end of the month during "press time." I do a pretty good job of managing my stress in traffic. I wish there was a way to get uptown in shape instead of the usual, but fixable gridlocks that happen day after day at the same time. Cool little story: see the pretty building on the right? It's a French-style apartment building that offers co-op living and includes all these unique ammentities. I tried as hard as I could to get in there, but no one would ever return my phone calls. One day I met a guy who works in leasing and he actually lives there. I asked him how he got it and he said it was a challenge, so that made me feel better! I love where I live, but oh how pretty those top floor windows are!
5pm
Back at home and back to work, this time calling a few places to schedule shoots and editing my last one. I love to light candles once it gets dark out, makes it feel a little less like work and more like editing for fun.
I usually don't finish this early, but this day I ended up having Bible Study around 7pm so I finished up work earlier so I could eat dinner and be ready to go. I love my unique work life, I think it suits me perfectly, crazy schedule and all.
