There are so many different connotations that go along with asking someone’s age, and a lot of it has to do with different ways that we ourselves perceive age. What someone should have done or not done by a certain age is only fact in our minds because of the life we have lived. But everyone is different.

So no matter how old you were when you discovered your passion, or if you haven’t discovered it yet, that is of no consequence. What matters is how passionately you go after your dreams and how much you believe in yourself, age aside. Because whether you are very young or very old, or somewhere in between, like me, you have every right to chase your desires. The only time age is an issue is when we make it one.

So, I had a birthday. And I happen to adore birthdays. Not so much the celebrating of them with a party and a cake (though I do love cake…) but more the idea that life moves forward and with each passing moment I learn something new about it. I love celebrating life and how wonderful it is to be here. I am so grateful for it.

The question of age comes up very often for me. When I am speaking somewhere or teaching or exhibiting, one thing that everyone seems to want to put in the introduction is how old I am. I’m not sure why there is a preoccupation with age, but to me, it is irrelevant. We are as old as our imaginations.

So when someone asks me how old I am, I want to respond with this simple statement:

I am old enough to know right from wrong.
Old enough to know love.
Old enough to have a business.

I am young enough to chase my dreams.
Young enough to believe my dreams can come true.
Young enough to understand my imagination.

Numbers mean so little. So while I could sit here and tell you that I am now 27 years old, it doesn’t mean anything. What matters more is impossible to put into words, let alone numbers. What matters is how we embrace who we are, our imaginations, and our dreams. Old or young, everyone deserves that much.

How old (or young) do you feel?

So, how do I make time to create whenever I want to create?

It isn’t always as simple as that. I am a full time business owner and photography is my main schtick, but I do a lot more than that. I love teaching and writing and trying new things. And this is the story of most people. We have love for a diverse group of things, and I am no busier than anyone else; yet still I sometimes have trouble finding time to take pictures. I feel certain that others have this problem too.

When that happens, I have one solution that I work for whenever times get a little too busy: I shoot multiple images at once.

This requires pre-production, or planning on the part of the artist to make it all come together. Chances are, no matter how busy you are, you can find one hour a week to dedicate to yourself. There are obligations we have that are 24/7, but finding that one hour a week can be all the difference in pursuing your passion or letting it sit on the back burner.

So, whenever I’m having one of those weeks, I stock up. I plan multiple shoots and I go out and get it done all at once. I will typically use the same model, easy to change wardrobe, and a location that offers a different scene per image.

An example is that I used to go to a park early in the morning with at least 3 images in mind to shoot. The light would be good longer because it was nestled in between mountains, and I would shoot one against the rocks, one in the stream, one in the forest, etc…The first time I did this the 3 images below were the result.

I did that recently with my friend Kelly and her husband Chris. They came out to visit and we went shooting in my favorite forest nearby. In the span of 30 minutes to an hour (my allotment) we shot two different pictures. I was showing them around town and doing touristy things, and I didn’t want to force them to do shoots with me the whole week. So instead I budgeted my time and we spent one hour shooting together, from setup to tear down, and it was a blast.

It was fast-paced and exciting and everyone had a job to do, so no one felt left out. Because the setups were so similar, yet with very different results, we could move quickly with little confusion.

Alternately, if I know I’m moving into a particularly busy time, I will get a lot done the week before and then pace out how I edit it or release it. For example, I am about to fly to India and then Dubai for three weeks. I have not a single day of down time in those three weeks, so I know that I need to be prepared. I want to be able to release content regularly, plus I have a weekly Monday video to keep up with! So I have already shot all of that before leaving, and I simply have to press the UPLOAD button when I am ready to share (on days that I have specified on my calendar, because I’m that much of a nut).

So if you find yourself short on time and you’re not sure how to get your ideas out, try to plan carefully so that you can shoot multiple images all at once without wasting time or energy. I love being productive like that!

Will you be searching for versatile locations and try out shooting multiple images all at once? Have you worked like that before?