I have never thought that I will become a blogger but here it is: my first blog! And where to start if not by explaining why I do what I’m doing!
To find out what we really want to do in life we all need time. That’s how it also was with me. I always felt passion for creative activities like drawing, painting, interior design, style and photography but also, I was always realistic and standing with both feet on the ground. Normally you wouldn’t think that these go together but in my case it did. So although I really wanted to go to the art school I ended up studying economy. My first real job was a freight forwarder. And you know how it goes… you have your first job, you start to earn money and you start believing that’s how your life should look like…
I was quite good at my work, so I decided to deepen my knowledge and obtained freight forwarder diploma. Then I started postgraduate studies in logistics and warehousing. Some time later I became a logistics specialist, inventory planner, business analyst and finally supply and demand planner. But the older I was getting the more I was realizing that this is not what I want to do until the end of my life.
In the meantime my photography hobby started to grow. I was doing families photo shoots, engagement, maternity photo shoots etc. In 2016, I joined the Polish Professional Women in the Netherlands Association (PPW) and after a while, I became a volunteer photographer there. I remember my first reportage which was the Christmas meeting in 2016. I was totally stressed out! I took hundreds of photos because I was worried I will mess up most of them. As you probably can imagine it didn’t go that bad and actually I got lots of compliments!
The next reportage for PPW costed me much less stress but I have to admit that still every time when I’m doing a reportage I feel the adrenaline! I’m worried I will miss the important moment or I will be not in the right place in the right time! Funny that’s also what planning, so my day job is about! Delivering the right product in the right place in the right time. You can say that here my professional job connects with my passion. Actually that’s not the only way! Since October 2019 I am a planner for Cameras! Ta-da! Isn’t it great?! Finally, everything started to come together.
But how I started my business as personal branding photographer?
Thanks to PPW in The Netherlands I met lots of powerful, strong women who often own their companies. I started to make photo shoots for them, for their websites and social media. I discovered that this sort of shoots gave me lots of pleasure and satisfaction! Planning the photo shoots together with those ambitious, inspiring women, looking for a perfect place, talking about the right clothes, flowers, props make me feel alive! It was like creating a painting!
Meanwhile, the day job was less and less fulfilling. I had a feeling I need to change something and enjoy my life more! On the way to work I started to listen to Rob Dial Podcast. In one of them Rob explains why you should not waste your life on doing something what you don’t love. And that was the moment which triggered me to follow my passion and start my own Personal Branding Photography business!
Kasia Giska