Crossroad, Turning Point, Epiphany, Whatever You Want to Call It

Today is the 10^th anniversary of my graduation from JMU (whoa, starting to feel old now), which has inspired me to think about who I have become over the past ten years.

I am a scrapbooker and a writer.

I have two degrees in teaching English writing and literature.

I edit a literary anthology written by children and adolescents.

I am a mom of two.

I enjoy photographing my kids and their friends.

I love arranging pictures and videos with music to tell a story.

Funny how these traits are have developed in chronological order and how one quality follows from the previous one...is this a coincidence or does God have a plan for me?

As I sit here thinking about the direction my talents and interests have taken me thus far, a textbook about teaching children with emotional and behavioral disorders stares at me, scolding me for writing this blog entry instead of writing one of my papers for class, a class I am only taking because I need it to keep my teacher's license current. UGH. Is this what a I really want to do the rest of my life? Because if I could combine my knack for arranging a creative visual layout, my writing and editing skills, my photographer's eye, my love for children and family, and my interest in putting it all together in a tangible keepsake AND be able to do this from home AND get paid for it, this is what I would want to do for a living.

Think about it. How many pictures and videos do you have collecting cyber dust as they sit in your computer or your camera? Digital photography is both a blessing and a curse. You can take all the pictures you want to get the best of the best, but transferring them from the computer to something you can actually see and enjoy takes too much time and effort, especially if you have to learn how to use an editing program or spend hours gluing and cutting and embellishing your memories.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how about a collage? A slideshow? A montage of stills and video clips put to music that tells the story of a precious moment in time?

*Baby's First Year   *Our Wedding      *Child's First ____     *Birthday Party      
*Reunion        *Memorable Vacation    * Tribute to ______    
*From Baby to Child to Graduation     *Baby Shower       *Bridal Shower      
*Girls Weekend         *An Emotional Journey

The list of life's greatest moments goes on and on and on and on. Shouldn't they be preserved so that these special times can be relived over and over again? Of course they should. Who wants to take on the task of organizing a collection of honeymoon pictures in a meaningful way? I do. I can do this for people!

So there it is. My business proposal. I have all the skills needed to make this happen.

But I'm lacking a business background.

I have people who could help me make a website, no problem. My husband is a software engineer, and my dear friend has made a career out of designing websites and increasing traffic to those websites. I have a top-of-the-line computer and the software needed to make the shows. I have the creative vision.

Unfortunately, I don't know squat about copyright, and that is going to be a big deal, especially with the music. Let's face it, the music is really what helps tell the story, but even though I don't know the technicalities of using music for profit, I do know that I'm not allowed to use any music I want to without permission, even if it is the perfect song for showcasing Johnny's winning season as pitcher on the school's baseball team. How would my customers send me their content? What product would they get in return and for how much? What other questions do I have that I'm not thinking of?

Sigh.

This feels so right but also so overwhelmingly stressful and scary too. The fact that I have five papers and two lesson plans to write, dozens and dozens of pieces to read and edit, and teaching four nights a week on top of my usual responsibilities as mother and wife is not helping. I'm feeling good about this idea, though, and I'm hoping to get something going by the end of the summer maybe. MAYBE.