Leaving A Legacy

Confession: I have been marinating on this blog post for almost a year now. The idea came to me after being introduced by a friend at a party. She started by saying, “This is Rebecca, she has x amount of followers on Instagram” My face turned red and immediately I was embarrassed. First off, this wasn’t how I wanted to be known and second, why is this the way I am introduced? Surely there is more to me than the amount of followers I have. So it got me thinking and thinking… This post had me thinking so much, I was overthinking it. 

I want this post to make an impact. In a way, I want this post to be my blogging legacy. (ironic) After talking about this idea with a friend for way too long, she was able to set me straight. She reminded me that it was going to be perfect and that the post didn’t need to be validated by any measure. I needed to simply put it out into the world. The thing is, the legacy that I want to leave will change over the course of my life. 

If you have ever taken a yoga class you will know the idea of setting an intention. With this post, I want you to start thinking about how YOU want to be remembered. It may be a strange way of looking at things, but I think it is better to leave your own legacy instead of letting someone else decide it for you. 

In my family, I am known for my homemade chocolate cookies, my sense of humor, and my stubbornness. (hey I admit it) I would like to be remembered as a loving and supportive sister, and a good daughter. When it comes to being an Auntie (my favorite job) I want my niece and nephew to always look up to me knowing I chased my dreams. Right now the kids are such little impressionable people but they already are copying my behavior. We have no idea what they will be when they grow up, but I want to nurture and love them unconditionally as they discover who they are. I am lucky to love what I do everyday and I want the same for them. I want them to find their passion in life and follow their dreams. As their Auntie, I want to support them in whatever they do. 

When it comes to my own kids, I hope I inspire them to dream bigger than I ever did! 

As a friend, I want to be known as a supportive and loving person. Someone that handles life with grace and dignity.

As a photographer, I want to be known for bringing joy to people’s lives. If you have ever bought a piece from me in person, big or small, I will always tell you to choose what speaks to your heart. If it isn’t something that you don’t absolutely love, don’t buy it. Some people linger over my art for years until they finally pull the trigger and others will buy often and keep collecting. I love you both equally. I am so grateful to do what I love every day. Sometime in my life, I want a HUGE exhibition of my work. The Grand Palais would be a dream or something on a smaller scale would be okay too. I have been documenting Paris for years and I hope to continue as the city changes. A coffee table with my images or a memoir of my life would be a great legacy to my work. I am still working on this. I want my work to make an impact. 

This blog started as a small idea and I had no idea how large it would grow. I am often asked by people how many followers I have. I don’t count, I shouldn’t have to. It isn’t about the quantity of followers, but the quality of people I have met through the blog. I also want to encourage you all to chance your dreams and follow your heart. It isn’t easy, I will be the first to admit. But I do know how much joy can come from doing what you love. 

I hadn’t planned to post this on Martin Luther King day, it just happened this way. I hope you all dream big and know that you have the freedom to write your own legacy. 

You may already know your legacy with your personal life and your work and that is fantastic. It may take others weeks, months, or even years. The idea is that you start thinking about how you want to be remembered. Start writing your history now. If you don’t like it, change the future. 

xo

A little about this photo. My friend Katie Donnelly and I were out shooting early morning on a Spring day in Paris. I think we both knew that we would make our way towards Jardin du Luxembourg at some point. It was foggy, a little chilly, and the park was empty. I had an idea of how this photograph would turn out just from the way the fog was laying.  As I walked on the gravel, I had goosebumps knowing that it would be perfect for the post. When Katie showed it to me straight from the camera I had tears. She captured it perfectly.