Living Life Your Way.... Interview with Melanie Reller

I've been working hard the last few months at overcoming my fears and following my dreams. So I'm running a series of interview with inspiring people to see what part fear has played in their life and how they've overcome it to live life their way...

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Hey! Tell us a little about yourself.

 

My name is Melanie. I'm 29 years old, and have a habit of making lists.
I enjoy:
my kids
photography
my husband
gardening
making things
and finding vintage decor and other fun items at thrift stores and yard sales.

And I realize that makes me sound kind of old and boring, but trust me... my life is anything but.

Is the life you lead now, the life you've always dreamt of?

 

YES! Minus the millionaire part. I get to be a stay at home mom. I have my own etsy business and get to be a portrait and wedding photographer. I get to be the artist I've always wanted to be, and don't have to conform to society with a 9-5 job. I have a husband that does that for me and NEVER complains.

When you have faced difficulties, what has been your inspiration to keep going?

There have been times when I'm not sure how I'm going to keep going, and sometimes I just had the desire to throw the blankets over my head and hope that everything would just go away. It was during those dark times when I'd simply take things 1 minute at a time. And I mean that literally. First I'd put my feet on the floor and get out of bed, then I'd shower, then I'd focus on the next task at hand and the next one after that. And pretty soon I had made it through another day. These were the times after I left my son's father and was trying to do it all on my own, support a child, work, go to school. It was hard. It was lonely. And I never want to do it again. But I did it. And I knew that someday all my hard work would pay off. And guess what? It has!

Fear affects us all at some point. What part has fear played in your life and how have you overcome it?

I am deeply motivated by fear. Fear of the unknown is always something that this control freak just can't handle. I like things in an order, I like to know what's coming next and I like to do it in a repeat, scheduled manner. Photography and art are the only places where I feel like I can let go of some of that control. I have to remind myself daily that it's just "life" and that I can't control everything and that I need to let go of some of the control and trust that God and my family will not lead me someplace that I don't want to be.

What advice would you offer on following your heart and living your dreams?

I was just having a conversation the other day with a complete stranger at a wedding that I photographed that told me how she was so inspired just by watching me shoot. She said she had seen my work and it was so evident that I was passionate about what I do. And she said that it was amazing. Find inspiration in the simple things. Take compliments with humility and take critism with a grain of salt. There's only 2 people in this world that you need to answer too; your family and God. If you're making both of those happy then you need to keep pushing forward.

What do you think are the three most important things you need to lead a happy and radiant life?

This was a hard question for me to answer. I had to walk away and come back a while later. The things needed for me to lead a happy and radiant life are constantly changing. Sometimes I need to be surrounded by family and loved ones; other times I need a break. Sometimes I need peace, solitude, a quiet evening and a glass of wine; other times I need Jason to bounce ideas and frustrations off of. Sometimes I need a little online shopping. Sometimes I need some thrifting or yard sales. It just varies all the time. And so I guess what I need is change and a fresh outlook. But only on my schedule. ;-)

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