If the last time you saw me in the flesh was some time when I was in Southampton, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t recognize me now at first glance. I’ve lost 10 kgs since those days (the first 4 kgs was intentional, and the rest was due to stress), and I’ve become a lot less cheerful. I even realized that my writing is now bitter and sarcastic. Oh well.
I’ve shared bits of things I loathe about living here, but it’s only a tiny portion of the whole picture. Have you heard the latest news about the government banning same-sex emoticon on chatting apps? If you didn’t know where Indonesia stood on LGBT issue before, you might realize now that Indonesia is decades behind on these kind of things. And it’s no secret that the government has long become a laughing stock in here (seriously though, blocking Vimeo (and soon Tumblr) because it’s ‘full of porn’ is just beyond ridiculous. Guess we all know now who’ve been looking at/watching porn on those websites).
Okay, enough with the rant.
Living here has been frustrating and depressing at the same time, to say the least. I feel so unfulfilled, and this blog was my only escape. I edited old photos and wrote posts so I could feel like I was producing something worthy that I could be proud of.
I still do it, of course, but at the start of this year, I felt like I needed more than just this blog to channel my creativity. And maybe, I was also longing for the feeling of satisfaction after doing something that I’m passionate about. And so, this crappy situation hasΒ at least a silver lining: it urged me to start a photography business.
My days have been quite hectic since then. I work on weekdays, so weekend is the only time I can do shoots. I use my free time to edit photos, work on the website, and reach out to new clients. Tiring? Yes. I even fainted once at the office after a weekend full of photo jobs, leading to exhaustion and fatigue. But I feel so proud and challenged, and the satisfaction when seeing people love my work is beyond words.
There’s still a lot to learn and look forward to, but for a start, this has been great. My friends and people around me have been nothing but incredibly supportive and I’m so, so grateful for them.
The website is currently under development, so in the meantime, you can check (and like, maybe?) the Facebook page here. I’ll give you an update when the website is up and running! π
Update: It’s decided that Tumblr won’t be blocked. I’m not a user, but glad to know that the government is not that retarded.
10 Comments
Dixie this is awesome! I’ve always loved your photos, I think you’ve got an eye for great shots π Keep going, do what makes you happy π I’m sure you’ll become a great professional photographer one day.
February 17, 2016 at 3:11 pmAww thank you so much Katka! Your comment means a lot to me π
February 18, 2016 at 1:19 amYes, I’m really hopeful about this, so fingers crossed!
Waaaa.. Selamat atas usaha barunya. Semoga lancar terus yaa. Aku juga pingin buka usaha potk sendiri cuma masih belum pede banget. Masih ngerasa ilmunya belum mumpuni. Smg bisa ikutan dirimu mulai usaha foto juga.
February 17, 2016 at 4:52 pmMakasih Mbak π Aku pun ngerasa ga pede sebenernya, ilmu juga masih belom cukup kayanya. Tapi dipikir2 kalo ga sekarang kapan lagi mau mulai. Akhirnya sambil jalan malah belajar banyak. Semangat Mbak, aku juga suka sama foto2 Mbak (dan dulu suka nyontek ilmu loh di blog bebenyabubu hehe). Semoga nanti bisa usaha foto juga yaa π
February 18, 2016 at 1:22 amDixie, perasaanmu mirip banget sama aku dulu pas baru balik. Terus sama banget akhirnya mencoba mencari hal2 yang yg bisa bikin happy ditengah2 kesemrawutan kota ini.. makin lama makin pasrah sih, haha.. untungnya ada hal2 yang bikin aku happy itu.. ya blog lah, project2 aku.. yay! Selamat ya buat usaha nya, ditunggu launching webnya, semoga makin jago foto nya dan makin banyak orderan, makin happy juga hihihi
Btw udah baca ini? :http://inet.detik.com/read/2016/02/17/225337/3144858/399/horee-tumblr-batal-diblokir-kominfo π
February 18, 2016 at 7:02 amThank you Christa! π Ternyata banyak ya yang ngerasa kayak gini juga. Tapi emang harus nyari hal2 yang bisa bikin happy biar tetep waras hidup di sini haha. Semoga bisa terus dapet hal2 yang bikin happy ya di sini, dan semoga project2nya lancar π
Glad about the Tumblr news. Finally, some common sense! (walaupun Vimeo, Reddit, Netflix dll masih diblock).
February 19, 2016 at 3:05 amCongrats Dixie with your new business. I fully understand the urge to channel your creativity and challenge yourself. Can’t wait to see your website. Good luck and most of all, have fun with it!
February 20, 2016 at 7:20 pmThank you for the support Mbak Yo! π
February 21, 2016 at 7:27 amAhhhh….love your photo, beautiful! Good luck for your new business. π
February 23, 2016 at 3:28 amThank you so much! π
February 23, 2016 at 1:53 pm