MERAKI |

Gigi

I’m a word junkie, I like discovering new words. So my new word that I discovered that I just love is MERAKI.

“Greek. maraki {may-rah-kee} (adjective) This is a word that modern Greeks often use to describe doing something with soul, creativity, or love — when you put “something of yourself” into what you’re doing, whatever it may be.”

I feel this way about my photography. Discovering what one is passionate about is not easy, I did not discover mine until about 3 years ago. Yes, I have aways liked taking pictures all my life, but I never thought it would become a career that I absolutely love.

Over my life I’ve been sort of ADD with all my passions, in the past I would lock into something that I thought was the one and then the interest would wane. Self doubt would creep in making me question my purpose and if I am good enough to be doing this or sometimes I would just loose that initial excitement.

I dabbled in interior design for a few years, loved it, did the program at UCLA, worked at the Pacific Design Center, did a few clients, opened a home decor boutique and something happened where my enthusiasm was no longer there, I realized I just wanted to design my own space and buy things that I loved personally.

I was passionate about my brownie business, did it well, developed it from the ground up with my best friend had a lot of success, but then I got married and had Amani and my interest shifted to other things.

When I changed my diet I became obsessed with the vegan lifestyle, I started being an educator for others, hosting cooking classes in my home, living breathing everything vegan…and then I went to France and had a little piece of cheese with a glass of wine and I have been going back and forth trying to recommit.

And then there was my knitting binge, where I would knit nonstop, buying yarn from all over the world, reading knitting magazines, totally consumed, and then I would stop just like that and pack all the yarn away.

I could go on and on in all my distractions and paths my passions have led me on only to end on a dead end road.

So there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night, and I think “I’m a photographer” a sort of historian for others, capturing and documenting their lives, and what I do is valuable and I love every minute of it. Knowing that keeps me motivated and excited – it may have took a half a century to discover but I’m at a good place and the time for me is now.

So back to my word, maraki here is my sentence using my new word:

My meraki is in everything I photograph. What are you passionate about?