My Sweet Charleston

Last week, I traveled down to the historic cobblestone streets of Charleston, South Carolina for a week with friends! It was exactly one year ago when we all gathered together in Santa Barbara for the United Conference and we wanted a chance to recreate that same experience closer to home! A work-cation centered on something greater than our shared love of photography!

We arrived on Monday to a little house in Folly Beach right across from the Atlantic and spent the following days together having those deep conversations that leave tears in your eyes and a spark in your heart! We sang beneath the sky, read the bible together, and reflected with our toes in the sand. It was exactly what my little soul needed. I can honestly say that I haven’t felt such a sense of sisterhood since my days back at UPenn and the late nights spent in my Sorority House together as a family. (Oh yes, I am a Chi Omega! You may not have known that about me, but the sisterhood + our Make a Wish Foundation Philanthropy has been a huge part of my heart!)

Somehow, when you get older, you seem to trade those late nights with your girlfriends for work, errands, and all the realities of growing up that push you farther away from the carefree child that you once were. The person who sang at the top of her lungs to the radio, rocked dance moves despite her lack of coordination, and wasn’t afraid to be nerdy… simply because it’s who she really is. A nerd. A silly, emotional, anchor-loving nerd.

You find yourself pursuing a career and taking on responsibility, slowly adding on the burdens of growing up one at a time. When, one day out of the blue, you realize not only how far you’ve come… but just how far you still have to go. You look all the way out into the ocean and shiver thinking of how you may never make your way back to shore. Doubts and fears creep into your mind, daring to drown you when a voice calls out to you from the water. You want to cling to the sides of your tiny vessel and never let go, but the moment for cowardice is over. It’s time to leap. It’s time to leave your little boat behind and bravely step out into the storm.

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I promised earlier this year to be more vulnerable here on the blog and this post is an effort to do just that. It’s an acknowledgement that behind this business is a girl who believes in loving people well, serving her clients with compassion, and exploring her faith. I had a chance this week to be the most genuine version of myself and it was so freeing… I wasn’t Natalie Franke the Photographer, but rather Natalie Hayes the wife and daughter who loves neuroscience, rich coffee, sunny days, art, and writing… not necessarily in that order. And I got to be the girl who underneath it all prefers a messy side braid, bare feet, and a makeup-free smile. I started to journal and kept coming back to this desire to accomplish something even bigger with my business.

The past few months, I have felt called to step out of my comfort zone and pursue some colossal goals. As scary as that is for an over-thinker with an acutely rational mind, I know in my heart what I need to do.

It’s time to chase my dreams. Every last one of them.