Meet Anita
Thanks for stopping by to find out about me! Where to begin? I work in a job that I enjoy, I just completed my Bachelors degree in The Arts through SUNY Empire State College, and am now working on my Masters in Adult Learning through SUNY Empire State College. I was incredibly honored to have just received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. It was through my experience and course work at Empire State College that the dream and business plan to start Your Moments Photography began to take shape (but more on that later).
Volunteering and service is something near and dear to me. My favorite quote is Gandhi's "Be the change you want to see in the world," and I do my part to live that quote. I have been a volunteer for the food pantry for the past 16 years, a member of the Green Island Board of Education for the past 13 years, a past girl scout leader, a Junior Achievement volunteer, and an avid supporter of the American Cancer Society, in particular the Relay for Life. There's other things that sort of fill in between - but these have been my biggest chunks of time ... and time well spent! To say I'm someone who likes to be busy, is a very mild understatement!
Your Moments came about in an odd path. Photography has always been a passion of mine, as long as I can remember. For years I have been the unofficial photographer for school events and sporting events ~ many of my images can be found in our school yearbooks. While pursuing my Bachelor's Degree, I have taken photography courses with a gifted professor. Though it was something I was doing to enhance my knowledge of photography, techniques and style ~ the business piece wasn't something I was thinking of actively pursuing. I love photography, but hadn't really considered starting a business.
In January '11, I took another course, Communication Through New Media ~ and the idea took shape (I know! Photography courses wasn't what kicked it off for me, but a communications course.) In this course, I had to come up with the outline of an idea/project that I could grow with the help of social media. Starting a photography business was in my top 3 proposals. The timing wasn't right for me though to put what is needed into starting a business. After the spring semester, I was 4 courses away from the goal, my Bachelors. I still did research on the topic. As anyone who has started a business knows, it's not as easy as sparking the idea. I needed to make sure all the bases were covered. With the help of the Internet, and many friends in business, I turned to people for advice and tips - took mental and copious notes, and started the path toward starting a business.
In November of 2011, coursework done ~ completed all the fun stuff: federal paperwork, state paperwork, sales tax and insurance ~ and the business began. It's been an enjoyable journey so far, and I look forward to growing artistically.
Volunteering and service is something near and dear to me. My favorite quote is Gandhi's "Be the change you want to see in the world," and I do my part to live that quote. I have been a volunteer for the food pantry for the past 16 years, a member of the Green Island Board of Education for the past 13 years, a past girl scout leader, a Junior Achievement volunteer, and an avid supporter of the American Cancer Society, in particular the Relay for Life. There's other things that sort of fill in between - but these have been my biggest chunks of time ... and time well spent! To say I'm someone who likes to be busy, is a very mild understatement!
Your Moments came about in an odd path. Photography has always been a passion of mine, as long as I can remember. For years I have been the unofficial photographer for school events and sporting events ~ many of my images can be found in our school yearbooks. While pursuing my Bachelor's Degree, I have taken photography courses with a gifted professor. Though it was something I was doing to enhance my knowledge of photography, techniques and style ~ the business piece wasn't something I was thinking of actively pursuing. I love photography, but hadn't really considered starting a business.
In January '11, I took another course, Communication Through New Media ~ and the idea took shape (I know! Photography courses wasn't what kicked it off for me, but a communications course.) In this course, I had to come up with the outline of an idea/project that I could grow with the help of social media. Starting a photography business was in my top 3 proposals. The timing wasn't right for me though to put what is needed into starting a business. After the spring semester, I was 4 courses away from the goal, my Bachelors. I still did research on the topic. As anyone who has started a business knows, it's not as easy as sparking the idea. I needed to make sure all the bases were covered. With the help of the Internet, and many friends in business, I turned to people for advice and tips - took mental and copious notes, and started the path toward starting a business.
In November of 2011, coursework done ~ completed all the fun stuff: federal paperwork, state paperwork, sales tax and insurance ~ and the business began. It's been an enjoyable journey so far, and I look forward to growing artistically.