…give up longing and wishing while we are alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them. - George Eliot.
Forever.
Awwwww, love. These two are real… you can sense from the image… but I’ll confirm… they have real love, adoration and respect for each other. They are proof that true love exists and is worth all the battles and questions we face on the path to its conquest.
She’s hands down the best person I’ve met in my life… hands down… I love my family and my friends but she wins the award. She is why I am here… why Erika Leigh Photography has not only made it to one year strong… but why it even exists. She met me at a time in my life when I was happy and content but she saw I could be doing more… she believed in me… or believed in the terrible cliche, in the pursuit of happiness. She knows all too well the truth of this title quote. But even takes it one step further… she not only longs and hungers for these good and beautiful things, she goes after them.
I told her about my love of photography and she ran with it probably more than I did… she introduced me to Portfolio Center, she talked extensively and enthusiastically about there being no way I wouldn’t be successful and she was my first TRUE paying job! I’ve never had huge confidence issues but if I did she filled in all the holes. She up and moved away to follow her own dreams (of love) not too long back, but I still hear from her regularly, always a person that knows the exact words to say. I have trouble expressing how crucial she was in me forgetting my insecurities and setting me up to follow my dreams… follow my heart. So I hope I can put it simply as, Carissa, you made me make my dreams come true. And like all my top inspirations there is a whole person not just one inspiring trait. She is kind to all, she has no enemies, she is smart, she is witty, she is loyal, she is exactly what the world needs more of… 
Non business wise it must be said… I’m young, yes, but I fully believe in perfect love. Perfect being unique in every individuals eyes… but bottom line it is all encompassing, comfortable, unselfish and undeniable. And I truly believe that everyone can find this and it can last a lifetime. I meet many cynics. I meet many settlers. Carissa is not one of these. Next to her amazing support for me, this love of love is what made all her words of encouragement and praise so worthwhile. People are quick to advise but not always believers in their own medicine. She could’ve told me all day long to take that risk but the reason her words stuck and hit home for me was because she was busy doing it herself… she knew the benefits of acting on a dream. She knew the hurt it could cause, she knew the self-questioning I would face but she knew what I was reaching for was worth all of that… she knew, because she was in the middle of it and she could see the light. She fought the battle to find true love. She is proof that you live a life of goodness, it will come back to you ten-fold. She continues to hunger for the beautiful and good… and it keeps finding her… just as it should!
erika@erikaleighphotography.com!
