Following my husband and capturing the fabulise
It’s basically a free pass to reinvent yourself. Or at least it has been for me. I’m talking about the urge to start anew when you land in a new country as an expat. For me, following my husband meant I gave up a job (and you may have done the same, given up a job or career in your passport country, or the country that you lived in previously).
My first time jumping ship and following my husband allowed me to quit a job that I didn’t like. I always tell people I was waiting for him at the border — ready to move before the contract was signed. I went with no work visa and a background in IT, which meant that I was basically obsolete the day I moved. It was the early ’90s. Things were moving at a frenetic pace in technology and I would have had to go back to school by the time I was actually able to legally work. So I volunteered, had kids and had the constant voice in the back of my head that I should be doing more.
Kids kept me busy during our stint as expats that became locals. I dabbled in some creative stuff just for the fun of it and realized that I now knew what I was missing all along. I was never meant to sit in an office, or keep up with the latest in software and hardware development. It just wasn’t my thing. A friend who was a fan of my art, dared me to come up with enough pieces so that she could do a little house party for me. Next thing I knew I was sold out and needed to get down to business to fill the orders I had taken. But of course another move came and I had to start over….again. I was still enjoying my small business, so I had a website created (a pretty big deal in the early part of the new millennium). I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I loved keep busy with something that separated me from just being the trailing spouse.
Another move was in the works and so there went my dreams of keeping up with my artistic side. We were headed to a completely different world (or so I thought). I was overwhelmed by the language barrier, the lack of knowledge of where I would buy my supplies or who I would even sell to. I spent my time exploring, traveling, making friends, etc. What I didn’t realize that whole time is that my next transformation or metamorphosis was happening right before my eyes. It would take another dare and a few more years before I would just allow myself to say that yes…….I was a …..
Ok, back to the 2nd dare. I had started taking a lot of photos. More than the average person. And I was always told that I must be using a very good camera because my pictures were great. I would always mumble and move on. Not one to take a compliment very well…I knew there were a lot of great photographers out there and I had not formal education, so I couldn’t possibly be one of them. I did however, keep snapping away. A friend and I were in Bali and we saw some very cool cushions with great photos one them. She told me that I should design my own and get them printed and made. I didn’t even know where to start. But with her by my side, I gained the confidence to have a few samples made. We sold out in less than 24 hours. We ordered more and kept at it until she moved away. I continued on my own, even had them sold in some pretty big home decor stores in town. Then of course….the next move was about to happen. I couldn’t even fathom taking a stock of decorative cushions with me overseas. Especially to a smaller house, in a more expensive country, where labour was more expensive. No…it seemed to difficult to me.
So again, I just followed my husband. Willingly and happily. We have a pretty amazing life that I would trade for anything….but then I get restless. This was a quick 2 year stint in London and I was so enamoured with the city and surroundings that I really didn’t even think about what my next business incarnation would be. I just enjoyed, until I found my packing again….this time return to my past expat home. The one that allowed me so much time and flexibility to be creative, where cheap labour and hard workers make it easy to dabble in something new.
By this time I was nearing 50. And for the beginning of my time here I was also battling cancer. So I was busy…surviving. But I was dying. Nor did I have any intentions of doing so. So I continued to travel and explore. It kept my mind off of everything else. That, combined with my 50 and fabulous mentality and my renewed lease on life because I survived cancer, I was very comfortable in my own skin. I started to allow the compliments to sink in. I was becoming a very good photographer and I accepted that. So now it was time to do something with my new confidence and my increasing skills and talent.
And that’s where I am at now. Booking photoshoots, selling my work, contemplating writing a book and just enjoying the fact that people are enjoying what I see through my lens. Living away from family, longtime friends, the day to day grind that many find themselves stuck in, has allowed me to flourish and grow as an artist in a way that I never knew what possible when I was stuck behind a desk. I’m capturing the fabulise (as I like to say), every single day.
AUTHOR: LISA BROWNE
Canadian by birth, world traveler at heart. I’ve been living abroad for over 20 years. I’m a lifestyle, traveler, portrait photographer and also a blogger. I see the world through my own unique eye. Whether it’s the beautiful faces of the children in Asia, the vast landscapes while hiking in England, the contrasts in architecture between Europe, North America and the Middle East, or the complexity in the food farmed anywhere in the world……everything and everyone has a story to tell.
