A long time ago, I wrote a guest post for Jasmine that was the verbal equivalent of wearing my heart on my sleeve. It was about how as much as I loved photography, I also loved my day job in public relations and wasn't willing to give up one for the other. It felt like a bold thing to say when the mantra I'd be hearing in the industry was that the only way to pursue photography was to give up my “regular” job and go full time.

I never expected my post about being a part-time photographer to resonate with so many others the way it did. People who enjoyed their day jobs too and took comfort in hearing someone say, “It's okay you feel this way and you are not alone.”

I can admit now that around the time I wrote that post, I had another creative dream brewing. One so big and audacious I'd revealed it only to my closest friends (Jasmine included). That Big Fat Dream? To write a book.

It took me a few years to get serious about it, but last summer, I finally did it. I finished my first novel and sent it off to Jasmine. She gave me some wonderful, encouraging feedback but also a much-needed reality check: If writing is what you think you're meant to do, she explained, then you owe it to yourself to quit photography and do it.

At first I balked at the idea, having never quit anything in my life. Yet over the months that followed, I felt a deep sense of peace about letting my business go, knowing it was a necessary decision both for my sanity and my momentum as a creative. Now, having done so, I've discovered an even greater sense of excitement for my journey ahead as a writer.

This past year has gifted me a valuable life lesson: Sometimes your dreams change. And sometimes, as another friend of mine put it, “You've got to let go of the good to say yes to the best.” What Jasmine helped me realize is the hardest but most beautiful thing we can do when facing such a dilemma is give ourselves permission to chase the dream that's best for us-no matter how others might perceive it.

So if your dreams are changing (and you're feeling that same stress of being pulled in multiple creative directions), let me say again, “It's okay you feel this way and you are not alone.” I've been there too. Eventually, you'll find your way. And when you do, I wish you luck chasing whatever dreams lie on the other side of that decision.

{Photo by Caitlin Sullivan}