I have been tied up and held hostage by questions I wasn’t quite sure how to answer lately.

You know that feeling, right? You have a vague idea of where you want to go, but you can’t develop a strategy for getting there. It’s like you know there’s a peak somewhere up in the distance made of glistening Answers, but an evil posse of Doubts has tied your feet to a massive rock of Questions and to get to that shining peak you have to cut yourself loose first. Bit by bit. Obstacle by obstacle.

Well, recently, I’ve felt like the cutting away of those questions hasn’t gone very smoothly.

Dan and I and our photography business have made a lot of progress in this first year. I won’t sit here and tell you that I’m not proud of what we’ve accomplished. But, there’s so much more we wish to accomplish with it, and sometimes, it can feel incredibly overwhelming to consider how great that distance is from where we are, to where we want to be.

Cue the classic Journey song, “Don’t Stop Believin'”!

Jasmine Star is an international wedding photographer who has been in this business for about six years now. In that time she has become incredibly successful, prolific in her work, and a leader in the industry.

Now, it isn’t necessary for anyone to share their road to success story with the masses. Nowhere is it written that that is a requirement in this world. So, you know when you come across someone who is willing to open their lives to scrutiny and share their struggles, failures and triumphs with their peers that you have found someone who isn’t only good at what they do, but also just profoundly good.

Earlier this month, Jasmine released a 160-something page magazine in which she documents the story of the first two years of her photography business. She relates the ways she messed up; she tells us how little she knew right at the beginning; she explains how she worked tirelessly for her triumphs; and then she looks right at you – you who are trying to make your own dreams a reality – and says,  It’s possible. Go for it.

I sat down to read a copy of this magazine last week, and very nearly devoured the whole thing in one sitting. It is extraordinary what she has pulled together here. The magazine isn’t just full of her story and advice and tips, but also packed with examples of her lovely photography and inspiration. As I read, I felt like all those disheartening doubts I’ve been keeping cooped up in my heart were thrown out to the trash bin.

She writes: “These pages are filled with my mistakes, missteps and minor victories during the first two years of my photography business, in hopes you see shades of yourself in our similar trajectory.”

And that’s exactly what she’s done for me. It isn’t so much a step-by-step guide of what to do to be successful, but rather, a story of possibilities that give you ideas of how to proceed. Sure, having a road map that detailed every step I should take would be very comforting, but I believe it’s more important to have the inspiration to proceed in a way that is entirely your own.

Because if you can’t be yourself with your passions, where else will you ever have that freedom?

If you are like me and have felt a general lack of punch in your photographic endeavors, I’d really encourage you to take a look at Jasmine’s magazine, which you can order here: jasminestarblog.com/store/

(Full disclosure: This is not a solicited or paid for review, I’m just a gal who likes Ms. Star’s style and thought I’d share it with you good people. Over and out!)