Corinne and I are grateful to be celebrating 12 years of Silverbox today.Twelve years.

As I sit here with my morning cup of coffee I can't help but reflect on how we got here. I think about opening up those doors for the first time and sitting at that new desk. It seems just like yesterday, but also feels like a lifetime ago. No Facebook. No ideas from Pinterest. Not even a laptop. I bought a desktop computer to make sure I kept my work at work. So many lessons learned since then. People met. Tears shed. Achievements made. The list goes on and on. If you knew me back then I had a huge (I mean huge) silver bowl of Hershey kisses in my tiny studio in Lederach. Not sure why I ever took that away. I loved that little 200 square foot studio. I made it mine and then some.

Since 2005, I’ve learned that when you own a business, the highs are high, and the lows are low. I’ve made wise decisions and I’ve made mistakes. I’ve tried things that took off, and tried things that failed. I’ve learned that there are people more talented than myself, but always do my best to stay true to who I am. I’m pretty sure within the past twelve years I've spent more money on fonts than shoes. I’ve learned the value of time on this planet, as I’ve photographed people that are no longer with us. Young and old. You cannot feel more honored as a photographer than to be asked to photograph someone that has limited time left on this planet.

And the people. Oh, the people. Silverbox is made up of great grandmas to newborns, small businesses to budding artists and everything in between. Without them, Silverbox is just an empty canvas. I’ve had the honor of watching kids grow for the the past 12 years. Now, that’s a treat in itself. I assume it’s what a dentist would feel like. Seeing them once or twice a year. A bunch of these people have become more than clients, but friends. They're Silverbox family.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention my husband. Without him, there wouldn’t be a Silverbox. At times he sees my abilities much more than I can. He’s my sounding board. My copywriter. My CFO. My rock. And my sister that was there from the beginning, helping endless hours, and never asking for anything in return. Only to see her sister succeed. How lucky am I?

Here’s to the next twelve with an awesome business partner that balances out my right-brained idiosyncrasies. Heck, we have goals and dreams that are almost too big for us to handle. Let’s keep it that way. Work hard, play hard, and always stay humble. There is so much to learn. Whether you’ve been a client of Silverbox for all twelve years, brand new, or somewhere in between, we thank you for making life such a pleasure.

In appreciation of the twelve years, let's have a little fun each month with a contest. Twelve winners for twelve months. Let’s start with this one. It’s simple. Post a photo on our Facebook Page in the contest comments section of something Silverbox has created for you. A framed photo, logo design, album, wall collage, etc. The most likes on a photo wins. The contest lasts for (guess how many?) twelve days. We’ll look at the results on the morning of January 17th. The January winner will receive a $250 Silverbox Gift Certificate!