Today we’d like to introduce you to Patty Brito.
At that time, I made the decision to choose a different path career-wise, mainly because it was hard to make a good living as a photographer in my country. So, I ruled out that option and I started working in Public Relations as an event planner and in Advertising. My goal was to become a “Marketing strategist” in some big corporation. But for some reason, the idea of it never made my heart beat fast or I feel passionate about it. In my mind, it was something that would allow me to earn a good paycheck and nothing more. After I graduated from college in 2007, my parents and my grandfather (who is no longer with us), gave me the greatest gift ever: they offered to sponsor my masters degree in Madrid, Spain. I decided (again thinking it was my best chance to get a good position in a corporation) to get my masters degree in marketing.
I learned a lot! And I had the time of my life in Spain! I finished my masters and I came back to my country in 2008 to find a job. I ended up finding a PR position in one of the best multinational companies in El Salvador. And I guess I was on my way to my goal. However, time would pass by and instead of feeling motivated and driven to reach the position I wanted to be in, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed and purposeless. I wanted to call the shots, I wanted to organize my schedule the way I wanted, I wanted to have flexibility and take vacations without having to ask someone for it, I used to ask “why?” very frequently and say “No” when I felt it was necessary. I was not a good employee. Don’t get me wrong, getting a job in a good company is great and certainly provides you stability, but that was not my path and now I’m convinced of it.
In 2010, I started dating this guy who had a dream of getting his medicine residency in the United States. I had the risk of him having to leave the country as soon as an opportunity presented to pursue his dream, but I took the chance on him anyway (at the time I was in too deep in love with the guy so I decided to date him). One day, he calls me and says: “I was offered a residency position in Family Medicine and I’m going to take it”. Of course, my first thought was a bad word that I won’t say but he continued: “Would you come with me?” …and I accepted.
We got married in 2011 and we left our beloved country to start a new life in Rockford, Illinois.
It’s funny because when I accepted to be with my husband while he was doing his residency, I never thought about what I was going to do in the meantime. However, I didn’t have much time to think, as a year later I got pregnant with my firstborn Lucas and I felt I had to stay home to take care of him. I assumed the role of the stay-at-home mom, as I did not want to leave my son to be taken care of by a stranger. I was a first-time mom in a foreign country. All of this was so new and strange. In my country, things work very differently: you have a lot of family support to take care of your kids and you can hire a full time nanny, as it is much more affordable. So, I had to put a pause to my professional life and dedicate myself fully to my son.
Someone might say: “Well there you have it, you have a purpose now!” and even though that is 100% true, nothing in this life will make you have a stronger sense of purpose than having a child, I also felt incomplete. Being a stay-at-home mom is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do in my life and I struggled so much. I had post-partum depression after having my son and that lasted for a few years. I was lost! I felt the worst mother ever, I felt frustrated and so sad. I love my child with all my heart, but I came to the conclusion that dedicating myself entirely to him, I was doing him more harm than good. In 2014, we moved to Dallas, TX where we have made good friends along the way and this is the city I’m happy to call home now.
In 2015, a dear friend asked me to help her start her own business. I was happy to help, so we started working on her project together. I was able to help her create a name, logo, website and everything she would need to start selling her products. She did great and up until this day, she is growing her business more and more, and the fact that I was able to help made me feel so good and so satisfied. I got pregnant with my second child, Mia, so that lasted a short period of time. I was back to square one in that department. I had to pause work once again. I felt lost and very confused about my professional path. All I knew is that I wanted to start my own business. I just didn’t know what to do. When I was working with my friend, I bought a Canon Rebel T5 to take pictures of her products. And every time I would take my camera out for pictures, I would feel excited and happy! If I’m being honest, I felt scared. I used to think: “What if I fail?”, “What will everybody think?”, “Does the world need another photographer?”. And every time I stepped into my closet where I used to keep it, I would look at it and say: “not today”.
Until one day, my husband sat down with me and helped me realize that I had to just “go for it”, That realization was not easy, I cried from frustration and denial, but I accepted that I needed to let myself go and take a leap of faith. That day I went to my closet, I took my camera out of the bag and I started to take pictures again. The next day, I signed up for an online course in the New York Institute of Photography to get my certification as a professional photographer and the rest is history.
In my case, my struggle was finding my true self. Learning to listen to my inner voice. For so long, I’ve being making decisions based on “the smart thing to do” that I have shut down the feeling you have when something is aligned with your destiny or your purpose in this life. The struggle is to learn how to shut down your fears and start doing that one thing that makes you feel joy. It doesn’t matter how crazy it is or how popular it is. Your mind will always come up with some excuse of WHY NOT to do it. But every time I start having those thoughts I try to shut them down as quickly as possible and just keep going.
Please tell us about Patty Brito Photography.
My business is about capturing moments of love with my camera. Love for your kids, your spouse, your dog, your partner, your car, your shoes, your business…it doesn’t matter. All of my clients will tell you how many goofy things I made them do in my sessions. But I do it to bring out spontaneous and genuine feelings, and that is my specialty. What makes me more proud of my business is the fact that this is not about me and my “ego” as a photographer, but about my clients and their loved ones. And it makes me feel so happy to think I have giving them a picture that helps them remember how much they love each other or what is really important when life gets complicated. What sets me apart? My perspective as a photographer. Each and every photographer has a point of view that is unique and irreplaceable.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Going to the beach with my family. My country El Salvador, even though it is troubled, it is very beautiful. It has gorgeous beaches and mountains, delicious food (AKA Pupusas) and the most wonderful, hard-working, happiest people you can find.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pattybritophotography.com
- Phone: 7792002225
- Email: pattybritophotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pattybphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pattybritophoto/
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