01/02/2022
Good evening, Endlessly Family & Friends -
10 years ago, on January 1st, 2012, I set my plan to take my lifetime-long photography hobby and turn it into something much more into motion. That was the day that I officially launched Endlessly Photography. For many years, I had the honor & privilege of being able to meet and photograph thousands of wonderful people in the Chicagoland area and across the US - to be able to connect with people and tell priceless stories through photography. I poured all of my energy, focus, heart & soul into growing my brand, staying busy, booking shoots, always learning the next technique, and trying to be the best photographer I could possibly be; I loved being a photographer and I thought I would be doing photography professionally for the rest of my life.
Then, over time, basically everything about my life changed. Since I began my professional photography journey, pretty much every single thing about my life, my perspective, and SO much more has changed in massively significant ways. There are things that I have endured & survived that I never expected to live through, and Iām not just talking about the global pandemic.
Since 2013, or even longer, my instincts have been telling me that there was something going on with me; that something was really, really āwrongā with my health and body. I began having multiple symptoms - some of which were ugly, bizarre, and painful - that were unfortunately repeatedly misdiagnosed & mistreated by multiple doctors for years. If it hadnāt been for an article that was published in Nerdist in April 2021 about a condition that resembled āGrayscaleā - an imaginary disease from the Game of Thrones series - I might have continued to be in the dark about what was truly going on with me for years. My condition is notoriously hard to diagnose.
In October 2021, it was officially confirmed via biopsy and second opinion that I have cancer. More specifically, I have a type of non-Hodgkinās cutaneous T-cell lymphoma called āMycosis Fungoidesā. It is a very rare and incurable type of cancer that I will have to endure, treat, & deal with for the rest of my life. The good news? It will probably not be the thing that kills me. (Hopefully.) I began treatment at the beginning of December, and I hope to start seeing some positive results very soon. (I also had a small mole that tested positive for cancerous cells, but they were able to fully remove that little s**t. Yay, more good news!)
Iāve had a policy for myself since the beginning that I wasnāt going to make my business about āmeā - I wasnāt going to share much in the way of personal information but always remain transparent about business decisions and the goings-on behind the scenes. Now, in 2022, Endlessly Photography is The Endlessly Company and has been for more than a year. I'm not trying to captain and make sure the ship is running in all other aspects anymore, either - I've got a business partner and plans to expand even further someday. No matter what name or brand I am doing business under, or what the type of work Iām doing is, my goal is always the same: to help people and to allow others to tell their stories.
The start of 2022 and the beginning of the SECOND decade of business will bring forth the newest evolution of the Endlessly brand. While I will not be returning to photography full time until I am able to get the pain, discomfort, and various health issues associated with my cancer under control, I am excited to say that things on the content management end are going to get pretty exciting this yearā¦ AND I will be returning to my role of storyteller again once more.
Except this time, the story will be my own.
This is something I have been needing to do for a very long time, but I wanted to be sure that when it came time to share my life story that I would be doing so as mindfully and with the most positive and pure intentions as possible. The purpose of telling my story is to be therapeutic and educational. In order to truly be able to move forward and heal, one must first allow themselves to release & let go - and this is what I hope to accomplish for myself. I also canāt help but to feel that by telling my story I might be able to help someone else who may relate to things Iāve been through - given that I have personal experience in this myself.
I want to talk more about my life as a mom, video games and the gaming industry, travel, PCOS, food, mental health & mindfulness, womenās health & infertility, divorcing during a pandemic, what itās like to be a photographer, what it is I do as a content manager for Twitch streamers every day, and all of the little moments & experiences - good, bad, and everything in between - that have shaped me into who I am. Iāve lived many lifetimes worth of stories and experiences in these 30-something years, and Iām going to be sharing as much of it as I canā¦ while I can.
To all those who have ever entrusted me as their photographer or content manager, thank you so much for your business. To all those who have ever supported me or recommended me to your family & friends for my services, I appreciate you eternally. Much like Chumbawamba, I may get knocked downā¦ but I always get up again. Eventually.
Happy 10th Endlessly-iversary. Hope to see you all back here in another decade & beyond.
Happy New Year.
May you all be endlessly well.
Camdelle
