My muse (Patreon)

Anastasiya

Lately, I don’t really have one big thought that I want to sit down and turn into an entire post. But I do have a bunch of smaller ones constantly floating around in my head.

For example - freedom.

I’ve written many times that freedom is one of the most important values in my life. But I never thought that one day I would feel my freedom being restricted because of... the lack of sidewalks.)))

I’m a person without a driver’s license who simply loves walking. And it’s still absolutely wild to me that a store or a cafe can be 15-30 minutes away from my house on foot, but I physically cannot walk there. Not because it’s too far.....Not because it’s dangerous......But because the sidewalk just... ends.)))

There are sidewalks here, but they seem to have their own mysterious routes and apparently have absolutely no obligation to take me where I actually need to go. I never thought that one day, somewhere next to freedom of speech, freedom of choice, and freedom of movement, my personal system of values would include freedom of sidewalk. (At least in the five or so times I’ve tried to get from point A to point B on foot, I couldn’t find a way to do it without a car. But I’ll keep looking - maybe I’m wrong.))))

Another thing I’m trying to get used to is how creative work is priced in America.

And this one is still a bit of a culture shock for me.

When I hear what people here consider a completely normal - and sometimes even minimum - price for a regular private photoshoot, my first reaction is: Are you sure? Because in my head, for that amount of money, I shouldn’t just photograph you. I should arrive with a horse, a smoke machine, an orchestra, and possibly arrange the sunset myself.))) I’m used to a completely different market and a completely different perception of how much creative work costs.

So now, whenever I think about setting my prices here, I get this completely absurd feeling that people are going to think I’m scamming them. And then I look at local prices and realize that apparently, if I keep charging what I’m used to charging, the only person I’ll be scamming is myself.)))

And the third thing that keeps floating around in my head is emigration.

But I’ve already written so much about it that even I’m getting bored of telling you how one day I love my new life and the next day I’m crying in the bathtub and want to go home.

So just a quick update on that:

Still happening.)))

That’s approximately the current agenda inside my head.

Sidewalks.

Money.

Emigration.

A very serious thirty-year-old woman dealing with very serious matters.)))