Taking the Leap: How This Canadian Photographer Built a Career Around Travelling the World

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People talk about pursuing their passion. In fact, they talk about it a lot.

So much so that they don’t actually shut up long enough to take the kind of life-changing leap necessary to start pursuing it.

Well, we went out and found a few people who took that leap and lived to tell the tale.

So if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live on the other side of your dreams, read what Vancouver-based portrait photographer Natalia Anja has to say about creating your vision – and then turning it into a reality.

Anja has spent the past year and a half filming the Discovery Digital Network’s travel series Global Degree, a job that has seen her visit 30 countries along the way. She’s not done there, though: Anja’s goal is to travel to all 193 UN-recognized nations in the world while documenting every step along the way.

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Because she was willing to take a life-changing leap, Anja is not only living the dream – she’s inspiring others pursue theirs too.

Here’s what she had to say…

Have you always known what your true passion was?
No, I felt quite lost after high school. I loved entrepreneurship and I knew I wanted to own my own business, but I didn’t know what that would entail. I fell in love with photography when I moved to Italy for a short while and my dad gifted me his DSLR camera to capture my experience. That’s when the “being a professional photographer would be a dream job!” idea popped into my mind. Recently, I have been fortunate enough to tie travel into my photography career.

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Was there a particular moment that made you realize, “I’ve got to stop what I’m doing right now and start doing what I love instead?”
I loved my previous job as a communications coordinator, but I knew that it wasn’t my passion.  I really admire my previous employers, who always encouraged me to face my fears. They played a huge part in me pursuing photography. So I set a date – January 1, 2013 – and threw myself into it. Since day one I knew it was the right choice.

What was the scariest part about making the leap to follow your passion?
The financial uncertainty and leaving my comfort zone as I stepped into a market I didn’t know too much about.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to do something similar in their own lives?
I would encourage anyone to pursue their passion if they’re willing to work for it. There’s no greater feeling than waking up in the morning looking forward to “working” and being able to enjoy the process throughout the day. Most of us spend a pretty decent amount of our lives working, so why not spend it doing something we absolutely love?

Is there anything you wish you’d handled differently about your career/life change?
If anything, I wish I hadn’t let my fears hold me back for so long – but I think everything happens for a reason.

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What was your lowest moment after you decided to make the switch? And what did you learn from it?
I wanted to see immediate results and it didn’t work that way for me. I had to work really hard to be consistently busy; thank goodness I had perseverance. I learned that great things don’t come easy and that being patient while working hard for something you want is completely worth it.

What was the easiest part and what was the hardest about making your transition?
The easiest part was the amount of support I received from people encouraging me to make the switch. I used to be very shy and fearful – I still am at times – so the hardest part was believing in myself at the beginning.

What has surprised you the most about your new life?
How much more confidence I have from creating a life I’m really proud of. I used to think some things were impossible so I had very “realistic” goals, and now I have extremely “unrealistic” ones. I think it’s amazing what happens when we put our aspirations out into the universe. Last year I wrote down that I wanted to travel for six months of the year. I also wrote down that I wanted to document my travels. Two months later, I ended up travelling for eight months for a travel series.

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What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned along the way?
That fear is a liar and anything is possible. I think that too often I let that little voice in my head trick me into thinking that I can’t do something or it convinces me that I’m scared, but without taking chances I’ll never know the outcome. The things that have scared me the most have been the most exciting, rewarding, and life-changing moments of my life. 

Who inspires you the most in your life?
I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by many people who inspire me. As cheesy as it sounds, my boyfriend, Mark, inspires me the most in so many ways. I really admire his positive outlook on life; he’s very selfless, so passionate about philanthropy, and always encourages me and unintentionally challenges me in being my best self. I think it’s so important to surround ourselves with people who inspire us, people who without knowing it bring out the best versions of ourselves.