What Moving Taught Me About What Matters

Downsizing, motherhood, and why photographs are the things we keep

Moving has a way of stripping things back.

As a mum to two girls, plus a cat and a dog,  I don’t have the luxury of excess. I need to be nimble. Practical. Thoughtful. Staying in the area meant downsizing, not just my home but my life, & making clear decisions about what was truly worth carrying forward.

Downsizing as a Single Mum: Keeping Only What Matters

As I packed, the priorities became obvious very quickly.

Furniture could be replaced. Extra things could be let go. To stay local & create stability for my girls, fewer things. The piles grew smaller & lighter with the exception of two categories that stayed firmly put: Photographs & Art.

Those were non-negotiable.

Why Art and Photographs Matter

In the middle of boxes & logistics, I realised how little we actually need to live well (squeeze into a one bedroom home for a while & you will quickly see what is necessary) & how deeply we need the things that hold meaning. The images that remind us who we are, where we’ve been, & what we love. The art that makes a space feel like home, no matter its size or the artist that created it (most of mine is kindy art).

Downsizing didn’t feel like a loss. It felt like clarity.

How Moving Reaffirmed the Importance of My Work

This season reinforced what I already knew, but maybe hadn’t fully articulated: what I do as a photographer matters.

Photographs aren’t clutter. They’re anchors. They hold memory, emotion, & connection long after the rest has been edited out. When life changes, when we move, simplify, or start again, it’s the images we keep close.

My work isn’t about scale or spectacle. It’s about preserving the moments people reach for first when everything else is stripped away.

Less Space, More Meaning

Moving taught me that less space doesn’t mean less meaning. Sometimes it allows us to see more clearly what was important all along.