Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Law.
Hi Emily, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota, we had dairy cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats. I am the only girl and have an older brother and a younger brother. I loved growing up in the country and on a farm, being able to roam the woods and be as loud as I want it was amazing.
Loved helping out on the family farm as well. I graduated from Cannon Falls High School in 1993, I became a nanny for a family right after graduation and was blessed to be able to be employed by them for the following 5 years, they were like my second family, it was a wonderful life experience, I met my wonderful husband while working for this family, actually met him on the internet, that was back when the internet was a brand new thing, our numbers got exchanged in an AOL chat room, and here we are 26 years later. I always had a love for children and wanted to start a family of my own right away, and we did.
We got married in November and had our first child the following October. My husband was working for the State of MN and I was working at a Finance Company and my mother was doing daycare, one day when I came home and she informed me that Holden got his first tooth, it was then that I realized I needed to be at home with him and raise him, I wanted to be a stay at home mom. So, my husband sacrificed his job and found another one Up North, and he took a transfer so I could be at home with our family and raise our boys. It was amazing being at home with them, getting to experience all the firsts, and just be one on one with them, I am so grateful for everything my husband gave up so I could be at home with our boys.
Holden is now 25, Leslie is 22 and Harrison is 19. It just amazes me how fast they grow up, but we are so proud of each one of our boys, they all are individuals, and we are loving watching them do what they love. To back up a bit, it was after I had Leslie, I was having a bit of the baby blues, that John contacted my doctor, and asked her if there was anything he could do for me because I was having some tough times, she suggested to get me something that I can do for myself or others, so it was then when he bought me my first camera. I started taking photos of my friends’ children, some families, and pets. I loved capturing the moments, I’ve always been into crafts, and artsy, and loved creating things.
So being able to be that person the be there to capture the special moments, and just capturing a child being who they are was amazing. I truly love connecting with children and letting them be who they are and capturing that I prefer capturing people just being natural rather than posing them, I feel like those moments are much better. We eventually started our business Flom Designs and Photography in 2007, we have a studio on Howard Street in Hibbing MN. We have been blessed to be asked to capture 100’s weddings, families, children, and local sports, it’s truly a passion of mine to be a part of people’s lives like this.
It’s been super exciting to see my boys all have an artistic flair in their lives also, it’s so exciting that some of my love for design and photography has carried over to their life. I often think back to the days when I was a stay-at-home mom, wondering if I did everything right spent enough time with each boy, read enough books to them, cuddled with them enough, told them “I loved them” enough…took enough photos of them! I did what I could do, what I knew how to do, they are all off living their lives doing what they love, figuring life out, it’s all I can ask for. We now have an empty house, but we are still loving capturing local sports, weddings, families, children, and pets.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always bumps or moments that are rough but I try to remember to “Choose Happy”. We all have a choice in life, and I try to remember to choose happiness. My Grandma Hernke was someone I looked up to very much. She was a very hard-working farmer’s wife, she held her own when needed, but was also very loving and funny, and happy.
She could fix anything, she was a good baker, and cook, and usually had a smile on her face. I had her write “choose happy” on a piece of paper a year before she passed away, I wanted to remember her handwriting and to Choose Happy, so I had it tattooed on my arm as a daily reminder, it’s kind of been my motto the last 5-6 years. So, every day is a new day, I take nothing for granted and live moment by moment, and remember to always Choose Happy.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Photographer, Mom, Wife, Sister, Daughter, and Friend.
I have a photography studio downtown Hibbing MN. I also shoot on location or outside. I capture weddings, sports, families, daycares, preschools, seniors, pets, and business headshots. I do not use a lot of props, I tend to keep it simple and focus on the subject.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love Hibbing. When we looked at moving up north 23 years ago we looked at 4-5 different cities, and our hearts just kept coming back to Hibbing. The charm, the small-town feeling. I love walking downtown, shopping downtown, the parks, and the MineView, it’s our culture.
I hear stories about how busy the downtown was back in the day, and not being from here and growing up here, it’s fun to hear those stories and I just hope that someday downtown will be that busy again. I love the people in this town, and how they come together to make it a better place to live and a better place to raise a family.
Living in a small town has its ups and downs, but I strive for the ups there are so many moments that outdo the downs. We love being part of this community in any way we can, spreading happiness, and capturing the moments for later.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.flomdesigns.com
- Instagram: @flomdesignscom
- Facebook: @flomdesigms
