My names Marta and I'm from Poland. I'm an accountant by profession and I worked for a large chemical plant for more than fifteen years. The job seemed to be stable and I was quite happy with my salary there. It wasn't a lot but it was enough- for a comfortable life. However, when the economic crisis broke, the plant went bankrupt and hundreds of employees, myself included, found themselves unemployed.

It was shocking news for me as we had two children to support. My husbands business was affected by the crisis too, so we needed to come up with something very urgently. I had lots of free time but it didn't make me happy at all. I sent CVs to different companies but no answers came — who needs an accountant when the economy is in ruins and the financial sector is a complete disaster?

To escape the stressful situation I turned to my old hobby — photography. I was pretty good at it when I was at university, but I'd completely given up after graduation. At the difficult time of the crisis, taking photos became my relaxation therapy — my camera helped me notice things most people don't see and don't pay attention to. I took close-ups of the grass growing through the sand, the old cracked wooden bench covered with vine leaves or a stray dog sleeping on the pavement. Life around me was amazing — there was no reason for depression!

I wanted to share my new vision of life with other people and arranged a little photo exhibition for our community and friends. People came, looked at the pictures and left in a peaceful and relaxed mood. Sometimes they wanted to buy some of the photos to brighten up their home or office. I gave the photos away for free as I didn't want to charge my friends and neighbours. Their interest, however, gave me the idea of how my hobby could help me earn money.

I enrolled on a Photo Art Course, completed it and prepared a business plan for my own photo studio. Last week my plan was approved by the local business committee and I received an interest-free loan to buy all the necessary equipment for my business — I've already bought a new camera and rented a studio. Its all very exciting as its going to be a new page in my life. I really hope it's a happy one.