Monthly Archives: April 2014

I’ve talked about this before, but now it’s time to actually talk about it!

When I first met with Katelyn James for my coaching session almost a year ago, one of the first things she told me to do for my business was to get re-branded or rather branded in general!  What I had been working with was just a logo a wonderful friend had created for me out of the kindness of his heart!  It had been working beautifully and I really up until that point didn’t need anything more!

But when I met with Katelyn James my business was at a point of growing or standing still.  Did I really want to pursue this as my professional career and get serious about it?  I mean really serious!  Now was the time for me to decide whether I wanted to go ahead and start pushing forward and doing the grunt work to make this into what I wanted it to be!  Was I willing to put in the sweat and heart and money and the time?!  Or did I just want to leave it where it was like some do and just realize it was all just a great fun hobby that took me further than I thought?!

Getting branding really meant I wanted to take this seriously and I wanted to be taken seriously not just by other photographers and by my clients… but by myself!

So I eagerly and excitedly started this process!  I met with Tyler from The Girl Tyler and we have worked pretty tirelessly together since December to create a logo and colors and design that represents me and who I am as a photographer and what it’s like to be a part of my family as a client!

Tyler is pretty amazing… from the first meeting she pulled out things about me that I didn’t even put together!  It was like magic.  When I left the meeting and came home I realized things about myself and my home and my space that were so “me” that I never even noticed before.  Things like I have a love for certain colors that I didn’t realize that just flow through without notice, or my love for circles and all things dots or bubbles!  What crazier is that she drew things from my childhood that were always associated with me and my name… things I never even mentioned to her or brought up.  That blew us both away and kind of weirded us out a bit!

We are in the final stages of our work together now and it’s super exciting but it’s also bittersweet!  I am so excited to roll out all the new stuff Tyler has worked so hard to create and design!  I can’t wait to change out the website and make it feel more like the true me!

But I’ve gained such a wonderful friendship with Tyler over these past few months!  One thing I have learned about branding is that you are really sharing your heart and soul with your designer.. it’s a trust and bond that isn’t to be taken lightly!  So not only have I gained something wonderful for my business;  I’ve also gained a wonderful friend and relationship for myself!

Here’s a sneak peek of the Typography Tyler and I have chosen to work with!  I think it’s the perfect match to some of the other elements Tyler has created!

And here is some of the inspiration from my design board… which should give you an idea of the colors we are using and some of the textures…

and you saw my colorful outfit in my session with Linc that Elizabeth Friske did!

So be on the lookout for the full reveal of all of Tyler’s hard work!  I can not begin to explain how excited and proud I am of this!  It is truly a labor of love and an opening of my heart and soul!

Check back soon to see EVERYTHING!!!

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It’s super soft and cozy.  It has the perfect combination of plush springy support and back restability!  It slides perfectly under the desk and allows me to scooch up close to the computer when editing!  I can squeeze me knees to my chest or sit crossed leg when I type out my e mails or skype with Tuck!  I can lounge back all the way to base and relax my back when pondering life’s questions!  Best of all, my feet touch actually touch the floor when I sit and need to be professional!

Welcome home my new office chair!  I’ve been searching for you for a long time!

I used to have a real office chair.. the kind that was black and leather and built for the office office.  It was creaky and sqeaky and it swiveled.  There was nothing pretty or fancy about it and it was cold all the time!

When Tuck and I started updating the office to make it more “me” so that my clients could come sit and chat about their sessions or their albums the one element that kept me searching was the chair!

I wanted it to be comfortable and cozy.  I wanted it to be professional but relaxed.  I had an entirely different idea in mind and I found that actually.  I went to pick it up from home goods on Monday… it was this perfect shade of sea foam blue.  It was dreamy and fit my branding colors to a tee.  There was just one problem… my feet were about a foot off the ground when I sat in it.  I looked like a little girl trying to be a big kid, at least that’s how I felt.  I sat in there chair for a half hour at Home Goods receiving the most strange looks from employees and shoppers!  Swinging my feet back and forth, I finally made the decision that the price point and the height was just too high and I walked away, leaving the chair still on display.

In my sadness I found myself at Target… because let’s face it Target is a happy place!  I was just browsing when I came across a gray/taupe chair that was subtle and yet kind of perfect!  I pulled it out and sat down… and it felt like home!

Now it IS home and although it’s not quite the chair I envisioned for my tiny little office space… it’s perfect for me!  I find myself wanting to come down and sit in it… it’s just THAT comfortable!

Now all I need to complete this office is a pop of color maybe in the way of a canvas or a giant print.. I’m not quite sure yet.  I need a good clean (sorry about the mess) and I need to sand and stain some furniture!

For now though… I will happily sit in my chair feet up or planted on the floor!

 

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When I worked at the surf shop and would go surfing with the crew that worked there I was given my first nick name that had nothing to do with my actual name.  Nick names are always kind of a big deal… and I had never had one that didn’t involve brookie, brookesie, brooklyn before.

For those of you who have lived in Virginia Beach or have visited Virginia Beach enough times… you also know we don’t have surf.  So.. to tell you that I was also intimidated sometimes to go out towards to jetty or into the deeper waters to catch the “waves” will validate this name (and is also a hugely embarrassing.)

So from that first day I went surfing with the gang from 17 th street with my yellow and purple surf board and still to this day.. I am known as Puddle Duck!  I like to stay in the shore break and ride that break all the way to the sand… hence puddle duck.

I can be fearless sometimes and usually it’s with things or situations that most people would find intimidating.  Other times I like to practice quite hesitancy, meaning you do it first and I’ll go last and even then I like to stick my toe in first!

Now that I have a Linc, I like to see what character traits he gets from me and which ones he takes after from Tuck.  Linc is the funniest little man and he has the best mixture of both of us.  He sometimes practices “quiet hesitancy as well” like with the sand box!  He won’t get in it and heaven forbid he trips… he will face plant before he puts his hands down, but by golly he will build a sand castle and smash that thing to bits getting his hands completely sandy as well as every other part of his body!

But he is also completely fearless too and will jump from the highest of places without a second thought.  He will climb a rock wall with one hand and scale a slide with ease.  He will be the first to dive head first in the water and he can dismount on the gymnastic rings in a full jackknife flip landing with superior form!

I love to watch him take on these tasks and see his reaction and which avenue he is going to take:  is he going to think this through with thoughtfulness and subtlety;  or is he going to blaze right through it like a bull?!

Just the other day in a brief break from a rainy spell I dressed him up in all his rain gear, grabbed my camera and took him outside to see what he would do!

These are the days I live for as a mom!

He walked up and down the driveway at first… pondering and thinking.  He pointed out all the birds and all the beautiful things we forget to take in and notice as adults but children see with such wonder!

Then he found it… the giant puddle!  He took after it and literally DOVE in it, face first!  We had a moment of panic when face met the cement but tough little cookie he is… he brushed me aside and for hours he just jumped and stomped and splashed!

Just like his momma… my little boy is also a puddle duck!  But this little duck has the spirit and tenacity of lion just like his daddy!  He won’t be staying in the break for long.  It’s only a matter of time before this puddle duck takes on bigger waves!

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