If you enjoy reading this blog… would you be willing to answer a quick questionnaire? I’ve got some fun ideas for how to move forward for 2012 and I’m looking to find out a little more information about you and what you like. Come on…. This is exactly what you do on Fridays, right? Answer a few blog questions?!? GO RIGHT NOW. Also, feel free to leave some ideas or notes here in the comment section too. Thanks so much. I owe you two cookies and a kiss. FUN STUFF AHEAD.

Oh yea…Above is my personal instagram art. I’d like to call it *Instaglam* if you will. haha.

PIIINK!!!! My hair girl, kim, recommended me adding some fun wash out color to the ends of my hair for a fun and fresh look. The brand she recommended required waiting for the shipment… so I just went to Ulta, a beauty supply store, to see if they carried something similar… and they did. Streekers. A Wild Weekend indeed. haha. I LOVE IT!!! They had a bunch of colors to choose from. I choose pink becuase it would show up the best on my light brown hair. The color is great because it goes on as a liquid and doesn’t come off until I wash it out!! and it comes RIGHT OUT!!! Perfecto! Fun and NEW!! I feel like it’s putting a new spin on all my outfits. If you decide to give it a try… Keep in mind that it does not show up on dark hair.

YOU like? Yay or NAY?

Conferences are refreshing, enlightening, and inspiring. You leave with that extra kick in your step to jump start that next project you have been waiting to do…BUT THEY CAN BE SOOO AWKWARD too. Or at least I can be. Okay, maybe it’s just me. I am the Queen of Awkward. My small talk conversations usually go as follows. ME: “Hi, how are you?” THEM: “Good. How are you?” ME: “Good, good…How are you?” THEM: “Great” haha. I even joke with friends that whenever I feel alone and awkward at a party I walk around the room like I am looking for someone…then when I see someone I know…blurt out “Oh there you are” (Like I have been looking for them the whole time..haha). JK.

I know it sounds really silly but I have been working on my less-awkward-self in social situations. And when I was at Altitude Summit this past week I took a few notes and set out to work on them. I am still a work in MAJOR progress let me tell ya. That being said, I am taking a different spin on What I Learned at Altitude Summit then I did last year (which was quite good if I may say so myself). This time I have decided to share a few tips for Less-Awkward-Situations For The Hermit Artist. haha. Am I a goof for having this? I think so.
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You might have remembered the THIS post a few months ago announcing the launch Jasmine Star’s magazine Exposed. It was a really great accomplishment for not only her but for the whole team that was involved. Check out some of my favorite spreads from the magazine HERE. And congrats to Jasmine for Selling out of Exposed! WOHOO!!

On a personal level, this project was a milestone. I LOVE projects that inspire me, scare me, and stretch me. Even though they may be cause of some heartache and nervous tension they make me better, more experienced, and more confident in the end. Through this process there were some moments where I had NO clue what I was doing, but I was determined to research and figure out how to do the best I could.

That being said… I thought I would shed some light on some of the design details and thought processes behind the creation of Exposed Magazine.
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I just got finished tweaking one of my Site House website style groups for Jasmine Star’s The Fix Website. And I was quickly reminded about why I LOOVE Site House sites and why I love the Show It software. There is really nothing quite like this out there… where you can FULLY customize and change a site to look completely different from the “template” by dragging and dropping. WOOHOO!! I love the extreme flexibility and the ability to make each site unique.
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There is nothing quite like getting to work with really great people. One of our newest clients embodies ‘really great people’ at another level. Many of you may know Randy Fenoli as the star of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress, Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss, and Randy Knows Best. As a fashion director and creative in his own right, Randy carries a very humble spirit about him that has made working on his projects a lot of fun.

Randy’s team contacted us this summer to design his visual identity as well as a website! Although Randy is in a completely different career field than I am… It was really cool to see some of the similarities too. Randy has been working with brides for years now helping them find a dress that represents their style, fits them well, and gives them confidence. I do the same with design. I strive to great a brand and website that represents my client’s personal style, fits them well, and gives them confidence. I got to see some of these similarities come out when we were deep in our Creative Process. Through our research and process something clicked for Randy and he was able to articualte his style and what they needed for the look. I can definitely say that Randy’s Creative process with me was quite unique.
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I would talk about it casually because I thought it wasn’t going to be a reality for us any time soon. We travel a lot and are very busy. And puppy is a responsibility…you know. BUT HE TOTALLY DID IT!! My husband, Brian, surprised me with a puppy for Christmas. How cute is that?! We got a puppy on our third Christmas together as a married couple. I always thought that would be such a cute story to tell our kids one day. Our Goldendoodle was born a few days before christmas and we get to go pick him up in Texas and take him home in late February. AHH!!! We are really excited to have a little buddy around the house. Sometimes you gotta celebrate the little things in life…. right?

So being a new dog owner I am on the look out for some tips!! Anything I should know or try? AHHHHH!! So pumped!! We are thinking about calling him: Parker. YAY? or NAY?

(This photo is not our puppy…. but it’s the same breed. How cute)

Hi friends!! I am working on answering those questions in the previous post. SERIOUSLY Great STUFF!! I am stoked to answer those. Until I finish up… here is a new post for ya.

In light of looking towards the new year… I thought I would share some thoughts on how and why I take on projects. Some projects and clients are draining, some inspiring, and others can just be neutral. No one EVER wants to feel drained with their job. We all want to stay inspired and moving forward. Once you have built your portfolio, and are now getting more work than you can take on, its time to move past the first come fist serve montra and make some decisions about which projects to take on and which projects to pass on. While I wish I could make everyone happy by accepting everything…. I have learned that it’s just not a reality. To maintain a steady work-flow and excitement for the future, I have to protect myself and my time – only choosing the projects that move me forward, keep me fresh, and pay the bills.

After evaluating my business over the last couple of years I developed three categories for which I use to make decisions on which projects to take on. I don’t always stick to these… but they are a helpful guide.

1 // CHOOSING A GOOD OPPORTUNITY
A GOOD opportunity is a client or large company with industry creditbility and a large network of likeminded people. A client with industry creds and a network of likeminded people will help attract more clients AND more clients LIKE THEM. You could view this has a marketing opportunity for your business. A question to ask yourself would be: WOULD I want to work with more clients like this? Or would I want to work with the people that “follow” my client? If your answer is no, then that particular project would not be a good opportunity for you.
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AHHH!!!! Merry Christmas!! I can’t believe it’s here.

Unfortunately I don’t always get to respond when people right in questions… It’s not because I don’t want to… I REALLY want to. But it’s that moment that I have to finish a project and I tell myself that I will get to it after… Ever been there? Anyway… I am hoping that maybe this post can make up for it? Please oh please!?!

Let me know any questions you have about anything in the comment section and let’s get the conversation started!!

One of the hot questions I got while I was on the Pass Tour this summer was about logo & branding for males in the wedding photography industry. Check this out:

Matt asked:
“How do I incorporate my personal style in my logo and branding for my wedding photography business while also attracting my dream client? Stylistically, my target market (a 20 something bride) is on the opposite end of the spectrum.”

A lot of men feel that they have a hard time attracting their ideal clients (brides) because they don’t have the shade of light peach in their visual identity. I can definitely see where they are coming from considering that the hot marketing tool is leveraging your visual identity and brand to reflect that of your personal style, design aesthetic, and your dream client. That’s right… birds of a feather flock together and you boys are seeing those brides flock across the street to that female photographer whose visual identity looks like a dream wedding day inspiration board.
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I love getting back to my painting roots. I first fell in love with art (drawing and painting) before I ever started into Graphic Design. In fact, in College I double majored in Graphic Design and Fine Art. So painting has always been really close to my heart. And I love it when I get the time to create new work. I want to share with you a really easy technique that I think you will really love to try as well.

I absolutely love the simple yet dynamic effect of this art piece. It is sooo easy. It literally took me only a few minutes to complete from start to finish. I used images from magazines but i think it would be AWESOME if you were a photographer and used this technique to display hints of your photos in your office or studio. I think that would be a KILLER and unique way to showcase your work…. Without being to cheesy…. ya know? Or it would be a really artsy way to use your family photos as well. I don’t really have pictures of me and Brian around the house… So might consider doing something like this with our photos. Without blabbing on, below is the HOW-TO.
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Gift wrapping is an interesting design process. It’s interesting because the gift giver wants to create a special experience for their friend and although “presentation is EVERYTHING” (and I believe it is) the presentation gets shredded in a matter of minutes. It’s not left for someone to enjoy… or hang on their wall. It’s torn open and bypassed to get to the “good stuff” on the inside. Because the presentation is only temporary, I think it’s wise to make good use of your time… while also giving a heartfelt experience. Choosing a gift wrapping technique that is pretty, easy, personal, inexpensive, and quick creates the best outcome all around.
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