Pretty much freaking out over the new collection over at 31bits. Sooo good! And go check out the hair on the models. LEGIT!! I love that Parker wanted to help me in this shot. haha. Love that guy

I woke up today feeling quite overwhelmed. A great way to start the week, eh? I am sure you are familiar with that “where do I EVEN start?” feeling. I want to be completely transparent and say that I overcommitted myself. Have you done that recently? I committed to completing 3 custom website design projects, preparing for a speaking engagement, holding a workshop, on-boarding 2 new employees/partners (which I’m stoked out of my mind about), and concepting a new idea for our church’s Women’s Ministry all by the end of October! Praying that I can prioritize appropriately and get it all done. So, I ask you…what is your advice for when you’re feeling overwhelmed? How do you manage?

The title of my session is called “Overcoming the Designers Depths of Despair Disease” Inspired by a scene in Anne of Green Gables. Haha! I gotta bring some girl power to this land dominated by the boys. I am going to be sharing a bit of my journey and the perspective that I have learned to have as it relates to creating on demand and owning your own business.

For all you Texans out there or for those of you willing to travel I have a pair of tickets to give a special someone! This is a very focused giveaway so you could definitely win this one AND bring your friend.

Tweet out a screenshot preview of something creative you are working on and tag @promisetangeman and @circlesconf. You can even say some other stuff too. heh.

Can’t wait to see what you are working on. I will pick the winner this Friday Night! AHH!! See you there! Also, if you are not able to attend but have a BIG heart… Circles just opened up a rad sponsorship program where you can pay the way for a creative that can’t afford to go. THAT’S SO AWESOME!!

I DO NOT think blogging (as we know it) is crucial to your business success. But the sharing of information? I think it’s very important. I can’t say that blogging didn’t help my career. It did. In a major way. Almost five years ago when I started my first blog not many people were blogging so naturally my content, voice, and approach stood out. Fast forward few years and I might think twice about starting a blog. In some ways our industry’s expectations for “blogging” has become too high, time consuming, and intense to keep up with on a regular basis! I threw out this topic for discussion on my Twitter and Facebook page a few months ago and based on the response from my small network that idea seemed to ring true. Perhaps that’s why Jenni doesn’t like blogging. heh. Posting content to a specific url isn’t right for everyone and it doesn’t automatically lead to a successful business. The principles behind blogging however, such as sharing information, curating content, and engaging with the community can boost business success.

It’s VERY important to be engaging in some way online with your customers, clients, and community. Word of mouth is still one of the biggest and best marketing tools and social media brings that to LIFE online. People want to connect with a person not a “company” and social media makes that possible. Tips, tricks, how-tos, behind the scenes, Q&As, and innovative contests and ideas connect with your customers, help them, and keep them wanting more. You are building a trusted relationship. I think a lot of people understand the value of sharing and engaging online but I don’t think you need a “blog” to do it.

To get down to the basics…Blogging is just sharing information with other people. Whether it’s inspiration, photographs, documents, articles, etc. Blogging is sharing. And I believe that sharing is changing. People want to share still….and MORE often than ever before… but they don’t want to spend their whole day doing it. From my observation people want sharing to be a part of their everyday life. And in order for sharing to be a part of their everyday life it needs to be fast, simple, and easy.

For the majority of people, “blogging” has morphed into micro-blogging, which is a more casual/simpler way of sharing information via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. We share simple bits of information everyday in the form of short sentences, individual images, video links, etc. Moving forward I believe people and companies want to share this information in a place that people already are via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and the like! It’s hard to move a viewer from one site to another so it seems as though people are enjoying posting directly to the platforms that everyone checks everyday anyway.

If you desire to produce content that is not a fit for micro-blogging such as long articles, fancy designs, or complicated information, and you don’t mind spending the time to do it, then I think you could REALLY KILL IT as a blogger. Content is king. But if you desire to simplify your life and produce mainly images and a few sentences then I would recommend utilizing the social media platforms to connect with your audience. I am excited to see people and companies expand their creativity and innovate new ways to connect using social media.

As for myself? I still enjoy posting content to this url called promisetangemanblog.com. I do find that I update my Facebook MUCH more because it’s simpler and faster.

What are your thoughts on all of this?

If GQ and J.Crew had a love child I hope it would be Studio Playback. This design has an editorial flair with an elite photo studio feel. It also has some unexpected whimsy thrown in there as well to keep it… REAL! I designed it with the male species in mind… But I do have to say that this one is one of my favorites in this collection. Maybe it’s the tomboy buried deep within me or something. This design showcases the photography work of talent Trever Hoehne. I have mentioned his work quite a few times on this blog including most recently our Creative Toolbox series. He’s CRAZY good!

This website design can be used for any business or personal online presence. It can be fully customized by simply dragging and dropping. No coding knowledge needed! HOLLA! For more information about how you can get this design go HERE or email us at info(at)promisetangeman(dot)com.

SITEHOUSE WEBSITE  /  STUDIO PLAYBACK WEBSITE DEMO  /  INFO+PURCHASE

I believe that some women in the workplace are KILLING it. Making it a better working environment on all levels. I enjoyed reading this article on how women are surpassing men in the workplace in certain areas. All around I recommend the book if you are a woman looking to stand a little taller, believe in yourself a bit more, and stretch your leadership potential.

On another note, I found the photo below when I was cleaning out my computer folders. I like to keep my files organized so I can find things easily. But when I have a screen share Skype session I clean up real quick sweeping everything under the rug in a folder titled “stuff”. Overtime I accidentally accumulate stuff1, stuff2, and stuff3 folders. Haha. But anyway. I enjoyed seeing this photo, going back to memory lane, and thinking WHAT WAS I THINKING WITH THAT BLONDE HAIR?!?! I’m definitely a brunette kinda girl. Here is the blog post from 2009. Reminded me that I’ve been posting since 2008! Crazy!

And one more thing…On Monday I am releasing the new Fall 2012 website designs for Sitehouse. AHH!!! And we are getting closer and closer to the October Workshop. I am so in love with the girls already! We got them in a Facebook group already getting to know each other, chatting, and some are EVEN TEXTING!! What?!?! That’s crazy! Looking forward to getting to know them more through the branding & style homework and finally meeting them in October! AHH!!! Ready to rock!

1 // HIGH QUALITY BRUSHES: To do professional makeup, you need professional tools. My brushes are like a treasure; I look after them very well. The best quality of brushes I have found are made by Shu Uemura. I am constantly expanding my collection and excited about every new addition. Treating myself to good tools is a great motivation.

2 // FACE CHARTS: To visualize makeup ideas and to discuss and plan looks, I like to work with hand colored face charts. I always have a few printed so I can scribble ideas down. The charts are also handy when I am working with brides, as I can take notes of the exact products we have used in a trial to be used on their wedding day.

3 // MUSIC & MAGAZINES: I like to keep myself up to date, and I’m always soaking up inspiration. Therefore, I flip through all sorts of different magazines and listen to music. Since it’s summer, I find the Music of Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros very uplifting.

4 // EYELASH CURLER: Yes! Curling your lashes makes a difference. It’s a simple tool that helps in even the most natural makeup. I curl my own too, it helps to make my eyes look fresh, and when I have to start the day early it only takes a few seconds.

5 // IPAD: The iPad changed my world. Being on different locations all the time and having to carry a huge and heavy make up kit with me, this lightweight little gadget makes it easy to travel with. It helps me do my work and respond to emails on the go. I also love that it carries my portfolio photos at all times, and helps me create and view mood-boards on location.

6 // A GOOD BASE: Good skin is a must have for models, but I also encourage my private clients and brides to establish a simple skin care routine. Cleanse with a simple gentle cleanser and always remove all makeup at the end of the day, as well as hydrating the skin with a lightweight moisturizer that makes a great make up base. The better the skin, the better the makeup will be look in the end. I love Malin&Goetz skincare, it’s suitable for the most sensitive skin, has great unisex packaging and high quality ingredients.

7 // HEALTHY BALANCE: I love healthy fresh food, it makes my brain work better and keeps me happy. On photo-shoots and long hour days, people tend to cater a lot of junk. Green smoothies in the morning do the trick! They work wonders.

8 // BLOGGING: Blogging helps my creativity in so many ways. It encourages me to be creative with words and photography, it’s a place to share inspiration and to connect and get inspired by others. So many trends start to spread online today and you can connect with creatives all over the world. As a freelancer, it helps promoting my work too. My personal blog project, Liv+Dave= focuses on beauty in my daily life, and helps me appreciating what I have got and how important it is to keep the right work/life balance.

Thanks so much Liv, for taking us inside your creative toolbox. It’s so fun seeing what tools a make up artist uses in her business. We really appreciate you sharing with us.

Clean House, check, new work station table from Cb2, check! NOW BACK TO WORK!! I am running hard on some deadlines at the moment. Really great clients doing really amazing things. I’ve got a custom blog design, a branding and website project, and a presentation to bust out, a pup that just got neutered, and some guests coming into town this weekend! AHH!! Wish me luck! It’s going to be a busy! But good! What do you have going on?

Ahh love this new workstation desk. Its got a bright color and WHEELS! hot hot hot!!