Day 20 | Behind the Scenes

Taking some time from the 31 days series on starting your own small business to participate in a little "Tour Through Blogland" to give a little behind the scenes look into work and life right now.

Who nominated me? 

My dear friend Leia, blogging over at Leia Bryn, who I met through blogging and was so blessed to room with at Influence Conference. This woman has been a huge light in my life and has so much to share about writing, ministry, design, marriage and following the path that God has for her. Read her 31 day series on writing here.

What am I working on? 

Right now I am working my way through some design projects, including a Bible study series layout that I'm really excited to be a part of. Since I am currently working at a law firm by day until the baby comes, my time has become much more limited to work on projects for my own business but that will soon come to a screeching halt when this little lady shows up. For the new year, I am in the process of rebranding my design business. Looking forward to some more focused work projects, a new business name, some fun collaborations, and a shiny new website. Can't wait to share with you! Also, if you haven't noticed, I've been binge blogging every day in October for the #write31days series on Taking the Small Business Plunge -- practical steps to starting your own small business.

How does my work differ from others of it's genre? 

Despite how much I admire really clean, fancy, white, sparkly design brands, that has just never been me. I am very much still learning a ton about my own design style, what that looks like as a visual brand, and how that comes out in my writing. Because of that, I think what I do and what I create comes off as a very raw, whimsical, passionate process that you don't see from everyone in the industry and I like that. I hope that as this little business of mine grows, I never lose the transparency. That's one thing I value most in others.

Why do I write/create what I do? 

I absolutely love working with other business owners who are passionate about what they do. My favorite part of branding a business is getting to pair a visual with the core of who they are in every aspect of what they do. So many small business owners have so much drive but have no idea how to create a powerful, cohesive, authentic brand and run with it -- and that's where I come in. I love showing people the possibilities of social media and what it looks like to fully capture the brand of the business they put so much time and effort into every day.

How does my writing/creating process work? 

Since I work during the day outside our home, I usually focus my afternoons, evenings on design work. It makes for longer work days and a need for more intentional time away but it's a blessing to be able to do both right now. A lot of times I ask my clients to create an inspiration board of sorts and chat over a cup of coffee about who they are, what they do, and what is at the heart of their business. From there, I start playing with colors, images, and design elements that eventually turn into a logo, font and color palate, and marketing materials. Someday, I would love to work with a clothing company or something similar to create a look book and the whole nine yards. Does anyone else get pumped up about this stuff?? A for my blogging, I have really made peace with the fact that this just isn't going to be a forced space to write x number of posts per month and so on. I started blogging because it served as a sort of online journal for me overseas and now for our family and I treasure that freedom and un-business-like motive about it. It's a fun space for me and I am always surprised when people are actually interested enough to read it. So, thanks for reading!