Let the Branding Journey Begin!

When I began this photographic journey two years ago, I realized that it was going to take a lot of "vision" (cue canned laughter from the sitcom audience). And while I've been working hard and investing in crafting the vision that's created through the camera, I've been holding back on the other type of vision - the overall vision for the business. Who am I at the core? What do I want my business about? What promises do I want to make to my incredible clients? How will I give back? And how will I move forward as the business grows?

So realizing how vital this step will be for both me and my business, I've taken the plunge and started putting my money where my values are. I'm finally investing the time and energy needed to brand Rachel Lowe Photography - to bring more "Rachel" into the business!

I'm excited to announce that over the next few months, I will be working with an awesome lady named Katie from KD Creative! She's helping me turn the random descriptors, vibes, and overall feel I want for the business into a tangible reality. She's helping to put my personality on pages.  She's helping me translate the inner vision into an outward expression (in the form of a website, blog, etc.). And for this, I am sincerely grateful.

To give you a slight taste of what's in store, here is our finalized "inspiration board". I'm seriously swooning.

Isn't it awesome?!?!? I'm so excited for this journey and look forward to bringing you along! 

Reflection

It’s been a while since I allowed myself to sit down and reflect. Ponder. Wonder. Think. To just stop for a minute and....be. But a phone call from a friend yesterday finally made me want to, and for that I am very thankful.

I truly believe that the times when I am most busy, hurried, or overwhelmed are also the times I most need to give myself some inner rest. If not, there is no way to ensure that I’m sprinting in the right direction, or climbing the right mountain. I’ll be the first to admit that while I believe this to be true, I don’t always have the mental energy to follow through. It’s much easier to turn on a rerun of my favorite sitcom and demolish a bowl of ice cream than it is to go somewhere quiet and journal. It’s much easier to surf the internet and get lost in a barrage of blog articles, news stories, or funny videos than it is to sit quietly in meditation and prayer. And it’s always much easier to spend five minutes talking to my husband or a friend about how overwhelmed I am than it is to take those five minutes and knock out a pending item on the to-do list that’s causing the overwhelm.

And that’s why I am indescribably thankful for some of the awesome ladies I get to call friends. They are always so good at encouraging me to just be. To relax, take a breath, and be loved. So tonight, before I go to bed, I’m going to start fostering a few new habits. First, I’m going to read at least 10 pages of a book – because I want and need to read more. Then, I will take 10 minutes to either write about whatever is on my heart or simply sit in silent prayer and contemplation. I’ve tried several times to make this a morning habit, but I have to be brutally honest...I'm not a morning person.

I know habits take time, effort, and a heaping spoonful of patience. But I'm ready and willing to do this.

And now I'm throwing the question back out there to the blogosphere: How do you take time to stop, rest, reflect, and renew?

Embracing Adventure

We finally did it. We just cashed in a healthy chunk of those reward miles on an actual trip. A very long trip. A very crazy trip. The kind of trip we've been dreaming about for...a very long time. (Okay, enough with the very's already, right?).

It's crazy the kind of pangs I got just before booking though. I'm so looking forward to this trip, but it was still scary. Right before a purchase/exchange like this, I have so many questions going through my head. Are you sure those are the right dates? Do you really want to do this? What else could you do with those miles? Wouldn't that be better? But I'm glad those questions are there; they help me to make sure I'm really going for what's important, what my husband and I value.

I don't know about you, but when I save something for so long, it can be hard to let it go. Money. Air miles. Paid time off. I just have to remind myself that I save these things so that they can be used for things that I value. Like adventure!

So for this adventure, we'll be heading to Europe for just over 3 weeks. Right now, the only thing we're sure of is where we'll start and where we'll end up. So planning the inbetween, that's our current adventure.

And the best part of all, I love how much this adventure has turned into a metaphor for life. Don't store things up, use them for good. And remember that the real meat of life is in the journey, not the destination.

And this time, I'll come back with some awesome photos!