For starters, I'm treating the new brand like a new beginning. When I first started this business, all I really knew is that I wanted to take photos of people. Now that I have a year of experience under my belt, I realize that what really love is family photography. It's so much fun -- and so rewarding -- to create a space where families can make memories together!
In order to create space for others, I really needed a space for myself, and I have it now thanks to a new home office that Cliff and I share. Oh, the joys of home (or, in our case, condo) ownership! Back in our apartment, we had desks set up in our living room. For convenience, it was great -- but for professionalism and practicality, not so much. There was no space to store things and no way to stay organized. If you can believe it, I was actually still using a portable, plastic shelving unit to store desk supplies! The thing was like 15 years old and falling apart!
That horrible, old set of drawers has been replaced with two, new pieces of actual adult furniture. The white cabinet is for camera equipment storage and the black set of drawers acts as an extension of my desk. In time, we hope to spruce this space up a bit by adding a rug, better lighting, canvas gallery wraps and some sitting chairs!
Finally, I'm learning not to stress. I spent a lot of time -- a LOT of time -- over the last year worrying about things that were beyond my control. Not anymore! That new beginning I mentioned earlier? Yeah, it really comes into play here. A new brand offers a new way of looking at how I manage my business and my own expectations for success. It feels great!