Monday Musings, edition seven | coffee dates, branding, + a wise little cat
Can anyone believe it's already February!? Cause I sure can't. It's weird how days use to creeeeeep and crawwwwlll by for me, but nowadays they go by at lightning speed. I think it's a mixture of me getting older, and also my job. The rest of January was a bit of a blur, but there are definitely a few things worth mentioning!
>> Likeeeeee.... Shooting my first wedding of 2017! Oh my goodness! Amanda and Ryan had a gorgeous snow-covered wedding day at Loose Mansion in Kansas City. These guys have been so wonderful to work with, and I had been looking forward to their wedding day for months! Everything went just swimmingly - and those two were determined to do photos in the snow, no matter how chilly it was! And it was completely worth it! Completely!!
>> Around middle of January I had my first ever "branding session", or "brand analysis" and oh my gosh you guys. Let me back up a tad - you might recall last July when I attended my first ever Creative at Heart Conference? Refresh your memory, here! And it was during that conference that I won something mega awesome...something intended to help transform your business, and something that totally has already.. It was a gift basket dubbed "The bosslady starter kit"! And it absolutely rocked my world! Within its uh-mazing contents was a certificate for a Brand Analysis from none other than the oh so incredible, Creme Brands!!
I had to fill out this 7-page homework that was all about my brand, and how it feels to me, how I want it to feel to others. If I were hosting a dinner party - what would it look like, feel like, and what types of food would I serve. What types of songs are on my "brands playlist". What is a list of words that describe my brand. OH MY GOSH it was soooo enlightening. It might sound so simple, but it really made me dig deep into ELP, the heart behind it all, and the overall brand.
Not to mention that the owner of Creme Brands, Kathryn, is a real sweetheart, and Skyping with her was the most fun afternoon. Her personality and warmth are infectious! Kathryn had straight up top shelf advice and suggestions for me, things I never even thought about! She addressed the concerns I had with my brand, and my logo, and gave me solid actionable advice and steps that I can do to help further represent the true brand and true heart behind ELP. And so.... I'm completely thrilled to now say publicly that I'm working behind the scenes with some little tweaks + changes!! Nothing will be a major overhaul, since luckily, ELP had been fairly on track for what I hoped, but there are definitely a few changes on the horizon!! Stay tuned!!
>> A fun little story worth mentioning is the fact that during the month of January, we had to have our dishwasher repaired........twice. Let's just say that sliding a plate underneath to catch leaking water wasn't working anymore since the leak got so massive. And while the technician was certain he'd fixed the issue on the first visit...unfortunately he had to come back a week later due to it still leaking. I'm THRILLED to report it no longer leaks. And that helpful plate is safely back in its cabinet!
>> In January I also FINALLY attended my first ever Thursday Therapy!! After having had avoided those events for a few years, and fearing that I'd go only to feel extra awkward and hug the wall all night long... I was, and still am, so happy to report that I had an absolute blast! Not only did I have fun, run into friends in the industry I hadn't seen in a while, meet new people that I previously only knew through social media, anddd have some fun times in a photobooth.. But...endless times throughout the night, people I DID NOT KNOW were coming up and being all "I think you're Elizabeth Ladean?" and "Aren't you Elizabeth Ladean??" WHAT THE WHAT!!?? I couldn't pick my jaw up off the floor half the night! Kansas City's wedding industry feels so big, and so does this city.. but it sure is nice to know that your name and face are recognizable in a sea of awesome creatives!!
>> There were about 10 coffee dates and meetings through the month of January, and if there are 2 things I love... it's coffee dates and meetings with new brides!
>> And now like I said earlier, here we are in February already! I don't have too much to report for this month quite yet, being only 6 days in (though, how is already almost a week into the month!?). But one thing definitely worth mentioning is the fact that Super Bowl 51 just happened. Did you read that and think, oh Elizabeth must be into sports!!! HA! Not even close. I care about the Super Bowl because of 3 things and 3 things only.
1. Food.
2. Commercials.
3. My incredibly wise little cat.
Did y'all know that we've been having sweet Noah "pick" the winner of the Super Bowl for 5 years now? And did ya know he's gotten it right FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIMES!!?? The one year he didn't get it right was 2015, and I'm told that technically, he was right because the winners won due to a "bad call" (if you could hear me saying this, you'd understand my complete lack of sports knowledge).
Ignore the use of bad Instagram filters from the old days - and instead, focus on the level of GENIUS my sweet little cat possesses:
As always, if you've stayed along with me this long and reached this point - you are awesome!! The rest of February is looking a smidge busy with a lot of meetings, and getting back into shooting with family + engagement sessions! You all know by now that my Facebook and Instagram are the best ways to keep up with me, so be sure to do so!!
Until next time! :)