yesterday, I posted about finding the balance between chasing sales and practicing gratitude this week! I genuinely believe that wise spending is a great way to steward our resources as business owners, so if you’re like me and you’re hoping to snag a few Black Friday steals, here are some tips as you shop: + buy something you NEED. that sales page template you need to launch your course. that backup camera. fourteen million more memory cards (because you can never have too many🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼). all those little items you purchase throughout the year, see if you can stock up now at a reduced price. SCORE💸 + buy something to improve your CLIENT EXPERIENCE. this is something that will bring even bigger returns than what you spent on it. custom Christmas cards to send to all your clients? a photo editor so you can return galleries faster? a new sample album? these things will give you returns in dividends💰💰💰 + something you WANT. you don’t work hard on your business for nothing!😉 but as you do choose to splurge on yourself, I encourage you to consider spending your hard earned dollars on another small business. because you know that they’re doing the same silly happy dance behind their computer that you do every time you make a sale or book a new client. why not pay it forward?🎉 don’t forget - my black friday shopping guide for photographers and small business owners is coming soon! keep an eye out for all my favorite deals, and if you’re shopping for a gift for the photographer or business owner in your life, you won’t want to miss it!🔥 
I was watching instagram stories yesterday and someone started their story by saying “happy black friday week!!”😂😂😂 I laughed, but it also made me a little sad. if you’re anything like me, your email inbox is already flooding with things to buy, sales to get before they’re gone, and deals to snag. then there’s the facebook ads, the instagram promotions, and the influencers sharing every single possible thing you could purchase this week because it’s “such a great deal!!!” but here’s the thing, loves. gratitude isn’t a one day only sale, it doesn’t ever expire, and its value outlives anything you can possibly purchase this week. now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t hit up the sales and have fun Christmas shopping and make wise investments for your business, because I’ll be doing that too! but at the end of the day, this week is about thankfulness for what we have. and after a year like 2020, now more than ever, we have so much to be thankful for. like health. and family. and the chance to walk into a new year with hope. so snag all the good deals and celebrate “black friday week” if it makes you happy. but also slow down and relish in all you have to celebrate. I’m thankful for YOU. and I’m grateful I get to celebrate and shop and give thanks this week with you too🤍🤍 
“flowers need time to bloom” ...and so do you.🤍 so be patient with your process. resist the urge to rush, to compare, to take a shortcut, and lean into the discomfort of growing pains. for a year now, I’ve had a sign hanging in my home that says “good things take time.” it’s hard to remember that in the day to day. I LOVE overnight success stories, don’t you? but life doesn’t work like that. successful businesses aren’t built in a day, weight loss transformations don’t miraculously happen after one workout, seeds don’t sprout after a few minutes in the sun, and growth just simply takes time. but in time, flowers always bloom. and so will you.💐 
it’s a braaaaaand new week, it’s a Monday, and typically I hit the ground RUNNING on Monday mornings🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️ but not today. today I’m taking Monday slow. my body is exhausted. since July 1st, I’ve only had two weekends off of shooting. t w o. two weekends off in twenty weeks.🗓 and I am SO grateful to be busy in a season that a lot of creative business owners’ futures are uncertain. I am forever grateful that I’ve gotten to enter into so many beautiful moments and to celebrate so many special wedding days. but it’s also okay to sometimes be tired. this weekend marked the end of my wedding season, the end of Christmas minis, and the beginning of a sprint to the finish to get galleries edited and finished by Christmas. and in any other season, I probably wouldn’t have admitted that I’m tired today, or that I’m giving myself grace on a Monday. sometimes I feel like my identity is synonymous with being busy and kicking butt on Mondays and always hustling to make this small biz dream a reality. but that wouldn’t be fair to YOU. because I know some of y’all are also ending a twenty week long sprint. you also feel weary on this Monday morning. you don’t feel like kicking butt because you feel like you’ve already had your butt kicked🙈 but, sweet friend, that’s okay. there’s grace for me and grace for you. and if you find yourself needing to lean into slowness and rest on this Monday and it feels uncomfortable, I’m with you. I’m so proud of you for choosing stillness, and we are in this together. do what you can, and do the rest tomorrow🤍 happy Monday, loves🌿 
one of the most terrifying (yet still fun) parts of my brand refresh was getting new headshots. does getting your picture taken make anyone else feel all like😳🤪😱😅 okay so maybeeeeee getting your picture taken isn’t always the most comfy, but it’s so important!! when things like #fridayintroductions roll around or you’re designing the “about” page of your website, it’s critical that you have beautiful photos of you smiling into the camera that are consistent with your own work and brand!📸 here’s some tips for your next branding photo sesh! 1. find a photog you TRUST. taking these photos was a breeze because my sweet friend @design.breenoelle made me feel 100% at ease and relaxed in front of the camera! it’s hard letting go of control when you’re used to being the one behind the lens, so find someone you trust to make you look your best! 2. edit your own RAWs! you want your headshots to match the rest of your work, so I’d encourage you to each out to a photographer friend who is willing to trade RAWs so you can edit them to fit your own style. finding a fellow photog biz bestie who you’re already friends with works best for this - I don’t super recommend reaching out to strangers for their RAWs😂🙅♀️ (not a good look my friend, just take my word for it🙈) 3. dress to match your brand! y’all know my favorite colors are white, white, and white, so I tried to stick with as many white, off white, and neutral tones in my session. I also incorporated some of my favorite things, like my love of giant hats and statement earrings. make it feel like YOU!💁♀️ when was the last time you updated your photos? do you have any tips you would add? 
been celebrating allllll day over here because it’s LAUNCH DAYYYY🍾🥂🎉 so grateful to @design.breenoelle for the most incredible new logos and colors - she’s literally the MOST patient, y’all. she worked with me for three days while I had a mini crisis because honestly I just don’t love colors and wanted a color palette that was all white😂😂😂 bless her soul for putting up with me.🤍 and @tonicsiteshop truly delivered with the most elegant site design perfectly optimized for @showit ✨ it only took a few months (lol indecision and wedding season made this take so much longer than it should’ve) to perfect the design to fit my brand. so grateful!! and thank YOU to each of you who have sent kind messages today about the new site! your feedback and kind words mean so so so much to me! grateful for those of you who have been here through all the different seasons. now who votes I dig up some screenshots of my very first website to share with you?!😂🙈🙋♀️ 
get ready to CELEBRATE...🎂🎉✨ ...because the brand new Catherine Milliron Photography brand and website launches TOMORROW!!!🍾 @design.breenoelle killed it with a beautiful logo and design package, and my fresh website update from @tonicsiteshop is to dieeeee for! it’s been so hard keeping this secret from you and I am so so so excited to share the culmination of months of hard work with you TOMORROW!!!🗓📌💃