• I don’t share about motherhood very often on Instagram. That’s partly because I recognize how nuanced the experience is for all of us: the experiences we bring from our own childhood, the journey to getting there (or not), the circumstances we’re in, our health, our support, our values and expectations… it’s all sort of a mixed bag. And the last thing I want to do is offend someone or make them question their own choices, because I know I know I know that we’re all just doing the best we can with what we have. We live in a world of grays, where nothing is truly black and white. The older I get, the more I can see that. Being a mom is like that. It’s sweet and meaningful and purpose filled AND it’s challenging and demanding and transformative. Both, and. Naomi has filled my life with some of the sweetest moments, the kind of memories that I’ll be sitting on the porch thinking about when I’m 80, God willing. The number of times she has made me laugh until I cry is way too high to count. And contrary to popular belief, my business is stronger than ever too, because I’m intentional with my time (most days 😅) and boundaries are easier to set and enforce when they affect more than just me. And in the same breath, many things are harder, too. Sometimes it feels like there's a ticking clock in my ear the whole time I'm working. I can’t get lost in my work for hours at a time because daycare, naps, meals, etc. Last minute meetings are stressful, and there’s often a low level sense of missing out on something. When I'm working, I'm not momming. When I'm momming, I'm not working. I’ve rewritten this post so many different ways, trying to encompass everything I’m trying to say, but I can’t, and I guess that’s the point—there isn’t a perfect way to parent, which is both terrifying and freeing. You can grow a business and be a good mom. Or you can choose to work as a stay at home mom and be a good mom. Or you can work a traditional 9-5 schedule and be a good mom. Both, and. ♥️
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    I don’t share about motherhood very often on Instagram. That’s partly because I recognize how nuanced the experience is for all of us: the experiences we bring from our own childhood, the journey to getting there (or not), the circumstances we’re in, our health, our support, our values and expectations… it’s all sort of a mixed bag. And the last thing I want to do is offend someone or make them question their own choices, because I know I know I know that we’re all just doing the best we can with what we have. We live in a world of grays, where nothing is truly black and white. The older I get, the more I can see that. Being a mom is like that. It’s sweet and meaningful and purpose filled AND it’s challenging and demanding and transformative. Both, and. Naomi has filled my life with some of the sweetest moments, the kind of memories that I’ll be sitting on the porch thinking about when I’m 80, God willing. The number of times she has made me laugh until I cry is way too high to count. And contrary to popular belief, my business is stronger than ever too, because I’m intentional with my time (most days 😅) and boundaries are easier to set and enforce when they affect more than just me. And in the same breath, many things are harder, too. Sometimes it feels like there's a ticking clock in my ear the whole time I'm working. I can’t get lost in my work for hours at a time because daycare, naps, meals, etc. Last minute meetings are stressful, and there’s often a low level sense of "missing out" on something. When I'm working, I'm not momming. When I'm momming, I'm not working. I’ve rewritten this post so many different ways, trying to encompass everything I’m trying to say, but I can’t, and I guess that’s the point—there isn’t a perfect way to parent, which is both terrifying and freeing. You can grow a business and be a good mom. Or you can choose to work as a stay at home mom and be a good mom. Or you can work a traditional 9-5 schedule and be a good mom. Both, and. ♥️
  • I took my daughter to the doctor this morning. There were 3 separate full length posters in the waiting room advertising different treatments for weight loss. >> One poster showed a women in bikini who looked like she had been lifting weights consistently for years. >> Another showed a bunch of before and afters of different women's stomachs. >> The third showed a thin woman (are you sensing a theme here?) in the buff (her arms were keeping it PG) and used both soften your curves and firm up your muscles in the advertising copy. 🙄 Luckily, my daughter is still young enough that her biggest concern was that the woman in the window isn't wearing her underwear 😅 As someone who struggled with disordered eating in my teens, I know that I'm acutely aware of this sort of messaging and the damage that it can do. I also know that I won't be able to prevent my own daughter from seeing these messages as she grows up, but I *will* always be able to tell her what I want to remind you with this: You were made uniquely and perfectly and for a purpose so much greater than spending all of your time and energy and money trying to simultaneously soften and firm up your body. You are enough as you are ♥️
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    I took my daughter to the doctor this morning. There were 3 separate full length posters in the waiting room advertising different treatments for weight loss. >> One poster showed a women in bikini who looked like she had been lifting weights consistently for years. >> Another showed a bunch of before and afters of different women's stomachs. >> The third showed a thin woman (are you sensing a theme here?) in the buff (her arms were keeping it PG) and used both "soften your curves" and "firm up your muscles" in the advertising copy. 🙄 Luckily, my daughter is still young enough that her biggest concern was that the woman in the window "isn't wearing her underwear" 😅 As someone who struggled with disordered eating in my teens, I know that I'm acutely aware of this sort of messaging and the damage that it can do. I also know that I won't be able to prevent my own daughter from seeing these messages as she grows up, but I *will* always be able to tell her what I want to remind you with this: You were made uniquely and perfectly and for a purpose so much greater than spending all of your time and energy and money trying to simultaneously "soften" and "firm up" your body. You are enough as you are ♥️
  • Let’s talk about the (actual, real life, not theoretical) power of strategic branding and web design 👇🏼 In the past month since launching my new website, I’ve booked out through the end of August 😱🙌 As someone who values security and stability, this makes me breathe an audible sigh of relief, honestly. The word “branding” is confusing. It encompasses so many things - your voice, your copy, your social media presence, your website, what you ate for breakfast this morning... 😉 But when it comes to your brand DESIGN, every little detail makes a difference. Your aesthetic should be a mix of you as a person AND your ideal client. You can communicate your company’s values, your customers’ values, your relevancy, your professionalism… but if your design doesn’t do this correctly, you’ll either end up without any customers or a bunch of the wrong customers. On the flip side, if you nail 🔨 your branding, you'll book out 3 months (lol jk I can't promise that, but you'll have a much better chance!). Your audience will finally understand how you can help them, and that's often the missing piece of the puzzle. When you close your eyes and picture your ideal customers, would they actually be attracted to your current branding? >> If the answer is yes: you go, friend! >> If the answer is probs not: it's never too late to get there! How do you feel about your current branding and website? Leave an emoji below! 👇
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    Let’s talk about the (actual, real life, not theoretical) power of strategic branding and web design 👇🏼 In the past month since launching my new website, I’ve booked out through the end of August 😱🙌 As someone who values security and stability, this makes me breathe an audible sigh of relief, honestly. The word “branding” is confusing. It encompasses so many things - your voice, your copy, your social media presence, your website, what you ate for breakfast this morning... 😉 But when it comes to your brand DESIGN, every little detail makes a difference. Your aesthetic should be a mix of you as a person AND your ideal client. You can communicate your company’s values, your customers’ values, your relevancy, your professionalism… but if your design doesn’t do this correctly, you’ll either end up without any customers or a bunch of the wrong customers. On the flip side, if you nail 🔨 your branding, you'll book out 3 months (lol jk I can't promise that, but you'll have a much better chance!). Your audience will finally understand how you can help them, and that's often the missing piece of the puzzle. When you close your eyes and picture your ideal customers, would they actually be attracted to your current branding? >> If the answer is "yes": you go, friend! >> If the answer is "probs not": it's never too late to get there! How do you feel about your current branding and website? Leave an emoji below! 👇
  • Choosing hope over fear = Operating from a place of abundance rather than a place of scarcity. This is almost always a conscious choice for me, honestly. My default is to jump to all of things that could go wrong, but I'm trying to flip that script. In my business, this hope & abundance shows up in: >>How I communicate with potential clients. If we’re a good fit design-wise, and you’re a kind person, I probably would LOVE to work with you. But if we’re not a good fit/you’re not ready/it doesn’t work financially rn for us to work together, that is so fine by me. The literal LAST THING I would ever do in my business is try to pressure someone into working with me. I’m starting to sweat just thinking about it lol. Having an abundance mindset means trusting MY clients are out there. >>How I charge my clients. My invoices automatically get set up as monthly payment plans, no additional fee. Branding and web design is an investment, AND it’s an investment that I’ve seen pay off over and over again. Making good design more accessible feels like a way I can make a bigger impact in my business. Having an abundance mindset means trusting my clients will make their payments. >>How I market my business. I didn’t post on IG for a HOT MINUTE because I had a wildly overwhelming couple of weeks. Having an abundance mindset means trusting that there’s room for real life in my business plans and that doing what’s best for my mental peace can be my priority. >> Saying No to opportunities that aren’t in alignment with my skills/passions/values and trusting that will leave room for bigger and better opportunities. (okay, I'm still working on this one 😅) Can you relate? How are you choosing hope over fear? 👇
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    Choosing hope over fear = Operating from a place of abundance rather than a place of scarcity. This is almost always a conscious choice for me, honestly. My default is to jump to all of things that could go wrong, but I'm trying to flip that script. In my business, this hope & abundance shows up in: >>How I communicate with potential clients. If we’re a good fit design-wise, and you’re a kind person, I probably would LOVE to work with you. But if we’re not a good fit/you’re not ready/it doesn’t work financially rn for us to work together, that is so fine by me. The literal LAST THING I would ever do in my business is try to pressure someone into working with me. I’m starting to sweat just thinking about it lol. Having an abundance mindset means trusting MY clients are out there. >>How I charge my clients. My invoices automatically get set up as monthly payment plans, no additional fee. Branding and web design is an investment, AND it’s an investment that I’ve seen pay off over and over again. Making good design more accessible feels like a way I can make a bigger impact in my business. Having an abundance mindset means trusting my clients will make their payments. >>How I market my business. I didn’t post on IG for a HOT MINUTE because I had a wildly overwhelming couple of weeks. Having an abundance mindset means trusting that there’s room for real life in my business plans and that doing what’s best for my mental peace can be my priority. >> Saying No to opportunities that aren’t in alignment with my skills/passions/values and trusting that will leave room for bigger and better opportunities. (okay, I'm still working on this one 😅) Can you relate? How are you choosing hope over fear? 👇
  • Pie 🥧 but make it cute 😘 Designing conceptual brands is where it’s at, friends. It doesn’t necessarily pay the bills 😂 but let me tell you why I love it: 1. This gives me the opportunity to “work with” literally any brand I want. Has a pie shoppe been knocking on my door to work with me? No. Would I cry happy tears if one did?! Oh, for SURE 😭 2. I get to practice new skills. In this brand for example, I’ve been dying to try out painted backgrounds. I used the watercolor pen in Procreate for these backgrounds, and I’m in love with how they turned out. Now I can add this skill to my bank of ideas for future clients 🎨 3. This is the kind of creative work that makes me feel happy and fulfilled. No timeline, no budget, all the creative freedom. If you check out my last post, it was the moodboard for this brand 🤗 Shoutout to @lizziejacklyn for the creative prompt for this brand! Now, real talk: what kind of pie are you ordering at a pie shop?! 👇🏼 I’m going with peach a la mode 🍑🍦
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    Pie 🥧 but make it cute 😘 Designing conceptual brands is where it’s at, friends. It doesn’t necessarily pay the bills 😂 but let me tell you why I love it: 1. This gives me the opportunity to “work with” literally any brand I want. Has a pie shoppe been knocking on my door to work with me? No. Would I cry happy tears if one did?! Oh, for SURE 😭 2. I get to practice new skills. In this brand for example, I’ve been dying to try out painted backgrounds. I used the watercolor pen in Procreate for these backgrounds, and I’m in love with how they turned out. Now I can add this skill to my bank of ideas for future clients 🎨 3. This is the kind of creative work that makes me feel happy and fulfilled. No timeline, no budget, all the creative freedom. If you check out my last post, it was the moodboard for this brand 🤗 Shoutout to @lizziejacklyn for the creative prompt for this brand! Now, real talk: what kind of pie are you ordering at a pie shop?! 👇🏼 I’m going with peach a la mode 🍑🍦
  • #moodboardmonday Anyone else constantly dreaming about a beach vacation these days? 🙋🏼‍♀️ Give me the ocean, a big umbrella, and a few books, and I’m set. We have a family vacation planned for the gulf shores in July and it can’t come soon enough 🏖 Are you going anywhere this summer?!
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    #moodboardmonday Anyone else constantly dreaming about a beach vacation these days? 🙋🏼‍♀️ Give me the ocean, a big umbrella, and a few books, and I’m set. We have a family vacation planned for the gulf shores in July and it can’t come soon enough 🏖 Are you going anywhere this summer?!
  • Fri-yay! Want to play 2 truths and a lie?? I’m a horrible lier (I always start laughing 🥴) so I can’t play this game IRL, but I *think* I can handle lying via caption: 1️⃣ I’ve never had a major injury—no broken bones, no running injuries, no stitches... 2️⃣ I moved 5 times in 5 years after graduating from college. 3️⃣ I never had career dreams growing up. I just wanted to move to the Oregon coast 🌊 and get a huge mountain dog 🐶 Which one’s the lie?! 👇🏼 I’ll share the answer in my stories later 😁
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    Fri-yay! Want to play 2 truths and a lie?? I’m a horrible lier (I always start laughing 🥴) so I can’t play this game IRL, but I *think* I can handle lying via caption: 1️⃣ I’ve never had a major injury—no broken bones, no running injuries, no stitches... 2️⃣ I moved 5 times in 5 years after graduating from college. 3️⃣ I never had career dreams growing up. I just wanted to move to the Oregon coast 🌊 and get a huge mountain dog 🐶 Which one’s the lie?! 👇🏼 I’ll share the answer in my stories later 😁
  • When I was in middle school, I had these suuuuper light wash American Eagle jeans that were ripped up at the knee and I was ✨obsessed✨ with them. I think I wore them every Friday until I grew out of them 😂 These days, I call Madewell jeans bae (iykyk). I’m one of THOSE people 🙄 who wear jeans even when I’m working from home. What I’m trying to say is—jeans and I go way back. And also, if you’re a jeans company in need of branding, hit me up 😉 #creativeglowchallenge @_abidesign
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    When I was in middle school, I had these suuuuper light wash American Eagle jeans that were ripped up at the knee and I was ✨obsessed✨ with them. I think I wore them every Friday until I grew out of them 😂 These days, I call Madewell jeans bae (iykyk). I’m one of THOSE people 🙄 who wear jeans even when I’m working from home. What I’m trying to say is—jeans and I go way back. And also, if you’re a jeans company in need of branding, hit me up 😉 #creativeglowchallenge @_abidesign
  • New website, who dis?! ✨ One of the cardinal rules of branding is to be consistent, and to be honest, I’ve been anything but that. When I started my business 2 years ago, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I had an eye for design and a passion for creating, but my degree and experience was in elementary education. I’ve had a 2 years of learning and growth and experience (and doubt and tears) since day 1, and I’ve never felt more aligned or confident in my work. This new website is a representation of that confidence AND in the confidence I hope to instill in all of the female founders I get the opportunity to work with 🔥 Shout out to @aubreetaylorphoto for the bomb new brand photos—I don’t do a serious face well, but she’s talented enough to make it look like I do 😉 I also wrote all the copy, and a copywriter I am NOT. @copybykaili is coming to help a girl out in the fall, but until then, give me some grace, okay?! ✨Link in bio to check it out!✨
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    New website, who dis?! ✨ One of the cardinal rules of branding is to be consistent, and to be honest, I’ve been anything but that. When I started my business 2 years ago, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I had an eye for design and a passion for creating, but my degree and experience was in elementary education. I’ve had a 2 years of learning and growth and experience (and doubt and tears) since day 1, and I’ve never felt more aligned or confident in my work. This new website is a representation of that confidence AND in the confidence I hope to instill in all of the female founders I get the opportunity to work with 🔥 Shout out to @aubreetaylorphoto for the bomb new brand photos—I don’t do a serious face well, but she’s talented enough to make it look like I do 😉 I also wrote all the copy, and a copywriter I am NOT. @copybykaili is coming to help a girl out in the fall, but until then, give me some grace, okay?! ✨Link in bio to check it out!✨
  • Me: I have 8 million things I need to do this week! Also me: *drops everything and makes up a new brand based on the title of a new book I don’t have time to read* 😅 Which option is your favorite?! I’d love to know! 👇🏼 ♥️
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    Me: I have 8 million things I need to do this week! Also me: *drops everything and makes up a new brand based on the title of a new book I don’t have time to read* 😅 Which option is your favorite?! I’d love to know! 👇🏼 ♥️