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Super deep concept, I know. š¤ Itās not wrong to be inspired by others. I am inspired by other designers, creatives and artists on a daily basis. But, if we are going to create unique, truly creative work, we need to get outside the box. That means getting away from Instagram and looking to other places for inspiration. The book āRangeā (which I reviewed in my latest blog post) really spurred my thinking on innovation and how I can create work that is different. (By the way, Iām not talking so much about business practices as I am artistic expression. Thatās a bit different. Ha! Donāt take this out of context! Numbers are numbers. š) One way Iāve been doing this personally is reading interior design articles. One in particular talked about creating a focal point for a room...and it got me thinking about how I could take that same concept and apply it to website designs. Itās a concept from another interest I have that can help me create in a new direction. Sometimes itās easy to let fear trick us into simply designing or creating or editing in a way that we think is trendy and will āsellā or ābook' well. But is that actually the mindset from which we want to be creating? Embrace your unique interests and hobbies and let them help shape your work. Be different. It might be just the thing that spurs you on towards authentic success, friends. š
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Made a list of little joys that happened this week. šš¼ ā¢ my passport came! ā¢ had the opportunity to help an older lady friend with some travel plans and then go out to lunch ā¢ took a few pictures along the river in town with Drew. So good to document this special season of our lives. ā¢ picked blueberries last night ā¢ got a toilet installed in our upstairs bathroom (Very exciting! no more trekking downstairs in the dark! Sorry not sorry. š #remodelinglife) Not every week is composed of amazing life-shifting events. Actually the vast majority are not that way. But that doesnāt make them any less valuable. Learning to see the joy in small moments and small accomplishments reminds us that success is built with many small choices for the good. So tonight, as we look forward to the beginning of new week, be encouraged, friends. All those little choices and little moments are building something so much bigger. ā„ļø
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My challenge to you: pick a big, long book on something interesting and read it in the next week. š I donāt know about you, but I know that it's easy for me to succumb to quick media consumption. Pop-culture & internet gossip, spending excessive amounts of time keeping up with people on social media, and even 5-minute self-help articlesāitās not all bad, but sometimes leaves us feeling like everything is shallow and vapid. That is why reading books is SO important. If you want your world to seem bigger, deeper and more interestingāif you want to stretch your mind and become smarter and more confident in your thinking--pick a nice fat book on an important person, idea or time in history. You will be amazed at how much it will stretch your mind, give you new ideas and refresh you on the possibilities of life. P. S. If you think non-fiction is boring, youāre out of touch. (Can I be your sassy older sister?) Try āJungle of Stoneā if you want to be transported to the world of Mayan ruins and daring exploration or āThe Curated Closetā for styling your wardrobe and creating signature looks or āMessy Beautiful Friendshipā for a wonderful read on cultivating meaningful relationships. Sharing what Iāve been reading (as well as some of my favorite podcasts recently) on the blog this morning! Direct link in profile. And tell me what youāve been reading!
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New week, new work. Loving all of these bright and happy colors! āØš @laurencarnsdesign
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Letās talk summer reading lists! If youāve been following along for awhile, you know that I LOVE booksābutās itās been a minute since I talked about what Iāve been reading because honestly, Iāve been having a harder time keeping up with my reading list this year. But I love a good book, and so does Drew and while organizing I found a whole stack of books in his stuff that I wanted to read, including this one. (We actually have over six or seven Rubbermaid totes of books in storage. And thatās after I got rid of all the mediocre ones. š) Educatedā is also on my list for after my Mom suggested it to me and Iāve been wanting to read āHillbilly Elegyā as well. What are you reading this summer?
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Just a little random life update! Since posting last time, we finally moved into our house and are *loving* it here! This house is so much closer to where Drew works, and the store is just around the corner if I forget something for dinner. Thereās still quite a bit of work to be done but the most of the major things are behind us and now we can start doing things like tile and paint. (And decorating. HomeGoods is now within an hour away as of one opening in Traverse City this past weekend. š šš¼) And now, Iām so looking forward to this weekāseeing friends I havenāt seen for months and enjoying the 4th with family. ā„ļø I think one of the sweetest things about summer is community and the opportunity to spend time with those who are dearest to us. By the way, I launched my very first set of design templates this past week! This has been a work in progress for quite a while and they are 40% off through Saturday! (Instagram Highlight Master Pack is on sale too!) You can take a closer look at the link in my bio.
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š SUPER DUPER KINDA BIG ANNOUNCEMENT š Next week, my first set of templatesāa magazine thatās customizable in InDesign + Photoshop, and a Showit website template--will be available for purchase! After years of doing custom design, I wanted to create something more accessible and affordable for those who want a stunning website and a beautifully branded magazine at literally a fraction (1/10th) of the cost they would be if they were custom designed. Now, hereās why Iām partial to this template set: 1. I made sure itās different than everything else out there! I drew from a lot of time looking at vintage menus and old-school layouts to create this website and magazine set. I felt like everything was starting to look the same and can confidently say this set is truly unique. 2. Itās going to be an amazing price. Custom designed, this magazine would cost over $500 and well-known photographers have paid me well over that to create a custom, branded wedding magazine! Thatās not even talking about the websiteāwhich would easily be $3k-4k custom designed. This is a huge value. 3. You can purchase just the magazine template, or just the website templateāOR, get both as a package! 4. For the first week, there will be a one-time deep discount for those with a coupon code! Sign up at the link in my profile to get on the list and be the first to see the set! Special thanks to @christineskariphotography for allowing me to use her lovely work as part of this!
