the last brand: brand board

Not too long ago, I made a decision to stop taking on custom logo and brand design.  I'd been doing it for quite some time, but I really wasn't enjoying it and I wasn't focusing on my other love of photography anymore.  It was the best decision I could have made.  I'm no longer stressing about meeting deadlines, trying to read the minds of my clients (yes, even though people say they know what they want in design, they often don't) and I could get back to actually being creative because I was losing my creative steam.  I'm now finished with my branding clients and I have one last custom logo client to finish things up with.  Because I actually enjoy brand design, I'll still be doing it, but in a much different capacity moving forward.  More about that later, but I'm really excited about the direction it's going.  Below is the last custom brand board I'll ever do (I think lol).  It's for a photography company whose brand is all about elegance and love and features cool color tones.  I will be doing more mood boards here on the blog in the future, but for a different reason, so it's not the last board ever in life, just the custom one for a client.

you've been checked!

I'm a lot of things and blog reader is definitely on that list of things.  I love Erika Napoletano's blog something serious.  I love how real she gets and her no holds barred attitude.  And let's be real... I love that she can cuss like a sailor!  A woman after my own heart! lol  She has a special part of her blog called "Bitch Slapped" that I just chuckle at every time I see it come through my inbox. Yes, because she has the audacity to say bitch and because bitch slapping in the context of what she talks about is hilarious.  I wanted to do something similar.  Something where I just get honest with folk... even if that "folk" is me.  Introducing.... REALITY CHECK!  It's just as it sounds.  I'm going to give a reality check to you, me and even those you wish you could say it to.  As an fyi... I'll say "you've been checked" when referring to this as well.  Thanks Erika for the inspiration!

On our first installment of "Reality Check", I'm checking my damn self!  Yeah, again... lol  This past weekend, I hit rock bottom.  I overdid it and lost my voice.  I'm also walking around limping like I'm 92 instead of this fresh 35! (wink)  I sat in my frozen state of "what the HAYLE do I do" and fell asleep with good intentions of waking early to work.  It didn't happen.  So, I had to check myself.  I had to be honest with me and come to grips with the fact that I'm doing too damn much and nothing at the same damn time.  So, I promptly made the decision to get things off my plate that weren't either going to get done, wouldn't be beneficial to keep doing or would be serviced better at the hands of someone else.  After that, I promptly got in contact with 3 of my clients to stop work and refer them to other brand designers that I felt may fit their budget and would also be great to work with.

Then.... I took a deep breath.

I was scared to do it.  I'll admit it.  I was scared of letting my clients down.  I was scared of stopping something I had started.  But, if I'm real with myself, I've been doing that a lot over the last few months...scratch that... over the last year.  And I realize it's not because it's who I am.  It's because of who I'm trying to be.  Which is too damn much.  I'm trying to be fifty different things and appeal to eighty million people and it's just not working.  I feel stretched beyond capacity in my business.  Wanting to propel ahead and not doing so because I've been lost.  Well, I'm not lost anymore.  I know what I want to do.  I know how to do it.  It's just a matter of focus.  So, I had to check myself.

I'm stripping down.  Down to the barest of everything.  Although I've designed quite a few blogs, I've never designed something for myself that I've fallen in love with.  So, I'm going to have a bare bones blog.  Something that isn't all pretty and pleasing and creative, but simple.  And that's who I am.  I'm simple!  And I'm going to embrace that damnit! lol  I'm sure down the road, I'll pop up with something else with my indecisive ass, but... for now.... I need to garnish a brand that is me.  And I'm simple.  So everything I do and what you see should be the same way.  So, in the coming weeks, you'll see the more simple side of me.  I'm not going to add a new website (I will have a portfolio behance account you can peruse), but this will be my blogsite.  Why?  Because I'm keeping it SIMPLE!  This may be unorthodox to have all my ventures represented in one blogsite, but who cares?  I've never been quite the follower (even when I've tried to be... just doesn't work unless it's a dynamic leader that I'm following).  

My photography, film and design work will live here through this blog.  As I decide to add on (and I will knowing me), it will live here as well.  I'm not going to do a production company or studios or anything like that to make more sense of who I am and what I do.  I'm just going to be my simple ass self and rock everything I do moving forward.  

Now, for you.... 

If you've found yourself making shit harder than it has to be.  STOP IT DAMNIT!  I mean WHY?  Why are you doing it?  What brings you to the point to get all complicated and force what's not natural?  Is it because you see others who are (what seems to be) successful doing it and you think you should, too?  Is it what's the "norm" in your industry, so you're going to do the same?  Is it because in your own personal life, crap is more complicated than it needs to be and you probably should go see someone about that?  No, I'm serious.  If you need help...GET IT!  Whatever it is that's stopping you from moving forward.... STOP IT!  CHECK YO-SELF BOO! Others may smile and say you're great, when inside you know you're as phony as a $3 bill. Get back to who you are and why you're doing what you're doing.  If you don't check yourself, chances are, you don't have many around you who will.  And if they do, you'll probably get too stirred up in your feelings to hear and receive it.  So do your family, friends and loved ones a favor and do it yourself.  Hell, if you need help, I'll check yo ass!  And I actually can.... I have a psychology/counseling degree and background.  All this in my own head stuff makes more sense now, huh? lol

Hat's off to Tuesday and getting checked.  Now, take heed and do what you have to to make it count.  Bare balls and all..... 

YOU'VE. BEEN. CHECKED.

xoxo,

Sabrena

what happened?

You ever get that push to get things done?  To get on your grind?  To make shit happen?  This summer that was 100000% me!  Why?  Because I had no job and no source of income, HOWEVER, I DID have a child to take care of.  I couldn't ask for money.  I couldn't borrow it.  So, I got my ass on the grind and made shit happen.  In the last few weeks, that has flown straight out the window.

In the last few weeks, I've gone back to working a 9-5 in a classroom of 3-5 year olds, I've started school to be more marketable in the event I need to stay in a 9-5 for a while and I've taken on an extra-curricular activity to stay active/relieve stress.  The result.... I stopped making shit happen.  I got lazy.  I got complacent.

I got back to that place that made me complacent in a dead end job.  I got back to that place that had me taking on more than I should.  I got back to that busy place that I've learned growing up, as the way I should be.  And because of it, lots of things I love have suffered.

My blog, my business, my craft.... ALL....suffered!  I let a steady paycheck and complacency do that to me.  I stopped being on my hustle and grind.  I let all the distractions get in my way.  I stopped focusing on what matters to me for the long term.  Hell, I'm even writing this blog post late and still have homework to do.

Usually when I get overwhelmed and complacent at the same time, I just freeze.  I stop doing the things I've committed myself to do.  I'm not unlike most people when it comes to that.  It's just not who I am to the core.  It's not me to leave things undone.  To leave things half ass.  It's just not me.  But it's who I've allowed myself to become.

I'm going to stop making excuses.  I mean, let's be real.  It's all just an excuse when shit isn't getting done.  It's time to put my big girl panties on and GRIND!  Part of being an entrepreneur is doing just that. GRIND! GRIND! GRIND!  I just have to stay focused and keep what's important in the forefront.

My future is clear and it's bright.  It's just time to get off my lazy ass and ....

MAKE SHIT HAPPEN!

xoxo,
Sabrena

SN:  I was too lazy to promote the contest, so there was no winner (yeah, didn't even announce that on time either.)  Ok- time to stop beating myself up and just get back up on my feet and get it right!  Thank God for second chances!!!