Confident. Genuine. Fearless.

These are the three words I’ve chosen to represent me and my brand. Leading into 2016, I took time to clear my schedule and mind. It was really important to me to go into the new year with clarity, peace of mind, confidence and fearlessness. So I took a long look at my business and where it was going and an even harder look at myself and where I was going. As a business owner, it’s paramount to have a brand that speaks to who you are as a person and what your company stands for. So, with that in mind, I picked the words confident, genuine and fearless to represent SSP because it not only boldly proclaims who I am as a woman, but it also represents the kind of clients I love to work with and what SSP is all about.

My mentor has always told me that there’s more to branding than just colors, fonts and logos and even though I did change my colors a bit to match who I am at this point in my life, she taught me that you can’t just pick the any color combo and expect for it to fit you and your brand perfectly. She taught me that in order to really build your brand and solidify your style, you also have to shoot for your brand. If you are going to use the words modern and timeless, your images have to reflect that. If you are using the words joyful and fun, your couples can’t ALWAYS be so stern and serious..they need to look like they are…well…joyful! Everything you shoot, everything you embody has to reflect who you are…both as a person and as a  brand. So let’s talk about my keywords and why I chose them to represent my brand!

First let me say, these words are not words I just randomly picked out of hat. These three simple words took what seems like FOREVER to narrow down and pick, but looking at them now, I feel so proud. The words not only describe me, but they describe the very essence of….”her.” Who is “her” you may ask? Well I’m glad you asked. She  is not one particular woman. She is every woman and she represents what my brand is and where I want it to go. I chose confident because a confident woman knows who she is. She is 1000% sure of herself and has a strong belief in herself because she knows who she is and WHOSE she is. The word genuine is a two-fold characteristic. First, it’s who she is. The woman I love to photograph..the reason why my passion burns so intensely for this art form is because this is who she is. She is real. She is honesty. She is someone that, even if I’ve just met her…after talking to her for a little bit, I feel like I’ve known for a lifetime and a sisterhood is born.  There’s nothing I love more than a genuine person and while embodying that realness is something that can’t be taught, it is definitely something worth appreciating. Secondly, it’s something that I always desire to bring to any experience my clients and I have together. Whether we’re teaming up to create a empowering portrait session or to capture her love story, creating an experience that is pure in heart and genuine in spirit allows me the chance to genuinely love on her as a client and more importantly as a friend, which in the end creates genuine images capturing who she is as a woman. Last but not least, “Fearless.” This word shakes me to my core. It’s one that is the main word for me this year. There are times in my life where I have lived in fear and the consequences sucked. Not being afraid to take risks and try something outside of my comfort zone allows me to give the very best of who I am to her…to you. The older I get, the bolder I become and when I’m fearless, she’s fearless and when we’re both fearless together….MAGIC happens. I want my work to be fearless. I want my life to be fearless. God didn’t give me the spirit of fear so no matter what happens…no matter what life throws my way…faith and fear can’t occupy the same space, so I choose faith. Moving forward into this year, I refuse to submit to fear in my business or in my life and so does she. She doesn’t surrender to fear and because of that, she inspires me and pushes me to want to be great not just for her, but for myself.

Going through this process and giving my business this mini-facelift was…emotionally draining. I had to ask myself some pretty hard questions and have some honest heart to hearts with myself. I cried a lot over the past months out of pure frustration, but it was worth every moment of it. When I look at my website, when I look at these words, I see a reflection of me. I don’t just like it, I LOVE it. God giving me these three words has given me a breath of fresh air I didn’t even know I desperately needed. He has given me a solid foundation to build on and all the tools I need in order to bring Him glory. I couldn’t be more proud and excited for 2016!!!