Fangirl Friday | Becca
Well, it's Friday again and since I haven't yet had the chance to join in on the Fangirl Friday fun, I figured it's high time that I do just that. Here goes, friends... a small handful of folks that I admire and think you should too. Enjoy!
Becca
Emily Newman is the founder and creative director at Once Wed. If you've never spent time perusing Once Wed, you should. I first met Emily back in 2011 at Joy Thigpen's creative direction workshop and she is such a beautiful and kind-hearted person, with an absolutely killer creative instinct. She developed a vision for a website to facilitate the sale of used wedding dresses into one of our industry's most well-curated and distinguished publications. (Read the story here!)
There is absolutely no way I can write a #FangirlFriday post and not include my insanely talented industry colleague and dear friend, Nancy Ray. Nearly 7 years ago, I met Nancy when we worked on our first wedding together and the rest is history. We've grown up so much, grown our businesses so much, become mothers, and just loved and cheered each other on at every turn. Friends, she is a rockstar. She's built and nurtured an incredible team and grown her business, Nancy Ray Photography (and the Nancy Ray Shop!) to impressive stature, all while remaining true to a very clear purpose: to create and capture lasting legacy. If you've never watched this short film about the NRP team, just trust me and do it.
I met Stefanie Miles about six years ago when we both attended a creative direction and styling workshop in Georgia with Joy Thigpen. I think the next (and last!) time I saw Stefanie was at the Southern Weddings magazine launch party a few years back. Beyond that we've cheered each other on from afar, but goodness gracious, I've loved watching her grow as an artist. She's done an incredible job growing a destination wedding design business and her styling work is consistently so so good.
Group pic from Joy's workshop. See anybody you know?! Hint: I'm in this photo, and so if Stefanie...along with some other total industry powerhouses.
Chelsea Petaja is a hand-lettering artist and illustrator who's work I adore. So much so, that in 2013 when the time came to give our visual branding an upgrade, I looked to nobody else. Her script looks so effortless, even though it takes a very special level of skill. This is probably what I loved most about the idea of having her create our logo... as our business is all about making skill and hard work appear effortless in execution. Take a moment to peruse Chelsea's site. You'll fall in love with her work too.
Speaking of Petajas... Chelsea's husband, Tec Petaja,wows me on a regular basis. Though we haven't yet had the chance to work together, I hope that we will soon. It's no secret that I advocate for film photography every chance that I get and Tec may very well be one of the most gifted film photographers in the world. Not exaggerating. I've admired his work for years and you should too if you've not already been following him.
Kaitlin Holland is doing amazing things for so many creative entrepreneurs. You may know her through her incredible business, The School of Styling, but you should also know that she isn't just running one business. Check out her newest venture, McAlister-Leftwich, a gorgeous historic space in Greensboro, North Carolina, that Kaitlin and her family are currently renovating to launch as new venue space for special events. Itching to meet Kaitlin, experience The School of Styling, and see McAlister-Leftwich? Lucky you... it's possible to do all three because the next TSOS workshop takes place in Greensboro in March! Check out the details here. Tickets are sold out, but you can hop on a wait list. I'm speaking and leading hands-on sessions and since this is my second time speaking at TSOS, (the first time was in Los Angeles in 2015!) I feel uniquely qualified to say without a doubt, that you will love what Kaitlin has developed. Seriously, she's incredible.
Since the very first time I attended one of the Engage Summits and saw him speak back in 2012, I have consistently continued to pay attention to Sean Low and his blog,The Business of Being Creative. Sean's resume and background is packed with impressive experience and he's been a strong force for many in the wedding and broader design industries. Every so often I hop over to his blog and every single time I read something so poignant and powerful. He's not afraid to be brutally honest and dive into all the hardest topics of creative business ownership. If you're a creative entrepreneur in the event industry, and Sean's blog isn't in your regular reading list, it needs to be.