Saturday, January 18, 2014

2013 In Review

Wow where did 2013 go??  I have a feeling I wondered the same thing when 2012 was done.  The years seem to zip by so quickly, don't they?

2013 brought about some pretty exciting things and HUGE changes.  In January I made the  decision to follow my dream full time.  I quit working in salons and focused on making ALM the real deal.  January 30th marked the day I became official.  I got my Fed ID number, registered with the county and set my plans into motion.

The beginning of 2013 was slow going partially due to the fact I was afraid of failing.  This is a typical fear for all new business owners but instead of facing it head on I chose to hide from it.  Not exactly the best attitude but I was a little intimidated by the amazing talent that was in Grand Rapids and I felt I had a lot more to learn before I could really put myself out there.

I got that opportunity in April when I got the chance to take a workshop taught by the legendary Kevin James Bennett!  What an eye opener!  I learned so many things about the business that I began to implement and still have yet to implement (seriously there was so much stuff!).  

About a month before the workshop I had the opportunity to work with Dionel Fisher of Dionel Photography again.  It has been amazing to watch her grow as an artist.  She recently opened up a studio and it is GORGEOUS!  I can't wait to see the images that come out of there!
A couple of images from our shoot:
 
The summer of 2013 began with an email to a production company looking for crew members for their short film.  I figured it was a long shot so when I received an email saying that I was hired I nearly fell out of my seat.  A few days later I received another email welcoming me to the Dustie's Bites family.  Holy cow 2 film gigs??  OMG!  Could this really be happening?  Yes, it really is!  You can do this!!  I had to repeat that to myself over and over.  
After my first night on the set of Lucid, I was tired and drained but I couldn't sleep because I was so excited for the next night!  Lucid wrapped up after 4 nights with little sleep and a crap ton of experience and passion.  I love doing film work.  It's incredibly exhausting but worth every minute.  I recently saw the trailer (it hasn't been released yet) and I am beyond excited to see the whole thing.
Next came my work with Cooking with Dustie's BitesHave you ever worked with someone that you instantly connected with?  You knew that while you were working you were building an awesome friendship?  The first time I met Chef Dustin Morrell I knew my job was going to like hanging out with my friends.  We connected instantly.  His love of food (my love for eating food) and my love for fashion (his love of looking pretty-man pretty) helped our new found friendship.  We also have a strong passion for supporting local.  We have several ideas we're putting together to showcase local businesses in the future.  Did you know that Dustin now caters in between shooting and writing his books?  Check it out here -->http://www.dustinmorrell.com/catering-weekly-meals

The next biggest event for ALM was relocating to Arizona.  This was an incredibly tough decision to make but I knew that, despite my budding business in MI, I needed to make the trek across the country to build ALM into the empire I want it to be.  Ok, maybe empire is a little extreme but you get the idea :)
photo courtesy of Instagram
Once I got to Arizona I began thinking of what I could add to my services.  I have always loved styling and putting photo shoots together so I decided why not begin to offer this amazing service.  Styling Services were officially added to the menu in January.  I also had the pleasure of meeting and working with Katie Harrison of Nakupenda PhotographyA beautiful heart and beautiful story behind her reason for photography.  It's been a pleasure to work with her and I look forward to more senior sessions with her!
A couple pictures from the equine and senior session:

2013 definitely had me working for what I love and gave me more inspiration than I could hope for.  I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for me!  Bring it on!!

Flaunt it and stay fabulous!!

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