Note: It's been my privilege to deliver fresh brand insights to you each week for over a year. However, my recent holiday hiatus has fostered some new clarity for my priorities and goals for 2017. These require lots of time and focus. As a result, I'll be scaling my blogging efforts back to a couple times each month.

During this time, I encourage you to revisit my archive of posts since your 2017 self may need some reminders and discover new nuggets of wisdom you missed the first time around. I'm excited to continue bringing you new content this year and can't wait to see what this year holds for all of us!

Looking Back at 2016

Seeing all the recaps of 2016 from my favorite brands and talented friends, I've been inspired to do one of my own. Plus, as my amazing friend and accountability partner Alicja Colon pointed out to me, this will give me a snapshot of my first year (and the years that follow) to look back on as my business grows and evolves.

So without further ado, I give you my review of 2016!

The holidays should be a time of loving, giving, and soaking in lots of quality time with the ones that matter most. Many of us (myself included) get so wrapped up in our own agendas and bottom lines that we forget—we forget the real reason for the season.

My first year in business has been such an amazing whirlwind and sharing weekly branding insights has introduced me to such an amazing community of passionate small business owners and entrepreneurs. However, as Christmas approaches I'm recognizing that I need some time to rest, recharge, and dedicate to loving on my dear ones. So in light of this holiday season, I've decided to take my own advice, slow down, and unplug for the rest of the year.

Over the last year I've received quite a few inquiries from people looking for “just a logo.” It seems like a reasonable enough request, right? To some designers it absolutely is, and while I used to work this way at my former jobs, I now turn these projects away. I may be missing out on some business, but it's in service of a greater goal and vision for how I want to work with my clients.

So why don't I offer a logo-only package?

Today I'm honored and totally thrilled to have my post “Bulletproof Business Practices for Introverts & People Pleasers” featured on the Rising Tide Society's blog! They're such an empowering group of creatives, who share my value of community over competition. I'm so thankful that my content resonates with them (and this isn't the first time either!), but most of all, I hope that this helps spread my posts so they can help more people.

Many of the folks that sign up for my newsletter say that they're struggling with building a strong, consistent brand and extending their reach. Aligning yourself with another brand that supports the same values is a great way to help grow your following in an intentional way and find more of your people.

In a “live to work” world that's relentlessly obsessed with “the hustle” it can be tough to know when it's time to clock out, especially when you're trying to hone your craft and/or build a business. It's a topsy turvy balance act, trying to give work your all while also prioritizing your loved ones and your own needs. Trust me, we're all working on it and no one's got it perfect.

You'll notice on the My Story page of my site that I list balance as one of my core standards. I take this one very seriously, and I'm no stranger to the struggle of work vs. life. Some days I find myself so engrossed by work that I fight to tear myself away for things like quitting time, lunch, or even a break to stretch and let out the pup. But quality time with my loved ones is essential to me, and I know how the business inevitably suffers when I don't take time for myself. So unplug I must.

It can be tough to clock out when the emails are piling up and you can't seem to make time for enough quality social posts amidst your real work (or vice versa). How can you balance your work and life well in today's “always on” world? I know this challenge all too well, but thankfully I've found some tools I've integrated into my work life that make the balance a whole lot easier. Here's hoping they'll do the same for you!

As a small business owner, it's easy to get bogged down with the day-to-day grind. We're constantly switching hats and are so focused on where we want to take our dream that we forget to look around and give thanks for the blessings we've got right here and now.

As I approach Thanksgiving and the one year anniversary of me taking the crazy wonderful leap, I think it's time to slow down, take a step back, and identify what I'm grateful for in my business right now.

If you're anything like me, you can't stand conflict. Tension makes your skin crawl and you'd rather swallow your pride in an effort to keep everyone happy. Being an introvert and a people pleaser, I'm personally inclined to keep quiet while others get loud. However when it comes to running a business, that just doesn't work.

I've heard far too many horror stories of creatives being manipulated and trampled by their own good intentions. Whether they slipped into perpetual “yes” mode, got dragged into an endless cycle of revisions, or never got paid for their hard work, these stories used to terrify me as I toyed with the idea of working for myself.

How could an introvert and people pleaser like me put on a fierce face and be the boss I needed to be? As I've come to learn, the key is to create systems that set you up for success. These 7 strategies have helped bring me out of my introverted people-pleasing shell. My hope is that they'll do the same for you too.

I'm beyond thrilled to finally unveil the new branding I've been working so hard on behind the scenes for Restored 316! When Lauren first contacted me I resonated so strongly with her story and our first call proved to me right away that we'd be a great fit. So without further ado, I'm so excited to share a peek into the process behind Restored 316's new look!

Function Coffee Labs, a Philly-based specialty coffee shop with a focus on crafting delicious experiences, was the first branding project I took on under my new business last January. For this reason, FCL's branding will always hold an extra special place in my heart.

My work with owners Meg and Ross not only helped me feed my caffeine addiction and better understand the specialty coffee realm, but it also helped me uncover my passion for branding within the hospitality industry.