One week ago today, I met these three wonderfully talented humans! Stewart Clementz, Jessica Whitaker, and Jenny Yarmolyuk of the Build + Bloom Facebook Group put on a rally event in Downtown Los Angeles. This group is for all kinds of creatives who want support from other creatives in hopes to grow whether your a hobbyist or a professional, this group is for you. I've been a member for 3 years now and I was SUPER excited to hear about this rally! This group is incredibly inspiring with so many friendly and supportive people who genuinely want to become better at what they do. Being apart of this community I am able to freely ask for constructive criticism on my work, ask for professional advice and have access to an unlimited amount of inspiration. I couldn't be more thankful for this amazing resource!!
The Universe blessed me big time with this opportunity! Three days before the event I spent some time on YouTube, catching up on my favorite channels. One of those many channels is Jessica Kobeissi. I watched the newest episode of 4 Photographers shoot the same model. The video was evidently recorded in Los Angeles and at a loft looking studio space called FD Photo Studio. Now I had never heard of this place before until Wednesday night when I came home from the gym to see a new post on the Build + Bloom group from Jessica Whitaker. Of course I was excited seeing this!! Immediately intrigued by the venue space I did a Google search and found out that they have four buildings with multiple levels/rooms. How awesome is that?? So I'm not personally familiar with renting studio space but this place looks very promising for local and traveling creatives. I checked out the specific room the event would be in and BAM, it was the very same room in the video.
I think it's obvious that this was a sign that I needed to go to this event and get out of my comfort zone. Sounds super easy but totally isn't for a creative who overthinks situations. Knowing that I would feel nervous and anxious, I still got dressed, put on a fresh face and went downtown. I don't regret this decision. I really REALLY don't!
Jenny talked first about how she started and some of the struggles she experienced on her journey. She also talked about how her and Jessica became friends. Some of the great tips she gave were hire an accountant to do your taxes, keep a planner by your desk to keep organized, and utilize Facebook ads to bring in more clients. Hearing about how she too didn't become a pro for some time and still doesn't believe that she knows it all was really reassuring. I firmly believe that sometimes we all need to hear from an outside perspective that we aren't ever going to be perfect is absolutely necessary for us to grow as people. I greatly appreciate Jenny taking the time from her work to come talk to us about her struggles and her achievements.
Stewart stole the show with his list of tips via his phone. He spoke about how Google Sheets, Trello, Keynote and Squarespace are great tools for us to use to keep organized and on top of weekly tasks. Stew is a master with brand storytelling and has an mind for understanding social media marketing. Most of what he focused on with us was working with brands that will elevate our work. The biggest takeaways for me were reach out to brands with a value packed plan of action, create Client Decks that involved visual inspiration and colors schemes, and utilizing Trello as a way to stay organized with tasks. I am so very thankful and grateful for his time and his expertise.
Meeting Jessica was such an INCREDIBLE experience!! At the end we got to network with each other and get a picture with our speakers. Jessica is so sweet and such a friendly person. It felt so surreal to meet her but I felt like we were instantly friends. This picture of us will always remind me of what I learned that day. The memory is for sure a great one!
