All this talk of jet-setting has inspired me! Click to download one of my new travel-themed posters:
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Introducing the New Misty Morning Design
I am a self-taught student of design. What started as a fun project for my sister’s wedding has turned into a creative outlet that gives me the opportunity to work with blushing brides, moms-to-be, small businesses, universities, and corporations on various design projects. Back in 2009 when I opened my Etsy shop, I decided I didn’t want my full name to represent my work. Not because I’m not proud of what I do, but because my maiden name didn’t quite roll off the tongue and I knew I’d get married and change it someday anyway. I chose Misty Morning Prints & Cards (eventually dropping ‘& Cards’) because I like alliteration, mornings are the most productive hours of my day, and I wanted to sell prints and cards. It’s basically everything I got out of my Marketing 101 class.
I am bursting with ideas for new products and I love working on custom design projects. You can view some of my favorite past projects over on my Facebook page while I learn how to code my portfolio (I’m a true DIY-er). As I started to pull together my portfolio and map out my business goals for next year and beyond, I realized it was time for a fresh start.
I decided to change the name of my business to Misty Morning Design and developed a more clean, simple brand that is still bright and fun. I don’t claim to have the brand recognition of Coca-Cola, but Misty Morning is how my friends and clients know me and I still like alliteration. I’d love to hear what you think about the new look in the comments. Just for fun, I’m including my last brand board so you can see how much has changed:
Fresh. Start.
You can read hundreds of books and articles, attend conferences, pay for workshops, or hire a consultant to teach you how to blog. I’ve tried a number of those things over the years and, even though I’d make a good run of it for six months or so, I always hit a wall – my blog starts to become more of a chore than something I am passionate about and love to do. It wasn’t until I started to make some changes in my personal life that I realized what I wanted out of my business and this blog.
As I approach my 30th birthday, I have found myself thinking more about my place in the world. I try to be more open-minded, more forgiving, more curious, and more creative while trying to be less hurtful, less stressed, and less “perfect.” Perfect is a funny concept, because my version of my perfect self is different for different people. If I’m trying to make my boss happy by being the Perfect Employee, I might have to work late and cancel my plans with a friend and I’m no longer the Perfect Friend.
My blog also fueled this insane need to be perfect. The Perfect Blogger in me needed to be the prettiest blog on the block, so I was always comparing myself to others and getting discouraged when I couldn’t pick up on coding quickly enough. The Perfect Blogger in me needed to add more followers, so I started posting more about topics that would increase site visits and less about what I found interesting. My style and my voice are unique to me, and I was hiding that to try and “make it” within the blogging community. By letting go of the Perfect, I’m able to be a Blogger. And a Business Owner. And just Me.
I want to treat this space, my little corner of the internet, as an active memory of my journey. I want to build a business, a home, a family, and a happy life full of pretty things while documenting all of it here for others be inspired by.
And here we are. Fresh. Start. My new mantra and something I’ll be exploring over the next few months as I write, curate, and create.
Fresh: new, clean, different (content and perspective)
Start: a beginning, acting on an idea or task (doing)
