Today is national
{Say Something Nice Day}
and I thought is would be the best opportunity to share with you a little back story for this week’s edition of Themes for your Every Day!!
You know how sometimes in life you feel like an event occurred both a really long time ago but maybe it could have been just yesterday? That is exactly how I would describe my friendship with Brooke, the founder and editor of Belong Magazine.
I will never forget the first time I stumbled across @belongmag’s Instagram feed. It was in the beginning stages, and I immediately fell in love with the heartbeat of EVERYTHING I read and saw. As the marketing director for CanvasHQ I really grew to appreciate the truth in Belong Magazine’s mission statement as well as their genuine desire to promote a sense of community in entrepreneurship.
As a creativepreneure I have absolutely fallen in love with this little gem of a publication and the unfailing quality of each issue. They are full of so much inspiration, truth, encouragement, and real stories of real women. Brooke has really set out to create a gathering place for creative people to meet and connect. With each new installment I see more and more potential for business relationships, as Belong Magazine truly strives to create an atmosphere of community over competition.
Just yesterday I watched this genuine video that Brooke published in which she shared the anxiety and fear she was dealing with when putting together their latest issue, Weddings and Celebrations. If you have ever sat down to write a story, share your heart, or create a product for the public, then you know how intimidating and anxious that can make you feel. Brooke is always reminding us to just begin and take that next step. She is such a powerhouse of encouragement, reminding us to leave perfection at the door.
I knew that today’s launch date for the latest issue was coming. I really wanted to pull together this amazingly composed and heartfelt blogpost to express to you how truly amazing Belong Magazine is, and you know what? I became paralyzed with fear. Then I could hear my SEO guy’s voice in my head telling me to stick to the topics related to canvas printing. Then we had a horrible family emergency; my 16 year old daughter burnt both of her hands in a grease fire on Tuesday. This is all in addition to the fact that the Memorial Day holiday put me way behind at work. So, between running a company, being a nurse, doing my normal farming chores, and attempting to see all of my goals through to completion…
…I was late for work this morning, and I needed to take pictures for this blog post and social media, and…
{Hats off to all you incredible stock photographers! For real!}
…last night my Flemish Giant bunny, Penelope, hopped on top of the kitchen table and chewed on some of the things I was supposed to photograph. As I was styling everything this morning I first thought to myself that I will have to clean the images up in Photoshop, but then I decided to grab Penelope and put her in the images, and I chuckled…
Brooke would LOVE how NOT perfect this is. Thank you Penelope for reminding me that authenticity will always trump perfection, and as Brooke ALWAYS says:
“You are Enough!”
xoxox-Kristy