Progression

The Awfully Grand girls are crossing our t's and tidying up the work space.  Have you noticed our new blog design?  Super pretty, right?!  We have a few more surprises for you in the weeks to come.  Mums the word for now, but holy cow they are gonna be good.

In an effort to get things looking pro, I have also been working on my website and Etsy shops.  I am a product photography geek.  I am always re-styling my product and creating new packaging.  My Pocket Squares are my favorite item to tinker with.  I thought it would be fun to show a progression of my Pocket Square product photography to see where I started and where things are at right now.  They will change again for sure.  I just can't stop tinkering, but here's what we've got for now.

First Product Shot

First Prop Shot

First Prop Shot

First Group Shot

Second Product Shot

Current Product Shot With Packaging

Current Product Shot

Current Product Shot with Boutonniere

Current Product Detail Shot

Well there you have it!  I'll be busy editing and re-working for the next week or so.  Stop on by Zelma Rose and Let me know what you think!

Happy Friday!

xo

Lisa

Intern Wanted

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would need an intern.  I remember about 7 months or so ago having a conversation with Genevieve and Shelly over at Lightbox SF about when it came time to find an intern. At the time I laughed.  Really hard.  But here we are.  Life at Zelma Rose and Wed & Roses has been amping up as of late and I am looking for someone to join the team.

Source: whenigrowupcoach.com via Lisa on Pinterest

I have yet to really put my dream scenario out there, so here it is:

• A lady or gent with basic sewing and jewelry making skills.  In other words has sat in front of a sewing machine before, can cut fabric and make chains.  
• Willing to put in 3 hours a week over at my studio, with the option of some take home fun.
• Can work this summer's Renegade Craft Fair and help me out with some shows during the holiday season. 
• Likes 90's hip hop and other ridiculous music genres.
• Can breakdance, or more importantly thinks they can breakdance.
• Wicked sense of humor.
• Believes in being on time and dependable.
• Interested in seeing how a creative small business works.

If you are this above magical person, then HEY, hit me up.  This position at the moment is unpaid, but I will pimp out those internship forms and letters of rec. And who knows, with your help my business will grow leaps and bounds and you will be the first one with $$$ in yer pocket.

Those of you out there with interns, how is it going?  How did you assemble your dream team?

xo

Lisa

I, Do - A Curated Wedding Event

This past weekend Lisa of Zelma Rose participated in the first ever I, Do! - A Curated Wedding Event that happened at Firehouse 8. It was really fun to hang out with her and see her new craft set up. She has totally stepped up her game and I got to meet some other fantastic women who sell pretty things - Stephanie of Honey Cooler Handmade & Kelsey of Rose La Mer. Here are some photos I snapped while hanging out with them.

Zelma Rose's packaging is ridic!  

Curated collections for brides/grooms.

You can't see it, but Lisa has a sewing project in her lap. She never stops!  

Kelsey shows me how to wear one of her pieces from Rose La Mer.

Stephanie of Honey Cooler Handmade.

We Encourage Ridiculousness!

Photos from our day in Golden Gate Park. 

This past weekend in San Francisco, Chicago and New York there were various Pride celebrations and this being my 6th Pride in San Francisco I witness it as a weekend for people to celebrate their ridiculousness. As a big homo, I like this weekend a great deal. I see people letting loose in ways they might not the rest of the year. Is it the booming techno music, plentiful rainbows or all of those hot boys in tight shorts?

So, why should we embrace ridiculousness? Because it is fun, liberating, necessary, empowering, and a great release. Things that I do to stimulate my ridiculousness are wearing a lot of sparkly accessories, rocking red lipstick, and dance/walking down the street with my iPod. I think that we take ourselves far too seriously and I am guilty of this from time to time, but come on, we need moments to shake it off, have fun, dance around, take your shoes off in the park and listen to music really really loud. I really tapped into my ridiculousness this weekend when I went to a free concert in Golden Gate Park with my wife and friends. Adam Lambert played and it was incredibly fun and with the sun shining all day - I was in heaven. So, I ask you - what are you doing to cultivate your ridiculousness?

Closing night of the Frameline film festival. 

A princess cupcake brought to me by an old friend & I spent time with Lisa at a craft show. She's totes ridiculous! 

All photo montages made with PicFrame. Yes, I'm addicted!

xo
Sarah

Patience is Annoying

Being a psychotherapist is weird.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that all the knowledge does not make one immune.  I still totally go off the rails sometimes.  I know why, how to make it better, and how to prevent it next time around, yet still, I'm not completely immune to just plain going nuts.

Source: Uploaded by user via Lisa on Pinterest

The past week or so has been a huge game of patience.  And blah, it's annoying!  I'm usually pretty good at the waiting game and can be totally cool hanging out while things come through.  BUT the last handful of days I have been waiting on SO much, it's making me a little wiggy.  Sarah keeps me in check by reminding me that the rest of the world is not on my insanely fast paced schedule.  That helps. But as we continue to blast into outer space at hyper speed I forget all the tools and mindfulness about waiting and patience that I know to be true.  Here's a refresher, mostly for myself, but for all of you out there as well, who just get wacky over waiting.

• Stuck isn't really stuck, it's marinating.  We like to use the word stuck a lot.  I'm stuck.  Things aren't moving.  I can't take being stuck anymore.  What I know to be true is that being stuck, feeling stuck is actually a time of great importance.  It's not stuck, it's marinating.  We need periods of slow pace and times of feeling like things aren't moving  to rest up for what's to come.  Sometimes we get lucky and it's a few days.  Other times it's a lot longer than that.  I've been there with the year or so of being stuck.  ARGH.  Nightmare, but if I had known what was in store when life got moving again, I would have gladly sat and marinated.  
• Being stuck leads us on the road to great creativity and innovation. You can't have one without the other.  It's a neuropsychological fact.  For real. More to come on this later.  This lovely little gem needs a whole week, maybe a month to talk about.  
• Patience is a process.  Part of patience is impatience.  It's not a one-way street.  We go back and forth.  Usually driven by anxiety, okay, almost always driven by anxiety, patience can seem endless and then, pow, we absolutely positively need to know and know right now otherwise we will explode.  The key is, and I like to think of it as a little game, we must learn to tolerate the unknown.  SO huge and way to big to even start talking about on a Monday morning. But there it is, the unknown.  We as humans are really bad at being friends with it. 

That's what I know.  Sort of making me feel a little better.  Freud said, and I'm paraphrasing, that the antithesis to repetition is that capacity of thought.  In other words, if we can think about something, really think about it, we are less likely to repeat it.  I challenge this concept on a daily basis.  So far, he's been right every time.  

Happy Monday

xo

Lisa

Why I Like Jay-Z

For those of you who follow AG religiously, you probably know by now that Sarah & I are obsessed with 90's hip hop.  I can't get enough and it seems to be my genre of choice when working in the studio.  Jay-Z of course is no exception.  Being from NY he was hard to avoid and I do have a sweet spot in my heart for hova.  Still, this is not why I really like him.

4p.blogspot.com

A few years ago, okay it could be like 10, but who's counting, Jay-Z went on the Oprah show.  Oprah asked him the usual questions, about his childhood, being an artist and a successful businessman.  When they got down to brass tacks about his rapping career, he said something I have not heard other artists say.  The basic gist of it was this, Jay-Z ignored his talent for quite sometime.  Rapping came really easily to him.  He was good at it and never really thought about it all that much as something serious he could pursue and a skill that he excelled at.  He tells Oprah that so much of his life was a difficult struggle up to that point that he never imagined that anything that came easily was worth doing.  There is some really interesting turning point, that of course I can't remember, a come to Jesus moment when Jay-Z realized that rapping was a part of him. This is why rapping was worth pursing.  Some things come more easily and this is to be examined and not ignored.  Great lesson and a piece of advice I shared often with students and patients before taking it myself.   I finally did and it has made all the difference.

Use it as you will.  Maybe it is meaningful to you, maybe not.  It is what I leave you with for your weekend splendor :)

xo

Lisa

Makeshift Society Meeting at Rare Device

Yesterday Lisa and I attended the informational meeting at Rare Device about the Makeshift Society. Rena Tom stood on a step stool and lead us all through this slideshow detailing all aspects of the space. In case you missed it, click here, to see the entire thing. It was very inspiring to hear how much time and thought has gone into the space and how open the team behind the Makeshift Society is open to suggestions about how to use the space. I'm hoping to host Success Squad meetings there and maybe Lisa and I will teach a class or two. I'd be willing to volunteer in order to earn membership credits as well, since money will be a bit tight once I start shooting photography full time. We both became members last night (click here to find out more about the various membership levels) and it felt damn good to swipe that credit card because we know that the money is going to a wonderful space that we'll be using a lot. 

Even though my heart was beating a mile a minute, I raised my hand to ask a question about rental rates and talked for a second about the Success Squad and I had a handful of women come up to me afterwards and they wanted to join up. I'm probably going to start a second Success Squad with this new group of ladies and I'm so excited. These girls were unafraid to put their business cards in my hand and I love that - I totally need more practice! Lisa and I got to talk to Victoria, of SF Girl By Bay, and that was super fun. She's someone I look up to in terms of her online presence and her curatorial skills are ridic! I got one of her famous tattoos and I just love it.


Let us know if you're joining the Makeshift Society and/or if you want to join the new Success Squad I'll be putting together in July!


xo
Sarah

Rock the Crit

Last week, a respected colleague asked me to read her book.  I was super excited and of course flattered that someone I think so very highly of would ask for my opinion.  I'm an old pro at the critique, both giving and getting, and I was looking forward to getting back in the saddle.

The crit is NOT something that people are good at.  Most people really suck at it actually, which is why I always advise to think long and hard about who you want looking at your work and specifically what kind of feedback you are hoping for.

Source: swiss-miss.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Art school was a crash course in developing thick skin.  More so than working with psychotic teenagers, which I still find surprising.  You would think a bunch of kids with no verbal filter would do more damage than a bunch of self-obsessed art students.  WRONG.  San Francisco Art Institute crits go like this.  Hang up a piece of work you have poured your heart and soul into, pretend you haven't and brace yourself for mostly nonsensical opinions about your work from fellow students and hopefully a meaningful comment from your instructor.  Maybe.  The instructor sits back the entire time letting your classmates tear into you, only to offer at the end something like, "nice", "pedestrian," or "maybe you shouldn't paint."

One of my all time favorite crits, the one that was of course the absolute worst, but taught me the most, was when a classmate stood up, looked at my minimalist abstract painting and said "I'm so sick of you exposing us to your tormented and abusive childhood."  Yes that is verbatim and I'm still not sure what his comment had to do with my painting or me specifically.  I thought the painting was rather cheerful, and luckily I have no tales of childhood abuse to tell.  It was the one and only time an instructor stepped in.  The student was asked to elaborate or leave.  He left.  What I took from the experience was this.  Crits are mostly random, unless you set the stage.  Here's what you need to know:

• Know your audience.  Gather specific feedback from the right people.  Ask for visual crits from designers, illustrators, and fine artists.  Writing crits from writers.  Pricing advice from retailers.  You get it.  
• Give your audience some direction.  Spell out the issues you are having and what you would like help with.  
• When things go off course, bring them back.  Remind your audience why you asked them for help and what you need help with.  If you determine something to be off limits because it needs more work, or it is a deal breaker, then say so.  That doesn't mean you aren't open to feedback or improving upon your work.  
• It is after all YOUR work, and even though you want feedback, that doesn't mean you have to open yourself and the work up to random shit slinging.  

Source: google.com via Lisa on Pinterest

When giving a crit, keep this in mind:

• Your relationship with the artist/maker/writer.  Do they know you through your art, business, writing?  What do they view as your expertise? 
• Be real.  Be specific. A crit that simply says that some one's work is amazing is useless.  Yes, it feels good, but it is not very helpful.   If there is something that you don't like or needs improvement say so.  Be direct, specific, and constructive.  In other words do the opposite of what my classmate did and you should be fine. 
• Include errors.  Chances are the artist/maker/writer has input from an editor or graphic specialist, but occasionally little mistakes go unnoticed.  A set of fresh eyes is always appreciated when it comes to errors.

I think crits get a bad rap.  The crit is not the problem.  It's us.  Yeah we stink.  But it doesn't have to be that way.  Given some direction, we can get a lot out of crits. Both the giving and getting.  Let's bring the crit back y'all.  

Happy Critiquing

xo

Lisa

  

Meeting In Real Time

Source: bakerella.com via Lee Ann & Sara on Pinterest


This weekend I got to meet a few of my Instagram friends in real time, whoa. We actually had a conversation face to face instead of "mention user" style. I almost introduced one of my Instagram friends to my wife as his Instagram name, daydayhurls. That would've been awkward, huh! Then yesterday, I realized that this guy standing next to me was someone I started following a day or so earlier. So weird the ways in which we're connected online and not in real life. I'm going to make an effort to make more of those connections in real time. And BTW - this is David (daydayhurls on Instagram) totally getting busted Instagramming while we talked. 

Have you met any of your Instagram friends in real time yet? If so, which ones and how was it?


xo
Sarah

Whoa Monday

Hey lovelies!

Anyone else feeling like the world's biggest cup of coffee isn't enough?! Sarah & I are hustlin' this week.  Big time.  Sarah's busier than ever with Portraits To The People + Frameline Film Fest.  I've got a full plate this week meeting with shops, custom orders, customer and consult meetings and the I Do Bridal Event this weekend.  I discovered this morning that I pull 19 hour days 7 days a week.  Is that nuts?  I don't even know anymore.  So for all of you out there working for the weekend already, here's to you!

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Happy Monday!

xo

Lisa

Perfection & Cain

On June 13, 2012 San Francisco Giant's Pitcher Matt Cain pitched a PERFECT GAME.

Image from SI.com

I'm a total baseball geek, so maybe this means more to me than the average gal or gent, but here's why Cain's accomplishment is mind blowing:

• There have been roughly 200,000 baseball games played in the history of Major League Baseball. 

• Cain's perfect game was only the 22nd perfect game ever pitched.  Yes, EVER.

• In the entire long and rich history of the San Francisco Giants franchise, Cain's masterpiece was the Giant's very FIRST perfect game.  

Yes, this is a big deal.  As I watched the end of the game and the team's celebration of Cain's accomplishment, I couldn't help but wonder, what's next for Cain?  If the ultimate feat for a Major League pitcher is to throw a perfect game, where does he go from here?  Is the next milestone to try for another one?  How long will the rush from this monumental success really last?  If for some miraculous reason he is able to do it again, though not bloody likely, would the second time be as sweet?  Cain already has a World Series Championship (SF Giants 2010), how does one redefine success when you have done it all? 

That is my question for us all this week.  What happens when we reach what we have deemed as successful?

Source: jetterlife.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Psychologically speaking, it may surprise you to know that most people fear success.  There are many reasons for this, and most of them stem from each persons individual psychology, but to generalize, the question that scares us is,

What if we get what we want?  

What happens then? Failure for some, although consciously unaware, feels a lot safer.  Less risk, emothinally and every which way. If we track what has been publicised about the Giants team since the World Series win, or any team that wins the World Series for that matter, there is an abrupt and often unexpected period of depression.  NOW WHAT? Is asked over and over again.  How do teams, coaches, and players continue to experience success if they just reached the climax?  Players often report periods of anxiety and depression, inability to play as they once did, and the result is usually player trades and some players being sent down to the minors for a spell to get themselves together.  

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi has a World Series Championship under his belt as the Yankees manager and each year looks forward with the goal of winning another. His NOW WHAT is answered by the number he chooses to wear on his uniform.  Number 28 is the number of World Series wins he hopes to reach. That's how he does it.  How do we?  

If we are committed to failing, not being good at everything, hiring out our weaknesses, what do we do when we are successful? EEEEEK!

Reevaluate.

Source: lottaagaton.blogspot.com.au via Lisa on Pinterest

I'm not suggesting we move forward never being satisfied with what we have achieved.  That would be sad.  Celebration and gratitude are essential to doing what you love and loving what you do.  What I am putting out there is that we view our business as a process of growth.  Like all growing, living, breathing things there are periods of bloom and slumber.  Sometimes we move one step forward and two back.  Other times we sprint ahead without tiring.  For crazy overachievers like Sarah & me, part of the struggle is to take a breath when we reach the next milestone.  One of the things I love about running my own business is that I get to set as many milestones as I like.  However big or small.  The learning curve is a steep as I set it.  

Maybe this is what Cain will do.  Each start provides an opportunity for him to create some small milestone.  Surpass his strikeout record, which he also did Wednesday night, by the way.  Improve his ERA, strikeout a batter who can usually hit well against him.  There are numerous possibilities.  I hope he is able to find them, and quickly.  We need him to.

Happy Friday Lovelies!

xo

Lisa

You Are not As Open As You Think

Something that I always find myself saying when asked about how I have built my business is,

"You can tell the world what you want in life, but you do not get to decide how and when it comes to you."

All this really boils down to is being open. Open with yourself and your desires.  Creative types, myself included tend to think we are wonderfully open to possibility.  Arms outstretched leaning toward the precipice of all things imagined.  This is so romantic, but totally not true! How many of us are actually, really, OPEN?  

Source: s3.amazonaws.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Success does not always manifest at the speed and in the exact way we would like.  This does not mean that when it does, it is late or worthless.  The exact opposite.  The secret is to be open enough to see opportunities as valuable, no matter how and when they arrive.  Sometimes success, (however you choose to define that loaded word), is nothing but an uphill battle.  One full of blood, sweat, and tears.  Other times it is less epic, and the path opens up before us easily and with clear direction.  Either way, success is a path, a journey, that leaves us with experiences be them good or bad.  

I think being truly OPEN comes with experience.  Like I was saying on Tuesday, Sarah and I have been in the hole and we know the way out.  For me, getting through some serious deep, dark, stuff in my life has taught me that sometimes the universe plays an important role in deciding direction along with us.  That doesn't mean we should throw our detailed business plan out the window, run to the nearest park and spend the rest of our days blowing bubbles and expect to be successful. We play an important role, a leading role in our life.  The key is to invite opportunity to play the supporting role. 

So, now what?   Well, I don't really know.  How about we just start paying attention.  Close attention.  Listen when you say YES and really listen closely when you say
NO.  Are you saying no for good reason, or because the path before you is not what you had envisioned.  Maybe not, but there is nothing like a good adventure.  Here's to being scared, exhilarated, and successful!  Lets' do it together!

xo

Lisa

Your Branding Sucks!

This week on the blog Lisa and I are talking about embracing our failures and accepting what we don't well. I mentioned our blog theme to a friend yesterday and you should've seen the look on her face! She said, "Really? Have you and Lisa ever really failed at anything?" I realized that failure is a very subjective term and what I would describe a failure, is certainly different for you. But I am open to that word and I embrace it, squeeze it tightly, let it seep into my brain, analyze what I'm doing and cut the stuff out that isn't working and therefore, if I have to ditch it, it was a failure. Perhaps harsh, but I don't have time to go back and forth worrying about something working or not. Gotta try something new and see if that works. I blame this un-attachment thing on my astrological sign - double Aquarius, whoa.

Anyway, today I'm going to show you my old logo designed by Molly of Rabbit Foot Fern Design for Portraits To The People. Was my old logo lame, of course not, it was gorgeous, but I look back at it now wondering if I thought I was a waitress in a 1950's diner. I love buttons and I'd just gotten married when I made the logo, so I was still obsessed with red and blue.

This logo didn't reflect who I am as a photographer and how could I know that a year ago? Do I think that this logo was one of my failures as a small business owner, yes, kind of. This failure has nothing to do with Molly, my designer, either - it was me steering this ship and I own it. I loved the hell out of this logo at the time and working with her was a total dream. She translated my mood boards and feedback into this piece of art. I was getting in my own way!

I reflected on the logo, thought about who I was as a photographer and then rebranded myself. It has made all of the difference too. I look more professional, my color palette is simple and I have a memorable avatar. Hmmm, maybe my old logo was perfect for a weekend photographer, but not for a girl who thinks about photography 24/7. I take myself far more seriously now and so, my logo/branding should reflect that!

When is the last time you gave your business a check up? What would you change? How are you getting in your own way?

xo
Sarah

Finding Your Faults

Sarah & I often wonder if we might be somewhat unusual.  Well, she wonders, I know.  Yes, we are a bit off center.  Specifically, we seem to be unusually comfortable with our faults.  We were wondering yesterday morning if this comfort is something that has come with age.  We settled on experience.  Big fat life experience. And not the good stuff.  The things that sent us off course, spiraling out of control and face to face with the most hideous of beasts have taught us the most valuable of lessons. We have been down in the hole. We know the way out.

Sarah and I came to the conclusion that it is this experience that has helped us to realize that we do not have to DO everything.  We do not want to do everything and we do not need to have ownership over everything.  Its okay to be bad at something.  It's actually great to be bad at something. Cross it off the list as something I have to do myself and hire it out.

Source: etsy.com via Lisa on Pinterest

A few years back when I was interviewing for psych internships I told a potential supervisor that I was capable of doing the job that the position entailed.  Her next question was, "Well, do you want to?"  At the time they were one in the same, but now years later the difference is startling.  Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.  Or even want to!  This letting go is crucial when running a small business.  We simply cannot DO everything and be successful.  It's recipe for disaster.

So how do we discover what we are bad at?  Trial and error.  A good friend putting their hand on your shoulder and saying, "Hey, your website sucks."  Taking stock of what we absolutely HATE doing when it comes to the ins and outs of our business.  One of the great joys in life is how different we all are.  For every task that you cannot stand to do, the ones that take you twice as long as they should, there is someone who loves it and has made a living out of completing that task.  I'll use myself as an example.

Even as a scientist I hate math.  I'm pretty sure I have shared my math rant with you before, but here's a recap.  Yes it's necessary, but no I do not want to do it.  Inventory for me was always a nightmare because of this.  I refused to set up the system that I really needed to because it meant spreadsheets and lots of numbers.  Augh.  After being constantly stressed about knowing I had to have a better system in place but just being unable to do it, I finally decided to hire out my weakness and sign on to Stitch Labs inventory management system. Next on my list, hiring a bookkeeper.

I think the best and safest place to start is making a list of all the things you leave until last minute in your business.  What do you procrastinate about.  Procrastination is usually a good sign that you feel like you are in over your head with a task, or you just plain hate it.

Here's mine:

Taxes
Shipping
Inventory
Sourcing supplies

What are you willing to let go of?

xo

Lisa