Confessions of a Photo Newb: Branding

I have a multi-faceted purpose for this discussion. So please bear with me. The biggest moitivation to 'confess' is so that someone else who may come across this, a fellow newb, they could find it useful.

Branding & Website: I've probably changed my watermarks, my logos, my website look and feel... like five-six times in the past year and a half. I havent' found anything that I am absolutely in LOVE with. I have felt inconsistent and... kind of thinking, "If I don't take my brand seriously, my viewers won't either!" So I sat down for... a good six months just thinking about what I wanted to offer, what I wanted to portray, and the character I was putting out into the world.

I asked Becker on AskDane, if his brand stayed true to his first vision, or if it had evolved. I am SO glad to hear that it was an evolution. Because... I have felt like... maybe I am not as committed to this biz because I haven't made a decision I could stick with. (Haha, is my logic clear here, or was it just me?)

I read books. Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk, Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel, and I am currently reading Linchpin by Seth Godin. Talk about inspiration.

Personal Brand: More than a logo. More than a website. More than the look and feel. It's all about who you are and what you bring to the table. When I say Jessica Claire, what do you think of? SHOOTSAC! Wear your lenses! (Not like I've ever met her, but I would venture out to say, she probably has an awesome shoe collection, because she is thinking about girls like me who are tired of that bulky black camera bag.)

I changed my 'look' and 'logo' so much because I was so focused on what I wanted to LOOK like to people. It wasn't until recently that I thought about what I wanted to OFFER people. What I bring to the table that sets me apart from others.

My Mission: For half a year I stopped taking clients and stopped promoting myself because I knew that I wanted to offer more, and much, much better. I knew that i hadn't invested my time in refining my craft and understanding the industry.

I initially did a VLOG about it..

My Brand: I hope that potential clients see honesty, integrity, and passion in my work. That they see I didn't just pick up a camera and called myself a photographer. Abigail Adams said, "Learning isn't attained by chance. It is sought for with great ardor and dilligence." I hope that I have lived that.

Fellow Newbies, take a look at yourselves and your motives. Look at what you want to offer the world. Don't bank on your talent and forget about the ardor and dilligence that goes into the equation too. Develop a personal brand that you are proud of. Remember that it is a process, you can evolve.

Well this has been long. But I did say 'confessions.'

Have a blessed day everyone!!!

Let me know some of your confessions, mistakes as a newb, lessons learned, etc.

Let the Worship Rise

"My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, o harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations."
(Psalm 108: 1-3)

I love that Psalm 108 shows how excited King David is about God. Look at the (!!) and that he wants to tell the world with his thanks to God. There are times when I am reading through the Psalms and my heart jumps because it amazes me that someone could love God so much. (So much that they wouldn't shut up. Hah! There are 150 Psalms!!)

I learned a new worship song recently. Hallelujah, by Lenny Leblanc. We sang it a lot during the conference in Germany. I'd never heard it, I couldn't find it, and now that I have, I haven't stopped listening to it. I love the words in the song.



"Let the worship rise from deep within, the sanctuary sing, Hallelujah. Hear the praises from the grateful ones, rescued from the flames. The song of those unchained, for the glory of your name." Hallelujah means PRAISE YAHWEH. I have learned a new spirit of praise and worship in my last year of existence. Paul reminds us over and over in his letters that we are to rejoice in all circumstances. He talks a lot about his sufferings and his obstacles in getting the gospel to the Gentiles. And still he praised God for the life set before him.

And when I think about it. I sit back and think about Jesus dying just to save me. Me. A nothing. A human. One human. And to imagine the insult, the pain, the agony...that he felt when he was mocked, beaten, and crucified--all for me. I have nothing else to say, but Hallelujah.

Praise God for the death He died so that I could have mine.

&& What am I doing with it? If I am not spending it in worship and praise to glorify His name, His kingdom, then to me, it would seem pretty pointless. I recently asked some of my students the question, "What is our purpose in life?" I got answers like, "To enjoy life. To find a purpose. To find meaning. To set goals." Those are the kinds of answers I got. No one had anything more concrete. I'm not sure whether I wanted to laugh, stick my tongue out and yell, "Suckkkerrr. I know mine!" Or feel totally heartbroken and cry and yell, "HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE OUR PURPOSE!?"

I hope that in everything I do, the motives come from a pure heart and clear intentions on the building up of God's kingdom. I want people to see Christ in His creation, in me, in my actions, in my aspirations, in my words, in everything. I was rescued from a life of meaninless, aimless wandering, uncertainty.

But I will sing forever, Hallelujah. Because my God loved me enough. Because my Jesus found me worthy. And because the Spirit works in the world around me to remind me constantly of God's promises.

What is your purpose in life? In what ways can you worship God in your daily life?? How are you reminded of His love? Your child's face? A song on the radio? A book? A movie? A loyal pet? A moving story?

I see a Generation

Last night at the Hospitality House, we sang Hosanna for worship. Then I remembered that two weeks ago we sang the same song and it really hit me in the heart.

"I see a generation, rising up to take their place, with selfless faith. I see a near revivial, stirring as we pray and seek, we're on our knees."

I love these lines. I am not sure what makes them so special to me. It could be the 'teacher' in me that wants to foster the next generation to take its place. I also feel this stirring in our community. I am really looking forward to this summer, setting down foundations and just waiting to see what the Spirit does at the school next year.

And then I look at my peeps. The Twenty-Somethings of the Kingdom and where we are headed and what we are called to do, or be. I love it. I use to sit around and just think about when I could step up and do more, be more, serve more. And yesterday, I realized that serving God is a 24/7 thing. Someone said, "When God opens the door, I will walk through them and serve wherever he allows." And I got it. I've heard it before, but this time hearing it irked me.

Yes, I believe the opportunities we are given are doors that God opens to walk through one or another, but service to God, to me should be, and is a round-the-clock thing. There isn't a door that we have to wait to open to just live, breathe, talk, act, all to show the world that I love Jesus. I just am. I just do. And it is all in preparation for the time that it is time for me to take my place.

My prayer is that the entire kingdom of God is praying for a revival.

New Steam

So. Failure on my part to blog.
When I got my new brick-of-a-camera. I wanted to blog more. I guess showcase my photography by posting more up. And I have failed. A friend told me today that sometimes we think that events in our lives are not blog-worthy because it's just everyday life for us. True. Story. But I want to write more, post more, shoot more. So this is my declaration. We are moving forward with this blog and I will try my best to keep it posted. :)

A few new adventures...

A new camera. With the extra money we got for my sponsoring the cheer team, DJ told me to buy the Canon 5DMKII. I hate to spend that much money on anything, but I got it for a really good deal, from a [b] Schooler who was switing to Nikon. Haha!! When I got the camera I carried it everywhere and I wanted to shoot more so I could post more, but I didn't find that anything I was doing was worth taking pictures of to post. I would shoot just to shoot, but I really felt like, I needed to do MORE. (Hence this declaration for more steam.) I will wrap my head around a new creative eye in which I see my world, so wish me luck in sticking to it.

I love my new camera. Love it. And I love that my husband told me to buy it. Hahah.
I was a bit irked when people started to say, "You're pictures are so good, that's a great camera." I would smile and think, "Uh, so all my past work hasn't been good!? Yeah right! I rocked that xTi!!" Haha, but really, I think that talent comes from the shooter, not the camera, software, or anything other than vision. Trust me, I've taken some terrible pictures with this 'good' camera.

(Although, I'd have to admit that post-production goes by a lot faster now.)


New CDs and packaging. Thank you to the talented and beautiful Promise Tangeman for her DIY post for CD packaging. I love the organic look and feel of my new CD packaging. I am working on some labels soon for the CDs, but you get the point. I am not deviating from the feathers and Arial. Haha. I love it and I can't wait to start passing them out!!


New outlook on God's word. This is a picture of Tom Job. He was our guest speaker for the Club Beyoyond conference I attended this month. Amazing man of God. When they introduced him they said, "When this man opens his mouth, joy just oozes out." I was sitting there thinking, "What does that sound like." And when he got up there and put his hands on his hips like Superman and smiled... and told us how excited he was to be in Germany with us... I understood completely.

He recommended a book by Mike Mason, Champange for the Soul, and I ordered it on Amazon that night, and I recieved it this week, so far I am LOVING it. It's supposed to be a 90 day experience, but I've tried to sneak a few in a day, but I just have to stop and put it down because it forces me to look and evaluate my life and where I place importance. So I am totally falling in love with the fact that God gives me JOY. :)

His tip: Every morning, open up the Word and when you read find 5 things to be thankful for in what you read. Keep reading till you find 5. Love it! Must try. Must do.

Here am I. Send me.

A few weeks ago, during a Club Talk with the kids. We were talking about Jesus as a servant. Isaiah came up and I asked the question, "What kind of faith does it take to say, "Here am I, send me?" No questions asked. Not knowing what it was. You just knew that God called you and told you to go somewhere, do something, anything...

A lot of them admitted that they didn't know that kind of faith. (They also shared that they don't volunteer without knowing what the action is in Club, because... we often make them get their faces dirty--with chocolate, whipped cream, etc. Haha!)

Do I have that kind of faith!? Or do I asked God questions first?? Do I set expectations and stipulations on God to meet before I serve? What hesitations do I have in serving God WHOLEHEARTEDLY?? Whole-bodily? With everything? In everything?

Being here at a conference with all of these missionaries has really shown me that kind of faith. It's amazing. I am in a different boat. I am working with Club Beyond, and I never had to raise support, I didn't have to prayerfully wait for the finances to get to Italy... I am just here. I just happen to be in a place where they were looking for someone to step in to help out for a short while. I am so grateful for it! I love learning.

Lord, I LOVE to learn more about your character. Thank you for showing me your truth. Revealing your face. Allowing me to hear your voice. Opening my heart to your love. Thank you for the reality of your presence.

My Mom-in-Love

I am waiting for it to turn midnight in California so I can post this. I think I've got about an hour.

I want to talk about my Mom-in-Love, Linda Mendez. (Mom-in-Love because... she's my mom because I love her son. LOL. Not just because I am bound by law to him... haha! And vice versa, I am her Daughter-in-Love.)

Some Reasons Why I Love Her...

• She raised DJ. She put up with DJ. (LOL) She encourages DJ. She loves him muchos. And they are so alike. That's why they butt heads so much. (Haha!) On our trip to Rome, DJ and his mom went to the bathroom and Chris and I sat at the table and looked at each other. *Sigh* is all we could do. Hahah. "She's your wife," I said. "He's your husband," he replied. Haha!!
• On that note, she also raised Ruben and Manny, and I like them too. So. Good job.
• When I became a Daughter-in-Love, she gave me a Better Home and Gardens Cookbook.
• Her Servant's Heart. You should see how she caters to her boys, especially when they are all in California. Haha. Or her Grandbabies. Or the Women's Ministry. (:
• When she plays Wii Fit, she squeels like a little girl. Haha!!
• She likes roller coasters. I'd love her more... if she would take me place on them, so I wouldn't have to go. Haha. But this definitely shows you her adventurous nature.
• She likes to dance. && Her and her sisters sang 'We are Family' at Aunty Lisa and Jerry's 'We are married reveal.' && Last, last, last Christmas, they called Manny up in Oregon and serenaded him with 'Feliz Navidad.' HAHHAHA.
• She loves my dog, Tank. And worries when he's sick.
• She prays.
• She sends me bible studies from the church on CDs.
• Last, last Christmas, while DJ was deployed, we were sitting in the sanctuary and Pastor Raul gets up to talk about how there was one Christmas how he was in Vietnam on the hill, in his tent alone, and how lonely it felt. Linda and I looked at each other and started tearing up. But she didn't hug me because I'd told her whenever she hugged me (in 'DJ' moments like this) it made me cry because... I don't know why, like someone acknowledging that it hurts that DJ's gone... makes it more real? Rather than my just telling people, "I'm doing fine." But when they hug you. LOL. (I hugged her anyway.)
• She taught me how to make enchiladas, Spanish Rice, carnitas, and God's Granola.
• Her laugh. When something is really funny when she laughs her eyes like squint and her mouth opens and you can tell.. it's really funny. Sometimes she even doubles over. When it's not really funny, her eyes don't close. She just either... doesn't get it, or doesn't think you are funny. Hahah!! (Now everyone is going to watch to see which laugh it is.)
• She NEVER remembers any movies!! Living with DJ, someone who can replay an entire movie for me... it is refreshing and hilarious that she doesn't remember anything. Once, at the dinner table we were talking about some movie and Cat (my Middle Sister-in-Love) said something like, "Don't give it all away for her." I said, "She won't remember anyway." Cat was like, "Jenn!!" And Linda laughed and defended my honor. I can joke like that and be mean to her because I am like one of her sons. One of her own who can mock and laugh at her expense. LOL, just kidding!!!!! But seriously... we're close. Like this. *Crosses fingers.
• When I make something she likes, she says, "This is GOOD." Emphasis on the 'good.' (You have to hear her say it...)
• We open presents on Christmas Eve.
• She's a good gift giver. She REALLY KNOWS who I am.
• She loves me. (: You know in the movies, and... in real life? How people HATE their in-laws?! That's craziness!! I love that we love each other. && That she's made me feel like one of her own.

Thank you Mom for doing what you do. For your encouragement. For your prayers. For your love. I love and appreciate you so, so, very much. I miss you too!!!