{look at her: mariah danielsen}

It's been a while since the last time I featured someone for Look At Her, but I'm bringing it back today! The goal of this series is to share inspiring young bloggers who are chasing their dreams or living the life that they want to live, and this week's amazing woman is no different!

 oh, what love studios

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I was a daddy's girl and my dad was a science teacher, so I always thought I would grow up to be an astrologist or a marine biologist. I didn't realize I loved graphic design so much until I was on the yearbook committee in high school, and I knew I'd finally found my passion.

What other type of work experience do you have?

I have a 2 year degree in graphic and web design and a 4 year degree in marketing, and to be honest, I only worked one real job before I quit to start my own business. I interned at a company throughout college and got hired on as a graphic and web designer as soon as I graduated. Six months later they promoted me to lead designer which was really great. We had a small marketing department, so while I worked on design stuff I got to learn a ton about the marketing process as well. It really was a wonderful experience, but after a year as lead designer I knew it was time to quit and follow my own passions, so that's what I'm doing right now!

What do you do now? What inspired you to start your own business?

I do a few different things right now! I have a wedding decor and paper goods business called Oh, What Love where I help indie and vintage brides come up with fun and unique details for their wedding. I am also working on a vintage rentals section of Oh, What Love because my husband and I travel around the state going to auctions and sales - we find some really amazing stuff! We also have a little booth at an antique shop in our town, so I help manage the inventory for that too.

I also knew I wanted to keep working with businesses on their design and marketing, so I co-founded the Create + Connect Project with my former coworker. We help creative entrepreneurs turn their own passions into profit with e-books, video training series and longer online courses. I love helping entrepreneurs figure out how they can grow their business. 

I was inspired to start my own business because when I was working a full time job, I didn't have much time to work on the things I loved. I was working 8 hours at the office and then coming home and doing 4 hours of side projects, that just wasn't working anymore. I fell in love with weddings as I was planning my own and I finally realized that I could take everything I loved about graphic design, DIY projects, and antiques and use them all in a wedding business. I think I've always known I wanted to work for myself, I just had to get the courage to quit my job and start doing my own thing.

Do you have any advice for those who want to get into the wedding industry?

My advice is to build relationships with as many people as possible - both with clients as well as others in the wedding industry. Reach out to people who inspired you. Social media makes it SO easy to grow relationships, and you never know what type of opportunity can come out of one little tweet or comment you leave on someone's blog.

What is one piece of advice that you would give yourself when first starting out?

I think I would tell myself to focus on exactly who my ideal bride is and not worry about trying to target every single bride. I just recently figured out exactly who I want to work with and that has made all of the difference. It makes things more fun.

What is your favorite part about working for yourself? Least favorite part?

Favorite Part: Setting my own schedule! I love being able to go for a run over lunch or run a few errands in the afternoon if I need to. Least Favorite Part: I am my entire business - sales, marketing, design, accounting. There are things I don't enjoying doing, but since I am a one woman show right now, I have to do it all.

What is one thing that you want to accomplish personally and thing thing that you want to accomplish professionally before the year is over?

One thing I want to accomplish personally before the year is up is to start a network of like-minded entrepreneurs in my area - kind of like a fun accountability group where we can share our goals and help each other grow in our businesses. Professionally, I want to land a few more new clients. I have my brand launch party in early November so I'm hoping that will help. I also want to get my letterpress machine working so I can add that to my list of offerings!

All of these entrepreneurs in the wedding industry really inspire me. They make me believe in myself, that I can do it too! I absolutely love Mariah's work, and I love her goal to set up a network of entrepreneurs in her area. I'm hoping to set up my own vendor network in Southern California too.

Definitely go check out Oh, What Love Studios if you're looking for paper goods or vintage items for your wedding. I promise you won't regret it!

{look at her: becka robinson}

I'm really excited to bring another inspiring blogger for all of you to meet this week. Life as an Artistpreneur has been one of my favorite blogs for a while now, and I so wish that I lived in Florida so I could work with her. 

Before being a photographer, what type of work did you do?

I started my photography business just a year after graduating college. Almost exactly. It has been my first and only "real job". Before that I worked for myself editing weddings for other photographers and doing some freelance gigs. In college I worked at a car wash, but I don't think that really counts. 

What made you decide to get into photography? Did you get any type of training or education? 

I sort of fell into photography, almost on accident. I had been helping another photographer with her post production work and we became good friends. She helped me refine my photography skills so I could assist her on weddings and then she sent portrait clients to me when she couldn't take them on. After a few portrait sessions someone contacted me about shooting their wedding. I originally NEVER wanted to get into weddings. But after shooting the first one and enjoying myself I decided to see where it led. My third wedding was put on the cover of a national photography magazine. The rest is history.

When did you know that you wanted to work for yourself full time? 

I've always known that I needed to work in some creative fashion. In college I was doing music and then after college I was doing digital media and then now photography. I've never been a very good employee. I want to be the one making creative decisions and moving things forward. It only makes sense for me to work for myself. 

Can you tell us what it's like to own a business and work with your husband?

It's a delicate balance. We are sometimes around each other too much. But it's so nice to be able to travel and adventure together any day of the week. And our successes are ours together, we're building something. We have a good dynamic going. A bit yin and yang. He is a social butterfly so he leads us at networking events and meetings. Since I started everything and ran it for about a year before he came on full time, I get to have the final word on creative decisions and grand scheme type things. And his strengths are in communications and logistics so he handles and makes the decisions on that side of things.  

What is one piece of advice that you would give yourself when first starting out? 

Don't use that ridiculous logo. ;)

What is one thing that you want to accomplish personally and thing thing that you want to accomplish professionally before the year is over?

A personal goal would be to finish a personal project I'm working involving my grandfather. I can't say much else about it but it's really important for me to document some of his life's stories and I want to do it this fall, before the year is over. Professionally I'd like to continue refining our work. I've been shooting a lot more in the style I like (instead of just what is acceptable or in style) and with vintage Polaroid cameras and it's been an exciting shift to see it really resonate with people. I hope to continue down that road of transparency in my photographs. 

Isn't Becka's work amazing? Definitely go check out her website to see more, and her blog for great posts on advice on what it's like to be an artistpreneur.

{look at her: shannon from the simply luxurious life}

Last week was my first week with this new series, and it really seems like you all enjoyed it, so I’m excited to keep going with it! I have another amazing blogger for all of you to meet this week for Look At Her, and one of the very first blogs that I found when I started this crazy journey.

What do you do for a living? What made you decide to choose that career path? How does it reflect who you are as a person?

Currently, I am high school English teacher, as well as a lifestyle and fashion blogger/writer who founded the blog The Simply Luxurious Life. As far as what determined my career path, it was my passion for writing, reading, fashion and my endless curiosity of how to live a fulfilling life. Both of these jobs allow me an opportunity to continually learn and pass on my knowledge, and ultimately, I believe that it is our responsibility to contribute something positive to society in a way that is alignment with our talents and passions. I feel fortunate to have found both of these occupations.

What made you want to start the Simply Luxurious Life? How do you find inspiration for your posts?

In 2009, I found myself living in a small town for a few years after having moved from a metropolis area, and I wanted to share with others that regardless of where you live, you can always live luxuriously. It doesn't matter how much or little you make, with the tools of living simply, a luxurious life is possible for everyone. And my inspiration for communicating with my readers is available every single day. It's simply a matter of living consciously and paying attention to what's around us every single day - the beauty of season, a magazine article, a newspaper opinion piece, interactions with people I care about, a delicious meal I had for dinner or a glass of wine that impressed me at a wine tasting.

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Why are you so passionate about sharing tips for "simply luxurious" living?

Even as a young girl, I adored things of beauty, but I also appreciated it the most when there was less of it - meaning less clutter, therefore instilling more appreciation. And even as I progressed through college, and then living on my first paycheck as a teacher in my 20s (which wasn't much), I realized anyone can live luxuriously if they choose to surround themselves with less (which ultimately creates more tranquility), thus freeing ourselves to purchase items or experiences of quality that will last much longer. In the end, the fulfilling life is a life that is lived knowing what we value most, and savoring it after working so long and hard to achieve it. More doesn't necessarily mean better. In fact, after a certain point, it actually decreases the quality of one's life. What increases our fulfillment is determining our purpose, eliminating the unnecessary and enjoying the journey.

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How do you live out the values you write about on your blog?

Everything I write about on the blog comes from experience. Often, my Monday Motivational posts come from either a lesson I've learned or a question I want to have answered. I am not perfect and continue to make mistakes, but I live each day trying to do better than the day before. As far as living simply luxuriously - I value quality - food, clothing, experiences, relationships, etc -  and prefer less of everything. I may not go out every night, but when I do, I've saved up for a lovely evening and prefer to wear a stylish outfit that I love wearing that took time to purchase as I had to save up for it.

What is one piece of advice you have for those who want to live more intentionally, and with more luxury in their life?

First get to know who you are, what you value and what you're passionate about. Let these three dictate how you will edit your life, so that you can enjoy the luxuries associated with them.

I’ve followed Shannon’s blog for a while now, and I always love reading her tips on how to live simply yet luxuriously. It really isn’t as difficult as it sounds, as long as you’re willing to put in a little time and energy! You should definitely go check out the Simply Luxurious Life. You can also find Shannon on Twitter and Facebook.

{look at her: allie from be up & doing}

I’m really excited to announce a brand new feature series for all of you today! I used to do Happy Hour, but decided it was time to start something new.

There’s just something about the women in the blogging community that is so inspirational to me, and I always love reading stories about those working to reach their fullest potential. Some quit their jobs to find a career that is perfect for them, some just talk about living intentionally.

I knew that I wanted to share some of my favorite bloggers with you, those who are making that decision to live for themselves. And I’m starting with someone that I know you’re just going to love!

What do you do for a living? What made you choose that career path? How does it reflect who you are as a person?

I am an independent designer and small business owner. I work with amazing companies, organizations and individual people to solve problems through design! I have always been an artist but it wasn't until AFTER college that I fell in love with the idea of solving problems and working with people. What I do, day-to-day, really reflects both my creative and analytical sides. I'm really blessed to be doing this.

You just went freelance full time. When did you know that you wanted to work for yourself full time? Can you tell us a little about what that journey has been like?

Yes! I was able to quit my full-time day job in early August and am now running my own business. It's pretty exhilarating and sometimes I can't believe it really happened. In college, I always thought I needed to work at an agency or firm and climb my way up the ladder of success but as I started working with my own clients…I realized that my goals were shifting. I didn't choose to become my own boss because I don't like being told what to do or working towards others' goals. As a full-time independent designer, that's pretty much all I do! It's easy, as an artist, to get into the mindset that your way is the best way. I love working with my clients and learning about their industry and listening to them (as I would a peer or a boss). 

What advice do you have for those who want to work for themselves full time (like me)? What qualities do you need to succeed in this way? What qualities do you have that make it so you can work freelance full time?

If your goal is to work independently and freelance full-time, I would advise the following:

1. Make sure that your personal finances are in order. Adam and I paid off our debt and found a cheap apartment in order to keep monthly costs low (which leads to less pressure on me to bring in an extraordinary amount of cash.)
2. Love people. If you don't love working with people and taking criticism, then working independently isn't a solution to your issues. You're going to wear many different hats and business development is one of the most important things you'll need to do!
3. Do good work but, most importantly, make deadlines. I remember one of my college professors saying that if you're an amazing designer, but you never make deadline, you won't get hired. You MUST follow through on your promises and do good work too.
4. Keep it small. While I was attending WMC Fest (www.wmcfest.com) in Cleveland, Glen Infante of iLTHY said: "Keep quantities low and demand high." While I'm not selling product, the same can be said of any small business. It's really easy to upgrade all of your tools/software, buy the best desk and rent out a studio space but if you can keep those costs low upfront…it will free you up to take on projects that you're exited about.

How do you deal with the self-consciousness and doubt that come with putting yourself out there like you do? Being creative can be terrifying. Any advice for getting over that fear?

Oh it's incredibly terrifying. I try to keep everything in perspective and remind myself that I still have lots to learn. When I'm working with a client on their project…I don't worry about others' opinions! They're not paying me or involved in our processes. Needless to say, I do try to put a certain amount of work out there for critique because, as a designer, I am a part of a community. I'm learning that if I don't put myself out there and fail…then I'll stay stagnant and who wants that? 

What other dreams and goals do you have for life and for your career? How are you working toward them?

Personally, Adam and I would love to buy a home sometime in the next year but instead of prioritizing that we decided to take a tropical vacation in October and really let my business take off without the pressures of a mortgage. It's still one of our biggest goals but we were okay with being flexible. Professionally, I would love to (someday way in the future) have my own studio to work but also use it as place to give back to Columbus. I dream of using it as a small gallery space, to host small seminars, or open the doors so other independent creatives can co-work! Small goals? Upgrade my iMac and sponsor WMC Fest next summer! 

Can you see now why I love Allie so much? As someone who does want to work for herself full time, I think it’s really important that I learn as much as I can from those who’ve gone before me. Following along as she does it is really inspiring as well, and makes me feel that maybe, just maybe, I can do it someday too.

You should definitely go visit Be Up & Doing {she just changed her blog name and design} and get to know this awesome lady. I promise that you’ll be glad you did!

Do you know of someone I should feature for Look At Her? Email me and let me know!