{ What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? } -- Phoenix, AZ Photographer

When we were little kids, we often acted out how we saw the world. Some of us carried around baby dolls. Others dressed as firefighters or carried a soccer ball everywhere. Even as children, you see something in them that gives a little secret peek into the future.

The kid that was always goofing off in class might become a comedian.

The one that was always there when another kid got hurt might be a doctor or a nurse.

The bossy one might be a manager now.

{ Haha, just kidding -- managers aren't bossy, but they are great leaders }

The one always reading might now be an author.

The one that always played with her big Barbie styling head { remember those?! } might now be a makeup artist.

The other that was always there with a hug and a comforting word might now be a counselor.

There are shadows of what we do as adults in what we did as children.

When I was a kid, there were 3 things that I really loved to play:

-Barbies

-Make believe

-"Store"

With Barbies, I was always fascinated with her dresses and beautiful furniture....okay, maybe a little obsessed! I wanted her pretty princess dresses and somehow my Barbie ended up being a damsel in distress a lot of the times that I played.

I also liked to play make believe. I could "see" the scenes around me as I acted out my roles.

I also opened my own "store" at school. During summer day care, I would grab milk crates from the kitchen area and stack them so that they looked like a store counter and shelving. I'd bring my toys and arrange everything to look like a store, "hired" a store associate to help me and kids would bring fake money to me to "buy" my things { really just "rent" them for the day to play with }.

I didn't see it then, but I was a little entrepreneur in the making! ; )

Fast forward to today as a photographer. I stumbled across an old box of papers from when I was younger and the same message was repeated through a lot of what I wrote or drew:

Princess

Fairytales

Dreams

Goals

{ Haha, don't laugh at me--this was my version of a Princess in 2nd grade. The other kids thought I'd drawn a dog. Those big "ears" was actually a veil }.

I came across one little folder that was a class project in 2nd grade. It was titled, "If I were a Christmas Present....." We were supposed to answer what we'd be for Christmas if we could be any present.

I'm not surprised by my answer.

I wrote:

"If I could be a present for Christmas, I would be a princess.....I would be a princess present for Christmas."

It's no wonder that my heart is soaring as I'm working on putting together ideas and details for Beba Couture--stylized princess shoots. It's a PART of me. It's who I've been. Who I am.

These last few days, I've been reflecting on my past and now see all these little parts of my life working together to see this dream build and come together. Is it any wonder that I worked at Disneyland? I don't believe that was a coincidence. When I became a Christian, I was instantly drawn to the idea that I was now the daughter of the King of Kings. A lot of my ancestry on both my Mom and Dad's sides also has royalty weaved throughout it--and include fascinating stories of several great-greats grandparents who were kings and queens, princes and princesses, dutchesses and dukes. I always wanted princess everything growing up. All my life I have surrounded myself with the message of being a princess. For years, my friends used to call me "Princess Alicia" because I was that into the princess thing. It's near and dear to my heart. It strikes a chord with me.

It makes the most sense to pour one of my dearest loves { being a princess } into one of my biggest passions { photography }. I really want what I do to resonate with a lot of girls and women. I want each one to see themselves as special and unique and beautiful. I want them to see themselves as....

....a Princess.

I could "see" that vision in my life when I was a little girl and now it's finally coming to fruition with Beba Couture and what I'm doing as a photographer. There are so many negative messages being sent to girls and women these days and I want to take this message that they are special and unique and share it with them.

When Beba Couture launches, it will be a unique experience that involves more than just pretty pictures--it is designed to speak deeply to the heart of a girl and a woman so that she will never forget her experience of being a princess for a day....and she will never forget that she is indeed, a princess for life.

Are you ready to fill your special role?

{ Beba Couture -- Stylized Fairytale Princess Photo Shoots } -- Phoenix, AZ Photographer

Do YOU See Yourself As a Princess?

Working out details for stocking dresses for Beba Couture { stylized fairytale shoots } when it launches this year. I know that it's going to be a hit for the little girls. But I want to do princess shoots of teenaged girls and women too. But I'm curious to know if women would be interested in something like that. If you're a teenager or a woman, would a princess shoot appeal to you? The costumes I'm looking at are similar to this one on my Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/pin/5488830765400310/ I'm looking for feedback from everyone and would love to hear back from you so I know which age group to focus on. Thanks! : )!! ♥ ♥ ♥

{ New Year, New You -- How To Achieve Your Goals This Year } -- Mesa, AZ Photographer

{ New Year, New You }

How To Achieve Your Goals This Year

In less than a week, we will be in a new year.

2012

Doesn't it seem like it was just turning the millenium with year 2000?

It sure feels that way to me sometimes! It feel like time passes quicker than we can blink.

I've made some good New Year's resolutions in the past that I've been able to keep:

Be more positive.

Open a photography business.

"LIVE" and "BE", not just "DO".

I've also made resolutions that seem to go strong the first week or two and then fizzle into oblivion by the end of January:

Lose weight. { Ha! }

Get more sleep. { Ha! }

Treat myself to a home manicure every week. { Ha! }

Okay, so some things don't totally go as planned. Sometimes we start off with all the motivation in the world....but what is the secret to actually achieving those goals? What makes such a big task possible?

My secret from last year is to:

Write. It. Down.

It sounds simple enough and like it wouldn't really make any difference, but oh, it DOES.

I was able to achieve 75%-80% more last year from my goal list--things I once only dreamed about doing--because I wrote those things down. I typed them into my phone and added to the list throughout the year. It committed me to doing them because I actually SAW them throughout the year.

It challenged me and reminded me that New Year's was coming around again at the end of this year and I didn't want to celebrate another year passed as unfruitful.

What are your goals for this coming year?

When 2012 ends, what will you say you've accomplished that you've always wanted to do?

It seems daunting at first, when you think of it as the "Big Goal." But when you slice and divide that Big Goal into tinier, Smaller Goals....then suddenly it becomes easier to achieve what you'd like to do, because you take it one step at a time.

For example, last year, I knew my "Big Goal" was to get started as a photography business. I had that broken down into smaller goals like:

-Buy business cards

-Open a website

-Get business Trademark

-Get EIN

-Open blog

-Network like a crazy person

-Do (x) amount of shoots per month

-Earn (x) amount of $$$ per month

-Quit full time job { gulp } and move into part time job

-Etc.

Did I achieve every goal?

No.

There are still some that I'm going to aim for again in 2012 such as purchasing new camera gear. But did I get things done that needed to get done to push me closer towards that goal?

Yes.

And that forward motion is what's important.

Are you moving yourself closer towards your Big Goal?

Are you taking those smaller steps towards achieving what you'd like to do?

Here's a way to break down your Big Goal:

1. Define what your Big Goal is and label that as the goal for the year.

2. Then, break down what could be done each month to reach that Big Goal.

3. Then, take those monthly goals and break them down even further into weekly goals.

4. You guessed it. Break those weekly goals down into daily goals.

5. Think I'm crazy? Break those daily goals down into hourly goals or minute goals.

Remember, every little step you take towards accomplishing your Big Goal and your dreams can launch you that much closer to it. I typed my Big Goal into my phone, as well as all the little things that needed to be done to achieve it. I set it up under my "Tasks" folder and checked them off as I went. You can do this on your phone too or use good old fashioned pen and paper. The key is to write things down somewhere you can see it often.

And at the end of 2012, if you keep taking those smaller steps towards it, you'll find yourself feeling refreshed and in awe that you accomplished so much more than you ever thought possible....all because you did what you could and bloomed where you were planted.

Take it from this level to the next...and the next...and the next...and the next...

And never give up!

I can't wait to hear all about what you're going to achieve in 2012!

: )

Thankful -- Mesa, AZ Photographer

{ Thankful }

Um, I think that Roscoe is taking his begging habit a little too far....

But this is by no means a way to poke fun at those who truly are struggling. In fact, I have a heart for those who are struggling and I'd love to bring awareness to it, using irony to bring light to something that is truly a serious situation.

Thank you for letting me share my heart. <3

Something really impacted me. Last year, as I was exiting a freeway in Phoenix, I saw a man carrying a sign like this and something in me completely broke me at the very core of who I was. I had never seen a man look so...hungry before. His very eyes were so hungry--I could see it that he was struggling and hungry and they still haunt me today thinking about him. I had nothing on me. No money, no nothing to give to him and so I had to drive past. I remember crying in brokeness that day because I wished that I could do more.

I sometimes feel like the weight of the world will crush me when I think about how many people are struggling and how I wish we could help everyone. I wish there was enough to share and give and that everyone had the wonderful opportunity to live so freely without having to wonder where their next meal is coming from.

It's true, we cannot help everyone...the thought kills me, but it's true. The world will always have the poor. But while we can't help everyone, we CAN help some and it to them, it matters. As Thanksgiving approaches and we're reminded of how blessed and fortunate we are, I wanted to encourage others to find a special way to make someone's day and if you feel led to it, give back a portion of what you've been given.

Maybe you can pay for the meal of the person behind you in the drive through line.

....or smile and talk with the clerk at the store that's working so feverishly on Black Friday.

.......or let someone have that coveted parking spot or hold open the door for someone.

Maybe you can give a gift card to a local fast food restaurant to the person standing by the entrance of the supermarket asking for food, or drop in some coins as the Salvation Army rings their bells.

There are so many ways that we can touch other people's lives--big ways, small ways....and small things done in a big way. : ) So many ways to fill empty bellies and empty hearts. Both need filling.

It's amazing how much better that Turkey tastes when you have already had your belly filled with the kindness you extend towards strangers.

What can you do this year? Be creative.

Holidays have a way of bringing out the best in people and bonding us together in brotherhood and sisterhood and looking out for each other's best.
Make this one a great one!

Happy { early } Thanksgiving!

{ Sales 101 -- The Unconventional Approach To Sales } -- Mesa, AZ Photographer

{ The Unconventional Salesperson }

Photo courtesy of Beth Obermeyer of Lizzie Bee Photography / www.lizziebeephotography.com

This is me.

Beba.
(pronounced "Bee-Buh")

I'm probably the most backwards person when it comes to sales.

I am not a pushy salesperson.

It is not the most important thing for me to make sales.

Yet, I still stay in business and do make sales.

Why is that?

I think that it's a shift of focus that's totally unconventional from what traditional salespeople will tell you. Here's what I think makes the difference:

I'm more interested in making a connection than I am in closing a sale. I'm more interested in investing an experience and friendship into that person than I am in getting something back from them.

Scary thought as a salesperson, right?

Not really.

The truth is that people will be walk away happier because they will have been invested in and they will have products that they love and won't have buyer's remorse for being pushed into a sale.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a business woman, so I still set minimums on my packages that clients sign contracts for......They know ahead of time what they're going to be paying for when they hire me as their photographer, so there are no questions......but I don't push for more once they meet their minimum.

Wait!

Shouldn't I be? Shouldn't I be trying to "sell" them?

In my opinion, no.

Of course I want sales--I'm in business. But for me, it's more important for me to make a genuine connection with that person. My end goal is different. I want my clients to walk away with an experience--a happy memory--and not just pictures. I want there to be an incredible memory of, "We had so much fun that day!" rather than "That girl was such a pushy salesperson--I bought a ton of extra stuff that I didn't want."

Do my clients end up buying extra photos? In almost every case, yes. But not because I pushed them. After they meet their minimum, I leave it up to them to decide what they want.

Is it counter cultural?

You betcha.

But is it more satisfying and fulfilling as a business person?

YES.

I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to know that you've made someone's day brighter or the thought that you've just made a new friend with someone who was a stranger just a week ago.

Many of my clients have now become my dear friends.

For me, that's the best "sell" in the world--it costs nothing and gives the greatest return.

Sales are momentary, but creating friendships and lasting memories are priceless.

So, go out there and sell....but make sure that you're investing more into the lives of people who are giving their business back to you. : )

{ More Sales 101 tips at my upcoming 1 Day Workshop for those of you who are interested }
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{ Love Me } -- Mesa, AZ Photographer

{ Love Me }

As a photographer, your heart wants to scream out to others:

"Please love my work!"

"Please like my Facebook page and read my blog!"

"Please choose me!"

"Please find joy in viewing my work!"

There's something so wonderful about sharing your heart and gift with the world and having people respond back in a positive way. I know it blesses each of us as photographers and as artists.

But is it just me or is it sometimes easy to get too focused on whether or not people like your work and not stay focused on your love and passion for what you do?

I'm talking to you other photographers out there.

And I'm talking to myself, too.

Right now, I'm enjoying the busy season--I'm booking a lot of sessions.

But there are times { when it's not busy season } that it's tempting for me to question my work when people aren't responding as much as they are right now.

I know that I am not alone.

I've heard other photographers say, "I'm not as good enough, so I'm quitting."

Wait! Throw on the brakes! What?!

I realized long ago, that I love this dream too much to let it go, no matter how I feel. Emotions come and go, but passion lives on.

Even though I sometimes get in that funky rut, I fight it off with a vengeance because I know that validation should always come from experiencing joy in what I do and not from the outside. Sure, it's great to have people love my work--it feels amazing when people find joy in what I do. I'm sure that you feel the same way too. You delight when people love what you're pouring out from your heart, through your camera and into your pictures.

But even when the crowd is gone and the band has gone home....can you still hear the sweet chords of music playing from your camera? Can you still hear the song from inside stirring your heart to want to capture the world in all it's beauty and to capture the magic in and between people?

I sure hope you do.

I do.

It keeps me moving forward during these easy times that I'm experiencing right now and it keeps me moving forward during the hard times too.

Stand on that empty stage and sing the song you were meant to sing.

Stand and sing even if no one is listening....

...because in time, they will.

And in the meantime, you'll be doing what you love the most.

Hope this encourages those of you who are feeling discouraged tonight.

I believe in you and am applauding you.