Cheers to 4 Years + Humble Beginnings & + Kind Words!

We meet again... I knew I'd find you here... (just kidding, but did it totally creep you out?!)

Here's the scoop! This month, Little Miss Creative celebrates 4 years in business! Let me tell you, 4 years goes by in a blink people.
Want a laugh? Here's what LMC's "humble beginnings" looked like! 

• An office (if you could even call it that) in a dark corner hallway of my condo consisting of a 3 foot wall in front of my and a desk someone gave me that functioned more like a TV tray BUT I was mostly grateful. I painted that bad boy white to be a little more brand centric/modern and added a little white rolly chair someone sold me from Craigslist for 25 bucks. But it was "EVERYTHING" and so professional to me at the time. I popped up my refurb giant mac computer (which was sadly almost bigger than the desk itself) and went to work! 

• Tasiamade. What in the world is Tasiamade? For those of you who have been around the block with me for a few stages, our original name was Tasiamade. Most often by the people who love me (awwwwwwww), I am called "Tasia" vs. Fantasia. So when I started out my "legit business", I wanted to make things, whether that was crafts, photography, or design... and it was all to be called TasiaMade. Genius and straight to the point. A couple years down the road I was given strict business advice to niche down and be the best I could possibly be at 1-2 areas of photography. I was also constantly bombarded with questions regarding what I made when I was primarily doing photography hence confusing people. That didn't last. Here we are, Little Miss Creative. Still somewhat encompassing BUT less "homemade" sounding. 

• Photographing everything and anything someone asked me to! Yep, I used to call myself a "land photographer". If it was on land, I'd shoot it. Today we specialize in family, fashion, and wedding because specializing helps us to be the best we can be and hone in our skills in a couple areas to really offer clients a great experience! Also after a few wild newborn session experiences and pee and poop flying, that particular niche was out of the picture for this girl. Let's take a moment of silence to appreciate all newborn photographers who absolutely ROCK for doing what they do. 

• ALL bookkeeping, taxes,  + client management on paper form. Oh, thank God for technology! 

• Somewhat professional gear and at max, a $4,300 investment. Today, we've been blessed to have invested at least $20,000 on amazing quality lenses, bodies, etc.! 

• ZERO friends in the industry. I always had this odd feeling that other photographers didn't want new photographers to succeed and that they secretly made fun of them for trying to learn behind closed doors. Looking back I was probably right for a few people, but the majority of my friends are now photographers and we all really encourage each other and help each other learn and grow and refer business to one another weekly. I've also joined this amazing local group led by Erica Manthey at Pure 7 Studios called Rising Tide Society with monthly meet ups called Tuesdays Together. The entire purpose of the group (initially co-founded by Natalie Franke and another person) is to help lift other local creative industries up and create friendships during in person education meet ups. BOMB! I've fallen in love with the concept and jumped on board co-leading the monthly meet ups with Erica. She pretty much hangs the moon and stars every month and I show up to support them. Alli Begley with Blink Artistry has been a huge blessing helping with our group lists and database. Plus, she's really fun. #EmeraldCoastTT in the house. You can find us on Facebook by searching Emerald Coast Tuesdays Together. Wow this bullet went long. 

• Living like a single lady. Let me unpack this for you. I wasn't dating a bunch of guys and "going to the club" when I first started my business, (that was BEFORE the start of the business) I was actually dating my now husband Jon, but I was living the business. Literally, from morning to night. The business was life! I was kind of obsessed with learning as much as I could, taking classes online, designing my website, redesigning my website, editing a million photos, designing business cards, redesigning business cards, etc. You name it, it HAD to be done. I had no boundaries whatsoever in place, and it was kind of affecting all other areas of life. Now, I actually put a limit on when I will work and when I wont work. Sundays are one of those days. I have that blocked out for family and God. Also nights are now mine, muahahahaha! It feels SO good! Nope, I don't get everything done, but I have come to terms that photography isn't life and life isn't photography. I am me again! 

• Lone Ranger.  At the time, everything WAS me. Client communication, Planning, Research, Retouching, Shooting, Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Content creation + execution, Project management, Marketing, Operations, Print assistance, and more... Now, even though we are still in the beginning stages, I'm starting to accept that juggling each and every one of these tasks is really hard for one person. What happens when one person juggles too much is that the ball drops somewhere. Guilty as charged. I'll be the first to tell you we do not have every duck in a row... but the good thing is that none of the ducks has gotten completely lost! Starting January, we brought on Madie to help with the busy summer sessions and learn/assist during family and wedding shoots per her availability! She's a wonderful part of the team bringing positivity, fun, and talent! We also added on Lizzy for some extra weekly help keep the ball rolling in the blogging arena! It's so nice to have some support and also to be able to empower other young creative entrepreneurs along the way! Our next team meeting might even be over milkshakes -- Pretty legit! 

Beginnings aside, one of the most exciting things I can share with you about the journey LMC is on are the kind words we have collected over the years. If you care to write some yourself, I would DIE (not literally) of happiness. You can do so over at www.Facebook.com/LittleMissCreativeStudio
Here are a few of the thoughts our clients have had after their experience being photographed by Little Miss Creative... annnnnnnnnd go! 

"Fantasia is bubbly, energetic, and an overall talented person. From the first time we talked, she was genuinely interested and excited in hearing about Chandler and I's story of how we met and had some great ideas for the engagement shoot. She is truly passionate about photography and made Chandler and I feel so comfortable during the shoot. We can't wait for her to shoot our wedding and to see the pictures!"-Nisha Waits 

"Simply INCREDIBLE! Fantasia went above & beyond for us; our wedding photos are better than I could have imagined. She has such a bright, cheerful personality which made our session so fun & we felt comfortable with her quickly. She also gave us great direction (we had never had portraits done before). Thank you for sharing your talent with the world! We will treasure these photos forever!"-Amanda Robertson 

"We can't stop swooning over the beautiful photos that Fantasia captured for us. She zeroed in on our personalities and energy right away and the photos reflect that perfectly. She was playful and easy going in her direction, and it was easy to relax. As someone who is comfortable professionally behind the camera as well, I am also impressed with Fantasia's technical abilities. It's so clear that she brings an artistic mindset to everything she does. We are totally smitten with our romantic new gallery wall and can't wait for more excuses to shoot with her in the future. Highly recommend!"-Christine Elizabeth 

"Being a wedding planner, I absolutely LOVE working with Fantasia!! She captured exactly what the bride and groom had hoped for. She was also very professional and great with everyone. The guests were very fond of her as well - I have received a lot of positive feedback regarding Fantasia. One thing I really liked was how easy going she was and made the bride feel so special throughout the day. I am beyond very pleased and highly recommend Fantasia!! Good Photography!"-Carla Vest Gilliland 

"Fantasia was absolutely amazing! My Fiance and I live in Atlanta, and are getting married at the beach. Fantasia will be shooting our wedding in November, and recently shot our engagement pictures at the beach. She was so sweet and made us feel comfortable instantly. Beyond that, the pictures were better than anything we could have ever hoped for. We are so excited to have her for our wedding in a few months. My fiance and I have a whole new appreciation for photography, and compare every picture we see to Fantasia's work.. No one is any where close."-Taylor Wisdom 

"Fabulous experience! Fantasia is a doll & a joy to work with. Being a photographer myself in New Orleans, I have high expectations & she surpassed them all. We vacation every year in Santa Rosa Beach & will definitely be booking every summer for years to come. Absolutely cannot wait to see our pics! Thanks for being so patient with my little one.....she is still talking about your "special effect" noises. hehe"-Stephanie Savoy Jones 

"She is amazing!!! I had my maternity photos done at Eden Garden State Park with Fantasia and she was beyond wonderful. She made us feel very comfortable and gave great direction during the shoot. For someone who feels awkward posing I was completely at ease and felt very confident. She is such a joy to work with and her energy is very contagious. You won't be disappointed."-Michelle Green Baxley 

"Fantasia thank you so much for the awesome photoshoot! The photos are beautiful! I have to admit that I was a little nervous at the beginning, but you were so sweet and patient, that I had an amazing time! Miguel and I really enjoyed the whole experience and cannot wait to work with you again!"-Luisa Cardenas 

The truth is, these words have blessed me more than you can imagine! The past 4 years have been a whirlwind of learning, relearning, designing, redesigning, & reconsidering what we are all about... but what I am most proud of today, are the kind words and excitement our clients have towards their experience with us! 

There isn't one single photoshoot that could ever be forgotten in my "photographic" memory. ;) Literally, I find photography to be SO personal to me that a little bit of who I am shows through in every photograph. It is my joy and honor to be a meaningful part of your forever moments. Thank you, thank you! 💕  Your love, support, & positive vibes are what make me wake up every day and continue to pick up my camera. You rock my polka dot socks off! ✨ 

www.LittleMissCreative.com
~ Fantasia 

Little Miss Creative