Monthly Archives: January 2012

THE LIST: #5 Have One Photo Shoot A Month…

Posted on by
6

I am on a bit of a rampage today to kick my photography into high gear. My classes are going great &  I would really like to practice what I’m learning; unfortunately there is a bit of a model deficiency at home and, as much as I don’t want to admit, there are only so many photos I can take of my shoes! — Special thanks to my momma for being my shoe model this weekend ;)  

I have this crazy idea to put together a styled photo shoot once a month to help me learn.  I can’t help if I’m a hands on learner… and if an evening of hair, makeup, fashion & photos is what it takes, then so be it! Besides, I’ve already taken TWO WHOLE classes on how to use my camera. I’m totally a pro now. Totally!

The catch?? I need YOUR help :)

If anyone is interested, here’s the scoop:                                                                                  **Rumor has it that home-made cookies may be supplied during the shoot…. but you didn’t hear it from me ;)  

1. Each Photo Shoot will require (1) Hairstylist, (1) Make-Up Artist, (1) Fashion Stylist and Models- Women, Men or Both (If this is you, holla at me!)

2. Photo Shoots will be once a month (I will have a calendar available to email. Check your schedules to see which one/s you would like to be a part of)

3. All the fab people collaborating will be tagged on Facebook, Twitter & The Blog.  (with links to your websites, FB pages, etc)

4. Images will be provided both online & on a disc for portfolio use, or to frame as a keep sake ;) (I’m not a fan of going Photoshop crazy so images will be lightly edited)

There you have it! If you’re interested please email me or leave your email in a comment so that I can contact you. Thank you all soooooo much! :)

Disclaimer: If two random guys show up claiming to be the Producers, they may or may not be my brothers. Just sayin. 

 

 

 

THE FORMER RECEPTIONIST…

Posted on by
2

Photo Credit for the above image here

September 29, 2007 was a Monday. Not just any ordinary Monday, this was the beginning of a new journey – my first day at a new job. I was 20 years old and hired as the new receptionist at an Orange County based office.

During my first year I made sure to fulfill all of my duties & be the best receptionist they had ever seen. Ever! If company awards were given, I would have probably gotten the “Best Filer in the OC”, “Most Likely to Make the Worlds Best Coffee” and “Best Phone Greeting Voice,” just to name a few. One award that I was not in the running for? “Most Likely to Succeed” and quite frankly, I did not want it. I never saw myself growing & succeeding within the company because I didn’t know the business… and I convinced myself that I never would. I answered phones & placed the Office Depot orders for crying out loud! How could I possibly ever work along side high profile clients? Or designers & architects? Or engineers & city officials? … and be seen as a Colleague??  It sounded like an up hill battle & my 6in. heels were not meant for hills. Or battles.

I continued with this mind set for 2 years… and then it happened. It was November of 2009 and my manger asked to see me in our conference room. I was pretty sure I was going to be given the boot – I knew that someone would find out I accidentally hung up on a client!- but I wasn’t. To my surprise, I was promoted. And with this promotion came a new desk (in my own cubicle, might I add ;) ) new responsibilities, and most importantly, someone else to make the coffee! I nearly cried… seriously.

I was now an assistant for the Project Managers and their world was a scary place for my now 22-year-old self. They moved at 135 mph. They knew how to communicate & get the job done. They were aggressive, experienced & respected.  I on the other hand sounded like a Junior High Schooler on the phone… not really helpful when you need to be taken seriously. But you know what I figured out? That I already knew how to do all of these things, I just never put them into practice. Having been on the side line for 2 years, I inadvertently learned the business. This motivated me to push forward…. because here I was working in something that I never, ever, ever thought I could do. And I was good at it!  Side Note: Hey Mr. Rude that called once & yelled at me over the phone, and said I was just the useless receptionist… this is for you! ;)  

Today I am celebrating my 1 year anniversary of being a lead Project Manager overseeing some of our company’s biggest accounts. I have worked on 128 projects during this year and let me tell you, it has been no piece of cake. I have 3 very visible gray hairs.  I have worked long hours. I have cried at my desk (ok, and maybe once during our weekly Production meeting. That one still makes my cringe) and I have messed up a few times (my bad). But I’m still here & couldn’t ask for a better company to work with.

With the decision to explore the world of Photography, I sometimes morph back into the intimidated receptionist. I’ll never learn the lingo, my skills will never be as good as the other photographers, my camera is super whack compared to everyone else’s, no one will ever take me seriously!! – This is when I bust out my business card & reflect on the “Project Manager” copy under my name…. If I did it once, I can do it again ;)

I hope all of you are encouraged to keep going & know that there is a plan for you. Better than you could ever expect. And it will be amazing! Happy Wednesday!!

“Everything’s about the change, there’s gonna be brighter days” -MercyMeBand

 

THE NEW GIRL…

Posted on by
4

I’m a bright girl…. I really am. So I’m clueless as to why this fact is sometimes questionable. I want to think that my out of whack actions come as a result of “working while nervous”. I mean, I can certainly work under pressure… I do this everyday -but being nervous? That seems to throw me off my game. These days I feel a lot like a Zoey Deschanel character; an equal amount of brilliant & misunderstood, with the occasional side of hot mess. Zoey, if you’re reading, my life needs to be a sitcom… lets talk ;)

Case in point: Second day of “How to Use My Digital Camera” class.

Last night while driving to class I had a little talk with myself (as one usually does, riiight? ) I was determined to not have another “Legally Blonde” episode and shake my Elle Woods image. “Be cool  Crystal, you know how to be cool right? You got this!….. or maybe just sit quietly and listen. Better safe than sorry.”  Class began promptly at 7pm, and at this point right here? This is where I decided to throw my pep talk out the window!

Smooth Move #1: Almost falling in front of the teacher. And the Class. In the front row. Nice!

Smooth Move #2: Awkwardly start chanting “Do it! Doo iiitt! Dooo ittt!” in response to the teacher asking if we wanted for him to show us an example. Let’s just say, I chanted alone.

Smooth Move #3: Messing up our first assignment. In our previous class we were asked to take a photo (using our camera in manual mode) in our kitchen at home to compare different lighting. Apparently there had to be an actual human in the photo, so why I photographed my mom’s piggy ornament & Cutco produsts is beyond me. Observe below.

On the upside, I did learn how to manually change the settings on my camera & by the end of the class I was seriously a semi-pro. I’m working on my next assignment & this time I’ll be sure to really consider who my next model will be ;)

NOW DEBUTING: The Dolls…

Posted on by
Reply

My dolls take the cake…. really, they do. They’re the sisters I never had, my cheerleaders, my reality check-ers, and my partners in non-intentional crime. From failed drivers license tests to job promotions, we have been through practically everything together.

 

I introduce to you my fab ladies:

  • Naomi (The Manager) = (Who would like to be referred to as Schnaomi, for identity purposes ;) ) So Schnaomi is the manager… both in the Production/Logistics Dept. of her company and in our group. I have not made a reservation, bought tickets, coordinated an outing or had to figure out my portion of our dinner bill in years! She does it all & loves it… bless her little Type A heart =) One day she’ll be my maid of honor for sure!
  • Yvette (The Chef) = Yvette is a chef/kitchen manager at this fabulous local dining place in the LA area whose frequent clients are celebrities. I’m not jealous at all! I would much rather sit at my desk and answer emails than have to see Jake Gyllenhaal come around… Riiiiight. Maybe one day she’ll hire me as a dish washer ;) She doesn’t have a whole lot of free time these days so it’s a big deal when she joins us regular people :)
  • Amorette (The Socialite) = I’ll admit, I have a hard time keeping up with Amorette because she has places to go & people to see! But if I did need something, she would drop everything & be there with comfort food & a theme song to go along with the mood. I love her for that!  She’s also my own personal Yelp… Need a great place to go? Ask Amorette. Need a hair salon? Ask Amorette. Need your car fixed? Ask Amorette. She definitely completes us =)

 

This summer will mark 10 years of friendship, so here’s to many many many more!! Let’s see what our late twenties have in store ;)

THINGS I LOVE: Turning Your Frown Upside Down….

Posted on by
Reply

It happens to all of us. To some of us more often than others, but eventually  it WILL happen…. falling into a funk. You know that feeling of “Ugh everything sucks! My life is dragging, I have nothing good going, everyone else is moving forward…. and Valentine’s day is around the corner & I have NO ONE!!” Okay, okay, maybe not everyone is worried about Valentine’s Day (darn you Walmart for making me see your aisles of V-Day cutesy stuff last night!) but eventually we all feel in a rut. That’s where I come in…

I am a motivator! Why? Because I want everyone to be happy, duh! I like to push people to go for it! If you tell me of something that you are trying to achieve you bet your dollar that I am going to not only ask you about it (probably daily) but email helpful links, send encouraging texts, and help you make a spreadsheet to stay organized - this last one is mainly for my own happiness as I am obsessed with spreadsheets. Excel is the jelly to my peanut butter, really. Just ask my brothers, I am their motivational speaker and supporter…. with all of their endeavor’s. Like wanting to be the next Donald Trump and starting a Real Estate enterprise, or wanting to buy an ice cream truck to work & eat at the same time, or that one time they contemplated becoming online poker players (although I’m actually glad that one did not work out for them!). My desire is for everyone to succeed and not give up. Then when you make it big, if you want to send a Chanel handbag my way I’m totally opened to that :)

So if you’re feeling discouraged and need your frown turned upside down, come see me! And don’t worry, I wont get too Hallmark-y on you. Remember that I am also a self-labeled entertainer! Geez… I should really add all of these titles to my resume ;)

Until next time…. Happy day all!!

**Please note that excessive use of exclamation points in this post a direct result of my over-enthusiasm. My bad.

2nd DAY OF SCHOOL & FIRST IMPRESSIONS…

Posted on by
4

This past Saturday marked the second day of  school for me. Hello Beginners Photoshop!

Class begins at 9am (by the way- I was happy to learn that the lesson will officially begin at 9:15am for those of us ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE who always run late ;) ) and being the great new student that I am I arrived 10 minutes early- my coworkers were shocked to hear that I was early, but I ignored their comments.  

As I walked into the class most of the computers had already been taken, so I made my way to the first empty chair I found. Extra-huge, Nicole Richie style handbag in one hand & camera bag in the other, I “politely” asked the guy sitting on the next chair if the seat was taken… and by “politely” I mean I threw my bags on the desk, sat down, looked over & said “Hey what’s up! Is this seat taken? Well I’m stealing it!”  Yes, I’m a real charmer as you can tell. “New Guy” next to me couldn’t help but laugh (at me, with me… I haven’t decided yet).

Over the next few minutes “New Guy” and I exchanged introductions, I made him help me start up the computer, complained about not having a clue of what I’m doing and basically talked his ear off — all the incredibly annoying things everyone does within the first 10 minutes of meeting someone, right? Right!

After what seemed like 3 hours of me talking (blame it on my nerves) “New Guy” stood up and made his way to the front of the classroom. At this point I thought “wow dude, what are you doing standing up there? You’re pretty brave.” And then my heart stopped. I closed my eyes, sank low in my chair and let out a whispered “Crystal… you’re lame”.  

 ”GOOD MORNING!! WELCOME TO PHOTOSHOP ONE! I’m you’re teacher…. “ 

Yes… “New Guy” – who at this point probably thinks I’m insane & having a Legally Blonde moment and couldn’t possibly be serious about photography – is my teacher, Swweeeettt!   

So right off the bat, I can tell this class is going to be fun & I can’t wait to begin learning. Who cares if everyone thinks I’m the Elle Woods of photography school, because you know what?? She finishes at the top ;) Happy Tuesday!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF: ME

Posted on by
1

Happy Friday everyone! This week has been extremely busy so I am definitely ready for some fun in the not-so-sun (forecast calls for cooler weather in SoCal this weekend, but hey, we can’t complain… it is still winter, isn’t it?) Needless to say, one of the bigger highlights of the week was starting my photography classes. Did I mention how excited I am?? Tomorrow I have my first photoshop class. See… not only will I be able to take your pictures, but I’ll make you look like Kim Kardashian too ;)

It’s no easy task having to juggle work, school, church events, a blog and Laker game night at the local Buffalo Wild Wings (Go Lakers!! Holla!) but I manage, or at least I try. Here is my day broken down:

5:45am- Snooze 

6:05am- Snooze

6:12am-Really annoying alarm ring??! SNOOZZZZZZE!!!

6:20am-  I’m up. My morning routine can take anywhere from 25mins-45mins depending on how done up I get (FYI- at 6am my definition of “done up” is a lot more simple than usual). 

8:ooam- Work. Okay okay more like 8:06am, but the morning traffic is to blame for this. Clearly-  As soon as I step into the office it’s on! Emails galore, hot messes to take care of, spread sheets to update, to-do lists to create, etc…. plenty of coffee is needed for this. 3 cups to be exact.

 11: 58am- Lunch. And no, I cannot wait two minutes to leave at 12pm.  I’m not sure how it goes in other offices but in ours lunch is an event of its own that involves strategic planning since 8:20 in the morning. No joke. After throwing out our hello’s and good-mornings, the next question is “What’s for lunch?” It’s that serious.  This is why I love my job! Obviously. 

 1:00pm- Back at Work. More emails, more spread sheets, and more hot messes in the lovely world of Project Management (but I can handle it, it’s my job to muti-task & manage... literally.) Have a dance party at my desk to “Benny & the Jets”… yes, I kick it old school. More emails. Chime in on the stories being told around by my coworkers. More spreadsheets. Joke around with everyone. More emails.

5:15pm- Head Home. I’ll use this time loosely because I’ve been known to stay at the office until 7pm. I find I get a lot more done once everyone is gone. I just lost 10 cool points, I know.

6:30pm- Have Dinner. In my car, at home, wherever!  I take half an hour to simmer down & chill (and maybe still check work emails on my blackberry. But if my mom asks, no I am not taking care of work during dinner time. SSHHH!!)

7:00pm- School/Ministry. Depending on what day of the week it is, I either have school or some type of ministry work at church to help in. Both are fun, trust me! I am a self-labeled entertainer so it is my duty to make sure all are having a good time with my jokes, random thoughts & overall cray-crayness. You’re welcome.

10:00pm- Hello Bedroom. I love the end of the night when I finally get to relax in my empty room (remember I have yet to unpack anything in my room since moving in over a year ago??) It’s just me, my tv, my laptop & my shoes. This is MY time to catch up on my fave shows (Bravo Channel, your reality shows complete me) holler at my friends on Facebook, etc.

 11:00pm- Blog. I write out my blog posts the night before so that I can post them during my break the following morning. I put as much enthusiasm into my writing as possible…. not bad for being so late at night & having been up since 5:45am, 6:05am, 6:12am, 6:20 in the morning right?

  So if you have a jammed-packed  day, don’t feel bad. You’re in good company!

Have a Fabulous weekend :)

Photo Credit Here

THE LIST: #2 Start Photography School

Posted on by
Reply

Ladies & gentlemen, this right here is a moment.

After two years (yes, you read that right…. TWO YEARS) of saving to buy my camera & missing every single registration date, this gal is a photography school student!!!  Now I’m not one to toot my own horn…. but TOOT TOOT TOOT!!! Let me enjoy this :)

Yesterday was my first day and I L-O-V-E-D it! I sat through the orientation &  attended the first class, which will teach me the basics of my digital camera. Thankfully I wasn’t as bad as I thought (thanks to my personal tutors Google & YouTube I have been able to learn a few things to not look like such a newbie) It went quite well, with the exception of a few incidents. You see, I have what I like to refer to as “casual mishaps” - my family on the other hand calls them “Crystal Moments”. I disagree, but whatever – and OF COURSE there had to be mishaps on my first day. Knocking down the new student brochures for the orientation? Sure, why not. Awkwardly interrupting a lesson by walking in mid-class? Yup, that was me. Losing my registration papers somewhere on campus? Again, me. But the random person driving the wrong way in the parking lot?? I can neither confirm nor deny that one ;)

Happy Tuesday all!

 

The List: #12 Set Up My 401K Plan

Posted on by
Reply

And so it begins! Here is the first item to cross off of my 2012 To Do List, and we all know how happy it makes me to cross items off my list ;)

 

 

I set up my 401K plan today and let me tell you, I feel 2 inches taller & entitled to run around chanting “Yay Me!!!”

Thinking about doing the same? Get started right now:

1. Find out if your employer offers a 401K plan and request information.

2. Figure out how much you would like to invest (verify if your employer offers a matching plan)

3. Consult with your coworkers. If they have a plan set up then they can offer first-hand information & give helpful advice.

I also need to send a BIG THANKS to my friends (thanks dolls!!) for guiding me through this process. If it weren’t for them discussing their 401K’s over dinner (and my need to not feel left out of the conversation) I would have never done the research.  See, if I can take charge and learn to be my own financial advisor, anyone can ;)

5 THINGS: Five Lifestyle Upgrades

Posted on by
Reply
” You have to be brave with your life 
so that others can be brave with theirs “

I don’t know about everyone else, but I am still holding on to that “New Year, New Me” motivation kick. I mean, there’s something so legitimate about the beginning of a new year that screams “FRESH START!!”… right?  Even though we have the power to make lifestyle changes any day of the year, this seems like the right time. Now I am no life coach, but I can be the brave soul that is willing to make the changes needed for an oh-so-fab life, and put it on blast for all to read. Anyone with me??

In this “5 Things” series I listed out five changes that I would like to make in my life, personally. Maybe you can relate to them…. or perhaps not one of these is your cup of tea. ALL GOOD! My hope is that this encourages you to seek the changes you would like to make within yourself and do it! :)

Remember that I am too blessed to be stressed….

Be my own Financial Advisor….

Move past disappointment… in a timely manner….  

De-clutter…my closet, relationships – and everything in between….

Give 100% or don’t do it at all…

Happy Thursday :)