New Branding

    As God began really speaking to me, and using my passion for Photography to teach me and change my heart, I felt my current branding had become - "unclean".  It seemed poisoned by my past desire to selfishly operate and take photos my way, for my benefit, and by my choice to select my clients based on my own judgements of how they responded to me or what post I saw on their Facebook.  As a matter of fact, the name I had chosen, had "selfish" written all over it.  MOMENTS BY VT.  It's such a cute name- I know!  But what about that name reminds me, or my clients that I am doing this work all for God's glory?  Exactly, nothing!
    I had felt for a few days God was prompting me to change my Business name.  I was more concerned with what others would think, and ugh, to create another logo.  I have recently shared with you my dislike of Photoshop.  We are bonding, however slowly that may be.  Some of the tools are just - useless!  And to learn to do something, it's no so simple.  But last night, I sat down with Photoshop and began the frustrating 30 minute process of creating my new branding.   Yes... (sigh)  I said 30 minutes.  Bet you thought it took hours based on my attitude about it. HAHA!
    I knew that most everyone in the US or that is a Christian or familiar with Christianity, relates the fish symbol to Christianity or to God.  So I knew I wanted to corporate that into my brand because good business practice is that your logo -branding if you will- is what customers remember.  Example, if the word Google is mentioned, you automatically picture those bright colorful GOOGLE letters, or if you see a Big red circle with a small circle inside it, you know it's Target.  The brand is what customers go by, it is what makes them stand out.  
    Don't worry, I have no intentions of screening clients by first asking if they are Christians.  However, when my clients or someone looking for a photographer - sees my brand, it will stand out.  Most photographers have a camera in their logo.  My favorite photography logo - "NAME - Photography" in some pretty cursive font.  Anyway - God really working in me, telling me I needed to start new and truly dedicate my passion for photography to Him, allowing Him to lead all aspects of my success. And that started with a simple re-branding and name change.  
    A-F-J.  All For Jesus.  Reality is, I am nothing with out Him.  The reason that I have failed so much, yet remained blessed, received His grace to get me through my own messes, is all because of Him.  Because of Jesus.  I'm sure you don't want me to preach, I'm told often that I get started quite easily, but God has worked so much in my life!  He has brought me through, brought me through, brought me through... I don't think there is enough space on the World Wide Web for how much God has actually brought me through!  I have never done without!  Ok, I mean, I didn't get that new MacBook pro I wanted, (still don't have it - husband? you reading?), and I haven't gotten my New 2017 Tahoe yet...but I have always sought Him in my toughest of days, and I have always prevailed.  
    God was bringing me through things before I even knew the mess I was really in!  He was allowing me to make stupid decisions and wreck my own life so that he could show me what he had planned for me!  Life is understood backwards and lived forward, and looking back it makes perfect sense!  And that brings me to where I am now....  This is how Good God is...
    We were living in Brevard, my husband working in Greenville and commuting daily.  He was getting up 3:30am every day so that he could be in Greenville by 5:45am to open up the shop that he oversees there.  Talk about Sacrifice? I know right?  At that time, I had been out of work due to having our youngest, and so money was tight, and with each passing month, we were slowing drowning - somehow God had sustained us thus far, though I could see each month we had less money remaining than the month before.  My son is legally deaf and school - well just wasn't working. He wasn't getting it, he of course was getting assistance from the school the best they could do to help him, but it wasn't enough, and they called me one day to schedule his IEP meeting.  I was told, we can't help him anymore, but we're going to continue to work with him and push him through.  That just sounded so ridiculous to me! But now days inclusion is what most push for.  Anyway, we had talked about moving to Greenville, but the thought of moving (barf).  However, in our ventures looking at areas of Greenville to consider moving too, we were told that Spartanburg had a School for the Deaf. I immediately googled with a quite negative attitude, but found myself to be quite impressed with the website I was viewing.  It did not look like any other Deaf school I had visited or spoke with before. So I immediately called to inquire.  
     Fast forward - with my husbands commute, and the School for the deaf in the same area (literally 25 minutes apart) we packed up and moved.  
     Oh it gets better.  We had looked at houses to rent, but were coming up empty.  I had applied for one part-time job in the area, and had an interview.  That afternoon, I had an appointment to see a house.  Interview went great!  I was hired on the spot, at the pay that I wanted. The house was perfect, my husband had wanted a basement for his tools and so he could work on his equipment and projects, a fenced in back yard so our dog could safely be outside, and quiet neighbors were important to us too. This house - was perfect!  AND - only 2 miles from the School for the Deaf.  I go to the property management company and I express my interest in the house and to quickly start the application, go through the process, everything looks good, and the secretary making small talk as we wait, ask where I got a job so quickly.  My response, caused her to erupt in laughter.  Was that a bad place to work?  Did I need to find somewhere else?  When she was finally able to stop laughing... she told me the lady that hired me, was the Property Management Company Owner's daughter.  She also was a licensed Property Manager and my point of Contact if anything were to go wrong. If that was not God, then I have no idea what is!  
    God has had such a huge part in my life.  How can I not give Him the glory?  My passions, my past, my success, is all to Him, all because he sees me through and He is working for me.  So in the 30 minutes of re-branding my photography business, I went from having no idea how to start or even to create a logo in Photoshop to having a logo that completely and accurately portrays my relationship with Jesus, dedicates my Photography to Him, and is so unique it will stand out to my customers.  You see, God wasn't just re-branding my Photography business, he's re-branding my life.  With his seal, with his logo - with Jesus blood.