Sweet Horizon

Graphic Design, Fashion and Lifestyle Blog Based in Raleigh, NC.

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lifestyle

One Year Older

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As of today I am officially 27. It’s a little hard to believe and not because I’m one of those people that dreads getting older. On the contrary. I embrace getting older. It’s hard to believe because I feel like just last year I was turning 23 and the year… 

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  • My venture into entrepreneurism makes a lot of sense when you hear my background. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I come from a long line of entrepreneurs. My grandparents, while being school teachers, also decided that they would build and run a hotel. It seems that it was mostly my grandmother’s dream, but my grandfather went along with it and that’s where my father ended up living for much of his adolescence. Like something out of the Suite Life, right? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My father then grew up, went off to school to be an engineer, missed having a creative outlet (and living in the mountains) so badly that he pulled a 180, switched schools and started studying printmaking which ultimately led him to pottery. He’s been a potter and printmaker for 40 years now and his studio is a second home for my brother and I. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My mother has started several businesses, but most influential to me, she was a wedding photographer for most of my childhood. I’m still in awe that she could photograph an entire wedding on film back before digital was a thing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So when my brother and I both decided to become entrepreneurs, you’d think my parents would be thrilled, right? Well... not exactly. They knew how hard it would be, the extremely long hours we would work, and just the general stress involved with everything being on your shoulders. But they also had words of wisdom about business, clients, and the importance of taking time off. They faced it practically, with years of knowledge to back them up, but they also understood the importance of working at something you truly love. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m honestly so grateful that I have a family that understands the ups and downs of my little business and that they have helped nurture this endeavor. It’s a wild ride, but I’ve got a whole team of people at my back cheering me on. And really that matters most.
  • Who doesn’t love free content? Especially when it teaches you something super fun like calligraphy?? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Did you know that all of my email subscribers get free resources that teach them modern calligraphy, help them stay organized with free planners, AND gives them free monthly backgrounds straight to their inbox so that all their devices look super festive each month? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Come join in and receive access to our first 3 calligraphy lessons and all the goodies being added daily!
  • As much as I love digitally sharing photos there’s still nothing like printing out photos to keep. Printing Polaroid sized versions of our vacation photos is one of my favorite ways to hold on to all these memories. They make the perfect size for adding to a journal (that’s where these are headed), hanging as a small gallery collection, or creating a compact photo album. Anyone else still prefer printing out photos?
  • I love coming back to this little apartment of ours after a busy weekend away. The over abundance of plants makes this place extra cozy. 🌿 . We drove 5 hours back to the mountains this weekend, photographed an absolutely stunning wedding, attended a baby shower for my soon-to-be nephew, and then made the late night drive back to Raleigh last night. Now it’s time to jump into the Monday to-do list, start editing all these photos, and schedule a couple of meetings. We are all exhausted, even Radley. 🐶😂 . Sometimes I think I must be a crazy person for having such an on the go lifestyle, but honestly there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. Just the life of an entrepreneur, right?
  • Happy Friday, friends! 🍂 Here I am in all my weekend glory : Messy hair (always), unintentional rude face (I swear I’m not as serious as I always look 🤣), wearing multiple layers of comfy clothes, loaded down with a backpack full of camera gear, while spending my weekends hiking with my guys. 🐶💑 . I probably should’ve picked a photo where I wasn’t sweaty after a hike or squinting into the sun, but just know that this girl you are looking at is oh so grateful. Grateful that over 500 of you want to follow my little business, grateful for the sweetest clients that make my work a blast, and grateful that I get to document other’s love stories with my own soon-to-be husband. . This has been a busy season of life for us and I know we are about to enter into possibly an even busier season. But I’m moving forward with intentions of bringing more content here to social media, taking a vested interest in you sweet followers, and leaving room to just enjoy this stage of life.
  • All subscribers: check your emails because you’ve got this sweet little free background and calendar set waiting for you! Fall is hands down my FAVORITE season and I just couldn’t help myself, so October’s background comes in these three color choices with options including calendars. If you want to receive goodies like this every month just sign up on my site or blog 🍂
  • It’s Monday (and finally October, my favorite month) and I’m actually coming into the work week feeling rested. That wasn’t always the case, even just a few months ago. . In the last two years of my business I’ve tried to find a work-life balance that actually works for me. Some people swear that there’s no such thing as balance when you are self employed and in some ways I agree with them. I DO constantly think about my work, coming up with new ideas and ways to improve my business is solely on my shoulders, and if a client emails me in the evening I always feel the need to email them back right that second. . However, when it comes to my own work-life balance, it really comes down to how many hours I’m spending sitting in front of my computer or just working in general. I realized early on in my work-from-home lifestyle that it was easy to just keep working on into the evening because there is always plenty of work still to do. But then I realized how much emphasis I was putting on my work instead of my life. . When Mike is off work we always want to be going out and doing things together. If a friend calls me up and wants to get together, I almost always try to go, even if I have a deadline. WHY? Because I’ve found that I work smarter and produce better work when I take breaks from it and think other thoughts. I’m able to take that mental break, do something I enjoy, and come back refreshed and ready to tackle projects, . I have found that working 14+ hours a days is not something to be proud of. It means there is room for improvement in how I handle my work flow and schedule. Every work day is different, but making a conscious choice to shut down the computer and spend time with loved ones at the end of the day makes for a much more joy filled life. . Do any of you struggle with work-life balance or find it hard to take time away for your work? What are areas you are currently trying to improve in your business?
  • Give me two donuts, coffee with lots of cream, and a daily dose of creative inspiration, please and thank you!