Good-bye, 2012...

         …this is a year that will live in the infamy of my own personal history.  It will be the year that marks a time when I finally made the plunge; that I stuck my neck out there and found my place in a town that I had not really felt a part of until these last few recent months.  So much has happened since September that my memories of last January seem like a distantly vague acknowledgment of inconsequential nothingness in comparison, but I can say that I did not foresee all that has happened and most likely will continue happening for me in 2013.  In fact, during January of last year, I was happily living the humdrum little life of a quiet little homemaker, taking only the jobs that I wanted to while caring for my beautiful, amazing boys from the safe confines of my quiet little home…and yet here I am contemplating and planning out January of 2013 in a studio that has become as much of a part of defining who I am as my family has been.  I foresee a new definition of my person emerging and that one not only includes the lovely family that I have, but the community that I have immersed myself in as I move forward in my business and my new space. 

I love that all of the people that have come into the door of my little space have not only embraced me, but have embraced my family, too.  It was so important to me since my sons and my husband are so much a part of how I see myself.  As some of you know, my sons are Autistic and I really feel that this sort of public and social forum can only help them as we maneuver through the twists and turns of a new year full of possibilities.  I hope that as I move forward that this business can continue to represent the very best in family values, to encourage the vision (that is ever changing and evolving) that I hope the studio will become, and that I will be able to continue to offer only the best in photography to people.

Part of offering the best in photography to others has been getting to know each family and person that walks through the simple little door of my tiny little space.  It has been a labor of love to understand the people behind the pictures…each of you is so amazing that I want to make sure that each photo is a representation of who you are.  A person can have perfect lighting, composition, and framing…but if it says nothing about ‘who’ the people are and is not flattering, I do not feel that I have done my job.

So here’s to all of the new people in 2013 that I have yet to have met, here’s to all of the people that will come back to see me, and here’s to the changes that lie ahead!  The future isn’t marked and I can only see the endless possibilities of something amazing awaiting the future of DJMdesigns…which is really me.  I suppose at some point, I will have to loosen the shackles of shyness and quit referring to the business as a third party acquisition but a relevant and essential part of me.  

*HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!*   I look forward to seeing you all and hope you stop by today and ‘Ring in the New Year’ with $10.00 pictures.  We will be there until at least 6pm tonight!

Wrapping up Santa...

...has been bittersweet. I have greatly enjoyed the kids and watching their little eyes light with magic and wonder, but I have also worked very long hours and had almost no days off. Was it worth it? Absolutely! So much so, that I know we are doing it again next year; I know what I will be doing the same and what I will be doing differently...

I want next years Santa Time to be something different, amazing, and fun. I want children and parents alike to start wondering every year what we are going to do differently...I want there to be anticipation over it coupled with excitement...most of all, I want to make our Santa Experience just that an experience that will leave everyone with fond memories far into their futures. I am sure it is a tall order, but I am determined to make next year full of new memories.

This year sparked the First Annual Santa Drawing and we can tell you this much and by next year we definitely want to add a few more families to our visiting list. What a great moment in my business history! It was so rewarding and so fun that Santa and I knew immediately that we could easily visit other families on a Christmas Eve night as well with little difficulty and with greater enjoyment.

I know the kids were ecstatic, but I almost think we got the better end of the experience. I hope that they remember that moment in time for the rest of their lives and I am sure that I will! With this 2012 coming to its end, I have many more plans and holiday promotions happening in my mind even as I type out this blog. In fact, before Santa places his fur-trimmed cap upon his head in 2013, I think that everyone will be pleasantly surprised at what lies a head!

So if you haven't already stopped by to see me at DJMdesigns...come in and take a peak. We are little, but far from boring! Valentine's Day and Easter loom in the near holiday future...there are a few things that I have up my sleeves to make that special holiday or occasion worth all of the memories as those children grow older.

I am waiting....

...for all of the pictures to finish processing and as I look at each little face in each photo I catch myself smiling and reazing that 'just one more thing' that I want for our studio and Santa to be about for the kids for next year.  NEXT YEAR...yes that is a tall order there are eleven whole months before most folks start contemplating what is going to happen during the holidays, but I am finding out after this last minute Santa throw together what I want to keep, change, and add for the next year...AND just what it takes to make it all work.  

This Sunday was slow with one cancellation and a 'no show,' but that is okay...it gave me time to work on some photos for Monday orders.  I really love this work and where we are going in this community.  

So while many of you are busily shopping away or thinking about this year we are thinking about what next year might bring and who might be walking through our doors...  To next year...   

It's that Christmas Time of Year....

...at DJMdesigns Photography. Santa's Village (it isn't really a village yet, but we have high hopes for upcoming years) is in full force and as we maneuver through this new Seasonal Event we are finding that the vision that began it all is an ever changing process. Each new change brings about another set of ideas and concepts that hadn't previously been thought of before.

When the idea of Santa coming to our humble little studio came about, we thought of simple tasteful photos that parents would hang up at Christmas time each year. What we ended up getting were these amazing life experiences that seem to forever change the way we felt about Santa in general. Even more than that, it changed how I viewed my business. In fact, this whole move from my small home business into a studio has been more than a physical transitory process it has been one of the most amazing experiences (next to my children and marriage to my husband) of my life. It has become so much more than something I like to do, or even love to do. It is becoming something that I am beginning to appreciate on a much deeper level than I had ever anticipated.

Which brings me back to Santa, whose very presence has begun an incredible journey of not only fun moments with kids, but with incredible and amazing memories in our little studio. When I first envisioned my space, it was more of an idea to get my work out there into the public eye while still being able to offer affordable pricing in an unforgiving economy.

Now it is all about creating new experiences and moments with the people in the community that I live...it is about creating something that is special and not just with my pictures. It is about creating something within a community of people. Each whisper in Santa's ear, each tweak of Santa's nose, and every shiny eyed wonderment as little faces spy the jolly-faced man sitting in his giant chair waiting to hear what each child would like on that December 25th...Taking those standard upright photos with Santa became about capturing the moments of life where magic still exists and where there are purer and more wonderful things happening all around us.

Each click of the camera button, each shutter of the lens brings a whole new meaning to what I do each day and I am loving it. It is now when things are still pretty new for us in this venture that I realize that I want to create a photography studio reminiscent of simpler times, of times when the town photographer was part of the town in more than a pretty sign or colorful gimmick...We have already decided that Santa and the drawing (for those do not already know) that enters contestants in a chance to win a surprise visit from Santa on Christmas Eve to be something that we do every year. We hope in an effort to keep our prices low that we can build on this idea. That with each coming year, DJMdesigns will have something a little different and a little bigger than it was before. There is a lot to be said for keeping it simple and following a basic recipe.

I hope that all of you that have watched my business grow in the last few months continue to watch it grow and maybe you can even grow with DJMdesigns. There is a lot we want to do and we hope that we can give some of what we have gotten so far back to the place we live and to our neighbors very soon. Thanks so much, DJ