Hey There, Lovely
Do you want to know what inspires me?
Giving Back.
Keep reading to discover how to be a part of the next event.
First, I want to share a little behind the scenes on the Great Wall of Kim. Greg Helmuth the architect, builder, designer, dreamer of the Great Wall of Kim fittingly named it such. He spent hours and hours pouring himself into this wall, and I thought it might be fun for you to see it’s progress.
THANK YOU, GREG!!
I dream that for those rainy, freezing, windy days this wall could be our rescue from the harsh weather. With white shiplap on one side and chocolate brown cork board on the other, this wall offers something for every season. Mini-Series Photoshoots are in the works for this Great Wall. Ask me how/when.
What Women Want Event was quickly renamed and rebranded to become Gather, Give, Grow.
Gather-Women gathering together
Give-Fundraising for various events
Grow-The topics we cover will focus on growing ourselves inside and out
I was honored to not only be asked to have my Photography Booth at this event but also speak.
Stop Comparing, Start Embracing
Here is my speech, or watch it here.
I am a photographer, and I am in a highly saturated market. If I looked at every photographer out there as competition, I would convince myself to go out of business. Because although there may not be a shortage of people who do what I do, no one does it exactly like me; not even my photography assistant who has her own business. I had to learn this the hard way. I almost missed out on a beautiful friendship because I was jealous of her opportunities, her talent, and her passion for photography.
Let me come back to that…
As women, we see other moms, wives, and entrepreneurs succeeding and making it look graceful. We get discouraged and begin to self-loath. We compare our contribution to our families and business,’ and we see ourselves falling short. Yet, we hold ourselves to an impossibly high standard whether we are putting calculators over our scale numbers or rolling our eyes at the mom who makes heart-shaped pancakes for her kids for valentines. We put so much pressure on ourselves to perform.
“Comparison is the thief of Joy.”
I think we have probably all heard this quote before, but I find myself whispering it as I scroll through Facebook and Instagram. Beautiful photos of food, doggies, and happy couples fill our feeds and our relationships suddenly look a little stale and so do the leftovers in the fridge we planned on nuking for dinner.
“We are comparing our behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel.”
I don’t know about you, but I can’t hear that quote enough.
If you only remember one thing from tonight, let it be that…
You Are Enough. You Are Loved.
Scripture tells us in Romans, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The best part of God’s love for us is it’s not contingent. There is no list of requirements to meet. He meets us right where we are and says, “You are precious to me. I designed you after my own image.”
This was a hard lesson for me to learn. Earlier I mentioned that I almost lost a new friendship because of my own stubbornness to not let anyone close after a bad first impression, which lead to further misunderstanding. The misunderstanding and miscommunications lead to judgments, and fear and comparison tipped the scales that lead toward ‘the conversation.’ We both had hurts; we had both prayed about the relationship; we both wanted to be creative, but kept finding ourselves tripping over what each other wanted. She was the one that kept extending the hand of friendship. She never gave up. Today, I’m proud to call her friend and my sister-in-law.
Although it took me longer to find the way, it was a lesson in comparison I will never forget. We have overcome and have a better understanding of what each other has endured.
And finally, I would like to close with this quote…
“Should you happen to be feeling low, I would like to share with you a couple of gentle reminders. 1. Take this moment to acknowledge your progress.
It’s easy enough to feel disheartened by the distance you still have left to go, but you must allow yourself permission to celebrate the tremendous distance you’ve come. 2. You matter to someone out there. Your mere existence is a miracle. You simply being here brings immeasurable joy and warmth to the world, and without question, it would be a much lesser place if you weren’t. 3. Find the courage to be softer with yourself –if you had a bad day and didn’t achieve all you would have liked, don’t strike yourself down with further guilt. Be brave enough to say you tried your best and will try again tomorrow. 4. You are impossibly precious. You have real purpose here and a unique mark to make.”
This event was unique in so many ways. No matter which event you attend, the experience will be different; different vendors and different speakers will add variety. If you have organization suggestions, a product you would like to offer that lines up with Gather, Give, Grow or if you just want to know when the next event will be held and how you can help, please contact Erica Schrock.
This Event aided Hope of Central IL
“The mission of HOPE is to empower persons to live independent, non-violent lives through the provisions of Housing, Outreach, Prevention, and Education. Provide emergency shelter and food at facility. Assist with legal issues/options. Provide 24hr crisis line. Assist families moving from shelter with household items. Public education. Counseling. FREE and confidential. Call 217-348-8815 for Shelter Manager – Linda Elder and Children’s advocates may be reached at 217-348-5931.”
I can’t tell you how incredible it was to meet such inspirational women at this event!
A massive round of applause to Erica Schrock & Dawn Ard for planning and hosting this fantastic event!
Sarah Thomas, Jamie Monts & Julie Kinert it was a blast!
XOXO, Klassic Photography
