Thursday, June 26, 2014

FEATURED: MORGAN ELISE




My name is Morgan Elise. I started becoming interested in blogging when I was thirteen years old. I had no idea what blogging really was, nor did I know how many people were doing it. I was just blogging random Youtubes, some snap shots of my cat or pictures from a movie I just watched. I had the old polka dot template and gadgets strewn all over the place.

I made lots of blogs for fun, then gave up on them. In 2011 I became reintroduced to blogging. My creative juices were flowing, and I wanted to try again! I wanted to be a successful blogger, I wanted to become a photographer and graphics designer. But... I didn't know anything. AT ALL. I stared in awe at other bloggers' designs, wondering how the heck they did that. I didn't know anything about HTML at that point, but I wanted to learn. One of my friends knew a little bit, and she introduced me to some basics. After I got the basic basics down, I started emailing other bloggers that I admired, asking them how they did an image link in HTML. If I got a response email, it would not contain the answer I was looking for. Then I came across a blogger, Abby from Restless, and she helped me learn, step by step, how to make an image link. I was thrilled and oh so thankful I had found someone to help me. I still am very grateful. It's amazing how one act of kindness can actually change the course of someone's life. ** Note from Ellie: This is so true! You never know how much of an impact you can be on people, even in the little things!** By learning that basic image link step, I was able to learn and understand more HTML which still helps me to this day. In 2012, I started a group blog. I didn't have any real manifesto for it except that I wanted it to be a place to share arts, crafts and photography with other girls. A few weeks ago, I noticed the blog had become quite vacant and the design didn't look right. I started having the idea of a new purpose for the blog. Inspired by the lack of resources I had when I first started, I decided to make it a place for beginning photographers, graphic designers and bloggers. Though I am by no means a pro, I know enough to help beginners move forward. I do a blog/HTML/design tutorial every Tuesday, along with photography tips and tricks twice a month. I have added several other features, but my purpose is to help others. Like the girls who helped me. 

---

I believe that everyone has an important story to tell, no matter where you are in your life. If you have a story to tell or a journey to share, please let me know! I would love to feature as many people as I can on this blog. :) Just email me at unfoldingpassions(at)gmail(dot)com or click on the "Submit" button in the sidebar for more details! 

Also, I need your help with sharing this blog + message! If you feel inclined to (and I would appreciate it greatly!) share the link to this blog on social media. All of my links are in the sidebar. Feel free to tag me in it so that I can see it! Thank you thank you thank you!! 

Thursday, June 12, 2014

ON QUITTING



I got a text from a friend last night. "This week has been crazy. I feel like quitting everything." Haven't we all been there? If you don't raise your hand, you're wrong. ;) 

I hadn't planned on sharing my story today but that text got me thinking. Everyone feels like quitting at one time or another, everyone gets discouraged, and everyone wonders where their life is going. It's a part of success. Two years ago, I met my now best friend Ashley. We had very similar dreams and goals in life and a few months into our friendship, we had an idea. We wanted to start a non-profit organization that raised awareness of celiac disease, we called it C4. We had the first steps laid out, we made a promo video for the organization, got involved in social media, and were ready to move forward. Except we didn't.

We literally waited for three months, trying to figure out what Step 2 was. We asked people for their ideas, kept getting involved in social media, even went to a "Celiac Walk." Nothing. Happened. I personally was discouraged. It had seemed like this was everything we had ever wanted! Why wasn't it working? Why was every email coming up empty? Why was our progress being stopped by an invisible wall? I remember saying to her, "We're stuck on Step 1. We can't move our feet up to Step 2. It's just not there." 

Well long story short, we weren't supposed to be doing C4. We realized it wasn't working for a reason. Now, a year later, I'm finally seeing why it didn't work out and why exactly God stopped us in our tracks. I went on to start teaching photography workshops, and now I'm writing a book! Ashley is in cosmetology school pursuing her dream of being a hair + makeup stylist. You might say, "You wasted all that time on something that didn't even work!" Did we waste our time? I've been thinking about that. Because of C4, we know what we are not supposed to be doing. We are better friends because we did it together. We learned about relating to people, using social media, and marketing yourself. 

So moral of the story? When you feel like quitting, or something isn't working, don't give up. There is a reason and you WILL succeed in what you are supposed to succeed in. If you throw in the towel, you'll never know what could have happened. There's a good quote that ties this up. "Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use." (Earl Nightingale) 

Do you have any "I succeeded because I 'failed'" stories? If so, share them in the comments. :)