FEATURED: CATHERINE GRACE

I met Catherine through the blogging community + she has blown me away with her design skills. She has such a bright future ahead of her! Enjoy through reading her interview. Thank you thank you thank you Catherine! 

Tell us a little bit about yourself! Hey, I'm Catherine and I'm a designer and photographer. I have a love for summer days, blueberry cheesecake ice-cream, heart to hearts with dear friends and summer bonfires. I'm tall, fiesty and very determined.

What are some of your "big dreams?" I have a lot of big dreams, but moving to the United States has got to be one of the biggest, and something I hope to make happen in the next 2 years. I would also love to get married and have kids one day.

What do you love most about being a blogger/artist? I love the creative community that I have the privilege of being apart of. I have met some of my closest friends thanks to having a blog and also I love being able to do what I love for a living.

What do you find most challenging about being in the creative industry? I know many creatives struggle with this but it can be very isolating being a creative, not because there isn’t a community but because the majority of us work from home and sometimes become incredibly focused on paying the bills that we forget to interact with people and not get guilty about having a night off.

Who are your biggest inspirations/style icons? I really look up to Emma Watson, she could have chosen to not work for the rest of her life yet she continued to follow her passions. I also really look up Kristen Leigh (www.imkristen.com), she is a talented photographer and writer and an encouragement to me because she also started her business really young! I also love Promise Tangeman’s (www.promisetangeman.com) style - an eclectic mix of comfort and class.

When you look around at the creative industry (blogging, photography, etc) right now, what do you see as pros and cons? Tough question. One of the biggest pros is that everybody is incredibly supportive of each other and celebrates each others achievements which is so encouraging to see and be apart of. The biggest con probably has to be that it can be incredibly exhausting working ourselves so hard, and I think many creatives forget they’re allowed to have a break and not think about their business for a week.

What has been the biggest and best piece of inspiration/advice you have received? Stay true to yourself, clean out your inbox regularly, set aside a day a week to have the day off and don’t be afraid to do what you love.

Find Catherine here! 

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. 

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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!! 

A COMMUNITY

Welcome. Welcome to this space, this community. You are indeed welcome and wanted here.

I grew up with two parents that cared deeply about my passionate heart. My dad tells the story of how when I was 6 and I wanted to teach a class called, “Little Ladders.” The point of this class?  I was apparently going to teach other 6 year olds how to jump through the rungs of a ladder that was laying on the ground. When I was 12, they listened to me dream about being a wedding photographer. When I brought up the idea for a book, they were behind me 100%. They have never doubted me, never discouraged me, and never questioned God’s call for me. I am forever grateful to them for that. I am grateful to Jesus because He gave me and continues to give me everything in my life that I need. It’s all good, and I am indebted to Him for His mercy + grace. (I know, this is sounding like an Oscar speech. But without Jesus + my parents, I wouldn’t be anywhere. I know that for a fact.) I attribute a lot of why I am a dreamer to my support system growing up. I am a wannabe full time adventurer. I hope that you all have a support system. People that love you and want the very very best for you and push you further and higher. If you don’t, I hope and pray that this place becomes that for you. A comfortable, safe haven to be creative and be inspired to accomplish the things you set your mind to.

The book, also titled Unfolding Passions, is set to be published in the Spring of 2015. This won’t be a “blog to book” kind of deal, but more of a culmination of what this next year holds. A coming together of ten young people (or groups of young people!) that represent the message behind Unfolding Passions. The book will be a tangible, hold in your hands way for us to get the message out, the message of passionate people doing what they love.

The idea for this community has been swirling around in my head for a few years now but it wasn’t until last Christmas that God gave me the idea to write, or photograph, a book. To write a book has been one of my dreams for a long time, and I am so excited that it is coming about. Thank you for going on this journey with me!

There’s just few rules for this space. ;) Comment and engage with these posts, share this site with your friends, and email me your stories. This is a COMMUNITY and I want to involve each and every one of you. I really don’t want it to be me talking the whole time which is why I’ll be featuring other young creatives (and maybe some “older” creatives too ;)). If you have something to say, say it! I have huge dreams for this place. I look forward to building it together.

xoxo
Ellie