New Website!!!

I am so happy to announce that I've launched my sparkly new website, Trotter Creative. Please go visit me there, learn about the creative projects I'm working on, and get in touch. I will no longer be posting at this site, so please bookmark my new site to keep up with all my happenings. I started this little blogspot blog back when I was heading to graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin. Lots of good, challenging posts here. And I hope to continue to post more stories like that on my new site. You'll get to learn about my creative process, and I'll even share some fun tips and tricks for good design. Go take a look around - trottercreative.com - and let me know what you think!

Finally.

I finally leaped. I designed and ordered my new business cards. Yes. I sat my ass down and finally did it. The cards will be classic. I didn't want a 'logo' for myself...just a nice, timeless look and feel that will tell my future clients, "Hey, I'm a simple gal with a clean look. Hire me and you'll get something beautiful."

I also ordered some nice, black envelopes and thank you notes to go along with my branding. They'll look smashing. I'm expecting them back from the printer at the end of next week, so I might be a little busy mailing some goodies to some fine folks in the area.

Oh, and of course, they're letter pressed. I'm a tactile junkie, so I had to make my cards and notes feel gooooood. Like. Real gooooooooood.

Photos to come.

Motivators

What motivates you to work? My top three motivators have changed quite a bit since my very first job out of graduate school. At that point, I was making enough for me and Mabel (my Westie dog cohort) to live by, and I was the recipient of free cable leftovers from the previous tenant. (I almost lost it when the cable finally turned to fuzz.) At work I was pretty low, actually...the lowest, on the totem pole, and was an eager young woman with a Master's Degree in advertising. (Hint: when you finish grad school you might not necessarily make a hefty salary.)

I actually remember my first winter living in Tulsa. My little 4-plex apartment was built in the early 1900s, had an old, creaky floor furnace and drafty windows. My bedroom didn't stay warm whatsoever. My mom came to town to take me to dinner, and insisted we stop by Target afterward to 'pick up a few things.' I needed laundry detergent and milk, but as we passed the bedding section, mom stopped and put a giant, king-sized fleece blanket in our basket. She then proceeded to find a space heater. She informed me that her job as a mother was to make sure I wasn't hungry or cold. I cried in the middle of Target. Not my finest moment, but one of my most memorable with momma.

My boss had asked me to send her my top three motivators for working. Top motivator? Money. I wanted to get paid more. I didn't really care much for pats on the back or high fives - those didn't keep me full. I can't recall what my other two were, but I'm sure they were petty and puerile.

Fast forward to Friday. I had a meeting with my current boss and I decided to share my top motivators as a working woman today. I may have grown up a bit with my list. (PS - she didn't ask me to bring my top motivators to her - I simply wanted her to be aware of what lights a fire under me. I recommend you do the same with your boss!)
1. Advancement. Whether it be title, added responsibilities or taking on new projects, I want to advance with this group of health care professionals. I can see myself here for many years, and I hope to gain more understanding each day with what our role is in society, and what patients can expect from us.
2. Recognition. I am now to the point in my career that when I receive a "Job Well Done" email, I become very proud of what I've accomplished. Being recognized for my contributions in this role is very important to me.
3. Creative Allowance. Yes. In a very structured health care world, I still hope to be offered creative flexibility with my marketing efforts. I drove this point home, because now I don't do any graphic design during my day job. I simply market, and I'm happy with that. It's just that I'm missing a little bit of creativity now and again. So. Now my boss knows that any creative opportunities that come up will be eagerly approaced by me.

I'm happy that I shared my motivators at my desk job. I'll spend some time thinking about what motivates me with my design business, because I'm sure those points are night and day different.

Now your turn. Think about what motivates you. What fuels your engine?

Creative Betterment

Sometimes, with creativity, projects are left unfinished, blog posts unposted, books left unwritten.

Two of my favorite creative women and I are starting a group called Creative Betterment. This group will help maintain momentum for creative projects, and help hold each other accountable to finish or polish our projects as best as we can. We will do creative exercises, share articles on productivity/creativity, give “homework” to help grow each other as creative women.

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Here is the email I sent to my cohorts:

Hey Rachel – so I’ve been toying around with the idea of starting a small, women’s creative support group. This group will meet every other week to discuss personal or work-related creative projects. This could be anything from writing a book to building a new website to marketing a new project to designing a new logo. Even sewing projects or interior design ideas! Really, anything goes, as long as it’s creative.

The meetings will be 90 minutes. 20 minutes to catch up and chit-chat, 60 minutes to discuss projects (each person gets an equal amount of time) and 5-10 minutes in the middle of that to take a restroom break/grab a coffee drink. We’ll meet at various coffee shops, cupcake stores, homes, etc. The locations should be fluid to evoke new senses and inspire us.

Sometimes, with creativity, projects are left unfinished, blog posts unposted. This group will help maintain momentum for creative projects, and help hold each other accountable to finish or polish our projects as best as we can. We can do creative exercises, share articles on productivity/creativity, give “homework” to help grow each other as creative women.

So, Kristen Wright and I are going to have our first meeting soon. Would you like to be a part of our creative support group? You always have fantastic ideas, and are always thinking of new creative ventures (hello, Cheesebox!). I know you could contribute a lot to our group. I know you’re busy, but it’s also good to get out for fresh air once in a while. :)

What do you think?



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Our first gathering is this Wednesday at my house. We're having a potluck, and I couldn't be more excited to see how this group grows. Wish us luck, and let us know if you'd like to join our family!

Saddles. Back in them.

Well. It's time for a return. A return from my blogging silence and a return to sharing my creative pursuits. A few things I'm currently working on...

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Starting a Creative Support Group for OKC women. We'll gather once a month (for now) to share our creative projects, provide encouragement for each other and offer advice/other points of view.

Designing a logo for a local dental practice. Real talk: I despise going to the dentist, so this project is helping me dig deeper into how dentists can make patients feel GOOD and happy. I'll be eager to share my progress in the logo design and finalization.

Organizing my home office, which has finally been redone. (Trumpets and angels singing right now!) Jeff and I spent about a week ripping up carpet, painting walls, laying floor (OK, I didn't lay the flooring, but whatever) and introducing a sweet, vintage mint green metal desk to the room. It's a really inspiring spot in our home now, and I can't wait to add photos and art to the walls to complete the look. I'll share some progress shots with you.

Removing myself from Facebook. Yes. I've been eager to leave the social network for a while now, and by deleting the app from my iPhone and iPad, I can finally see that it's not hard to live without it. I'll have the occasional friend say, "Did you see my photo from ______ that I put on Facebook??!" Um, no. I haven't been on that site for at least two months now, and I like it. I still tweet and Instagram, but I learn from those sites. I learn about (unbiased) news, I learn about beautiful moments captured by a camera and I learn how brevity is most times best. "So, if you think Facebook is too public and folks share way too much, why the hell are you blogging again??" Because I'm focusing more each day on my design career, and I believe sharing some of my heart could score me a client or two. Or some new graphic design friends around the webs. Plus, I like sharpening my creative axe, and dreaming of new posts could possibly lead to some inspiration.

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I'll be moving this blog from Blogger to Wordpress with the help of my bestie, Kristen. I hope to connect this blog back to my design website, trottercreative.com, to show any potential clients what I'm about. So, it's good to be back, and I hope to inspire with creative projects, happy thoughts and adventures in my world.

Our Save the Date

Hi friends! It's been a while. Months, really. I've decided to blog about our wedding, engagement, invitations, etc. before moving on to what's currently going on in our Trotter family world, which is a lot! So, without further anticipation, let's get a move on with our fun Save the Date.

Jeff and I had discussed sending out paper STDs (I know, but it's getting annoying to type 'save the date'...STD it is) and we determined it'd be more affordable, more personal and more fun to make a video! Cue my bestie's husband, Jake Wright. He's a smart video guy with tons of knowledge and creativity.

I cut up tons of confetti (see the remains here?) and grabbed our fan and went nuts. Millie and Mabel (our awesome pups) were out of control - they were eating confetti and flailing around our old rent house like they had eaten 2lbs of crack. It was hilarious.

 Jeff and I wanted to share the vibe that "Hey guys, this wedding is going to be a massive party!" by the video alone. Of course, our regular wedding invitations would convey this as well, but this video would be the first thing our friends and family would see to announce our big day.  Now, enjoy this little jewel. I'm so proud with how it turned out - Jake did a stellar job and we're stoked we were able to play with confetti for a day. (PS - I wish confetti was thrown around me after a great day...it makes me so happy!)


Emily & Jeff - Save the Date from Jacob Wright on Vimeo.

So, there you have it. The first piece to our fun little wedding puzzle. Hooray!

Thoughtfulness.

Thoughtfulness for others, generosity, modesty, and self-respect are the qualities which make a real gentleman or lady. -Thomas H. Huxley

As the wedding quickly approaches (41 days!), I find it quite appropriate to write about thoughtfulness. Not just thoughtfulness for Jeff and I focusing on our upcoming nuptials, vows and commitment, but thoughtfulness on behalf of other people in our lives. Jeff and I are fortunate to have amazing, kind friends and family surrounding us leading to the most important event of our existence. People who selflessly give up part of their Saturday or Sunday, who write kind words in cards, who throw us wedding showers, who spend hours making something beautiful for our home, who offer advice to a long and happy marriage. It's hard to put into words how much it means to me when someone will give up their evening or afternoon to watch me rip into wrapping paper. (I've been on the other side watching the bride...it's ok...I know it's boring!) When I look back at the showers our friends and "families"* threw us, I get teary-eyed and completely enamored with how thoughtful these folks are. These families are who will lift us up when we have our struggles. They will remind us of the vows we took on our wedding day. They will also remind us how incredibly perfect we are for each other. They will watch us raise our own family. They will be our community, our sounding board, our hope. It's overwhelming the impact they will have on our marriage, and it's something Jeff and I can't live without.

*We have many families outside our biologicals. The OSU tailgate family, the Muskogee Golf family, the Eufaula Lake family, the best friend family, etc. These people have had influence on us beyond what we can even appreciate. We love our families with our whole hearts.

I'll be honest. When Jeff and I began the wedding planning last summer, we were almost completely set on having a teeny, tiny ceremony in my parent's backyard. We wanted a very intimate ceremony, and let's face it, I'm an emotional wreck, so I thought it best to limit the witnesses. Bridesmaids, groomsmen and immediate family only. This was the deal. We had it worked out. And then something happened. We began to make our list - "Well, we can't forget them, oh, or the so-and-so's...they have to be there!" and so on and so on. We started to realize all the impact our friends and family-friends had on us growing up. I'm not saying we just invited our whole dang hometowns, no...we invited the people we knew would support us and our vows. We invited those who have watched us grow into the adults we are, who have grown up with us and who will cheer us on with happy hearts. These families of ours mean more to me now than I've ever realized. It's funny how one little wedding can completely turn your heart into mush and overwhelming love. We are definitely feeling the warmth and we couldn't be happier!

This day will be the absolute pinnacle of my life, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness of all who have given me a hug, written me marriage advice, helped with wedding crafts, watched me try on dresses, listened to me talk about my dress, come to a shower, offered a kind word and offered to help. It shows your heart and that is something I will always, always remember you for.

Letterpress! Pressing Letters!

It’s 10:47 on a Friday night and we’re not out on the town, not at a concert, not at a basketball game…we’re doing something MUCH more exciting. (Well, I’m doing something more exciting…Jeff is watching the Thunder get their butts whooped.)  This is like wiggle around for 3 days exciting.

I have sent in a beautiful file to a wonderful company called Boxcar Press. This file will be made into a letterpress plate, which will get shipped back to me on Tuesday. I’ll be able to hand-make our very own letterpress wedding invitations! Oh gosh, this is going to be neat. 

(This is letterpress via OhHappyDay! – the design is pressed deep into thick, cotton paper, leaving a crisp, beautiful image. Ah, it’s so pretty.)

I’ll give you some background on why this process and product are so important to me – I am a very tactile person. I love getting/giving hugs, I love massages, my love language is touch, I feel my way through the store as I shop for clothes, I enjoy textured things, etc. Well, my sister, being the awesome lady she is, got me a littleDIY letterpress machine for Christmas 2010. I haven’t letterpressed anything too important so far…basically been practicing on scrap paper until I can get to our wedding invites. Since I don’t have too much experience, don’t judge too hard if your invitation has little imperfections. Consider them proof that I’m learning a new craft and someday I can make you neat stationery.

I won’t give any hints on the design because I want you to be surprised when you get your piece of mail, but know this…our wedding invitations are going to be really sweet, different, touchy, pretty and perfect for our shindig in May. I’m really excited to see them! Like, wiggle around excited! :)

Future.

Went to my second PRSA OKC chapter meeting this afternoon and got pretty inspired to make (pardon me) shit happen at work.  I'll be completely honest, after New Year's, I haven't been the most motivated, compelled or even excited to get to work in the mornings.  I would much rather scuff around the house in my robe, drinking a tasty hot tea.  I'm too young to be this boring. 

I think a good jolt of energy will come next Monday, when we're finally housed in our original location - a cool, old fire station.  Back in June, our offices got completely ruined by a crazy flood.  Crazy as in helicopter-people-rescues-crazy.  The flood day, the day of despair and tragedy for the Arts Council, was my first day of work.  Talk about a bad omen, huh?  "Turn baaaack!"  "Do not enterrrrr!"  Haha, I just imagine little ghosts flying around the old building yelling at me.

Here's a gorgeous photo of some flooded nastiness. 

So, back to this coming Monday.  We're moving into a freshly-renovated office space with all new Ikea furniture, great lighting, polished concrete floors, new paint, etc.  It might be just what I need to shake me up a bit so I don't get too far-removed from the duties of my job.  I really do enjoy it here - great folks, great events, even greater hours.  I'll be happy to have a 'new' home. 

Wedding Design Struggle

Out of everything involved in planning the coolest wedding in the world, the absolute hardest task for me is determining how to design our save the dates/invites/stationery.  Surprised?  Yeah, me too.  I've done plenty of wedding designs for friends, colleagues and even strangers.  I have about fifteen thousand ideas floating around in my head, but for some reason, I'm having a difficult time harnessing my thoughts and cranking out a great wedding suite.  Trust me, I am frustrated beyond my ends.  I even (gasp!) thought about asking a friend to do them so I'd quit racking my brain.  I think this comment from one of my design pals made me even more nervous!  (It honestly made me laugh/relax a bit...thank you, Jeff Clark.)

I had zero tough time figuring out my flowers, cake, dress (OK, maybe a little bit of searching!), the date, etc, etc, etc.  Finally, Mr. Level-Headed-Trotter said, "Em, whatever you make will be great.  You just need to sit down and actually get the save the dates done.  Then we'll work on the invitations."  Deal.

I've ordered our paper and envelopes, and, pat on our backs, they're made of 100% recycled materials.  Green is good, folks.  Then tonight I decided we needed a cute little return address stamp, which will be used long after the wedding is over.  And, friends, it's so much more affordable to order a stamp (think of all the fun colors!) than to print your return address on your envelopes.  The latter costs more because your print house has to run them through a special press - the cost could probably start at $55, maybe more.  Anyway, I love stamps and here's where I ordered ours.  I got 2 and my total was about $24.  Boom.

We're also giving away little treats at the end of the evening in sweet little bags, so we thought stamping on those could be neat, too.  While I won't show you the save the date design just yet, I will show you our two little stamps.  Simple, clean, yes.  At least my hamster wheel is turning...we'll see how it all turns out!  (Turns?  Get it???  Oh, nevermind.)

Kids.

No, I'm not prego, nor will I be for many years.  (Calm down, mom.)  This post is about kids in weddings.  I love watching kids in other people's weddings - they trip, they dance around, the kick things, they yell, they get paid to stand still.  It's hilarious to watch these little humans go nuts after putting on a cute and tiny outfit.  They're sent down the aisle with such freedom..."No one is holding my hand, OH MY GOSH I'm going to sprint now!  Then drop-kick this pillow!  Then probably scream a little bit!  YES!"  It is great.

Another darling thing about kids in weddings is this:

VIA Style Me Pretty

Those dresses are absolutely gorgeous.  What sweet little kids.  EVEN BETTER, you can have the kids in your wedding dress according to your wedding venue.  For example, my sister, Kelly, got married in sunny Mexico.  What better ring bearer to have than a pirate?  Yes.  A pirate walked down her aisle...sword attached.  It was genius and really special.  Everyone laughed. What a hoot.

Jeff and I had considered having kiddos in the wedding.  They could wear little Ray Bans and be rock 'n roll - a nod to our venue, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.  We're just not sure if we'll do it - yes, we have some really cool kids in our lives (cousins' babies!) and yes, they'd be awesomely cool.  Just one of those little decisions that is in the back of my mind!  Anyone have any thoughts??? 

 

iPhone

Anyone know if there is a blog app for the iPhone? I'd like to update this thing right on my phone.

Dude Rings.

Lately I've been exploring the fun possibilities for kickass rings for Jeff. He gets a little circle of trust. Can't wait to give it to him.

Anyway, Jeff's in construction. He builds things. He gets dirty. His hands are man-hands with either paint, blood, glue or dust on them...always. He doesn't need/want anything fancy.

But look what I found today. This might be the most perfect ring for him. It's made of concrete. Yes, concrete. That says "man ring" all over it.

Best Sounds.

One of my all-time favorite songs.  Ryan Adams does a marvelous job covering Alice in Chains...that steel guitar just kills it.  Ah, I could melt every time I hear this.  Love it.

Engagement Photos

First off, I have the best sister and bro-in-law ever.  Really, ever.  Kelly and Carl gave the coolest, most thoughtful wedding gift to us the day we got engaged.  Jeff and I were floored when they told us they'd set us up with Chris Humphrey to shoot some engagement photos!  Jeff and I weren't really planning on doing these since we're on a budget.  It was such a sweet, darling surprise to us!  So thankful for them!

So, the day finally arrived (after being reschedule due to sunscreen-inflicted rash...yeah, that was fun) for us to take the engagement pictures.  Jeff got some new costumes, I did my hair and, let's be honest, we looked good.  We were psyched and ready to get shot.

We decided it would be special if we went somewhere with meaning, somewhere with neat backgrounds and somewhere outdoors.  So, we decided it'd be great to shoot at Jeff's grandparent's land east of Edmond.  With our boots on, we wandered in fields, got mosquito bites, climbed on trucks and had a blast.  I'm really happy with the outcome - Chris did a great job and I can't wait to get a few of these puppies printed and hung in our little casa. 

Here's just a little taste.  More to come later!

Not about the wedding.

I know, basically all that's on my brain right now is the wedding, but I also have LOTS going on in other departments.  My professional life, for example, is wonderful.  I'm enjoying my job with the arts council and I'm getting to do some wicked good freelancing work.  I'm LOVING it. 

I just met with my (second) cousin, Mallory McCormick to discuss her future business venture - Fit to Be Bride, a personal training business that gets brides in shape for their big day.  We're working on a trade deal where they'll shape me up (hello, testimonials!) and I'll design their business suite, logo, etc.  I'm eager to get this on the ground since I've done more wedding suites than business identity work.  It'll be a very welcomed change of pace.

One thing I enjoy when meeting with a client is to discuss what they think their business should "feel" like.  For example, I ask the question "If your business were a ______, it would be..."  Insert the word "animal," "song," "character from Arrested Development" and you've got a great idea of the vibe the business is going for.  Let the business owner really steep on this idea.  They'll start understanding that designing an identity isn't all about the fonts and colors...it's about what feel they're trying to convey.  It's a fun little exercise I use often...even for the wedding! :)

Blah.

This blog needs a redesign.  I'm thinking about options.

Date.

As far as planning a wedding goes, I have little to no experience. If anything, I 'assisted' my sister with her Mexican beach wedding by offering my opinion on whether they should move the wedding indoors to avoid certain rainy weather. I gave my advice, "Keep it on the beach," she did and things were peachy keen. Not a rain drop.


So, there is my wedding planning background. Sure, I design invitations, programs, save the dates, etc., but no clue on planning. Thus, I'm presented with a challenge: plan the coolest wedding for Jeff + Emily. The Grob-Trotter wedding. Make it epic, unique and insanely special.


With the assistance of my creative genius mother, we have a few things nailed down. All of which I'm THRILLED about. First, our date. May 21, 2011. It's not too soon, not too far away, and it's in spring (my request). I'll be swamped at my new job all of March + April while we plan + execute the Festival of the Arts...it's huge and I'm told I'll be a little busy. No need to throw wedding stuff in the middle of that, so late-May won the battle of the months. Plus, the wedding is the weekend before Labor Day. Extra vacation day for the honeymoon? Yes, please.


Second thing I'm pee-my-pants happy about is that we booked the fabulous Sarah Rhoads + her hubby to shoot the gig. If you're not familiar with her work, do some jaw-dropping on her blog. She's an Orange Peel friend of mine, and she's the best in the biz. Can't believe we've got her booked!


Thirdly, we wanted our wedding/reception venue to be very personal to us, something funky and with an awesome vibe. We found it. Jeff + I are getting married with our favorite Okies at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee! It's an old, rickety train depot with exposed brick walls, green cargo load-in doors and a hardwood floor that has seen many years of wear and tear. It's perfect and I can't wait to transform it.


So, there you have it. Three things down, about a million to go! Jeff has his little list going too - find us a killer band, do some woodcutting and drilling for centerpieces, get a costume suit, etc. It's gonna be a DIY wedding with lots of personality. I'll be sure to share my adventures on here from here on out. I can't wait to marry this guy!

Moving!

And even more news comes down the pipe. Three days after Jeff proposed I was offered a job in Oklahoma City! I had applied and interviewed for a gig with the Arts Council of Oklahoma City...and I got it. It's working out, baby!

Oh, and I'll be the communications director. Director. Crazy!

My last day at the BOK Center is this Friday. It certainly is bittersweet, and let me tell ya, it was a tough decision to leave. I cried. A lot. But, I know in my heart that the OKC thing worked out insanely perfect for a reason. I'll certainly miss it here...all the action, all the coworkers, all the awesome shows.

But, it's time for me to take my new knowledge/experiences and trek on to the new job. I'm nervous and excited all at once...just one big ball of "AH!" but in a good way. If you work in OKC, please, let's do lunch! I'm eager to find my new favorite lunch spots. :)

Now, life, no more news, OK??? I think I've reached my quota for this year.

Sparkly.

I am soooooooo happy to blog that Jeff and I got engaged last Sunday!!!!! (I give 5 exclamation points there because the usual 3 won't do for this news.) Here's about how it went down. A few things to know: we bought a scooter a few weeks back. It was around 12:30am Sunday, May 23. I had a headache and was wearing my pajamas. Jeff kept asking why I didn't want to go out. Headaches aren't the most fun accessory when going out, Jeff. Our dogs were being so loud and 'fighting' all around the apartment. Basically, I never saw this conversation coming...

J: We need to get you something to wear while you're riding the Vespa.
M: Like a costume?!? Ha ha!
J: .....or a ring.
M: *in complete shock* *crying* *laughing at the conversation* *trying super hard to concentrate on everything amazing Jeff was saying*

Of course, this is the only part of the conversation I can remember besides him asking me to marry him. I've heard this from many people, "I had NO clue what he said, but he asked me!" Therefore, I was realllllly trying to concentrate on the poor kid who was pouring his heart out to me. At least I tried!

J: Will you marry me?
M: OF COURSE! *more crying/laughing*
J: Well, will you look at the ring already?
M: *more complete shock at how freakin' awesome this ring is*

So, there it is! I'm engaged to my sweetie pie! Jeff is the shaggy-haired kid I had a crush on freshman year, thanks to our mutual friend Clark, who introduced us back then at OSU. That was 7 years ago, people. 7 years. I always said that Jeff was the nicest guy I ever met at OSU...and now he's gone and topped his niceness. We rekindled our friendship our senior year, and Jeff pursued me again. This time included taking me on dates!

We decided to make it work while I was in graduate school for 2 years in Austin, and we've made it work the past year while I lived in Tulsa with him down the road in OKC. I'm almost positive we've mastered the art of communication...good communication, and with that, we can survive anything. I'm thrilled that he'll be my hubby!!! We're going to have a great, happy, laid-back wedding with our favorite people in the world.

I am so blessed to have Jeff in my life. The nicest, hottest, most talented builder, creative, loving guy. I love this man and I'm so beyond happy that we're going to be a family. Is he awesome? He's pretty awesome.

Here's the "Ring of Power," as Jeff calls it. :)