I’m exhausted. Just completely exhausted. 182 I’m exhausted. 

Just completely exhausted.

182 Black people have been killed by police since the day that George Floyd was murdered. Since the start of Derek Chauvin’s trail, police killed an average of three people a day, which added up to 64 people killed by the police. There have been more killings, not less. 

Last night, the police murdered a child. A CHILD. And this is NOT the first child murdered by the police. This isn’t even the first child murdered by the police THIS YEAR. 

As the wife of a teacher, I can tell you that we cut funding to education all the time. So why are so many people still not onboard with cutting funding for the police? What do they need more money for? So they can continue to murder people? There are way too many police officers on payroll who do not know how to do their jobs. And there are way too many others that are helping to cover this information up (not well, obviously). 

We would never let educators be this terrible at their jobs. 

We would never let doctors be this bad at their jobs. 

Hell, most of you can’t even deal with a barista not making your order “right”. 

But cops killing innocent civilians is fine? We are just going to accept that as a county?

The average white/non-Black person is not doing enough. Do more. Do better. Because we’ve been doing our part but white supremacy can’t be dismantled without the involvement of white people.
This accurately sums up my weekend. How was yours? This accurately sums up my weekend. How was yours?
It’s been a challenge to find joy this week. But It’s been a challenge to find joy this week. But Black Joy has been my mission. Most of the people in my life have been overwhelmed and exhausted by constant grief, fear, and disrespect. Many of us have been reminded of the times we were pulled over by cops for driving while Black or the times we’ve feared for our parents, siblings, children, cousins, and other friends and family members. Sometimes it feels like we are all stuck in this cycle, doomed to witness and experience Black suffering and trauma forever. I have to constantly remind myself that times haven’t changed but we ARE changing things. We have to. And until those changes really take place permanently, I’m choosing Black Joy whenever I can. Because Black Joy is resistance. 

Here’s where I was able to find joy this week:

🤍 Interviewing @majorcreates + @tiffanydbrown_, two dynamic and talented  Black women for @heartandhustlepodcast.

🤍 Long chats with @studio404design about everything under the sun. 

🤍 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and how unapologetically Black it is. 

🤍 Texting Marvel memes back and forth with @mmalikaj who is FINALLY obsessed with Marvel. My hard work has paid off! 👏🏽

🤍 Trying to recreate @eatatbento at home since we live in DC now. 

🤍 Reading The Gilded Ones. 

🤍 Knowing that @bohemianseoul is moving east! 

If you are Black, where did you find joy this week? If you aren’t Black, we’re you able to bring joy to a person who is Black this week or amplify a voice celebrating Black joy?
We receive hate, lies, injustice, and death. But We receive hate, lies, injustice, and death. 

But we deserve joy.

So many of us are reaching new levels of exhaustion because of the continued attacks on our community by those who are being paid to protect us. There are some days where our situation feels impossible. On those days, please take the time out to do one small thing that brings you joy. As Black people, we have to experience and carry so much trauma while living in this country. But we deserve joy. We deserve joy.
I’ve been spending every free moment chasing gor I’ve been spending every free moment chasing gorgeous blooms. I know they don’t last long so I’m trying to enjoy them as much as a can while they are here. It’s a great reminder to live in the moment and enjoy your life right now.
Lately I’ve been meditating, manifesting, and do Lately I’ve been meditating, manifesting, and doing a little bit of yoga before I even get out of bed. Yes, you heard that right, I do bed yoga. Doing these simple things before I leave the comfort of my bed have really been helping me feel like I can take on anything during the day. Do you do anything special in the morning that makes you feel more equipped to handle the day?
I’m so happy that the weather is consistently co I’m so happy that the weather is consistently cooperating and we can get out to explore more! I’m usually a homebody but being stuck inside this past winter has really made me appreciate every good weather day so much more than I ever have before. The best thing about being in a new city is that everything is new to me so even staying close to home feels like an adventure.
Drinking my way through Orlando with all the best Drinking my way through Orlando with all the best teas!🧋
Home is whenever I’m with you. 🤍🍵 @qreatec Home is whenever I’m with you. 🤍🍵 @qreatecoffee
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Uncategorized · May 20, 2015

WOMEN IN BUSINESS: Lauren from Elle & Company Design

Too often in our society, people picture men in their heads when they hear words like, “boss”, “entrepreneur”, or “CEO”. Being a small business owner has put me in touch with so many successful female business owners and entrepreneurs that when I hear these words, I often picture a woman or I just don’t assume anything at all. Women are obviously just as capable as men when it comes to the business world and it is high time that women business owners and entrepreneurs are more visible in the media in our society. This is where the idea for Women in Business was born. Women in Business is a bi-weekly feature that highlights female entrepreneurs and business owners. Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to learn more about small businesses in various fields, but it is a great shopping guide for supporting small businesses.

An Interview with Lauren from Elle & Company Design

Tell us a little bit about your business. When did you officially start your business? What exactly do you do and how long have you been doing it? 
I first started Elle & Company in January 2014, two years after I graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Visual Communication Design. It started as an online shop selling planners, but it quickly evolved into a service-based business focused on designing brands and websites for creative entrepreneurs. The Elle & Company blog has also become a fundamental part of my business, and I share tips and how-to’s on design, blogging, and business every weekday. I love working with other bloggers and small business owners, and I’m blessed to be able to do what I love full-time!
View More: http://andreapescephoto.pass.us/thesuite
How would you describe your personal design style?
Feminine, simple, and colorful. I’m a big fan of white space, classic typefaces, illustration, and pattern.
Do you have a favorite project you have worked on so far?
Each client and project is different, and so much thought, time, and effort goes into each one that it makes it hard to choose! Based on the feedback of blog readers and shares on social media, my most popular projects include the brands for the Bloom Workshop, Sincerely Amy Designs, Bulloss Photography, and Real Food Whole Life.
What are some of the challenges you experience from working at home?
I have the hardest time closing my laptop and calling it quits at the end of a workday. Because I don’t have to leave our Suite to go to the office, it’s very easy for me to start working as soon as I get out of bed, work through the day, and pick it up again right after dinner. Work easily creeps into other areas of my life because I work from home, and I’m learning just how important it is to set boundaries.
I’ve also found that some people don’t take my work as seriously when they find out I work from home. I make it a point not schedule coffee dates with friends during office hours, not to do housework like laundry or cleaning during office hours, and shower and get dressed at the beginning of each day. People are more likely to take you seriously when you take your work seriously.
View More: http://andreapescephoto.pass.us/thesuite
What was the best piece of advice you were given pertaining to your business?
“You’ll never get ahead by following.” The most successful brands and businesses are those that break the mold and come up with an original idea. It wasn’t until I started embracing my own aesthetic and differentiating my services that Elle & Company began to grow.
What are the top three things you could not run your business without?
My MacBook Pro, Adobe Illustrator, and Gmail. I use them multiple times a day and my work wouldn’t be possible without them.
View More: http://andreapescephoto.pass.us/thesuite
How do you define success as a business owner?
Success looks a little different for everyone, but for me it’s being able to do what I enjoy and make a living from it. However, I don’t feel like I have, or will, arrive. Part of business is constantly setting goals and dreaming bigger!
What/who inspires you and your work?
Because I work with other creative small businesses, I’m most inspired by my clients.
For instance, I’m currently working with a client who just bought an old country store with her husband in a rural, southern town. The store still sells coke from the bottle and pumps gas for its customers, and the new owners are hoping to restore the building and bring it back to life. My client’s excitement about all of the details is contagious, and I’ve been so inspired by all of her ideas and goals for this new venture.
View More: http://andreapescephoto.pass.us/thesuite
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to start a small business?
Passion isn’t enough. That sounds terrible and it isn’t always what new entrepreneurs want to hear, but in order to make your passion profitable, you have to have strategy and you have to make smart, intentional decisions. I lost money when I relied on passion alone, and it wasn’t until my husband, Jake, came on board and helped me strategize that Elle & Company became profitable. Passion is good, but passion and strategy lead to a successful small business.
View More: http://andreapescephoto.pass.us/thesuite
You can find Lauren here: Elle & Company Design | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |

In: Uncategorized · Tagged: business, entrepreneurship, small business, success, women in business, women in business interview

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Hi! I'm Charisma, a creative entrepreneur who loves to help others reach their full potential. I'm a photographer, a writer, and the owner of Kismet + Charisma, an online boutique that pairs minimalist, cozy, boho style with activism. In my little corner of the internet you'll find my latest travels, what I'm currently reading, how I practing Black joy as resistence, and how I'm finding hygge in my daily life. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea, and stay awhile.

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I’m exhausted. Just completely exhausted. 182 I’m exhausted. 

Just completely exhausted.

182 Black people have been killed by police since the day that George Floyd was murdered. Since the start of Derek Chauvin’s trail, police killed an average of three people a day, which added up to 64 people killed by the police. There have been more killings, not less. 

Last night, the police murdered a child. A CHILD. And this is NOT the first child murdered by the police. This isn’t even the first child murdered by the police THIS YEAR. 

As the wife of a teacher, I can tell you that we cut funding to education all the time. So why are so many people still not onboard with cutting funding for the police? What do they need more money for? So they can continue to murder people? There are way too many police officers on payroll who do not know how to do their jobs. And there are way too many others that are helping to cover this information up (not well, obviously). 

We would never let educators be this terrible at their jobs. 

We would never let doctors be this bad at their jobs. 

Hell, most of you can’t even deal with a barista not making your order “right”. 

But cops killing innocent civilians is fine? We are just going to accept that as a county?

The average white/non-Black person is not doing enough. Do more. Do better. Because we’ve been doing our part but white supremacy can’t be dismantled without the involvement of white people.
This accurately sums up my weekend. How was yours? This accurately sums up my weekend. How was yours?
It’s been a challenge to find joy this week. But It’s been a challenge to find joy this week. But Black Joy has been my mission. Most of the people in my life have been overwhelmed and exhausted by constant grief, fear, and disrespect. Many of us have been reminded of the times we were pulled over by cops for driving while Black or the times we’ve feared for our parents, siblings, children, cousins, and other friends and family members. Sometimes it feels like we are all stuck in this cycle, doomed to witness and experience Black suffering and trauma forever. I have to constantly remind myself that times haven’t changed but we ARE changing things. We have to. And until those changes really take place permanently, I’m choosing Black Joy whenever I can. Because Black Joy is resistance. 

Here’s where I was able to find joy this week:

🤍 Interviewing @majorcreates + @tiffanydbrown_, two dynamic and talented  Black women for @heartandhustlepodcast.

🤍 Long chats with @studio404design about everything under the sun. 

🤍 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and how unapologetically Black it is. 

🤍 Texting Marvel memes back and forth with @mmalikaj who is FINALLY obsessed with Marvel. My hard work has paid off! 👏🏽

🤍 Trying to recreate @eatatbento at home since we live in DC now. 

🤍 Reading The Gilded Ones. 

🤍 Knowing that @bohemianseoul is moving east! 

If you are Black, where did you find joy this week? If you aren’t Black, we’re you able to bring joy to a person who is Black this week or amplify a voice celebrating Black joy?
We receive hate, lies, injustice, and death. But We receive hate, lies, injustice, and death. 

But we deserve joy.

So many of us are reaching new levels of exhaustion because of the continued attacks on our community by those who are being paid to protect us. There are some days where our situation feels impossible. On those days, please take the time out to do one small thing that brings you joy. As Black people, we have to experience and carry so much trauma while living in this country. But we deserve joy. We deserve joy.
I’ve been spending every free moment chasing gor I’ve been spending every free moment chasing gorgeous blooms. I know they don’t last long so I’m trying to enjoy them as much as a can while they are here. It’s a great reminder to live in the moment and enjoy your life right now.
Lately I’ve been meditating, manifesting, and do Lately I’ve been meditating, manifesting, and doing a little bit of yoga before I even get out of bed. Yes, you heard that right, I do bed yoga. Doing these simple things before I leave the comfort of my bed have really been helping me feel like I can take on anything during the day. Do you do anything special in the morning that makes you feel more equipped to handle the day?
I’m so happy that the weather is consistently co I’m so happy that the weather is consistently cooperating and we can get out to explore more! I’m usually a homebody but being stuck inside this past winter has really made me appreciate every good weather day so much more than I ever have before. The best thing about being in a new city is that everything is new to me so even staying close to home feels like an adventure.
Drinking my way through Orlando with all the best Drinking my way through Orlando with all the best teas!🧋
Home is whenever I’m with you. 🤍🍵 @qreatec Home is whenever I’m with you. 🤍🍵 @qreatecoffee
Happy first day of spring! Most of the blooms aren Happy first day of spring! Most of the blooms aren’t out yet in the DC area but that didn’t stop us from spending every moment we could outside today. I am SO happy that winter is officially over and I can’t wait to twirl around under cherry blossoms in a few weeks.

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