Where this all came from...

I thought I should share the story from start to finish. I graduated from college in December of 2007 with a degree in English and a second major in photojournalism. I was rather sick of photography for a while and my camera sat in storage collecting dust. Soon after I found a job in the spring of '08, my hands yearned to click a shutter again.

And then the wheels started to turn. What could I do with my photography that did not involve newspapers (which I don't like and are going under anyway) or magazines (which are hard to get a job with) or a print photographer (who lives in a cardboard box on pb&j sandwiches, unless you're famous of course)? What sells consistently and implements my photography? What can I do that will mean something to me?

I'm not really sure how it came to me, but suddenly I knew. Cards! And from there it grew to postcards, bookmarks, stationery, and many other ideas. I hit the ground running and spent a few months researching how to run a business. And on April 4, 2009 I opened up shop.

I truly love doing this. And I'm so happy to have found my niche.

You can contact me at my etsy store, www.iamalive.etsy.com
Or at my email, amie_photos at hotmail.com

I was featured!!!

I was featured in a blog post at www.foundhandmade.com!!!!! They just sent me an email and said I was featured, what a great surprise after a most annoyingly, exhausting Friday!

You can check it out here...http://www.foundhandmade.com/news/itemize

Just look for the April 24th post titled "Sweet Post." They picked my Twister 2 Postcard.

Yay!

Advertising

I'm spending a lot of my time watching the shop and looking into advertising opportunities. Obviously the shows I'm going to should help. I have a few others to look at. But I'm also posting in the forums, and considering actually PAYING for some ads.

Wow, putting out money to get it? That sounds crazy to me at the moment, but I know it's what works. I'm hesitant and am researching thoroughly.

I also applied for my tax license, woohoo!

Hopefully soon I will have the kits together to sell wholesale to a few shops. That would be the ultimate for me right now.

Model-A Swap Meet

I am taking my cards and bookmarks to the Model-A Swap Meet on May 2. They are having a boutique for the ladies of the group and I have reserved a table. If anyone wants to check it out it's in Elizabeth, Colorado at Casey Jones Park. You can find out more at www.rockymountainmodelaclub.org.

Also, I am donating a print to Dressage for the Cure. That silent auction and show is held at the Norris Penrose Event Center April 24, 25, and 26. You can find out more info about that at www.csdressage.org.

Steam

I'm kind of losing steam while plugging up the hill. I can't seem to go to sleep at night because I'm so excited, but not much is happening with the shop right now so I'm basically just sitting here!

I'm also quite frustrated because I took some pictures today with my long lens and...grrrr! The best pictures are out of focus, and it's just annoying. I need new equipment, but where does that money come from?

So I'm down right now. But that's the way of it, right?

First Sales!

My first sale was tonight (along with 3 others)! I am beyond excited about this. I did not expect to sell anything for months, and here I have four bookmarks on their way to customers. I am really feeling the love. So I can mark this major milestone off my list. We'll see how it goes from here.

I have only listed my bookmarks so far, but tomorrow I plan on adding some postcards. And maybe a few regular cards.

I think my husband is very happy for me, but I definitely need to set aside certain times to work on all this. I've basically been spending ALL my time this weekend on it.

Here I come world! I hope you're ready, because I totally am.

Grand Opening!

Welcome to the blog of I AM Alive. I am extremely excited tonight because I am finally able to open up shop.

Let me start with introducing what I'm doing. I'm a photographer. And a few months ago I had the itch to do something with that hobby/love. I graduated from college in December of 2007 and hadn't touched my camera in a while. When I picked it back up again I wanted to do more with it. The wheels started turning and I decided that cards were the best route. From that came many more ideas including stationery and bookmarks. And it can only go up from here.

So, I've spent the past few months getting things in order and spending a lot of time learning the business world. All this hard work has paid off because here I am, ready to start selling.

I will be primarily selling on www.iamalive.etsy.com. But I will also be offering wholesale to smaller boutiques in my area of Colorado.

Here goes! I'm jumping off the deep end and I hope there's water in the pool.