lately i've been wanting to change things about me to become like anyone but myself. in the most unselfish and humble way, i do love myself and am confident in what i believe in and the person i have become all these years. however, it's so easy to get caught up in others' talents than your own, or other things you may not have that you wish you did. i'm sure everyone has felt this way some point in their life.



photography is my passion and a way to express myself along with sharing my gift with others. making people feel good about themselves and helping them realize not only how beautiful they are in the outside, but how beautiful everyone is on the inside is so rewarding. although photography is my passion and one of my strengths, it's also a great weakness i have of comparing myself with others. it's been a struggle lately with re-branding and being SO indecisive on the "look" i want. goodness... what a process!



if there is one thing i have learned this summer, it's to never give up on your dreams. if you really want something, you can do it. make your dreams happen- take those baby steps. i'm so thankful that i have so many opportunities to learn and grow in the skills and talents i want to perfect in- but it sure doesn't come by sitting back and not doing anything about it. it takes work. lots of it. so get up and get started. 

just be yourself. it can be hard at times when you're still trying to find yourself, but us humans are ever changing, so don't give up. everyone else is taken.

graphic design and photography are my ways showcasing myself and the way i interpret the world around me. growing up i tried all kinds of things- ballet, tap dance, gymnastics, volleyball, art & drawing lessons, piano, etc. and i quit all of them. i didn't want to stick with something if i didn't care about it. my parents had me try all kinds of hobbies but i felt like a quitter and nothing captured my interests.
i was always the artistic child in the family and when asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?" i would reply "an artist or a vet!" (i was also very much a puppy and dog lover)

going into college almost 2 years ago, i had absolutely no clue what i was going to major in. i love teaching and would play "teacher" with my sisters when i was little, so i thought, why not become a teacher? that lasted for about a semester. i wasn't happy with that decision. i weighed the pros and cons of that field and with my parents help, i decided not to choose that. i was so worried that i would go into a career that i wouldn't love.

my senior year in high school is when i got into photography. i loved photography. i loved portrait photography. i LOVED making people feel good about themselves when they saw how beautiful or handsome they were in their photos- i knew this was a talent i wanted to develop to bless the lives of others.
starting a photography business was slow and indecisive. i couldn't make up my mind with my brand name (used to be Bri Photografie), my personal niche of photography, my style or my logo design. this is what sparked my new coming love for graphic design. i loved creating logos. i loved designing my website and blog. i LOVED being creative! there were endless possibilities.

i researched and narrowed down what i thought i wanted to do and i finally figured it out. all these years- i knew what my talents were! (took long enough...) i wanted to continue my photography business and have a graphic design business. i knew i wanted to be a mother, and my own business owner so that i could do both.

i am happy now. 


everyone is unique and has so many talents to offer. you may feel like a quitter. you may feel like you don't have any specific talents. but let me tell you- you DO have talents to offer this world and to bless others with. everyone came to this earth with talents to develop and share. maybe you aren't good at sports, but you may be an amazing listener. maybe you aren't artistic in any way, but you may be someone who always thinks of others and so you serve them.

i found an amazing talk that will help anyone out that feels lost about finding their talents:

How can you discover your talents and improve them?

1. Get yourself out there and try new things!
2. Spend time perfecting a skill or talent you already have
3. Take a class—try public speaking, drama, cooking, flower arranging, car maintenance, swimming, or diving.
4. Join or organize a community sports team
5. Grab a cookbook and prepare a meal for your family or friends
6. Serve others in different capacities. 
7. Don’t underestimate the talents of being an honest, good, and kind person
8. Pray- The Lord will always help you know of your divine talents. He wants you to develop your skills to bless others

i'd love to hear about your special talents :)

i'm always looking for new fonts and i love inspiring quotes, so why not combine them?

i created this print using two fonts found on this website.
20 // Code [bold & light]
13 // fontleroy brown

to download these fonts, click on the links.

i hope this quote inspires you to keep striving for what you are wanting to achieve; you can't become skillful in something until you've faced the rough seas. keep moving and through your trials you can succeed and become the best in that skill.

so to start off my improve yourself series, i decided to write about something that i know we all struggle with- wanting to be healthier! i'm no expert on this. i have taken a nutrition class and really enjoyed it, but these are tips that i've found that i've tried myself and have noticed a difference!

The best and healthiest way to lose weight and keep it off is to watch your calorie intake. Watching what you eat is the number one way to keep the weight off, and exercise is what helps us stay fit, keep your body and heart healthy and it makes you feel great! releasing those endorphins makes you happy (and happy people just don't shoot their husbands! -gotta love legally blonde)




 Keeping track of calories can be so hard! here's a very simple way to help you- MY FITNESS PAL. It's the best way that I've found that is the easiest and convenient! I'm sure a lot of you may have iPhones, or iTouches or any cell phone that can download apps. Search My Fitness pal and the right app will have this blue icon photo (above). You can tell how many lbs you want to lose (up to 2 lbs a week) and it will give you how many calories you should eat daily to reach that goal.

If don't have a device that downloads apps, no fear! Just go online HERE to sign up for free and start keeping track of those calories!

I did this religiously during last Spring and lost about 6 lbs and kept it off during the summer and I barely had worked out (shame on me!) Monitoring your food intake DOES work. So if you're needing a gradual way to kick off your new years resolution, don't give up and try this out!

I hope this first series of improve yourself has helped at least one person out there to want to change a little daily everything in your life to get better health :)

i want my blog to become a place where both you and I can find ways to improve ourselves. the desire for improving yourself and wanting to become someone better in all aspects of life is just human nature! we encounter it daily. improvement only comes when we make it a habit and incorporate it in our daily lives.

so i finally decided what i want my blog to be focused on- simple ways to improve yourself! it's the daily everythings that counts!   did you catch that? the daily everythings blog? clever huh :) 


pinterest is a place where everyone pins things on what they want to improve on (health, style, decorating the home, doing crafts yourself, recipes and cooking, wedding planning/event planning, arts, design and the list goes on!) have you ever thought of pinterest in that way?

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Improve series will include:

health
relationships
fitness
style
characteristics in yourself
communication
design
home improvement
creativity
and the list will go on!

if you have any suggestions on what you'd like to read about, definitely include it in your comment!
also- if anyone has a particular subject that they've been working on, share with others by doing a guest post! just email me at abriphotography@gmail.com or comment below and i'll contact you.