"Okay!! Now let me get a picture of you walking in!!" Erin swung through the door frame with a HUGE smile and amazingly lively reception to my arrival. I mean, I was super excited about this day but meeting Erin for the first time was like - instant bff's.
{Side note: I feel weird about the first photo of this post being of me, by myself, but the story behind it describes Erin's personality so well! I wish I had gotten a photo of her when I first walked in!}
A little background on Erin: She's amazing. Seriously. This lady is a Dr. Pepper (one of a kind). She's a phenom photographer with a specialty / focus on wedding photography. This lady knows how to tell a story with a camera. She loves exclamation marks (kindred spirits) and strives for the best relationships possible with her clients. She loves her husband and loves Jesus.
A little background on the giveaway: Erin hosted a mentorship session giveaway on Encourage Huntsville's Instagram. Before I even knew who she was (keep reading), I immediately entered the giveaway by sending Erin an email / novel about Jitney's (the mission, the vision and a few details about the new direction we're hoping to go in), my life and Jesus. Aside from the Kind Farewell // Fresh Beginning letter I sent out a couple of months ago, I haven't really discussed our feelings with Jitney's on the blog. Basically, we've prayed a lot over it and have come to the conclusion that the Lord is carrying us into a new season of Jitney's. A beautiful season with lots of exciting new products and focus of creativity. But it's just that - focus. I was in dire need of sitting across from another professional creative, one who could hash out the tough and lovely details. A fresh perspective.
Erin was exactly the person I needed. And the Lord was so faithful in proving that He was the one orchestrating all of the details, from the giveaway to the winner to the time we sat there encouraging one another and bouncing ideas off one another. We talked about our love stories and our Love stories. We talked about dreams, goals and how to make it happen. When I walked into Belle Faire, she had a sweet little setup waiting for me. (I didn't get a great photo so I tried to take one on our back porch.) Complete with a Rifle Paper Co. journal, the book Make It Happen by Lara Casey (which is currently wrecking my world), a wonderfully motivating print by Salt + Paperie, a lovely candle and a super fun pencil! Christmas in May. She totally spoiled me. She also had a bottle of Fiji water waiting for me. Fiji. It's the little things in life.
(Fun Story of God's Orchestrating: So JD, myself and some of our friends started going to a new campus for our church. As I started scrolling through her IG feed after entering the giveaway, I realized that her husband is the worship leader for the campus we've been going to!! Spoiler alert: It was obvious that God intended for us to be friends.)
At the announcement of the mentorship giveaway, Erin wrote a deeply honest blog post about how she felt inadequate of such a title - but let me tell you right now, that is a lie from the enemy. She encompasses everything a mentor is: honest, an encourager, a challenger, an open book of intellectual property, relatable, reliable, and a prayer warrior (she ends every email with, "How can I pray for you?"). As I told her our story and the crossroads we're at now for Jitney's, she nodded and replied, "Yes! I was there about a year ago. I was spread so thin and finally, I just had to narrow my focus. And it has been incredibly healthy!" [deep sigh of relief] Even though I realize tons of people have been at this crossroads themselves, it's reassuring to actually know someone who experienced it and who is thriving in her new season. Everything about the day was absolute perfection. I left there with a notebook spilling with ideas and a motivation that could not be stopped. Seriously, Erin, you're a Rockstar Mentor.
In all honesty, I have so many fears going into this new season of Jitney's but Erin (along with JD and so many other friends) have really helped me to face those fears and keep moving forward. I don't know what I would do without all of you.
Final note: Erin announced her first digital photography basics workshop that she'll be teaching as a part of Encourage Huntsville this weekend!!! It filled up super quickly (not surprising - because it will be awesome!) but I'm sure she'll be teaching more classes soon! Keep up to date with Erin Lindsey Images at the following links:
B L O G // I N S T A G R A M // F A C E B O O K // T W I T T E R
