📷 I'm finally doing it...9 years later!

Or, maybe I should say...38 years later?

I had no idea that this process would be SO exciting!

It’s re-awakening the designer in me
& opening up an entirely new vision for my Creatrix Company.

And, I’m chronicling it all, step-by-step
so you can come along for the ride…

A portion of my Creatrix Film Mood Board

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The Birth of the Creatrix Film

The last time I hired someone for a professional photoshoot—I was the ever-cool fashion designer, rebel Pantone-marker-slinger, free-Xerox-machine-on-trial office manager, muscle-bound shipping girl, international jet-setting trend-seeker of my first “real” company at the end of the 80’s.

I had dreams of capturing a glorious, nuanced Vogue vibe that day but what I got was just a few notches better than a Sears Catalogue spread. It didn’t help that the photographer had never done a fashion shoot OR that he brought his daughter & her friend as models who had never been in front of the lens before (I’ll spare you the image of the valley girl lacquered hairdo that one of them was sporting…)

So, although I didn’t realize it until about a month ago, I’ve been putting off doing any professional brand work for decades. I see now some of the mistakes I made. I let someone else choose the photographer (bad idea!), didn’t ask to see any of his portfolio in advance & didn’t do any preliminary planning or even make a list of photos I wanted.

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An inspiring image by Annie Swynnerton

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THIS TIME EVERYTHING WILL BE SO DIFFERENT!!

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Now, I’m 9 years into my “legacy” company, The Creatrix Experience & since the beginning I’ve been thinking about how much I want to create some truly artistic, visually striking images. Ones that convey the real essence of who I am & what I actually do with my clients as well as the power which flows between us as we work & the real changes they experience in their lives once we’ve “woven their world”.

I kept putting it off because I wanted to focus on laying proper foundations for this company, designing my own Pioneering Method, refining my mentoring skills, building my Body of Work & of course, working with my wonderful clients!

A few months ago, I had a flash of realization.

My company’s founded, my method’s designed, my clients are thrilled, my BoW is growing nicely & I’m a gifted, highly-experienced mentor. Finally, it’s time to pull this project off the back burner, roll up my sleeves & dive right in!

I’ve had a looong time to think about what’s most important for me this time ‘round.

And, since you may be wondering how you can make your transcendent, creative, spiritual work more visible & tangible, I thought I’d take you behind-the-scenes & chronicle my process as I plan, design, prepare & even create my long-awaited new “brand”.

Along the way, I’ll be answering questions like :

How can I visually represent a mystical experience?

How can I evoke the feeling of travelling back to a client’s past life?

What imagery & colours can show flowing energies?
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Here are the 5 basic steps I’m following as I create
my new online visual identity~

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1. I’ve found my perfect person.
   This is probably the most important aspect of this entire project. Sure, I could take some photos or videos by myself or ask a friend to help but we don’t have the experience, training &/or cinematic skills that Helena Dalemans brings to the table (or field, lake, mountain, studio, castle, seaside, forest…).
   
   I love the way she works with light, the gorgeous sensory quality of her films, the striking angles & innovative framing she uses plus, and this is KEY, I can tell that she’s going to be a lot of fun to work with!
   

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2. I’m starting with energy.
   Already, working with Helena is proving to be transformative for me. To begin our relationship, she gave me a long list of prompts to answer. It took me almost 2 weeks to finish it. I allowed myself plenty of time to consider some fundamental questions about me, my Work, my Life, my Craft, my Couture Clients & my Creatrix Company.
   
   My responses will infuse the entire creative experience with my energy, my vision for the future my company & my new brand “voice”.
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3. I’m planning - in minute detail.
   I’m a natural-born planner. Lists are my best friend. Ask anyone who knows me. This is partly because I’m a Capricorn & partly because I’ve spent decades bringing complicated projects to life. I couldn’t have produced inspiring events for 500 people or moved my family to France or run a 6-figure Lifestyle Boutique with many employees & 1000’s of products without lists.
   
   So far, I’ve started lists for locations, themes, clothes, props, colours, symbols & images, music & script. (Did I mention we are shooting a short film?)
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4. I’ve started to prepare - 3 months ahead.
   Mainly because I want this to feel spacious & unhurried but also because there is so much to do! Some of our filming will take place in & around my house…which means I’ll be striking some tasks off my long To-Do list and also getting around to projects I’ve been thinking of doing for years.
   
   It’s also highly likely that I will be making some of the clothes I’ll be wearing & I’m hoping to spotlight some new products which have been wandering around in my journals for ages (this means I’ll have to make some mock-ups).
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5. I’ll be using the content in many different ways.
   I have a stack of ideas for how I’ll use the images & videos that we’ll generate. My goal is to have an entire library of wonderful content to use for at least a year after our 2 days of shooting. I’ll put the cinematic film on my website, of course, I’ll share it here on Substack, I’ll put snippets of it on IG & on my new YouTube channel (when I finally get it going).
   
   Then, I’ll add some still images to The SPIRAL (my Pioneering Method design program for creative mystic entrepreneurs) & sprinkle them through the practical Sourcebooks I make for all of my programs, then I’ll include some in my upcoming book (TBA😎) & use others to promote my new not-yet-designed products (did someone say “oracle deck”??).
   
   Who knows?
   
   I might even use the images on postcards or bags!
   Or, even update my profile pics…

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Outlining these steps is just the beginning…

now, I’ll turn my mind to the story I’d like to tell in the film, start looking for exciting locations & sketch out some possible outfits. The lists will get longer before they get shorter.

And, it’s all so exciting!

Until next time…

I’ll be
gathering inspiration
for my first Creatrix Film,
recording another
Clairs video with
my dear friend, Penney,
trying my hand at
distilling some fragrant oil
from the gorgeous lilacs
outside my kitchen window

and
of course,
creating lightly!

I hope you will be, too!

Elizabeth 🌸

Send me a direct message 👇 & tell me what your dream brand looks like…

* All text, images & thoughts are my own—naturally.

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