Happy New Year!! The year 2016 was personally the most difficult year I’ve lived to date. However, as it was coming to a close it occurred to me that the hardships my family and I endured served as a catalyst for so many positive changes in our lives.
I cheerfully bid 2016 adieu through the bottom of a champagne glass, very thankful for those around me. Inspired and transformed by my newfound inner strength and a grateful demeanor for the salvaged, I welcome a new year…a new beginning…a new me.
New Year, New Name
Shortly before Christmas, an inspiring and heartfelt conversation with a very talented artist in Mandeville, LA led me to act on an idea I’ve been sitting on for a while. Maryann owns MBonura Fine Arts Studio and Gallery, where she works and sells her creations in the charming downtown Mandeville area. Our conversation was charged with an underlying connection revolving around art, motherhood, and new beginnings.
You see, I haven’t been fully satisfied with my marketing name of “Renee’s Artistic Revival”, for a variety of reasons (too long, difficult to market, social media snags…) and have been searching for a unique name with personal meaning. I’ve always gone by my middle name “Renée”, however, my first name (Margaret) was passed down from my maternal grandmother (whom I love dearly).
A few months ago it occurred to me to merge them into Marnée…EUREKA
…. Well kind of. Self-doubt and dread of the marketing switch caused me to hold off until I received the positive and sincere encouragement from Maryann. In this new year, I’ll be making the marketing switch from Renee’s Artistic Revival to Marnée.
New Year, New Work Space
Up until a few months ago, I LOVED creating in my sun-filled dining room. Gradually, though, my creations and supplies began to crowd me out and interfere with my creative process.
I initially thought of building a studio in our backyard, which was estimated beyond our budget. It became apparent that the logical thing to do would be to look for a piece of commercial real estate that could be used as a studio and to sell my work.
My first thought was, “Hmmm…all I need to do is find a house-like building for rent for a good price, in a good area, AND with tons of natural light. Ya, that’ll take me about a year.” Alas, fate was on my side and the day I decided on this course of action and I was led to the perfect listing. I established a limited liability corporation under the name Marnée’s Studio LLC and pursued a lease.
SO I’M HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT I’LL BE IN MY NEW CREATIVE SPACE FEBRUARY 1ST!!!! I’ll be shooting for a well-advertised grand opening later in the year.
New Year, New Website
I’ve been working for the past couple months with my friend and amazing website designer Alan Bozeman . He’s been helping me create, optimize and merge a new website with social media and my products.
Working with him, I’ve learned more about my target audience, successful marketing efforts, and online traffic sources. I’m hoping that the new site will be more effective at showcasing my work and helping me connect with friends and followers.
Thanks to his skillful diligence, my new website will be ready to make its debut within the next week or so!! The domain will be www.marneestudio.com so watch for the official launch announcement!!
I’m so excited about this and I see what a difference a good website can make in a person’s career. If you’re in need of website help or design please click the link above!