Hello!
I’m back at my favorite place- this Blog! If you’re new here? So glad to have you! Recently in my marketing newsletter- I shared a few tips on discovering your Hidden Talents. I realized I might not have shared one of mine. It’s continuing to help me now!
Teaching has been a side benefit of spending 30+ years in Retail. I love teaching. Public Relations is a big part of Retail and Marketing. I loved being sent out to teach what I know.
I worked with a Community College Program which prepared women to re-enter the workplace after being homemakers for many years. The reason? Most had faced Divorce, Disability or Death of a spouse. They needed to be inspired, to find their best skills, and convert the organizational and social skills they had used as homemakers into Income. I was the inspirational speaker for a good many years. I loved it!
Another grant-based program I worked with helped disadvantaged women develop confidence and be dressed appropriately for job interviews. Develop Capsule Wardrobes, as we would say now. Taught how to find these on a strict budget, using thrift stores or consignment shops. Once they were hired, we helped them learn how to work with the public and gain confidence in the workplace.
Other teaching opportunities came my way to encourage, train, motivate and inspire women. These were groups who were already in Professions, Careers or Leadership positions. Highly educated successful women- who as successful people Do– continue to learn, continue to improve- often just by going back to basics, then taking their careers to a new level. These ladies inspired me to pass along what I had been trained to do, to Teach what I had learned through my own work. To this day, teaching is still one of the most satisfying aspects of my life.
Real Progress comes when we Learn. Dream. Grow. For me? I have taken several online courses in the last few years, each one has helped me update my skills, often going back to basics and being part of a community that continues to Learn. Dream. Grow.
Truth? Those teaching opportunities combined with my retail experience still helps me Learn. Dream and Grow. Believe me, learning how to write an online course, do training videos and actually figure out how to load it onto a new platform? A steep learning curve for me! And, it didn’t happen overnight, it took over a year to write and get it out there and don’t even get me started on All of Those Years in Retail! So? What’s in this post for you? Don’t pass up opportunities. If you’re asked to do something outside of your comfort zone? Realize it may come in handy sooner or later. Don’t ever stop learning or growing. And Don’t Forget to Dream! Dreams are the fuel of Ambition.. ah but that’s for another time! See you soon!
Love y’all, Brenda
Creator – Be Unforgettable Beginner’s Guide to Visual Marketing
If you’re interested in finding out more about my online course- click the link! Thank you- we’re having a great time and believe me these folks going thru it now are Unforgettable!
Speaking of which- We are having so much fun with ‘Be Unforgettable- Beginner’s Guide to Visual Marketing.’ If you think this is something you’d be interested in- I’d love to have you! Here’s the link to find out more! 
Drummers are uniformed, let one of them miss a beat and the melody of the other instruments could fall apart. And… We all love songs with the repetition of a chorus, right? Seedlings are charming alone, even more so in a group. An arbor of roses is pleasing to the eye as much for the repetition of the arches as for the profusion of bloom. A Checker Board is a classic example of Repetitive Design. A cooling rack filled with cookies, even if they aren’t the exact same size, still the eye sees repetition.
A winding staircase works simply because the treads are spaced at a repetitive shape, form and space. An historic staircase is beautiful – even more so because of the repetition of woodwork, including spindles and dare I add? the Color.
We’ve found rounded boxwoods tend to look good year round because of the consistent shape and form. Even clothespins on an empty line are unified in type and shape, even if they aren’t lined up. Why? Repetition of course.
We love consistency. When a design is unified it gives a sense of order and peace. Repetition could be compared to the skeleton or structure on which any or all of the elements are layered on. Alone, it might be overdone. Just remember, that repetition, whether in color, shape or form is very important in design.
Whether it’s the sound of drums, a pan of fresh baked cookies or a tray of seedlings.. An arbor of roses, a staircase winding or not, a row of boxwoods or clothespins on a line.. Repetition is good in writing, marketing- making a point in different ways over and over. Repetition is the strength, the unity, the structure, the very heartbeat of Good Design.
Camellia's Cottage 