Creating A Brand | Part 4

Mentorship on Wednesday began with Sandra, our Mentorship Coordinator, in leading the mentees with an icebreaker. This icebreaker supported our mentees in acknowledging the good and bad parts of their days. Since not everyone has the opportunity to discuss how their days went, we value having conversations like these during our cohort.

Have you ever created your own brand? If you have, you know it is quite a process. We are happy to see all that our mentees have discovered throughout their journey in creating their brands. Amazingly, we can document the whole process through photos. Each group was able to continue working on their websites with finishing touches. Remember when we had a mini photoshoot? Well, the photos came out amazing and are currently being added into each mentees webstie.

It is bitter sweet to be approaching the end of this season’s mentorship. We are so proud of each and every mentee. So far we have 5 mentees in the process of creating their brands consisting of video games, podcasting, custom clothing with paints, and two photography brands! Stay tuned to see the finished products and all the websites created 100% by our mentees.

Photo Credit: Mariah

What Brings You Joy?

Can you believe we’re already on week 11 of mentorship!? It has gone by so fast. We are so grateful for everything our mentees have achieved and learned so far! To start off week 11 Jasmine, our co-founder & ED, led a discussion around the question, ‘What brings you joy?”. The Mentees discussed if they valued experiences over materialistic items. As well as if they preferred eating out or eating in? Jasmine shared the importance of adding experiences and activities that bring joy to your budget. Whatever brings you joy is always in the budget.

To resume our photoshoot from Saturday, our mentees brought in props and equipment to get the rest of the photos that were needed for their websites. Each group had different tasks to complete. Jocelyn and Tracy’s group staged Tracy’s clothes with his paints to get the best photo needed for his website, while Kendall and Jamia got some cool shots of Kendall playing his Nintendo Switch for his brand. It is always great to see our mentees work together as a team while building their businesses.

Photo Credit: Mariah

Spoken Word & Mini Photoshoot

To wrap up week 10 our mentees had a conversation about the spoken word, and mental health, and even wrote some of their own poetry! Marquan came in to lead this discussion which began with an introduction, followed by a fun activity where each person suggested a word to write about. After the words were written down, everyone grabbed their sheets of paper and pens to begin writing for 2 minutes. Each person then switched papers with the person to their left. The papers flowed in a circle and every person in the group added to each story.

Marquan played two videos from spoken word artists for our mentees to discuss. Our goal is to always create a safe space for our mentees to share so it was heartwarming to hear them open up about how the videos made them feel.

Our Mentees spent the remainder of the afternoon having a mini photoshoot led by Jasmine, our Co-founder, and ED. We stepped outside to get some cool shots in the beautiful weather. Once the photos were taken, we returned inside to cool off and continue getting all the shots we needed. Each group used their props to stage the products to get the perfect picture. We can’t wait to see how all the photos from the day turn out! It is exciting to see how far each group has come as they wrap up designing their brands.

Photo Credit: Mariah

Creating A Brand | Part 3

Creating a brand is a very lengthy process. Colors, fonts, websites, logos, pictures, products, and so much more all need to be in tip-top-shape to launch your brand. Our mentees have accomplished so much over the past few weeks as they have developed their brands. On Wednesday our Mentees partnered up to continue editing and finalizing their websites.

Jasmine, our Co-founder & Executive Director, and Sandra, our Mentorship Coordinator, guided our Mentees through designing their websites. After working on designing, we transitioned into photoshoot planning. We want to make sure that our mentees have portfolios and product photos to add to each of their websites.

Planning a photoshoot is an important part of creating your branding and website. Products, models, staging equipment, photography equipment, outfits, hair, and makeup must be planned and each group should be prepared with a short list for their photos. Today we discussed the date, time, and details to ensure that everything will be set up correctly.

Our mentees get the experience of real-world scenarios and knowledge that will be useful for those who are planning to start a photography business. Stay tuned to see how the photo shoot went!

Photo Credit: Mariah

A Conversation On Vulnerability

How does being vulnerable make you feel? To kick off week 10 of mentorship, our Mentees engaged in a conversation around vulnerability led by Jasmine, our Co-founder & Executive Director. The discussion on vulnerability was sparked after Jasmine shared an experience she had in a women’s group. Each Mentee then shared a time where they were vulnerable with another person. We talked through how it made them feel and if it was a positive or negative experience. In sharing these experiences, the Mentees were able to see their differences as well as their commonalities.

One mentee shared that consent should always be at the center of vulnerability. If you feel uncomfortable, you can limit what you choose to share. It’s important that our mentees are aware of and respect consent with one other in what they choose to share during group discussions.

Following our group conversation on vulnerability, we separated into mini groups to connect and continue the discussion. Starting a conversation can aid in learning something new about another person, and discover how their lived experiences have impacted them.

Photo Credit: Mariah