We had so many favorites that it’s hard to narrow them down to a post, but I must, so here are some of our top picks from their e-session.

To see more of their engagement session, CLICK HERE for their slideshow!  or play below.

Something that has been pressing in my heart since Lana was born.  After speaking with countless doctors and therapists, I quickly learned that a word that is used throughout society to describe someone that is acting dumb or goofy was now tied to my beautiful daughter.  I must say, it hurt.  At first, it hurt that the doctors would dare describe my daughters condition as such, but after much thought and research I wanted to reclaim the word for it’s intended definition.  I wanted all of my friends and family to stop the misuse of the r-word.  I posted blog posts, sent emails, had many conversations informing people of how hurtful the word was when used in inappropriate careless ways.  I also designed and created t-shirts to hand out and sell.  I’ve been spreading the word for over three years now, but today I’m happy to see the cause is nationalized.

Soeren Palumbo has made a huge impact in creating awareness since his brilliant speech that he delivered to a gymnasium full of his high school peers and faculty and received a standing ovation.

The use of the r-word is offensive and hurtful, even when it is inadvertently used.  It is hurtful to the millions with mental retardation as well as their loved ones.

I find it interesting that insulting somebody by using such words as “Alzheimer… Cancer… AIDS… etc” carelessly would not be taken as a joke nor lightly yet, using another disease such as retardation as an insult is common among society.

It is NEVER appropriate to use the words “retard” or “retarded” in a careless or an insulting way.

I encourage you all to be more conscious of the words that you use and hope that you will take a pledge to stop saying the R-word on www.r-word.org.

While creating FickleZeal, I had to reinvent myself even though I thought I knew where I wanted to take the business and who exactly I was.  I constantly compared myself to other artists, and on my dark days, smothered my creativity with self-doubt and negativity.  
 
Maybe because I am such a perfectionist, I felt as though I needed everything to make me great when all along I had it all within myself…well…plus the camera, lenses, printers, MAC (yay!), etc…you know what I mean;-)  
 
I’ve been overwhelmed by setting WAY too many goals of which some were unachievable. All this I’ve tried to stop and I feel great about doing so.   I’ve been able to explore and use what I’ve learned to incorporate into FickleZeal, how I want it to be, and what I want it to stand for.  I’m changing the way things look and feel (check out the new blog and logo) and am excited about some new WONDERFUL eco-friendly products that we’ll be adding to our already established eco-conscious business.  
 
I’m excited to share what I am passionate about verses what the norm is in the photography industry.  
 
I’m thankful, that in the past few weeks, I’ve booked a lot of shoots and weddings for the year which hopefully is a good sign that this economy is not going to affect us too badly…another item on my “overwhelmed” list.
 
I’m EXCITED and ready for this winter to end!  I’m a spring gal!!! Needless to say, I can’t wait for the spring to arrive and STAY (crazy Texas weather).
 
Happy Spring Break! I will continue hoping for Happy Spring Weather, Sunshine, and Growth!

It’s imperative to me that FickleZeal be a conscious business with values that are steadfast and an inspiration for future generations. But honestly, I’ve been overwhelmed with the first year of business and reluctant to share my passion out of fear of exposing too much. Fear of being the outcast for “caring” about the environment. Fear of the “whatever” from the “whomever”! But I will no longer hide in the shame of my “hippy-ness” or whatever other label is floating around. My true colors must come out! I respect the earth we live on. I have come to my own consciousness. From this day forward, I will represent FickleZeal the way that I have been so passionate in creating. Hopefully, along the way, I can share some things that you can take and be inspired by. Then, these new ideas can be applied to your life, business, and/or to share with others. I know that by my frugal conscious efforts, I’m making a difference. Still, more efforts must be made. Profound difference comes through multiples or from multitudes. We can begin by taking responsibility for our own carbon footprints and understanding how our actions impact our body, environment, and the others we live with. Responsibility and respect should be shown to all things no matter how small even when others think that your actions are insignificant. “Be the Change you want to see in the world,” Gandhi.

And because each post needs a photograph or video, here’s a short, kinda corny, video with some helpful tips on how to reduce your carbon foot print.

I hope you have a great weekend being kind to this gorgeous planet of ours.