Why giving is always better then receiving…

Last year as I sat down and made my 2018 goals, the thought of giving away an entire photo shoot kept crossing my mind. I had done other big giveaways to the studio, yet I hadn’t done a giveaway that included everything. The hair, the makeup, the photo shoot, the video, the digital images and the prints. I sat there and pondered that feeling. What would it feel like to give away something with zero expectations, and just pour everything I had into another woman. I wrote down a big goal, and I promised myself that when I reached it, I would do this. I would give away an entire experience from start to finish.

To my surprise I met that goal before the end of the year. I was on cloud nine and in dreamer mode as I plotted how I would do it and when I would do it. It was still November 2018 and I had some time to manifest it. As December approached the talks in my family started to circulate around my birthday plans. I am a New Years Day baby, and to some that may sound awesome, yet to me its always a bit of a drag, or more accurately an afterthought. Anyone who has a birthday close to Christmas will understand exactly what I am talking about. Therefore, the theatrics surrounding my birthday typically get chaotic and frankly don’t seem to work out they way others plan them. I also am a very hard person to surprise, thanks to my crazy intuition.

It hit me. what if I gave my birthday away? What if on my birthday, instead of making it about me, I make it about someone else? I began to get excited as I started plotting out the details and then I started to get super excited and thought, what if I upped the game and reached out to my friend Rebecca who owns Haven Salon & Spa? Maybe they could complete this with a full transformation for one lucky lady! I messaged her with my idea and of course she jumped at the opportunity. Then, I called up Angela with The Beauty Bar (my lead hair and makeup artist) and asked if she would be willing to donate her time too. She was also on board! This little dream of mine to do a heart felt project was turning into something spectacular.

My birthday quickly came and my hands shook as I announced this $6000.00 giveaway. I have never been so excited in my life. I felt incredibly honored that my clients from 2018 gave me the opportunity to give back and pay it forward. My community is important to me, and as a leader in my industry, its important for me to show up and lead by example. The time flew by fast and the shares and comments were blowing through the roof as people entered. My hand cramped as I wrote each name over and over to account for the multiple times that shared the post. The way people responded blew my mind and also validated that the work I do is not only desired, it’s needed.

I blindfolded myself and mixed the names over and over and then picked the winner. Instead of announcing her name, I decided to call her LIVE on my facebook video, and that winner was Julia. Today is her 25th birthday and as she left the studio on Wednesday with her box in hand, she parted with, “I am so glad I will have these images to look back on someday.” Those words are music to my ears. I know for a fact that Julia will never forget this experience and most importantly how she felt when she was surrounded by a group of women all dedicated to serving her with their talents and time.

I want my community to not only remember this, I want them to look forward to when I do it again. I want my community to know that I care about them, especially my fellow women and moms. I want them to know that Mary sees them, Mary hears them and Mary wants to bring out the best in them. I want the women in my community to know that Mary has their back 100% and they can count on me to deliver them something of value in exchange for their time and attention.

Thank you for being here, thank you for your support and thank you for being exactly who you are.

xoxoxo,

Mary B