Rebranding is the creation of a new look and feel for an established product or company
Since starting my photography journey in 2008 I have done all my own branding. I know, you’re surprised, because my branding has always looked so incredibly professional…
Thankfully over the years, I’ve gotten somewhat better at design, but I’m definitely a lot more sure of not only who I am, but what I want my business to look like. So last year, after resigning from my day job, I knew I wanted my business to be an extension of who I am and a reflection of what’s important to me. I wasn’t exactly sure how to do that though so I prayed and 2 things came to mind…
In 2006 I did Year of Your Life at Hatfield church – basically a year you dedicate to working on your relationship with God and finding out what His purpose for your life is. For most teenagers though it’s pretty much finding God and then finding out what His purpose for your life is. Anyway… That year I received 2 words that have always stuck with me because they made absolutely no sense.
One night, about halfway through the year, my group leader (we were 28 girls in a house so we split into smaller groups that met each week to encourage each other and talk about our week and what not) decided to give each of us the meaning of our name but she said that instead of giving us the “traditional” meaning she had been praying all week asking God to give her a meaning for each of us that came from Him. All the girls in my group had awesome meanings like “warrior” or “courageous” and I was SO excited to hear what God had said about me… When she finally got to me she said, “Chanique, God told me that your name means… Sweet smelling tree” and that was is. I thought this was the moment where God was going to tell me who I am, but no, instead I got that I was a “sweet smelling tree”.
Anyway, I pretty much wrote it off as her not being able to hear God’s voice, haha! Fast forward to 14 May 2017 – it is my 29th birthday and Mother’s Day. Tiara is almost 3. We were in church the morning and during praise & worship I randomly thought about Jasmine and how wonderful it smells and how, when you walk past a Jasmine bush it is almost impossible for your senses to be completely overwhelled by the fragrance of the flowers. Right there I felt God say “That’s what you are – a sweet smelling tree. People can’t help but notice your fragrance in their lives”… And of course, just like that, I stood there thinking that 11 years ago I was given the flippen coolest name meaning of anyone in my group, haha!
At the end of 2006 we had a “mission statements” week where some of the church leaders pray over you and give you words they feel God gave them about your life/future. Again, the only word I can remember is one which made no sense… The one lady said she saw a small white flower that grew high up in the mountains. This flower grew under intense conditions and is quite rare. Because the flower grew where it did, not a lot of people got to it but the people that did make the effort to get to it never forgot it and felt like they had experienced something very special. Again, more than a decade later God finally revealed to me what that meant…
I quite randomly thought about the song “Edelweiss” (from The Sound of Music) and started wondering about this flower so I did some research. The Edelweiss flower grows naturally in the Alps (in extremely harsh conditions some 1800-3000m above sea level) and symbolises purity, courage, devotion and true love. “The Edelweiss also became symbolic of deep love and devotion because young men risked climbing the mountains to pick Edelweiss for their brides, and their daring feat was sometimes fatal.” They also say it is a symbol of adventure and reaching beyond your wildest dreams.
Haha, every time I read it I am like O_O NO WAY! Yes, that’s how cool God is. Sometimes He gives us a word in season, and sometimes He gives us a word to hang onto and only reveals it to us at the right time.
So despite me not being a floral girl at all, (so much so that some of my closest friends couldn’t understand why I had a floral logo) God deemed it fit to give me 2 floral meanings for this time in my life. And since the Jasmine and Edelweiss flower do look somewhat alike, I now have a floral logo. And I think somehow it’s very suited to where I am in my life right now and it perfectly captures my vision for my business:
I want to capture moments that fill your life like an exceptional fragrance. Moments of deep love, devotion, courage, adventure. Moments that remind you how good life is – because it is.
Photography has become my love affair with life.
And I want to be there when your wildest dreams come true.
I’ll leave you with the legend of the Edelweiss…
The Snow Queen
There is a legend that, once upon a time, a beautiful fairy, the Snow Queen, lived on the highest, most solitary peaks of the Alps. The mountain folk and shepherds climbed to the summits to admire her, and everyone fell head over heels in love with her.
Every man would have given anything, including his life, to marry her. Indeed, their lives are just what they did give, for Fate had decided that no mortal would ever marry the Snow Queen. But in spite of that, many brave souls did their best to approach her, hoping always to persuade her.
Each suitor was allowed to enter the great ice palace with the crystal roof, where the Queen’s throne stood. But the second he declared his love and asked for her hand, thousands of goblins appeared to grasp him and push him over the rocks, down into bottomless abysses.
Without the slightest emotion, the Queen would watch the scene, her heart of ice unable to feel anything at all. The legend of the crystal palace and the beautiful heartless Queen spread as far as the most distant alpine valley, the home of a fearless chamois hunter. Fascinated by the tale, he decided to set out and try his luck. Leaving his valley, he journeyed for days on end, climbing the snow-clad mountain faces, scaling icebound peaks and defying the bitterly cold wind that swept through the alpine gullies.
More than once he felt all was lost, but the thought of the lovely Snow Queen gave him new strength and kept him moving onwards. At last, after many days climbing, he saw glinting in the sunshine before him, the tall transparent spires of the ice palace.
Summoning all his courage, the young man entered the Throne Room. But he was so struck by the Snow Queen’s beauty that he could not utter a word. Shy and timid, he did not dare speak. So he knelt in admiration before the Queen for hours on end, without opening his mouth. The Queen looked at him silently, thinking all the while that, provided he did not ask her hand in marriage, there was no need to call the goblins.
Then, to her great surprise, she discovered that his behaviour touched her heart. She realised she was becoming quite fond of this hunter, much younger and more handsome than her other suitors. Time passed and the Snow Queen dared not admit, not even to herself, that she would actually like to marry the young man.
In the meantime, the goblins kept watch over their mistress; first they were astonished, then they became more and more upset. For they rightly feared that their Queen might be on the point of breaking the Law and bringing down on the heads of all the Mountain People the fury of Fate.
Seeing that the Queen was slow to give the order to get rid of her suitor, the goblins decided to take matters into their own hands. One night, as dusk fell, they slipped out of the cracks in the rock and clustered round the young chamois hunter. Then they hurled him into the abyss. The Snow Queen watched the whole scene from the window, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. However, her icy heart melted, and the beautiful cruel fairy suddenly became a woman.
A tear dropped from her eye, the first she had ever shed. And the Snow Queen’s tear fell on to a stone where it turned into a little silvery star.
This was the first Edelweiss … the flower that grows only on the highest, most inaccessible peaks in the Alps, on the edge of the abyss and precipice (cliff).
Every man would have given anything, including his life, to marry her. Indeed, their lives are just what they did give, for Fate had decided that no mortal would ever marry the Snow Queen. But in spite of that, many brave souls did their best to approach her, hoping always to persuade her.
Each suitor was allowed to enter the great ice palace with the crystal roof, where the Queen’s throne stood. But the second he declared his love and asked for her hand, thousands of goblins appeared to grasp him and push him over the rocks, down into bottomless abysses.
Without the slightest emotion, the Queen would watch the scene, her heart of ice unable to feel anything at all. The legend of the crystal palace and the beautiful heartless Queen spread as far as the most distant alpine valley, the home of a fearless chamois hunter. Fascinated by the tale, he decided to set out and try his luck. Leaving his valley, he journeyed for days on end, climbing the snow-clad mountain faces, scaling icebound peaks and defying the bitterly cold wind that swept through the alpine gullies.
More than once he felt all was lost, but the thought of the lovely Snow Queen gave him new strength and kept him moving onwards. At last, after many days climbing, he saw glinting in the sunshine before him, the tall transparent spires of the ice palace.
Summoning all his courage, the young man entered the Throne Room. But he was so struck by the Snow Queen’s beauty that he could not utter a word. Shy and timid, he did not dare speak. So he knelt in admiration before the Queen for hours on end, without opening his mouth. The Queen looked at him silently, thinking all the while that, provided he did not ask her hand in marriage, there was no need to call the goblins.
Then, to her great surprise, she discovered that his behaviour touched her heart. She realised she was becoming quite fond of this hunter, much younger and more handsome than her other suitors. Time passed and the Snow Queen dared not admit, not even to herself, that she would actually like to marry the young man.
In the meantime, the goblins kept watch over their mistress; first they were astonished, then they became more and more upset. For they rightly feared that their Queen might be on the point of breaking the Law and bringing down on the heads of all the Mountain People the fury of Fate.
Seeing that the Queen was slow to give the order to get rid of her suitor, the goblins decided to take matters into their own hands. One night, as dusk fell, they slipped out of the cracks in the rock and clustered round the young chamois hunter. Then they hurled him into the abyss. The Snow Queen watched the whole scene from the window, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. However, her icy heart melted, and the beautiful cruel fairy suddenly became a woman.
A tear dropped from her eye, the first she had ever shed. And the Snow Queen’s tear fell on to a stone where it turned into a little silvery star.
This was the first Edelweiss … the flower that grows only on the highest, most inaccessible peaks in the Alps, on the edge of the abyss and precipice (cliff).
P.S. A huge thanks to Mariaan from M.Studio who helped me bring my vision to life!
Chani – ek is elke keer amaze oor jou lewensinsig en gehoorsaamheid aan Sy woord. A “sweet smelling tree” – you are indeed!!!
Baie trots op jou – pragtige talentvolle vrou !!
HULDA
X
Baie dankie Hulda! Waardeer jou ondersteuning so baie
xxx