Hands-down my FAVORITE store for Moms- Motto and Fleur Branding Session in Central Illinois!
A couple of weeks ago I had one of those sessions that makes you say… “I just LOVE my job.” Obviously I love all my clients but on this day I got to do a VERY special project. I’ve been a branding photographer and social media content provider for Motto and Fleur the last couple of months and I’ve loved every second of it.
There are a LOT of good things I could say about Motto and Fleur! Like how each and every single one of their t-shirts contains the equivalent of 6 plastic water bottles + US grown, non-GMO organic cotton + fabric made from sustainably harvested beech trees. Or I could say by choosing their supplier carefully, they give back by partnering with the Global Orphan Project to support Orphan Prevention, Care & Transition Programs!
But my very favorite thing about them is that it is a company with a unique and AWESOME mission! Which of course, i’m ALLLLLL about! As a Mom of two littles, Alyse Bressner, the owner, knows the struggles that mom’s experience on a deep and personal level.
She knows what its like for a mom to look in the mirror post kids and not like what she sees.
She knows that motherhood often leaves us feeling like we are FAILING.
She knows that motherhood can be one of the loneliest jobs IN THE WORLD.
She knows how important motherhood is.
She knows the temptation mom’s have to compare themselves with other moms on social media.
She knows that mom’s struggle with this idea of what it means to be a “good mom” and that often that ideal is unattainable.
She also knows that when we feel isolated our failures FEEL like they are magnified by 100. That mom’s then struggle with this false sense of failure but because we are alone in our heads and we think that nobody else gets it… we get discouraged and we start to become lazy, grumpy, irritable, depressed, or anxious moms.
That’s why Alyse has made it her personal mission to unite moms together so that motherhood can feel a little less lonely! To provide moms with accurate view of motherhood so they can feel confident and encouraged! And that’s exactly what she does…. THROUGH CLOTHING. Yes, that’s right… through CLOTHES… made just for you, mama!
Her designs, her social media posts, her emails, and her images, EVERY.SINGLE.PART. of her business is tailored to provide moms with a refreshing view of REAL #momlife. To let mama’s know that they are NOT alone in their thoughts and feelings and that it’s okay to have bad days. To challenge moms in our own personal struggles and encourage us in our doubts.
I am so, So, SO ecstatic to be a part of the Motto and Fleur team!
For this particular shoot, we were shooting for her Fall Designs. Alyse’s goal is to make sure that each of her designs accomplishes her mission of authentic motherhood but also can be utilized in a multitude of ways. She knows that mom life often means comfy during the day and dressed up in the night (if not for a date night, at LEAST for a Target run!) She aims to make her styles versatile where they can be dressed up and down by simply switching out a few accessories. EXACTLY what mom’s need because 1.) Who has time to come up with a whole new outfit and 2.) who wants more laundry!?!
So we gathered up 8 REAL LIFE LOCAL MOMS who are NOT models and spend their days wiping snotty noses and feeding kids, just like you, and we asked them to step out of their comfort zones and into the limelight! This may not seem like a big deal to you, but if you’re a momma and you’ve EVER taken pictures without your kids, you know that IT FEELS WEIRD. We are not used to being the center of attention and honestly, we typically hide from it because we don’t always like the way we look. We are worried about stretch marks, our mummy tummies, leaky breastfeeding boobs, non-thigh-gap legs, cellulite, and our not-perfectly-toned arms. But the fact of the matter is mama,
YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE BEAUTIFUL!
This day was full of brave mama’s who dared to step in front of a camera without a security blanket (a.k.a. THEIR KIDS)! It was FULL of mama’s who faced fears, mama’s who NEEDED a break, and mama’s who deserved some self-care time. This group of ladies was SO MUCH FUN! We laughed, we cried, we danced, we sang, we talked about a whole host of things that i’m certain made our “not-married-yet-and-childless” male videographer extremely uncomfortable.
But this day was TOTALLY necessary and NOT JUST for the content for Alyse’s business.
In fact, the MULTIPLE emails and texts I got afterwards affirmed the fact that this day was needed for each and every one of the beautiful mama’s that you will see below. Thank you to all who participated! You are beautiful, you are funny, you are so incredibly amazing and hanging out with you for the afternoon totally filled THIS MAMA’s cup, too! Enjoy some of the sneak peeks below!
P.S. If you are a mom who is interested in being a part of Alyse’s Winter Shoot that will take place this fall. Please click HERE to fill out this application. :)
