It's time to begin.

Isn't it? Cheesy reference to Imagine Dragons to start off my first blog post. (As my husband smiles.) And an disclaimer: This may be my longest post. Usually I'm pretty to the point, for future reference.

If you know me, you know I can be a little cheesy. A little clumsy. A little timid. A little outspoken. A contradiction of left brain and right. It's what makes me who I am: Andrea L. Baumann. And I am the owner of True Photography & Design, here in the gorgeous Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota. If this is your introduction to me, I hope you find it real, simple and true.

Design :: I've been in the business of design for many years. If I count them all up, I almost need all of my fingers and toes. I've been an intern all the way up to a Creative Director, and I worked very hard to accomplish those goals. Easy? No. Challenging? Yes. Fun? Most of the time. Rewarding? Most definitely. I've had pro bono, local, national and international clients. I've designed websites to wine bottles, and logos to lapel pins. Name it, I bet I've done it. In a nutshell, I have a lot of experience . . . and I'm good at what I do. 

Photography ::  My love of photography began in 4-H when I was 11 years old (with my Mom's manual SLR, Canon AE-1). I got a blue ribbon at the East Ottertail County Fair and I was hooked. I've improved a lot since then. (You would hope so, wouldn't you.) But in high school I concentrated more on fine arts like illustration, painting and pottery. Graduated with honors, went to college at Bemidji State, fell in love and got my degree in Design Technology. I learned a lot about photography and even more about life. (It was awesome.) During that time I saw how photography and design went hand in hand. You could have the best layout in the world, but with junky photos—well, sorry. But if you had beautiful photography, all you needed was a cutline. Boom. You win an award. (Ok, maybe not that easy. But close!) That's the power of the visual image. Wherever I worked as a designer it was a benefit that I had photography skill. It was a part of my job that I loved. As I grew my skills, I branched out to doing weddings and portraits for friends. Pretty soon I had a nice little side business going that funded my gear and software. And so it has been for 10 years. Daytime designer, nighttime and weekend photographer. And it worked beautifully.

Now :: Back to the title of the post: It's time to begin. And ya know what? It really, really is. Knowing that God answers prayers and is my faithful guide in this big trip of life gives me comfort. He has shown me true friendships for which I am so very, very thankful. My family and I have had ups and downs, but we persevere. A big motto in our house is, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." Fits are just silly, aren't they. We think so.

My door opened—and you don't even know how many times (over YEARS) I asked, "Just give me guidance. Open the door when you think I'm ready." And I'm going right on in. Making myself comfy with a nice set of skills that can always be honed, always improved, always open for growth. I love that. 

It's time for me to begin this thing called self-employment. 
Here we go. The big adventure begins.