ANY presentation of your church, your organization or your business, should be a passionate expression of what it represents and what it does.  It's like your signature-- see mine above?  If you look at it long enough, you'll learn a lot about me and my personality.  But the most important feature about my signature is that NO ONE ELSE has it.  No one else has the ability, the gift to write MY name like ME.  It's my signature.  And because I love how unique my handwriting is, I put my signature on almost any paper I see... it's that special to me.

In at least half of the first convos with potential clients, they almost vomit out the word "websites".
It goes a little something like this:

We say hello.
I briefly explain what Firstfruits Creative is all about, and ask a little bit about their ministry, nonprofit, etc.
My question is usually ignored, in exchange for the question "do you do websites??"
I say yes, and go on to talk about other work FFC does.
That's ignored as well, and then we talk more about "websites".... arrgggghhh!

Everyone wants a "website" these days.  Great.  And although i love web design, the "W" word is beginning to make me cringe... seriously.  Pastors, CEOs and directors of nonprofits desperately need to see the bigger picture. Everyone wants a website, so eventually everyone eventually GETS a website. Hundred of thousands of organizations with URLs.   Digital clutter for your potential supporter to sift through.  And the average online commuter is rapidly adapting to the messiness.   The internet is becoming more like the Yellow Pages than a place to showcase a vision, mission or a message.  Some people think that just having a website is enough, or even that "as long as it LOOKS nice" that that's enough.  ALL WRONG.  

This is why Firstfruits Creative strongly advises potential clients-- let's learn your organization's signature first.  The more we learn it, the more we'll love it and the more you will want it to be all over that website you want so badly.  Without YOUR signature-- the unique gift or vision that God has placed deep inside of you-- it will just be another webpage, another video, another URL that someone will forget.  Another "website" in the midst of clutter.  

So let's not skip steps-- promotional tools like websites lack substance and originality when they are constructed just to "have one".  Don't forget your signature!

FIF.

It's true, we they do!  :)  (This is my attempt to write a seemingly-impartial post. Let's see how this goes.)

**Shot at St. Patrick's Center and the YWCA West Florissant Center.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of shooting some of the great work that the STL Urban League Young Professionals are doing this month, for our their annual campaign for March, Young Blacks Give Back.  Each Saturday this month, we they, along with friends and family, are participating in a slew of community service efforts all across the St. Louis area.  The goal is to not only excede our their 1000-hours-of-service goal for the month, but more importantly to meet the needs of our their city, and raise awareness of how important it is help those in need.

There's two Saturdays left to participate in the variety of service efforts ULYP has available, so if you're in the St. Louis area and interested in serving, email the YBGB committee at ybgb@ulyp-stl.org for more info!

Welcome back to the FIF everyone....

If you've already visited our blog, you'll notice that our aesthetics have changed up quite a bit.  Reason?  Simple--as the content evolves, so will the look.  Eight months in, Firstfruits Creative wants to bring FAITH IS FRESH closer to you, in every way possible.  So be on the look out for new opportunities to contribute to the FIF!  As a matter of fact....

You can start now! :)  Comment below with your answers to these three questions:

1. What's your first name and what city do you rep (and if you have a twitter name, be sure to let us know, so we can follow you.)?

2. From your perspective, why is FAITH fresh?

3. With A being the best and C being the worst, rate the designs below... soon you may see ONE of these on a shirt.  :)

A.

B.

C.

FIFresher.

READYSETGO! is underway for Firstfruits Creative (see here), and if you've seen the packages that we are offering for the year, identity and promotion, are two terms that are connected and extremely important in our campaign.

In brand strategy and in overall advertising-- classification is necessary.  Client and designer alike must know-- this is exactly what we're doing and THIS is exactly why we're doing it.  This is where the relationship between identity and promotion shines.  

A great brand strategy begins with clear identity, and ends with clear promotion.  Have you ever seen an awesome looking flier promoting an interesting event... but you have NO clue what the organizers are all about or what they stand for...? It's a bad look.  Good promo is nothing without an identity, visually or verbally... there is no foundational message sent to the consumer.  And of course, promotion is necessary to the process, because without it... vital information regarding a client's ongoing operations won't be distributed.  The identity will be presented, but still, fall flat.

So FFC, we classify our full line of graphic design & consulting services, 23 in all, by what they accomplish.  Either they help the client build a stronger identity, OR they promote an initiative, event or activity, effectively complimenting the identity.  For example, a business card is meant provide an identity, while a poster promotes or sells.   So "I&P", as we like to call it-- they go together like peanut butter & jelly, Lucy & Ricky, or even yes dare we say, faith and works. This is what Firstfruits Creative is all about--utilizing the concept of I&P, along with vision-digging-- to create a comprehensive brand strategy for our clients.

FIF.

Presenting The City...

In the six months that Firstfruits Creative has been on Twitter, I have been blessed to develop some awesome relationships with people from all over the world, just like me -- young, ambitious and ready to put in work for the Creator.  But connecting with this group of students from the University of Houston... they are SO passionate about spreading the Gospel in whatever ways possible--on the street, on campus or on the Web.  Driven by the Great Commission, through their church's youth ministry, they are taking their "City" to the world, and I'm so happy that FFC can expose them to our audience.  Also, it was even more of a blessing to design their site's header and as God expands them (which I'm sure He will), FFC hopes to collab with The City @ Good Hope even more!

Wanna check out The City? Visit them at www.thecitygoodhope.wordpress.com or @thecitygoodhope on Twitter.

*sigh* Yes, it's been awhile.  Almost a month, in fact.  So much has transpired in that time... more valleys than peaks for Firstfruits Creative.  But we're back, focused and pressing the reset button. 

Have you ever thought about how subtle the function of a reset button is, yet how transformative it is.  Like a snooze button, you get to start over again yet it doesn't have the loud sound or even the reaction that an alarm gets out of us late-risers. 

With reset buttons, you press 'em and that's it. The moment's over and done, so you are required to gather up some faith that it did what it was supposed to do.  No fanfare to assure you in your decision to start all over.  Just you pressing the button and moving forward in expectation of results.  No hesitation.

And right now, for Firstfruits Creative, there is no time for hesitation.  For the upcoming year, we're launching a dream: READYSETGO!  FAITH IS FRESH, FFC's official blog, is also coming back even stronger in the new year--with more posts and some upcoming guest features. Most of all, our goals, our services, and our commitment to Christian and community organizations is still the same.  We're passionate about using our services to take the diverse pool of visions God has placed in His Kingdom, and put them up on a platform, for the world to see.

So, we're taking a small break from FAITH IS FRESH (What? Another one? LOL)-- just a week.  We'll definitely be back before New Years.  We'll be enjoying our time with our loved ones and chillaxin' just like you.  :)

Happy Christmas, Merry Holidays, and PLEASE always remember the real reset button reason for the season.

tameka.

Jesus commanded his disciples, everyday people, me and you to GO.
Go feed them, go and make disciples, go on our way. 
Don't stay, don't wait... go.
This is the newfound mission of Firstfruits Creative.
To go, and to go with YOU, your church, your business, your organization into the unknown, into 2010. 
We're anticipating greatness... approaching the next year with excitement and hope. 
And you should, too.  Go with us.

Stay tuned...

Ps. "And to the centurion Jesus said, 'Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.' And the servant was healed at that very moment." Matthew 8:13

I think when there is a happy cry, God laughs in joy. Happy for His child, happy that His child is finally getting it. Getting Him.

Saturday morning, I got in my car and turned the key in the ignition. Sat there for about ten seconds.  Suddenly, the floodgates of my heart were unlatched, and slowly in an increasing fashion, my eyes began to pour out tears of joy.  Couldn't see past the blurry, warm worship of my eyes.  

About 30 minutes before this moment, I was wrapping up a VERY major client presentation for Firstfruits Creative... the first of its kind.  I wasn't exactly nervous, but I was anxious to see and hear the feedback.  And as I sat in the presentation with words coming out of my mouth, it was almost as if I could hear nothing but see everything.  See smiles.  See pages turning.  See nodding heads. See light bulbs flickering above heads. See God, the artist, writer, the creator... God the movement.

It's an amazing moment when your purpose meets the present, and you're sitting there watching it happen.  It was in that moment (and a few others this past weekend) that I realized that FFC is not just this hybrid of ministry & business for clients to be blessed through.  It's a gift God gave to me FOR me, to know Him and to see His beauty clearer than ever before.  Although the gift is to give to others, many times we--us who are called and chosen to a specific purpose in Christ-- forget that WE were the first recipients of the gift.  A free gift pointing us toward freedom...an even closer relationship with Him.  

So in the car is when it hit me: the delayed reaction of overwhelming peace, joy and excitement.  The delayed reaction to His greatness. The clients unanimously voted for the bundle of projects to go forth, and I had nothing to do with the outcome.  Couldn't remember what I said, or who I shook hands with.  All I could do is rest in the fact that God is _(you can fill in the blank)_ and that I still had time to make it to my next destination.  :)

Tell the FIF what you know about delayed reactions...