get to know the boss babe behind brighten made
july 20, 2022
Category: business
get to know the boss babe behind brighten made
Margarita enthusiast, dog mom, enneagram three — get to know the lead designer and business owner behind Brighten Made.
Hi, friends! Lauren stepping in here! We hope you’ve been enjoying this Q&A series and getting to know all the ladies behind Brighten Made. I know I’ve been pumped to share more about myself and these amazing (and uber-talented) women I get to call my coworkers.
Last but not least, we couldn’t complete our series without doing a Q&A with our fearless leader, Bri.
What’s your enneagram?
I’m a three, duh. I love checking things off my (never-ending) to-do list and feel accomplished pretty much all the time. I’m bad at relaxing, I love chasing goals and working hard. I like to think it’s my best and worst quality.
What does your morning routine look like?
I’m hugely into fitness and moving my body so depending on the day, I may make it to a 6 am workout class, but more than likely I’m hitting the snooze button and going to 7 am instead. After my workout, I hop in the shower and get ready for the day. I like to be presentable most days, even though I work from home. My friends think I’m crazy for wearing jeans at my desk, but look good, feel good as I always say. It helps me get in the creative headspace!
Once I make myself an iced coffee, I’ll throw up a post on Instagram and then I’ll sit down at my desk. I begin my workday by checking in on slack with my team, along with email to see if there’s anything pressing for me to handle. From there, I’ll hop over to my Asana Dashboard and make my plan of attack for the rest of the day.
what inspires you?
Travveeeelllliiing and exploring new places! My surroundings are probably one of the biggest ways I get inspired and stay inspired. I’m a home decor lover, if you couldn’t tell already, but there’s nothing like visiting a new place. It fuels my creativity in a whole new way by seeing and experiencing another culture and place. We’re going back to Italy this fall and I literallllyyy CANNOT WAIT.
Aside from travel, I love to get outside. There’s something about a good, long walk that gives me fresh new ideas. I also love to shop (maybe a bit too much?) and seeing what the latest trends are. You’ll also find me re-arranging my home once a week for a refresh which always leaves me feeling excited about design.
what’s a day in your role look like?
I went from juggling every single task in my business, to one day waking up and having an amazing team to support me. Still doesn’t quite feel like real life, but man I’m grateful.
With that being said, my day-to-day totally varies depending on our current client workload and projects. I spend my mornings usually reviewing design projects and slacking with Lauren to make sure ALL THE THANGS are good to go for the day. From there, I’ll spend my afternoons diving into deep creative work. This is usually when I like to get in the zone and silence all notifications so I can do the thing I love: design! It might look like a Shopify site, a new brand identity, or creating a brand strategy and direction for a new client. I’ll wrap up my day tying up any loose ends on projects as well as focusing on Brighten Made marketing for the week.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I’m an enneagram three, I don’t have hobbies aside from work, remember. Totally kidding (kind of).
My husband and I looooove to explore our city! We’ll be at every single new cute restaurant that opens up as well as hitting up happy hour at least once a week. I’m a sucker for a good margarita — does that count as a hobby?
You’ll also often find me hanging with my fur babes, Pickles and Tito. You might’ve seen them on Insta. They’re high maintenance so they need to be walked every single day.
In the summer, Joe and I love to bike, have fires in our backyard and hit up our local DSM farmers market! I’m also trying to get into gardening and I love to paint, so basically I’m 85.
What’s your favorite design trend right now?
This might sound kind of weird and something I NEVER thought I’d be into… but part of me is semi-into the cottagey vibes that are coming back? I know that coastal grandmother is a whole vibe, so I’m sort of digging putting my own spin on that with a touch of boho ofc. I will also never ever say no to anything crochet.
In addition, I’m also a sucker for checkered retro vibes if you couldn’t tell already. My husband thinks my checkered obsession means I’m suddenly a Tennesse football fan (IYKYK).
If you weren’t a designer/biz owner what would you be doing?
I would probably be owning another business, lol. Maybe a cute shop or an interior design studio?! I don’t think I want to actually be an interior designer for other people, so I’d rather just be like a home decor blogger if that counts.
It’s also on my bucket list to open up a cute coffee shop as well as a boho cocktail bar someday.
What’s your drink of choice?
If we’re talking a cocktail, I love a good shaken margarita that isn’t overly sweet with extra salt on the rim. I’m also into champagne.
As far as non-alcohol beverages, I can’t seem to break up with Diet Coke. I also love a good iced latte with oat milk.
if you had to pick, what’s your favorite movie?
BRIDESMAIDS! Or Mean Girls. I can quote both movies front to back no problem. One time Melissa McCarthy re-posted a Brighten Made quote and I about died. It was so fetch.
Do you have a favorite music genre or artist?
This is going to make me sound supppperrrr basic but I love me some T. Swift. No shame! I also love Morgan Wallen as well as all the Indie bands that Joe makes me listen to. Fun fact, he was in a band once so you’ll find us frequenting most concerts in Des Moines!
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I hope you enjoyed getting to learn more about the babes behind Brighten Made! Together we’re so excited to work with you and create a magical branding experience that serves your business for YEARS to come.
