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#useitchallenge: Name This Soap!

This soap needs a real name and you probably need a bar of luxurious, moisturizing soap. Want to win one? Here's the scoop:Post your suggestion(s) in the comments either in this post, on the Courageous Soap FaceBook page or on Instagram@courageous_soap (you can see some videos of "the making of" on there as well). No limit on entries, but make them separate comments, please, to help my page's reach. Contest ends 2/28/19 @11:59 PM MST.

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#useitchallenge: Diving In/Surfacing

Between my #useitchallenge + general Konmari-ing of life, I've been attempting to get a handle on my soaping supplies. Time to wrangle the bursting drawers and overflowing boxes. For the record, we creatives love an orgasmic mix of plenty. And maybe there's a a touch of FOMO - just...maybe. But once my mind feels as cluttered as my supply drawers, overwhelm replaces excitement. I'm no longer using my materials, just storing them.

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The #useitchallenge

Clutter clearing is good. But what about rediscovered treasure? Over the next year I'll blog each week about the products, projects, and recipes designed around some forgotten elements that I've rediscovered. Anything expired is out, anything not needed/desired will find a new home (ideally avoiding a landfill 'cause I'm a tree-hugger). If a course I've paid for is no longer relevant, I'll bid it farewell. At this point I know that time spent for the wrong reasons can never be recovered.

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Evolving a Brand: Of Names and Nuance

Designing and producing Aroma Art soap is largely a solitary pursuit, so to share the unicorn rainbow farts-inducing creative magic, I'll sometimes offer a soap-naming contest through Courageous Soap's FaceBook and IG pages. The banter and brainstorming with friends and fans is like, hell yeah. Plus - whoa -  who can resist the honor of naming a soap (and maybe winning a bar)? But while my latest soap-naming competition yielded clever suggestions,  I realized that they didn't fit my actual brand. I don't fault my wonderful soap naming participants for this oversight - frankly, brand evolution sneaks up on me, too. But in the interest of helping you win a bar of my Aroma Art Soap in the future, consider the following:: The essence of Courageous Soap: Start Fresh. Be Bold. Smell Nice.  First, with an art...

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Product Photo Hacks: The 15-minute Light Box

 Besides clever copy (and gushing mentions by an industry influencer), an online maker's best friend is fabulous product photos. We solopreneurs have to wear about a bazillion hats: visionary, designer, manufacturer, strategizer, marketer, etc. I'm luckier than most as I went to art school back in the day, so know a little something about basic photographic composition and lighting (as well as how to wield an X-acto knife).  But I relied on natural light for much of my photography - picture quality was dependent on weather/season/time of day. I needed consistency for clean product shots, which meant investing in a light box. Lightboxes range from $20. to $100.+ online, depending on size/complexity. But I needed mine by, like literally, the next day, and didn't feel like paying expedited shipping. Fortunately, I happened upon several tutorials on how to make one. After getting...

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