Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendal Patterson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kendal. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Ever since I was seven years old, I have had an absolute love for capturing moments. I would take my parent’s camera (that recorded to tape by the way, what even is that?!) and film music videos, “commercials”, and honestly anything under the sun with my friends. What brought me immense joy ended up leading to joining Broadcast Video Production in high school, then studying Mass Communication and Digital Media at Georgia College. The joy found in videography and photography as a child never faded.
After college, I got married to my best friend, Russell, and found myself in 9-5 jobs for about three years. I am so thankful for those job opportunities and the lessons that I learned from them, however, I still felt like something was missing. I found myself daydreaming about the freedom found in being my own boss and thinking about the “what-ifs” quite a bit. “What if” I did freelance? “What if” I actually made my own company? “What if” I gave it at least a few years of my time, attention, love, and hard-work? “What if” I could actually do this thing?!
So, I did it. After much thought and prayer with my husband, I made the decision to leave the comfort of my full-time job and actually give myself a shot at this. I knew I wanted to start my own company, challenge myself in a new way, and be able to provide freedom down the road of managing my own schedule while starting a family.
I quit my comfortable job in February of 2020, a few weeks before we knew the world would shut down due to COVID-19. Some might think it was poor timing, but I whole-heartedly disagree! I was thankful to have a handful of projects to work on at home and have more time on my hands to really DREAM about my future business.
My sweet husband kept asking, “so what’s your business name going to be”?! As I am a firm believer in Jesus, I felt as though the Lord would give me my name. On March 11th, 2020 – the night before my 26th birthday – I was just about to fall asleep. You know that feeling? When you’re starting to dream, but can still feel yourself lying in your bed? THAT is when it hit me.
I saw and heard the name “Lovely House Media” in the sweetest sound right as I was about to fall asleep! My eyes shot open, and guess what I did first? Yes. I typed it into Instagram to make sure the handle was available and I was in luck – it was! I immediately secured it, as well as a Gmail account in that moment. I closed my phone and didn’t sleep all night due to excitement! This. Was. Happening.
Lovely: the word “lovely” has always stood out to me. Two of my favorite people in the world, my grandma (we call her Granna) and my best friend, Molly, have ALWAYS used the word “lovely”. It always stands out to me when speaking to them and I desire for my work to evoke those same feelings as well. The word “lovely” is defined as “exquisitely beautiful”. As a business owner, I want my work to be unique, my clients to feel like family, and for the whole experience to truly be, well, lovely from start to finish.
House: I am a Christian and my faith is one of the major foundations of my life. As a business, I deeply desire for this same foundation to be present in my projects, my communication with clients, and everything in between. I believe the word “house” was given to me to remind myself that any financial income that I receive from my business is a blessing from the Lord and truly not even “mine”. I believe that I have the responsibility to be a steward of this aspect of my business and let it be a reflection of my faith.
Media: Probably the most obvious out of the three. I’ve always had a love for “all things media” since I was seven years old. I love this word because my business is not just videography. It’s photography, brand animations, event capturing, highlight reels, wedding films, online courses, gender reveals, family portraits, and capturing all of life’s moments – no matter what they are!
Lovely House Media launched on May 1st, 2020. I was so excited, nervous, and thrilled to put my heart out there into the world. I received so much love and support from friends and family – it was overwhelming in the best way. What I was excited about most, though, was my logo. The word “lovely” in my logo is my sweet Granna’s handwriting, who helped inspire the name. Eleven days after I launched, my Granna suddenly passed away on May 12th, 2020. One of the last words I shared with her over the phone was sharing what I used her handwriting for. She was the best business partner and I am so proud to honor her legacy through Lovely House Media.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has certainly not all been easy. Starting a business in the middle of a global pandemic comes with its fair share of doubts and struggles. I can certainly be my own worst enemy when fear creeps into my head. It’s a dangerous “comparison-trap” that you need to intentionally be pulling yourself out of.
Being a company of one can also become lonely when you’re confined to the four walls of your home. However, I have truly been blessed with the sweetest, most caring clients that have been a light during the dark days which I am so thankful for.
We’d love to hear more about Lovely House Media.
Lovely House Media was created to help your business, share your story, and capture all of life’s moments. I am known to not specialize in one specific “category”. For example, one weekend, you might see me capturing a wedding, while the next week, I will be shooting an online course, followed by creating an event highlight reel! I thrive in environments where I am capturing different content and constantly being challenged to be creative in new ways.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Humbleness. When you humble yourself, I believe that you are always looking for new ways to be better. Especially in media, you never fully “master it” – since there are always new techniques, equipment, ways to be creative, I mean, the list is endless! That might be the Enneagram 2 Wing 3 (major 3) in me talking as an “Achiever”, but I think that humbleness is the most important key to success.
Contact Info:
- Email: lovelyhousemedia@gmail.com
- Instagram: @lovelyhousemedia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovelyhousemedia
- Other: vimeo.com/lovelyhousemedia
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