Opening a new business is a massive amount of work. Some things are more fun than others. Writing a strategic business plan is a really important part of getting a solid foundation for the business but not always fun. Thinking of a log for a business is fun and also very important. This is something that will be seen and identified with a business. I poured over many hours of photos and graphics. I wrote up lots of ideas and did plenty of drawing. I wanted a logo that represented the color silver which has a very special meaning to me for this business (I'll share more about that a little later).
The logo also needed to represent the fact that horses are at the heart of what I want to do. Then the idea struck! What about a silver heart made from horse shoes? I looked up some basic designs for my idea and then contacted a special person that lives right in my neighborhood.
Cameron Blair who, when he was younger, used to help me out here doing chores like cleaning pens and grooming horses. At the time I was starting colts for people, giving riding lessons, and teaching horsemanship clinics. To pay Cameron back for his help, I would give him riding and ground work lessons. He was very industrious and reliable even at that younger age. Now he's in high school and wants to become a mechanic. He's great at making things and fixing things and is still one of the most reliable people I know. I sent him my design ideas and asked him if he thought he'd be able to make a heart from horseshoes and paint it metallic silver. He said he could and a few short days later, he showed up with two horseshoe hearts completed. They are exactly what I envisioned. One will hang below the new sign for Silver Heart Ranch that people will see out front of our place when they drive in. The other will hang somewhere in my horse area out back.
I plan to have a photo of one of the horseshoe hearts made into a logo that can go on business cards and my web-site. It's a fun and creative process that I have really enjoyed. The process of getting it right, involves more than just me. It's important to reach out to others and ask for help. This can be a hard thing to do because we often believe that we have to have all the answers and be the best at whatever we do. I believe that this is unrealistic and that we become too hard on ourselves which alienates us more from having real relationships with others. I've been challenging myself to open up more to others and to express my gratitude at their willingness to enrich my life and to lend a hand when I need it. In turn, that example paves the way for them to reach out for my help. The world becomes just a little bit wider each time I practice this. My place becomes more open and I can breathe deeply - centered in myself.
Next time, I'll write about the color silver and how it relates to the name of my new business. Thanks for reading! Thank you Cameron for helping me with your talents.