***All images in this post are copyright Joy Thigpen unless otherwise noted***

NEXT WEEK: TBA

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

Make sure to check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

You are a wedding stylist, how is that different from being a wedding coordinator?

well, my team can actually provide all the regular planning and coordinating services, it's just that we take the aesthetics as seriously as the logistics.

What are the three most important things you do as a business woman?

follow my heart, surround myself with the right people, and work in my strengths

What are the three most important things you do as a mother?

1. listen to my kids

2.when i'm with them i'm as present as possible

3. try to be the kind of person i want them to become

When you are feeling overwhelmed with business, what’s the best thing you think you do as a mom?

get help. from my husband, my associates, my nanny, my family... we all need each other. i can't be everything to everyone all the time. i try to determine which hat i need to be wearing at the moment (work or mom) and delegate the rest.

I love your logo, what was the process you went through to create it and your style?

thanks! well, the logo actually came from a moment of self-employmentdespairturned hope when i saw a little old-school plane doing loops out of the corner of my eye. it felt like a promise of crazy good fun that was to come. that moment along with a pablo neruda quote: "i want to do with you what spring does to the cherry trees" gave rise to my little logo.

as for the creation of my style, i guess its just been a process of looking at good work and collecting the things i like in folders in my iphoto...slowly patterns start to emerge.

What are your three favorite creative tools and how do they help you to be inspired?

one i just hinted at is my iphoto. i just gather images i see from the internet (tool number two?) and file them away and put them back together again in new ways that inspire new palettes and projects and ideas.

What are you most proud of creatively?

well, there's a shoot I did in March that will actually be published this week, i think, on oncewed.com. it was the first time i really felt unleashed. i'll include a sneak peak. there were a lot of talented people involved from all over the country and it made me feel so alive. i loved the outcome and i loved that in the process i felt, "yes, this is exactly what i'm supposed to be doing."

What do you recommend women do who are just getting a small business started?

i'm sure there is a lot of good business advice out there but i have to seek them out. so i guess my first tip is to recognize when you need help, but my biggest piece of advise is to figure out what you love to do and do it well. eventually the money will come. i really believe that we were all put on the planet for specific tasks and that when we do what we were made to do God takes care of the rest. maybe not the best business advise but it makes me happy. and that's something!

What are you most proud of as a business woman?

really, just being a business woman is enough for me to be proud of. i still feel pressure around me that i should stay home with my kids because i'm a woman. its been a journey for me to realize, no wait, i don't have to be the parent while my husband works, we can actually both be parents and both work! simple, i know, but it was revolutionary for me. so i'm just proud of myself for stepping out and doing the work i love without feeling like i'm abandoning my kids.

What would you say is your best way of bringing in new clients aside from word of mouth?

good wedding blogs. i get a lot of my clients from being on once wed.

What 5 tips do you have for women to help them maintain a balance in their lives between everything they have to do?

ooh, this is such a good topic. i don't know that i have five tips but i'll give my two cents. there is this great book called Boundaries, you could read that if you want. i just feel like boundaries are so important in finding balance....knowing when to stop working is as important as anything. there are seasons when we have to spend more time in certain areas but i think just trying to pursue balance is the best thing. if pursuing balance in your life is on your radar at all, its a good sign. after that, you just have to decide what's most important to you and make sure you live like it.

What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed?

remember that i have brittany now! (see below.) basically, delegate. i can only do so much and i don't have to feel bad about that. if it more than i can do it means that someone else needs to do it or it doesn't need to get done...at least not yet. its that simple. remembering that isn't always easy but life is so much better when i do.

What three products or things help you stay organized?

not a product/thing but, the best thing I've done is to hire someone to organize everything...my calendar, clients, events, everything. i'm just not gifted in those areas and when i tried to do it all, things weren't getting done as well as they should be AND i was going crazy. now brittany does all the things i'm terrible at and its cake for her! life is much better now.

What is your favorite thing about being a business woman?

my job. most days that i'm out working i find myself saying out loud, "man, i love my job!" and "I can't believe this is my life!" you can ask the people i work with. i love being surrounded by really beautiful things and excellent quality and creativity...its soexhilaratingfor me.

What is your favorite part of being a mom?

snuggling!

Are you married? If so, what is the best thing your husband does to help your business be successful?

yes. the best thing he does for my business is that he believes in me. he's the one that encouraged me most to give it a go in the first place.

What daily things do you do to keep the flames burning in your marriage?

wow. i wish i had a great answer here.... i think it'd be awesome if i intentionally did things here. but i'm still working on being kind to my husband daily. that goes a long way and is harder for me than i like to admit.

To see Joy's work:

Website

Blog