Our Show & Tell is a little different this time. Instead of talking about the successes of others we think it's about time we fill you in a little about ourselves. I mean we are pretty inspiring – well at least Tara is, she made a person! (Thanks to you too Andrew).
We’ve gone through lots of changes here at D&D, I was one of the first ones here and man, it’s been quite the roller coaster ride, in the greatest way possible. Or I guess you can liken it to more of an Uber ride with a 3 star driver – he’s taken some wrong turns, theres been some near misses but he tells some pretty funny jokes and you get to the right destination in the end. There have been 3 office changes, two new employees, 45 clients, won an award and now a new baby!
We are currently all still adjusting to the biggest change to D&D so far, the addition of little Estelle Mae Shelton, born May 14 at 10.21pm.
It had felt like forever since the dream team has gotten together as the complete ensemble, so it was about time! We prepared a little goody bag which included the 30 Under 30 trophy, which Tara won recently (you can read about it here). The trophy is a lot heavier than it looks and totally Dream & Do-y with the beautiful clear glass. Make room on your shelf Tara, this is just the beginning!
It goes without saying there was lots to catch up on and lots to say… It was supposed to be a 2hr meeting that quickly turned into a 4! When we all get together we find it hard to keep track of time and Tara is one of the best storytellers I know. We’ve been waiting for the arrival of Estelle, formally named ‘Figgy’, for what has felt like the longest time so seeing her was surreal, and DAYUM Tara needs to share her diet or workout plan, move over Ashy Bines Bikini Body Workout, Mama-D got it happening, yo! Sincerely though, motherhood looks beautiful on you, Tara. And Estelle is totally a ‘branded’ baby, with her name being chosen because it means ‘star’ in French. When she says she loves branding, she means it!
In the time we spent together you could already see bits and pieces of Estelle’s personality forming. She is greedy little feeder, she loves flipping the bird, she’s observant with her little furrowed brow and she loves early 00’s RNB, a real gangster babe.
I got to hold her first but I have NO experience with babies and I clearly didn't smell as nice as Mama-D does. She looks like a little beetroot crying in my arms haha (sorry Estelle)! Rach was next without much luck either, but Laura is obviously the baby whisper, getting Estelle to settle and fall asleep in her arms… She looked pretty smug about it too.
The catch up included tea and sushi, cuddles and Dream & Do updates, followed by Doughnut Time. At the end of it I think we all felt realigned. It was great to hear Tara talking about the business and the bigger picture for D&D and seeing first hand what her vision was with an impressive vision board including images of the dream space, a knockout pair of heels and three kids on the cards. We’ve been so busy keeping the business going and keeping the clients happy, so a reminder about the business vision was a great shot in the arm.
D&D is so much more than an agency, we're a BRAND. We want to help give people the courage to follow their dreams. I’m sure so many people can relate to getting so caught up living life you forget your own dreams sometimes.
Written by Renata Dominik, Graphic Designer & Photographer