Creative Direction
I approach creative direction as an act of listening before shaping. The work begins by paying attention to people, to intention, to what’s already present but unnamed. Rather than imposing a concept, I help bring clarity to what wants to emerge, guiding projects with care, restraint, and trust. My role is to hold the vision steady while allowing space for honesty, movement, and human truth.
The story behind The Good Deeds Co
This project began with a simple question:
How do I tell the story of my creative origin?
I rebranded The Good Deeds Co. because the agency I’d imagined at the start had quietly changed into something truer to who I am. Storytelling became the way in — not just as a tactic, but as the heart of the work. I wanted the brand to feel like a return: to roots, to purpose, and to the people who’ve shown up along the way.
Homecoming was the result — a photoshoot rooted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, my alma mater, where so much of the story began. It wasn’t just about fresh visuals; it was about bringing other creatives into the fold — people I believe God placed in my life to help shape this vision. Together, we crafted images that trace the arc of going back to where it all started: the classrooms, the quads, the quiet corners that still hold pieces of the person I became.
The project feels like a conversation between past and present. It’s proof that rebranding can be soulful, collaborative, and honest — a homecoming for both a business and the woman behind it.
Created with:
Ayanna Simone (far left)-Brand and Image Archtech
Alexis Coltrane (second left)-Administrative Assistant and Pastoral Care
Danah Slaughter (right)-Senior Producer
Amber Essence Co. (Photography & Videography)
What shifted.
How I viewed my business. It felt real to do and create something for me for the first time.
What was learned.
I learned that I can steward gifts in a way that I wasn’t sure if I was fully prepared to do in that moment, even. It has made me aware of how I want to be more intentional in collaborating moving forward.
What stayed unresolved.
Will this be more than a photoshoot? I thought that it would be a campaign but I have a different direction on how I see my company now. I truly see that this was a story I just needed to tell FIRST.
Lori Joe Brown Brand Shoot
This project began with this question: How can Lori show how she was created?
This being my first time creative directing, I wanted more than a brief — I wanted a vision she could step into. The Good Deeds Co. had already mapped the strategy and systems; my job was to translate that into a lived, visual language. This shoot was a reintroduction: not only to potential clients, but to her. I aimed for images that would let her recognize herself as the brand, to feel and embody this next chapter fully.
Created with:
Ryan Griffen (top left)- (Photographer & Videographer)
Candace Weather (bottom left) - Makeup Artist
Kiy Todd (bottom right) -Stylist
Danah Slaughter (not in photo)-Content Producer
What shifted.
I knew I created something special when I noticed Lori’s confidence shift. She saw herself as the brand we built. I didn’t realize that the process itself was transformational to her identity.
What was learned.
I CAN DO THIS. I didn’t dawn on me that I was creative directing until the day before the shoot. I had time to reflect, and I truly pulled a team together, created direction, and was close to full execution.
What stayed unresolved.
I wasn’t sure what to do next. How to showcase what I had done. In that moment, I didn’t know how to share with the world what I did. I went straight back to managing my client’s brand. It wasn’t the time yet.
