Meet Dee Bailey

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dee Bailey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dee, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I have learned over the years that anything I don’t feed or give my attention to will die and this includes my creativity. It’s tempting to confuse scrolling through other’s Instagram feeds with finding “inspiration” when really it only fuels their dreams, not mine.

It’s when I put MY hands to create floral designs, table scapes, and event designs that my creativity gets fed and flourishes. This takes active intentionality even when I don’t feel like it. It’s not about my feelings. It’s about honoring God with the gifts He’s given me to bless the world. Interestingly, even when I’m not sure about what I’m trying to do, as long as I keep moving, the creativity flows.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was raised in St. Louis, Missouri but currently reside in the small town of Monroe, Georgia which is located East of Metro Atlanta.

Even though I am a wedding planner/event designer, I wear many hats.

I am an Air Force veteran and served my country during Desert Storm. I have a degree in and still active as an IT professional for a public school district. I perform in our local community theater where I also serve as a board member. I volunteer with a local organization focused on the rehabilitation of women who have been in abusive situations. I enjoy working in my yard, a good bottle of wine, hanging out with friends, and listening to other people’s stories.

I get the most joy out of working with my hands to deliver something special for others. I was recently blessed to host a birthday party in my home for a friend of mine. I spent so much money! LOL!!! It was worth it just to see her and her guests enjoy themselves and each other.

A few days afterwards, I gave away stems of flowers as apart of the Society of American Florists (SAF) initiative Petal It Forward. The only objective was to “create a moment of calm” by giving two flowers to a recipient. They were asked to keep one and give away the other. I had so much fun that day! It was the first one for me as a member of SAF so I am definitely looking forward to the next one!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Go deep beneath the surface of who you really are:

1) In order to undergo the ultimate in self-awareness and accountability, always use ‘I’ and ‘me’ statements when referencing your experiences. For many years, I lead a Bible study group and made this one of our group guidelines when it was time for them to share. I adopted this from the Celebrate Recovery program out of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California.

It just hits differently internally when I say, “I had a really difficult time raising my girls as a single mom” instead of saying, “You know when you are trying to raise your children by yourself and you have a difficult time”. Both seemingly express the experience of the person speaking however, the latter is more generalized while the former is authentically specific.

2) It’s okay to admit that I’m not always okay. I’m generally a very bubbly person. I LOVE to laugh and make others laugh. There are days when I spend too much time inside my head trying to convince myself that I’m not an imposter and know what I’m doing, I am valuable and people do care about me, or I’m really physically tired and it’s okay to rest and just be for awhile.

God is always faithful even when I think I can fool Him with an outright lie or half-truth about how I’m really feeling. Sometimes admitting the truth is extremely difficult and might even come with a little guilt; but I’ve never seen Him leave me to figure things out on my own when I stop pretending I have it all together and let Him into my most vulnerable places.

3) I need other people in my life. I do well by myself however I do far BETTER when I let others in to partner with me and share in some of my life/business experiences. Two of my friends were with me to pass out flowers for the Petal It Forward initiative and it was so much fun having them with me. It was hot! We were sweating but what I thought would take an hour or so to accomplish, we finished in around 20 minutes! I loved it!!!

Hold yourself accountable for the things you are experiencing in your life. Use ‘I’ and ‘me’ statements as much as possible. Admit the truth about how you’re feeling and what you’re going through. Invite people in to do life with you. You do these things, your life will change for the better.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I ABSOLUTELTY need people to partner with me! LOL!

First and foremost, I need someone who is a whiz at business bookkeeping and inventory especially if they are really good at creating an easy-to-use system that will have me ready for tax season.

I also would like to work with freelance floral designers, photographers, content-creators, and balloon artists for contract work. I’ve been doing everything myself and quite frankly, it’s just not nearly as much fun as working with other people who are like-minded.

Reaching out to me via email at [email protected] is the best way to let me know they’re interested in meeting with me for a video chat.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://antiqueroseweddingsandevents.com
• Instagram: antiquerose_weddingsandevents
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/AntiqueRoseWeddingsandEvents

Image Credits

Headshot: Kelley Channel Studio