Photo Credit Alexandra Wallace
Photo Credit Billy Onjea | Unsplash
Photo Credit Alexandra Wallace
CONTENT
Photo Credit Michelle Roller
those who tell the stor ie s, r ule the world .
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C ON T R I BU TOR S
a l i n g e r i n g i nt e r e s t
A L E X A N DR A WA L L AC E l i fe i s n’t a l w a y s b l o g p o s t s a n d p a p e r m a c h e
L E X Y WA R D lost g irls, lett ing your d reams f ind you
K Y L A E M BR E Y d o n’t m o v e ! s a i d t h e p h o t o g r a p h e r
BR I T TA N Y J U RY l e a r n i n g c o n f i d e n c e a s a n e nt r e p r e n e u r
E L I Z A BET H PI PE R g row ing your business on t he side
J E N N Y H IGH SM I T H t he st r uggle is par t of t he stor y
J U L I A R HODE N
long mor n ing s a nd new measures of success
N ATA L I E B ORTON m e a nt t o b e , t h e s t o r y o f a n i l l u s t r a t o r
E M M A BL O C K f i n d i n g y o u r w a y, h o w b r i g ht s i d e fo u n d i t s r o o t s
BR I T T N E Y T E R RY w h a t i’v e l e a r n e d b e i n g a fe m a l e l e a d e r
M EG A N Z E NGE R L E t r u s t m e , y o u’r e n o t a l o n e
ST E PH A N I E W I L SON t he ma k ing of ma iedae
J E N N Y H IGH SM I T H t h e c r e a t i v e p r o c e s s , a l i s o n’s “ m o s t a r t i s t i c ” j o u r n e y
A L I SON C OL BY t he open i ng, st ar t i ng t he pret t yg irl revolut ion
M A RY GE N ET T I
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WELCOME! cleverly wom an
Welcome to Cleverly – the culmination of a vision that began with the incredible women that surround me. This publication was created to uplift, encourage and empower creative women like you! Uplifting you through stories of creating and making, encouraging you to begin creative endeavors and empowering you to be a leader in your creative field. The number of women in creative industries is rising everyday and Cleverly provides them with a place to hear from creative women, just like you! In Cleverly’s debut issue, we focus on ‘The Beginning’. We hear from creative women all over the world, sharing their stories, their wisdom and the challenges they face as they follow their dreams. Every day is a new beginning. We are given the opportunity to create new realities and follow our passions. Let Cleverly inspire you to begin!
Photo Credit Alexandra Wallace
CONTRIBUTORS EMMA BLOCK
M A RY G E N ET T I
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L i fe C oa c h
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B a lt i mor e, M a r yl a nd
NATA L I E B ORTON
H E AT H E R G R AY
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T hou ght sbyNat a l ie.c om
He at her Gr ayP hot og r aphy.c om
S a n D ieg o, C a l i for n i a
L a f ayet t e, C olor a do
A B B I E B RYC H E L
J E N N Y H IG H SM I T H
P hot og r apher / D e s i g ner
Blog g er / D e s i g ner
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A L I SON C OL BY
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Bl a c k s he a r, G e or g i a
Ne w York , Ne w York
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K Y L A E M B R EY
G R AC E L I N DE L I E N
E nt r e pr eneu r
P hot og r apher
L o st Gi rl sV i nt a g e.c om
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C h ic a g o, I l l i noi s
S a nt a B a r ba r a , C a l i for n i a
B EC K Y M U R PH Y
N IC H E L L E T E SON E
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E L I Z A B ET H PI PE R
A L E X A N DR A WA L L AC E
L i fe C oa c h
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A le x a nd r a -Wa l l a c e.c om
B a lt i mor e, M a r yl a nd
S a nt a M a r i a , C a l i for n i a
J U L I A R HODE N
L E XY WA R D
Fa s h ion D e s i g ner
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M IC H E L L E ROL L E R
ST E PH A N I E W I L SON
P hot og r apher
Blog g er / Wr it er
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A t a s c a der o, C A
Na s hv i l le, Ten ne s s e e
B R I T T N EY T E R RY
M EG A N Z E NG E R L E
F lor i st / E nt r e pr eneu r
V ic e P r e s ident , Pe ople O p er at ion s
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D enver, C olor a do
S a n Fr a nc i s c o, C a l i for n i a 08
Photo Credit Death to Stock 09
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN. George Eliot
Photo Credit Dominik Martin | Snap Wire Snaps
L on g Mor nin g s an d New Mea sur e s of
SUCCESS Photog raphy by Dominik Martin | Written by Natalie Borton
Zzzzz There is nothing I enjoy more than a long mor ning—the kind where you wake up to natural sunlight, slowly make your way downstairs, brew up coffee just the way you like it, and linger in the living room for hours, watching the Today Show and catching up on blog-reading. If you don’t know what a mor ning like that feels like, I urge you to try it, because it’s truly one of the best things in life. Upon realizing just how special these kinds of mor nings are, I decided to make them happen more often…as in, nearly every day. At first I felt really lazy—after all, only lazy people have time to lounge around until 9am watching TV and reading for fun, right? Wrong. Happy people and relaxed people make time to lounge around like that, understanding that success doesn’t always mean starting work for the day as early as humanly possible. Arianna Huffington recently spoke to this truth in a commencement speech at Smith College:
If we o n ly m ea s u r e s u c c ess i n a c a d e m i c a n d wo r k - r el a t e d a c h i e ve m e n t , we w i ll li ve a sa d , t i r e d , b u r n e d - o u t li fe. “What adding well-being to our definition of success means is that, in addition to looking after our financial capital, we need to do everything we can to protect and 13
nurture our human capital. My mother was an expert at that. I still remember, when I was twelve years old, a very successful Greek businessman coming for dinner. He looked rundown and exhausted. But when we sat down to dinner, he told us how well things were going for him. He was thrilled about a new contract he had just won to build a new museum. My mother was not impressed. ‘I don’t care how well your business is doing,’ she told him bluntly, ‘you’re not taking care of you. Your business might have a great bottom line, but you are your most important capital. There are only so many withdrawals you can make from your health bank account, but you just keep on withdrawing. You could go bankrupt if you don’t make some deposits soon.’”
B e ex c ell e n t a t yo u r wo r k , yes, b u t r e f u se t o l e t i t t a k e o ve r yo u r li fe a n d d e f i n e yo u . If we only measure success in academic and work-related achievement, we will live a sad, tired, burned-out life. But if we choose to step back, lean out a bit and protect our human capital, we live more fulfilled, more whole and truly more successful lives. Sleep and rest and regular relaxation are what keep us going day after day—they make us more kind, more loving, more focused and more efficient in all arenas of our lives.
Photo Credit Sonja Langford | Snap Wire Snaps
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Photo Credit Alexandra Wallace
PARE DOWN TO THE ESSENCE, BUT DON’T REMOVE THE POETRY. Leanord Koren When we begin a new endeavor, we are overcome by a massive amount of advice, information and suggested technique. A common trend when learning something new is to reach for perfection, never stopping until our end result is anything but ideal. We tend to overcompensate. If we scroll through old blog posts or look through old prints, there are always a few pieces from the beginning that we would like to forget ever happened. But as we gain confidence in our craft learning to focus and truly define the purpose and goals of our project, result is a final design that is both simple and poetic. Paring down to the essence without removing the poetry.
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Photo Credit Alexandra Wallace
a lingering
INTEREST
Photog raphy by Alexandra Wallace | Written by Alexandra Wallace
In high school, I held up a strange balancing act of completing AP and honors courses, maintaining a 4.0 grade average and preparing for SATs. While focusing on academics I also spent my weekends playing shows in bars and college towns, stayed up late writing screenplays for my two-hour block of film production classes, and kept a social circle that ranged from Ivy League-bound classmates to friends that graduated years ago and maintained the lifestyle of moder n Ginsbergs. Throughout my schooling career, I went from pursuing biolog y to a career in zoolog y [let’s keep it real here guys - I’m terrible at science and all about cute animals], to a ‘On the Road’ phase where I decided I could live in an empty apartment with a typewriter and skip the college game altogether, to eventually settling on art 19
school. Lucky for me, this allowed me to tur n away from the masses heading to the University of Califor nia branches. Instead of having to choose classes based on those requirements (including those pesky math and science classes), I replaced them with the creative courses I loved, and I completely immersed myself in them. When my senior year of high school rolled around, I planned to attend the most prestigious film school in the area, complete a bachelor’s degree within three years, and become the next Sophia Coppola within five. I did not second-guess myself; I was ready to move on from high school. And while I sat at the senior barbeques and pep rallies, my mind was in Los Angeles, behind a lens and driving to filming locations. I knew what I wanted.
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A n i m p o r t a n t l esso n I l ea r n e d: T h e th i n gs yo u wa n t c a n c h a n ge.
Now, to a very important lesson I lear ned: The things you want can change. After graduating high school, I embarked on a summer tour with my boyfriend before moving away. We made our way through Califor nia, Oregon, and Nevada, and I still have chills when I think about it. Having been very close friends for years and now just started dating, I fell even harder for him on this trip and the added adventure of the open road was something that I can’t even accurately describe. My generation overuses this word, but I believe it’s necessary: Perfection. August came, I moved into my own apartment, and I started going to all of my film classes. A few evenings were spent listening to people in the industry that had worked on top film and television shows, but most nights were lonely and felt empty. Weekends at home, or where my boyfriend would make the drive down to stay with me, were my highest point. Everything else, even the classes I thought I would love, paled in comparison.
When I made the decision to pack up and move home, I felt that a huge weight was lifted. I had a weird, shameful feeling though that I had failed. I am one of those people who loathes being wrong, and I had been completely off on what I thought I wanted. However, an element of this experience was lingering with me - photography. With the last amount of money I had, I made the splurge on a digital SLR camera. I had played with my dad’s professional film camera through high school, but with local film processing diminishing, digital photog raphy opened up a whole new world for me. I started by taking on the classic ‘365’ challenge, and took a new photo every day for that year. In that time, I had started to build an interest in portraiture, and by the following year, I was beginning to really dive into creative portraits. For a small time, I also had a part-time job at Toys R Us and a full community college schedule on my plate. But with the support of my family, boyfriend, and slowly growing number of potential clients, I made the move to become a full-time photographer.
If yo u wo r k r ea lly h a r d a n d yo u’r e k i n d , a m azi n g th i n gs w i ll h a p p e n . – Conan O’Brien
Then came a night, where I heard the producer of a pretty big show [ expressed his love for his career. But, his career definitely took up most of his time; he missed a lot of birthdays and he didn’t get to come home much. I know that it sounds like the speech a job-obsessed father gives at the climax of a family dramedy, but there’s a reason for it - it happens quite frequently. And I’m sure there are people out there that can pull it off, but I am not one of them. The sixteen-hour workday lost its appeal when I realized how empty the eight hours in between would be.
T h e s i x t ee n - h o u r wo r k d ay l os t i t s a p p ea l wh e n I r ea lize d h ow e m pt y th e e i gh t h o u rs i n be t wee n wo u l d be.
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There are so many outlets and resources for lear ning pretty much anything these days, let alone photography. So I feel like the best thing I can offer is simple advice that has rung true to my own experience. In the words of Conan O’Brien, “If you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” Regardless of any headline you read, success does not happen over night. No matter what your pursuit is, there will be stress, bumps in the road, and sleepless nights. But if you truly love what you do, and you are persistent, open to lear ning, and friendly to all those who help you along the way [whether it’s your closest partner or someone who wrote you a rejection email], you will find yourself in a really wonderful spot someday. Chances are you won’t even fully realize it until someone asks you how you got there.
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Illustration Credit Emma Block
YOU CAN HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT IN LIFE IF YOU DRESS FOR IT. Edith Head
Edith Head was a Hollywood costume designer and multi-academy award winner. Part of her success came from the close relationships she developed with many of Hollywood’s leading ladies – Grace Kelly for Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday, Rosemary Clooney for White Christmas, Ginger Rogers in Lady in the Dark and Natalie Wood in The Great Race.
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meant to be the stor y of an illu st rator
Photog raphy by Emma Block | Illustration by Emma Block | Written by Emma Block
Drawing has always been my passion and I always knew my career would be in the arts. But I’m also very sensible and I never wanted to be a fine artist. I discovered what illustration was and I knew it was the career I was meant to pursue. When I was 16, I started a blog. And I began selling my work only a year later. At the time, I was chronically ill with ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), but what I lacked in physical energy I made up for in creative passion. Once I graduated from university, already working on a book, I went straight into illustrating full-time. But don’t mistake me as an over night success. I slowly built the business over a long period of time. I still cringe when I see work of mine that is nine years old, popping up on Pinterest. But I will forever be grateful I took those first 25
steps as an illustrator and a businesswoman while I was still in education. My biggest business inspiration is my grandpa. He began his career buying and selling on the markets of London and went on to own several shops selling antique silver. He’s 89 and still does a bit of buying and selling still today. I think business sense and creativity is in the blood, and I’m grateful for his inspiration in my life. My naivety and inexperience lead to a lot of mistakes. But by making them early on, I was able to lear n from them. Lear ning the importance of not being shy about money, always having a contract (and reading it properly) and not underselling myself made such a difference as I built my business. I’ve lear ned to trust my instincts. They’re almost always right.
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Photo Credit Grace Lindelien
I WANT TO INSPIRE PEOPLE. I WANT SOMEONE TO LOOK AT ME AND SAY BECAUSE OF YOU, I DIDN’T GIVE UP.
Everyday we as creative women are making things to touch our audiences, whether we’re writing a blog post or painting a canvas. At the end of the day, let’s make it about these people. Letting our creative abilities shine, chasing after our dreams and making things happen, inspiring others to never give up.
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Life i sn’t always
Blog Posts & Paper Mache Photog raphy by Sally MacNicholas | Written by Lexy Ward
Blogger and craft stylist. Some days it’s the best thing that ever happened to me and other days, it’s the worst job ever. But the opportunity to make my own schedule work when it’s convenient for me is a huge plus, especially for my daughter! Most of my days are spent with baby V, cuddling when she’s awake and hustling when she naps. This means I’m mostly working into the wee hours of the morning – editing photos, writing copy and retur ning emails. A chicken with her head cut off is exactly how I’d describe myself. Having my daughter present while I’m working has helped her to express her creativity as well. I love what I do, and having that show through her is what keeps me going. The girl loves color! She’s always moving fur niture around, coloring and arranging things. It’s like she’s mimicking what I’m constantly doing. It brings me such joy to watch. One of my favorite things about having my own creative businesses is working with all types of creative people. I’ve been able to learn from incredible photographers and talented florists. They’ve helped me to hone my aesthetic and work with brands to style their product lines.
Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to partner with some of those brands to create a workshop series, Eat Drink Create (“EDC”). EDC brings together bloggers and other creatives together to mingle and network in a comfortable and creative atmosphere. The first event was small and intimate with only 25 people, but now EDC sells out immediately. We’ve begun a series of DIY-related workshops and each one fills up in hours!
d o wh a t yo u l o ve and p e o pl e w i ll foll o w Watching the Eat Drink Create series grow into such a successful event has been so fun (and stressful at times). It’s so much work to plan events – taking into consideration the cost, the venue, publicity, types of attendees. It’s a lot to consider! But if you’re into all of the details and are ready for the challenge, I would encourage you to start a great endeavor like this. It’s rewarding and it’s what I love! So, go. Do what you love and people with follow.
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YOU CAN’T USE UP CREATIVITY. THE MORE YOU USE, THE MORE YOU HAVE. Maya Angelou
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Illustration Credit Becky Murphy
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Photo Credit Split Shire
THE GRASS IS GREENER WHERE YOU WATER IT. As we begin our creative journeys, each of us will experience unique challenges and choices. But stay focused on your goal – work harder than you ever believe you could and your grass will
Photo Credit Aleksandra Bogulawska | Snap Wire Snaps
grow higher and greener than you could have ever imagined.
FINDING YOUR WAY how br i ght side g r ew it s r oot s Photog raphy by Jeff Ambrose | Written by Brittney Terry
Two years ago, I came to a crossroads in my life. I was a year into my college career, taking courses for a degree in medicine. I thought I was on the right track for success – respectable job, plush benefits, good salary and helping others in the process. What more could I want? Still, something was missing. After a few jobs where I was lead by unsuccessful managers and higher-ups, I was aching to do work that meant something, I was g rowing depressed in the process. I found myself unhappy with most things–my education, my jobs, my career path. That unhappiness caused me to lash out at those close to me. My friends and family saw my discontent, and, later, so did I. I realized that I needed a change: I needed to do something solely for myself, and my mental well-being. I needed to do something that made me happy–which, I think, is much more important than money. The question shifted from “what is making you unhappy,” to “what can you do to make yourself happy?” All I knew at that point was that I didn’t want to do something easy. I wanted to be my own boss, and I wanted to create something that was all mine. It didn’t matter if that was going to be much harder, and that I probably wouldn’t make much money.
T h e wo r k yo u d o wh i l e yo u p r oc ra s t i n a t e i s p r oba bly th e wo r k yo u sh o u l d be d o i n g fo r th e r es t of yo u r li fe. – Jessica Hische Becoming your own boss certainly isn’t an easy task, and neither is running a business. Still, the only thing that matters to me is that I am doing something that I absolutely love, and that provides value to my community. Jessica Hische, designer and illustrator, said, “the work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life”. These words have, and continue to, push me to do something with my 37
life that gives me joy and pur pose. I adore working with flowers. I love getting to do something that brings others happiness along with a multitude of other emotions. I find so much joy in building relationships with my clients and being present for some of the happiest and most memorable days of their lives. That is the reason that I do what I do. And that’s how Brightside grew roots. Now you ask, “Where do I start?” “How do I find my pur pose?” I’d like you to prompt yourself to find the “why” of your life. Why do you have the job you have? What do you do in your spare time? Why do you do that in your spare time and not more of the time? Once you find the why of your job-hobby-interests, I believe you find your pur pose. Once you find your pur pose, this becomes a source of constant inspiration and reassurance in your career and your creativity. For me, my “why” is to make others feel emotion. I want my work to evoke emotion in others. That is what I strive to do when I work with flowers. My hope is that when I put together a bouquet for a husband to give to his wife, she feels love and happiness. Or when my arrangement sits on the counter at a salon, each guest that passes feels its beauty and leave inspired. My hope that a bride on her wedding day sees her f lowers as a representation of the love she and the groom have for each other, making them feel special on that important day. The why of your life is just as important as the vessel it takes to get there. Are you good at woodworking? Ask yourself why you work with wood and, if you were to make a career of wood working, why you would do it? The same goes for photography, cooking, writing, sewing, printing, roasting coffee, and so many more. Find something you love doing and that makes you happy. Find out how to make money doing it and find out what makes you the good at that thing. Discover your why. When you discover this about your business, it makes you a better creator and a more focused, centered individual.
My why i s t o m a k e oth e rs feel e m ot i o n .
Photo Credit Jake Trahan
I HAVE NOT FAILED. I HAVE JUST FOUND 10,000 WAYS THAT WON’T WORK. Thomas Edison
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Illustration Credit Becky Murphy
TO THOSE WHO STAY PUT, THE WORLD IS BUT AN IMAGINARY PLACE. BUT TO THE MOVERS, THE MAKERS, THE SHAKERS, THE WORLD IS ALL
Photo Credit Death to Stock
AROUND THEM, AN ENDLESS INVITATION.
THE FASHIONABLE WOMAN WEARS CLOTHES. THE CLOTHES DON’T WEAR HER. Mary Quant
Mary Quant was a London-based fashion designer. She was responsible for creating the look that now typifies the swinging sixties. She revolutionized the fashion industry by creating clothing young women wanted to wear and could afford.
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Illustration Credit Emma Block
LOST GIRLS let t in g your dr eam s f in d you Photog raphy by Towner | Written by Kyla Embrey Follow along @lostgirlsvintage
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So this piece was originally supposed to be about “Chasing Your Dreams,” but in reflecting back on my jour ney, I think “Finding Your Dreams” is more fitting, or perhaps “Letting Your Dreams Find You.” Hi! I’m Kyla, co-owner of Lost Girls Vintage. Lost Girls is a Chicago-based mobile vintage shop run out of a 1976 Dodge RV converted into a store on wheels. I, along with my best friend and fellow Lost Girl Sarah, pop up around Chicago and travel across the country selling our wares. It has been and continues to be a crazy whirlwind of an adventure! For both of us, it’s our absolute dream job, but we never dreamed of it. If you told us three years ago that we’d be where we are today with not one, but two mobile shops, a mini storefront, nearly 13,000 followers, teaching classes on Instag ram, and getting to travel to Morocco for three weeks on a buying trip… we’d both think you were crazy! Sarah and I didn’t even know each other three years ago. Most people are shocked to lear n we haven’t been friends our whole lives. We grew up 1,200 miles apart, she in Maine, I in Georgia. I trained my entire life for a theatrical acting career. She studied fine art. I got my BFA in Theatre Perfor mance from the University of Michigan and moved to Chicago after graduating to pursue an acting career. She moved to Chicago for school and got her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, studying fashion design and textiles, with an emphasis in millinery. In the “real world” we both realized that we didn’t want to be the things we had trained for so intensely; I didn’t want to be a professional actress and she didn’t want to be a fashion designer.
S a ra h a n d I d i d n’ t e ve n k n ow ea c h oth e r th r ee yea rs a go. We both started selling vintage clothes at various vintage markets around Chicago, as more of a hobby than anything else. We eventually met at one of the markets called Vintage Heaven. It was a slow, rainy day. Sarah came over, introduced herself and asked if I wanted to play this dice game she brought called Farkle. Never one to back down from a challenge, I thought “Why not?” Let it be known, Sarah kicked my butt in Farkle! I asked her how she kept outscoring me. She said I wasn’t taking
No Risk No Reward enough risk. “No risk, no reward,” she said. That phrase has been a guiding principle for everything we’ve done with Lost Girls. It wasn’t long before we found ourselves with a few free weekends and decided we didn’t want to wait for somebody else to produce a market for us to have the opportunity to sell. We approached a local coffee shop and asked if we could set up on their patio for an after noon. By God, they said yes! Even better, it was a success! People loved (and bought) our clothes and we helped attract more customers to the coffee shop. But it was brunch that really sealed the deal. We were ordering carryout that after noon and we both wanted the same sweet dish and the same savory dish. We went splitsies and the rest is history! Seriously.
It wa s n’ t a d r ea m we h a d fo r yea rs. It wa s n’ t a pl a n . It wa s a n i d ea . A n d we we r e o p e n t o i t . After brunch, I said we should go into business together, open a shop. Sarah vetoed the idea, loathing the boredom of waiting for customers to come to a shop. “What if we go to the customers? What about a mobile shop?” she asked. “Yes! Let’s do it,” I replied. She was sur prised with my gung-ho response, but we both just went with it. And we did it. It wasn’t a dream we had for years. It wasn’t a plan. It was an idea. And we were open to it. And we can truly say that all of the wonderful things that have happened in our lives with our business have started with being open to new ideas. We didn’t know what we were doing when we started out. And we still have no idea about new things when we first try them. But the most important part is just that - trying them. Being open to them. Not thinking about them. Not talking about them. Actually trying them. And figuring out what works and what doesn’t. And trusting that what you do know is enough to get started. And what you don’t know, well you’ll figure that out along the way. 48
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Photo Credit Michelle Roller
INSTEAD OF TELLING GIRLS THEY CAN BE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO BE, LET’S SHOW THEM WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A LEADER. Dream, Girl | The Documentary
Remember when you were a little girl and you wanted to be an astronaut? Or maybe you wanted to be a teacher, a doctor or even a lawyer? And you knew you could be all those things, but did you ever picture yourself as the country’s leading heart surgeon or as a United States supreme court justice? Statistics say that 92% of girls believe anyone can be a leader, but only 21% believe they have the confidence to be one. These numbers are reflected in our society’s tendency to view women in traditional roles instead of accepting the rising number of women leading the way in all fields, especially in creative industries. Let’s show young girls that they can be leaders too – entrepreneurs starting businesses, directors of firms both large and small, revolutionaries. We need to change the way young girls see themselves.
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The bar for ef fective leadership is ver y high. Leaders, male and female alike, are faced with multifaceted challenges, both inter nal and exter nal, within their organizations and business units. Throughout my tenure in leadership roles, I recognized that, despite facing similar challenges as my male counter parts, my unique talents and how I achieved results were misunderstand and often diminished, primarily because I was a female leader in the organization. This lack of understanding held me back from speaking up and offering my opinions. And I believe it affected how others perceived me in the workplace, how they viewed me in my executive presence, and how they perceived me as a thought leader in my area of discipline. This discrepancy bothered me greatly and I experienced a period of resentment. But then, I realized that innovative results require a dynamic and creative process. And from that realization, I spent time focusing intently on my value and how to think and contribute differently. 51
Wh at I ’ve L ear ned Bein g A
Female Leader
Photo Credit Heather Gray
Photography by Heather Gray | Written by Megan Zengerle
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Over time, these revelations of my own leadership style led me to a position within a creative company, CreativeLive, Inc., where I oversee people operations as a founding member of the executive team. My role comes with it’s challenges, as all leadership roles do, but being able to focus on creative solutions and dynamic output has helped solidify my development as a female executive to this point. Currently, I am also the sole female member of our leadership team, which has prompted more thought and intent with regards to the impact female perspectives have on the creative, leadership process. Inside and outside of leadership in a creative company, there are a few key areas that I’ve lear ned to focus on in my business leadership:
I realized that innovative results require a dynamic and creative process. Leader ship is about being confident and actionable. Sometimes it happens even when you’re not 100 percent sure of the outcome. Being able to act with decisiveness and from the heart builds confidence both in yourself and amongst the team. Never stop lear ning. There is so much talk about natural leadership qualities, but I believe you have to lear n, cultivate and foster your leadership ability. Leadership
R aise your hand. Despite years of progress by women in the workforce (we now occupy more than 40% of all managerial positions in the US), women remain rare within the C-suite. Amongst the Fortune 500, only 6% of Chair man, President, CEO or COO titles are held by women. Yet, companies with three or more women in leadership or board position roles show exponential growth and profit. The imbalance in leadership is still high. But I’ve lear ned that despite it, I still have a voice and a seat at the table that I ear ned through my personal hard work, skill set, and contributions. I’ve grasped that it’s even more important for me to speak up and raise my hand on issues that deserve a diverse representation and approach to thinking than simply going with the flow. I’ve spent time recognizing and lear ning ways to self-promote my ideas, opinions and areas of expertise authentically and to not fear saying what I think out loud.
is something to always hone, assess and ref lect upon. Seeking out mentors, industry resources and personal development tools is essential for ongoing growth in a leadership capacity. Further more, understanding and grasping the psychological requirements, and sometimes barriers, that comes with female leadership is critical. Having a network of other business leaders, male and female, is important for honing and refining your skills as a leader.
Be authentic. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Being an influential leader is fully contingent on being able to be who you are and to speak and act from a place that is authentically your own. Offering a whole hearted version of yourself allows richer interaction for giving feedback, sharing opinions and ultimately having people believe in your passion and mission. Strong leadership is all about the ability to truly affect people and make an impact in their professions, focus and lives. A part of authenticity is following your gut. Sometimes you have to make a leap of faith. As I was moving up the ranks, I attended meetings where it was clear a decision was necessary and I realized it was going to be me making it.
Be a good listener. Likely the most important thing I’ve lear ned along my path to leadership is to become a good listener. An active listener. A genuine listener. Building a good team and a good product means you’ve heard what matters to each individual on your team and your users. Often times, thriving teams are a result of a leader who has listened and heard, directly and indirectly, what is needed for success. Many times employees don’t ask directly for what they need the most. Further honing in on what your audience and product users are asking for requires you to break through and identify productmarket needs based on indirect feedback and requests.
Be introspective. Many leadership actions and decisions happen behind closed doors. Conversations with an employee or client, difficult decisions regarding a business plan or providing accountability to the Board make the inter nal jour ney of leadership very private. These are aspects of being a leader that you alone will carry. Introspectively lear ning about yourself and the places in which you find your center of gravity are essential.
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WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WEREN’T AFRAID? Sheryl Sandberg
Afraid, scared, frightened – we’ve all been there. We didn’t take a chance because we thought we weren’t good enough, smart enough or strong enough. But what opportunities or experiences have we missed because we were afraid? What if you were given the opportunity to travel to a new country, alone? Would you take it? This experience could offer a newfound sense of independence, provide you with an unforgettable experience and moments of reflection you might not otherwise have contemplated. This trip could change your life.
Illustration Credit Heather Gray
“DON’T MOVE!” said the photog rapher
Photog raphy by Brittany Jury | Written by Brittany Jury
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T he power of a photog raph can draw out so many emotions. There are so many technical things that can go wrong when capturing an image, but one of the biggest struggles as a photographer is capturing the right amount of emotion. We all struggle to find our creative curve in life, but one thing we can all relate to, is emotion. Working with people can sometimes have its ups and downs; no two people are the same. It’s your job as a photographer to make sure you capture their personal essence, their character and their soul. As a photographer we have to lear n to relate, understand and sometimes help push our clients to open up, so we can get a peek into who they are as a human being. It’s our job to provide guidance and instruction, to insure our clients can communicate and relate to us. Environment can affect the overall emotion of an image. You should always be aware of your surroundings when photog raphing a client. Use everything in your reach to tell your story in an image. Use your subject and environment to enhance one another. Whether it be a field full of wildflowers or a historical down town scene, your environment can strike the right chord of emotion in your final product.
Perfect timing and/or luck are a photog rapher’s best friend. Sometimes, it all boils down to those two things. There are rare moments when the lighting is perfect, your clients are comfortable, the univer se is aligned and in that rare moment you get a glimpse into their soul through your lens. It’s moments like these that we as photographers will forever chase and try to recreate. These are moments of emotional connection that take place and the client can be totally unaware magic that is happening. So when you hear a photographer shout “DON’T MOVE”, take heed and listen. Another strug g le that I have faced in the world of photog raphy is the lack of trust a client has in their photog rapher. Trusting in the creative imagination of your photog rapher can ignite the f lame used to really enhance a session. Nothing can hinder the best results of your images than your inability to get out of your comfort zone and let your photographer take full creative reign of the session. Also, nothing can creatively challenge a photographer, like knowing you have full access to your client’s personality. We always have your best interest and angles in mind. Allow us to work our magic and to unlock the best part of you. When an image is captured correctly, a photograph has the ability to reignite the memories and emotions that take us back to that specific place and time in our lives. 58
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Photo Credit Alexandra Wallace
WHEN SHE TRANSFORMED INTO A BUTTERFLY, THE CATERPILLARS SPOKE NOT OF HER BEAUTY, BUT OF HER WEIRDNESS. THEY WANTED HER TO CHANGE BACK INTO WHAT SHE ALWAYS HAD BEEN. BUT SHE HAD WINGS. Dean Jackson Change is hard. It brings us out of our comfort zones and into a new beginning. Embracing it can be challenging. But just like this butterfly, look at change as a new adventure. Change can bring new opportunities, allowing you to see the world differently. It may give you an outlook you never expected. You may be entering into a beautiful world of butterflies, leaving all of the caterpillars behind.
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BE AFRAID NOT TO TRY. With any new endeavor, failure is a possibility. But failure should not keep us from trying. And if we do fail, so be it – it’s a part of the process. David Duchemin says, “Failure is a much more faithful teacher than immediate success.” That could not ring more true. Failure teaches us to be humble, reminds us of our goals and renews in us with a greater passion to do better. In a society where failure is looked down on and perfection is expected, we can inspire those around us by the way we handle our failures and our imperfections. We can show the world we’re stronger and more motivated to succeed than ever before.
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Design Credit Jenny Highsmith
Beginning a blog is a tender, beautiful, terrifying thing. Like most great things, it starts as a tiny seed, a bud of an idea planted in your mind that grows almost without tending. You’re not sure where it came from, or when it arrived, but before you know it, the desire is full-fledged and you find yourself considering a leap you’d never imagined before. Like most things, the first steps into the blog world are tentative. You find your mind swirling in words you’ve never heard before like “SEO,” and “Akismet.” Or words you’ve heard but you’re pretty sure they don’t mean what you think they mean (“dashboard” and “plugin”). Setting up a blog feels like writing with your non-dominant hand with hockey gloves on. You feel like you’re a thousand years behind, like my grandmother with an iPhone. It’s like no matter how many YouTube tutorials you watch, you’ll never quite get the hang of it. Trust me, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too.
S e t t i n g u p a bl og feel s li k e w r i t i n g w i th yo u r n o n - d o m i n a n t h a n d w i th h oc k e y gl o ves o n . Writing your fir st blog post is even scarier. It’s like dropping your towel in public– sharing an intimate piece of your heart with total strangers, and your grandparents alike.
You line your mouse up over the “publish” button and
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then squeeze your eyes closed tight. You take a deep breath, maybe even give yourself a countdown, and then you do it. You press publish. You share your words with the world. And then you can’t control it. The post takes on a mind of its own. Anyone can see it, you can’t manage their thoughts or opinions or even give a disclaimer. You did your best and it’s out there, all you can do is watch and wait. That’s got to be the scariest part of all. You have your baby out there, your words birthed out of your heart, out of your life’s experiences, out of your soul, and there’s nothing you can do to protect them. You just have to let them go. Trust me, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too. But that’s not why we do it. It’s not for the foreign words or for the pretty website, or for the challenge of speaking a nerdy, confusing new language. It’s not for the rush of sharing something personal, or even for the accolades. We do it to tell people, “Trust me, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too.”
We d o i t t o t ell p e o pl e, “ Tr u s t m e, yo u’r e n ot a l o n e. I’ve bee n th e r e t oo.”
Life is a scary thing. It’s a twisting, winding series of tunnels, black as night. We don’t know what we’re doing or when we’ll get out, and it seems we forgot to grab the free map at the entrance to guide us along the way. We make it through the tunnel, we always do. And when we see that first patch of sunlight, our first instinct is to run to it, to dance in it, and to swear we’ll never go back.
up with some words of wisdom, with a war m blanket to wrap around my shoulders, and to walk with me as they say, “Trust me, you’re not alone. I’ve been here too.” That is why I love blogging the very most. That’s why words like “widget” and “HTML” are worth lear ning about, why I can show up three times a week and bare my soul in front of a group of strangers, why I put myself out there with the chance of being disliked, ignored, or rejected.
But there’s a better way. Throughout my jour ney, I’ve been blessed by friends, mentors, and writers who have taken the time out of their own jour ney to join me in my tunnels. They show
Because blogging is one of the very best ways to join fellow travelers in the middle of their tunnels and to show them they’re not alone. 66
YOU GET AN EDUCATION IN SCHOOL AND IN COLLEGE. AND THEN YOU START TO WORK. AND THAT’S WHEN YOU LEARN! Mary Blair
Mary Blair was an illustrator and concept artist for The Walt Disney Company. She produced and some of Disney’s most beloved characters and designed the world in which they lived including – Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Fantasia and Peter Pan!
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Illustration Credit Emma Block
Learning Confidence a s an Ent r epr eneur
Photog raphy by Heather Gray | Written by Elizabeth Piper
When building a creative company, it is essential to have confidence in what you’re creating and how it can ultimately serve the world. Of course there is a certain amount of confidence that one must already have by choosing to start a company in the first place; but this amount of confidence is not enough. You need enough confidence to keep you going once the rejections flood (or never even reach) your inbox and close family members and friends begin to question whether or not you will ever succeed. When I started the prettygirl revolution LLC with my best friend, one year after graduating from college, I knew I had to increase my level of confidence if I was ever going to get hired. I had to find a way to leave my fears and questions at the door, and, as they say, walk confidently in the direction of my dreams. These 3 keys to lear ning confidence have yet to fail me not because they have always provided me with the results I’ve desired, but because whether or not I land a client, I leave every meeting with an unwavering belief that my creative work still can and will serve the world. This is the confidence we all must encompass in order to succeed because the definition of failure is not rejection, but giving up on what we know in our souls to be true and valuable. Act as if you are your future self. In Elizabeth Gilbert’s New York Times Bestselling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love she shares a concept that the Zen Buddhists hold. The Zens believe in two forces of creation—both the acor n and the future tree itself. They believe that the future tree calls to the acor n saying grow, evolve, come meet me where
I already exist in happiness and fulfillment. In my own life, I’ve applied this concept to confidence. If we are to ever grow into our future selves—the version of you that is successful and happy—then we must walk, talk, and act like we are that person in every encounter. Tr ust that ever ything is unraveling as it should. When at first we don’t succeed, we often begin to blame our hardships for why things aren’t working out. I started my company one month after I lost my Mother very tragically and unexpectedly. There were times when I would fault my grief for my lack of success. It wasn’t until I started to change my perspective, and start believing that everything I was enduring was happening for me, and not to me, even something as tragic as losing a parent. I began to notice that my pain was what connected to me to my audience and allowed me to inspire those around me. Sur round your self with stories of resilience, persistence and success. What has helped me most in my path to pursuing my life pur pose are the stories of people who have endured pain, loss, and a countless list of rejection, and kept moving forward. My favorites: Walt Disney who was rejected 300 times for his idea for Disney World; Liz Murray who grew up homeless with heroinaddicted parents, and ended up going to Harvard and becoming a motivational speaker; and Bethany Hamilton who was attacked by a shark and lost her ar m, and still became a professional surfer. There are stories like these everywhere. Let them inspire you and remind you that you can pursue your passions, and that your creative work is needed in this world. 72
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Illustration Credit Becky Murphy
DON’T COMPARE YOUR BEGINNING TO SOMEONE ELSE’S MIDDLE. With our whole lives plastered on social media, it’s easy to get wrapped up in how successful someone else is, how perfect their life seems, then wonder how we can improve. Why can’t our business grow by leaps and bounds? Why can’t we have their confidence? This trap of comparison steals our joy. Instead of focusing on what level our favorite blogger has reached or the publicity the photographer we admire has received, we should instead focus on being joyful – for them and for ourselves. Turn the ‘what’s wrong with me?’ upside down and use it to fuel your passions and inspire your goals. If they can do it, then you can too!
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The Makin g of
Maiedae
Photog raphy by Maiedae | Written by Jenny Highsmith
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of being an artist and an entrepreneur. I just never knew that it
We remembered our trip to Disney and that began a series of conversations about tur ning our dreams into a reality
would actually happen. When I was little, I thought that my dreams would come true (cue your favorite Disney song). However, in high school and college, I realized that my dreams might not happen so easily. The reality of the world set in. I began to fear that I wouldn’t be able to provide for myself financially or be independent as an artist. But deep down inside of me, “little me” had hope. And, as I went through college, I became more and more aware of the potential that I had, and the passion inside of me grew.
and owning a business together.
Then, a spark ignited. The spark started at the beginning of our senior year of college. Savannah and I were driving in the car to get dinner with our best friend Anica, talking about how amazing it would be to go to Disney over fall break. During the conversation, we looked at each other and realized that we could make our dream happen if we wanted to. We could go to Disney. We just had to stop dreaming and start making it happen. And so, two weeks later, we drove down to F lorida and went to Disney. And it was one of the best times of my life. From that point on, we all began to look at life differently. We saw our dreams as something we could actually make happen if we set our minds to it. And it gave us hope. The second spark ignited towards the end of our senior year in college. Savannah and I were working on a project for a class in which we had to create a business plan for a fake photography company. One night, we were sitting on the floor of our dor m room working on it, and we both realized that “we could actually do this whole business thing”. Both of our eyes lit up with possibility and hope. 75
After g raduating from college, I immediately went to work full-time for a non-profit foundation. The dress was cor porate. The job was administrative. And just two months after beginning my job, I began talking with Savannah about Maiedae. For the next 6 months, I would come visit on the weekends and we would talk, dream, and imagine the possibilities of our creative future. Finally, I realized that if I wanted to continue to pursue this dream, I needed to make a commitment and move. So, I packed up, quit my job, and moved to Atlanta just 1 year after graduating. Since Maiedae couldn’t support us financially, I got another full-time job working in a cor porate setting. But Maiedae was g rowing quickly. What were just a few nights and weekends had tur ned into every night and almost every weekend. I would find myself wanting to work on Maiedae all the time. I lived it and breathed it. At my cor porate job, I continually thought about ideas for Maiedae. It was difficult to get it off my mind. I was tired and my husband, Drew, was even more tired of me working all the time. But, in 2012, Savannah and I started setting some goals, hoping that by 2014 we could both go full-time with Maiedae. Maiedae kept growing and, to our surprise, grew so much that Savannah and I were both able to quit our full-time jobs 1 whole year earlier than we had hoped! We are so thankful for the ability to do this and also grateful for the things we both lear ned while working two jobs.
Photo Credit Maiedae
g r owin g your bu sine ss
ON THE SIDE
Photo Credit Maiedae
Photog raphy by Maiedae | Written by Jenny Highsmith
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First things first. Figure out what your “dream business” is! Create a plan, a vision and set aside a lot of quiet time to figure out what truly ignites your heart and makes you passionate. Take your time with this! Don’t put a huge pressure on yourself to start something now and be fulltime now. Let your dream and your business grow and mature naturally. Have Patience. Already working a full-time job and having other life responsibilities takes up a lot of time in your day-to-day life. Maybe set aside a couple days each week to work on your business, give yourself some ‘timemercy’ and have patience. When you have days off or an extra burst of energy, put some time into your business. Don’t expect a huge growth over night. BUT don’t give up! Especially if it’s something you love. Take calculated risks. Although risk is required in almost every case of pursuing your dreams, planning and preparing for those risks is just as important. You might think, “Then how is it a risk if you’ve prepared for it?” Well, if you’re deciding to quit your 9-5 job and decrease your salary by half, that’s a huge risk. Not planning or preparing financially for that risk would be unwise But doing so doesn’t make it less of a risk – it just makes you smart. When I realized that I wanted to pursue Maiedae full-time as a career, I took a risk and moved to Atlanta with little preparation. I didn’t have a job, I didn’t have a support group, and I didn’t have a huge savings account. I couldn’t prepare for some of those things, but I could have prepared more than I did. So, when I realized that it was time to start thinking about preparing for going full-time with Maiedae, I sat down with my husband and we starting planning out financially how we could best prepare for this transition. We set goals for our savings account and started living off of the new budget that I would be on with Maiedae to practice and see how it would work. We prepared, we planned and we took a “calculated risk.” Stop dreaming, star t doing. Whoever said that dreams come easy was lying to everyone and should be shunned. Okay, maybe not. I think maybe it’s just that, as children, we all look through life’s window with our eyes glazed over with possibility. We think we are invincible and that life will be so good to us. Then we grow up. We realize that life is tough. And one day we look back and wonder how we got where we are now. 79
I’m here to tell you that I felt the same way. I realized at the beginning of college that my dreams of being an entrepreneur had very little chance of ever happening. I felt discouraged and lost. And I realized I was not on a path towards real pur pose for my life. Shortly after, I lear ned a very important lesson: There comes a point where you have to stop dreaming, planning, and preparing and just start going for it. You have to stop saying, “One day I’d love to…” or “What if…” or “I just can’t…” and just start trying. I didn’t know that I could actually accomplish my dreams until I started actually doing them. Once I started, it gave me hope and stirred my passion even more. And I realized that I could do whatever I put my mind to. All it takes is courage and action. Star t small. When we first started Maiedae we focused on handmade goods. We didn’t have a big booming business, but we were able to dedicate some time here and there to making goods and prepping for craft shows. We also blogged on the side. As we gained more time and more direction on what we wanted to do, we would dedicate that time to things like g raphic design. Now that we have both been full-time for over 2 years now, we’ve had time to add and try out new things in our business. It’s given us a chance to find what we really love and are passionate about. Get socializing! One of the most important things about running a small business is getting your name out there! Consider setting up a blog, Facebook page, Pinterest account, Twitter, and Instagram with your business name and begin networking! Although we recommend having a “presence” on most major social platfor ms, we recommend choosing the one or two that you are the boss at. Tell your followers “[Instagram, Facebook, etc.] is where the party is at” and then dive into that platfor m full force. Make connections, meet friends, glean insight and knowledge from others who have more experience that you. Break into the world of business that you want to be part of by getting to know the people already in it. This will slowly create a platfor m for you once you begin your business and build it over time! Organize your time. Make sure you are fulfilling your daily priorities and not letting your full-time job, relationships and other responsibilities fall to the side. Be realistic about the time you have to dedicate to your newly growing business. If you don’t keep a calendar, now
is the perfect time! Get yourself and your time organized so you are making the most out of every day. Have days/ nights dedicate to growing your business and evenings dedicated to a date night or friend time. Make sure to continue doing what’s important to you so you don’t get bur ned out quickly on your new venture. Make sacrifices. Actually moving from “dreaming” to “doing” is the first big hurdle to jump over. The second is when you realize that “doing” means a lot of hard work, long hours, making sacrifices, being consistent and persistent, and keeping yourself inspired and on task. Savannah and I started Maiedae in 2010. For the first 3 years, I worked a 9-5 job, then came home and worked every night and most weekends. Even after going fulltime with Maiedae, I still worked long hours. And now I’m a mama to a one-year-old boy, which means that I basically have 2 full time jobs again. Am I exhausted? Y-E-S. But pursuing your dreams requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice. And it’s totally worth it. Figure out what sacrifices you have to make your dreams happen and ask yourself if you are willing to follow through with them. When do I star t phasing out my cur rent job? This question will very much depend on the flexibility of your
current job and your financial needs. Before making any moves, make sure you can meet your monthly budget in order to pay the bills you need to. If your dream business is making you half of what you need each month, then consider going part-time at your current job or maybe quitting your full-time job to find a new part-time job. Another thing to consider is insurance. If you are covered under a spouse, then great! That will makes things a lot easier, but if you have to cover insurance, make sure you research costs and factor that into your new budget. As well, look at your dream job and see if you’ve been able to see a consistent pay over time. Keep record of what you make each month to deter mine if you are growing financially in your small business and can see consistency. If you have the flexibility, we might suggest cutting back to 32 hours each week so you can dedicate a full day to your business and still receive a consistent paycheck. The tricky part is, the more time you can dedicate to your growing business the more it can grow. But you have to have the time! It’s a scary leap! Just be sure to think things through carefully, get advice from people you trust and take your time. When you are able to confidently leave your job or cut back it will be so rewarding! Good luck! 80
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Photo Credit Heather Gray
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Illustration Credit Becky Murphy
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Illustration Credit Emma Block
WHAT WORKS GOOD IS BETTER THAN WHAT LOOKS GOOD, BECAUSE WHAT WORKS GOOD LASTS. Ray Eames
Ray Eames was a textile designer, artist and filmmaker. With her husband, Charles Eames, she is responsible for changing the way architects and designers approached furniture design. Their partnership with Herman Miller now defines what ‘mid-century’ is.
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the creative process ali son’s “ m ost ar t i st ic” jour ne y Photog raphy by Ryan McGuire at Gratisog raphy | Written by Alison Colby
I grew up in a tiny town in Massachusetts full of woods and trails. My mum was a hobbyist painter and crafter and my dad was a computer engineer. It’s no sur prise that my parents’ activities influenced what I do now; they fostered my love of art and technology with frequent trips to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Science Museum. I always loved to draw and make things. From designing in Print Shop on my parent’s Apple llc to hand-drawn cartooning, I found every opportunity to express my interest in art. I even borrowed my Dad’s VHS camcorder and started shooting and editing video at a young age. Despite an intensely creative youth including being voted “most artistic” in my high school class, there was no 85
evident career track for me to follow in college. I was fortunate to go to a prestigious liberal arts school where women are leaders and critical thinkers. I graduated from Smith during the dot-com boom. I went to work for the nonprofit Mother Jones in San Francisco, a small national magazine with an illustrious history of radical investigative reporting. I still felt like I was on the outside though, I wanted to be in the Art Department, not production; this has been a theme throughout my career! Therefore, I quit the magazine, naively during the dot-com bust. I really wanted to get into a design or ad agency, and even though I had a few friends in the industry, I didn’t know how to break in. I asked, “What do they have that I don’t?”
I moved to Denver with my boyfriend, and got a job in a big commercial real estate company providing administrative work and designing brochures for office buildings. The office was like Mad Men — rich guys in suits and their secretaries. It paid the bills, but I was embarrassed to be working in such an environment, especially with a degree from a notable women’s college. I was bursting to be something more with my creative potential. I started soul-searching, networking, researching. I was almost 30 years old and beating myself up for not having a “real” career yet. I talked to everyone about my desire to break into digital creative, even my landlord, who referred me to his friend, a VP of a sexy creative agency in town. I contacted her, she toured me around the office; it was my first time in a truly moder n (even futuristic) ad agency and it crystallized my vision to become a part of such a place. I started hunting for education prog rams in Colorado that would satisfy my desire to lear n motion graphics and give me a fundamental design education. I was ecstatic to be a student again, with a newly defined direction in life. I immediately put my education to work, finding freelance opportunities in interactive design, animation, and video production the whole time I was in classes. I even accepted the weird and unappealing projects, so long as they paid and I was challenged to do something new. I was then, and still am now, constantly making, lear ning, staying creatively active.
I wa s a lm os t 3 0 yea rs ol d a n d bea t i n g myself u p fo r n ot h a v i n g a “ r ea l” c a r ee r ye t . My vision for creative leadership translated to contract positions as a producer for small agencies. I liked the producer position because I was able to guide a team of designers, and individual projects from beginning to end. I combined existing project management skills with a newfound expertise in digital design into a creative leader ship role. I was responsible for finding talent, pitching work, planning video shoots, budgeting, art directing, whatever needed to be done at a supervisory level. I wasn’t paid a lot but I took control, had confidence and made things happen.
My path to Victoria’s Secret (“VS”) is kind of bizarre. It started in 2010 when I was a project manager for a small interactive design agency in Denver. I found a designer to do some work with us. His girlfriend was a developer for VS; I met her out in CO too. Then, she moved to NY and became a director in web development at VS. After graduation, I moved to NY, got freelance work and a restaurant job (whatever it took to survive!) and had dinner with them. I asked if she knew if they were hiring producers. She connected me to a VP on the web team. I made contact and interviewed 3 times for a VS Digital Producer contract position.
I d ec i d e d n ot t o g i ve u p – t o sh ow th e m , n ot t o t ell th e m h ow I wa s q u a li f i e d . Every time I interviewed, I visualized myself with my own keycard to the building, opening doors and walking through the white marble hallways. After three interviews, I was certain I had the job in the bag! And then, they did not make me an offer. I decided not to give up – to show them, not tell them how I was qualified. I designed, printed, bound, and hand-delivered a portfolio with case studies of my various work as producer/art director, and I also created a sister website. VS called me the next day inviting me to interview for the PINK Digital Producer role. In the end, I interviewed seven times total in over four months, a big lesson for me in patience. After one year at VS as Digital Producer, I was promoted to Senior Digital Producer for PINK. One year after that, I won the open role of Senior UX Designer for PINK. I also interviewed five times for this position, even though I was a current employee. My transition from digital producer to UX designer is the leap I’ve envisioned for so long. I am fortunate to work for a brand I love in a creative role. Our industry will evolve dramatically in the next 20 years, and I have no idea specifically what I’ll be working on, what it will be called, or if it even exists right now. And that is okay with me! As technology keeps changing the face of art and design, I’ll keep looking for the best place in order to grow as a creative leader. 86
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THE STRUGGLE i s par t of the stor y Photog raphy by Abbie Brychel | Written by Julia Rhoden
Growing up, the walls of my home were covered in paintings my g randmother Joy created. Her work was a reminder to always pursue my passions, to work hard through challenges. So before I started my college career, I convinced myself I would either become a zoologist or a world traveler – hiding in forests, camping for weeks and watching wolves roam the wild. But then a certain film about a gal entering the fashion magazine world changed me. I instantly connected with it and realized my true passion. I wanted to pursue it with a fearlessness the fashion editor exuded in the film. I was going to study fashion.
I bega n my c oll ege ex p e r i e n c e w i th th e k n owl e d ge th a t I wa s d o i n g ex a c tly wh a t I n ee d e d t o. I began my college experience with the knowledge that I was doing exactly what I needed to do. I stepped into classes at Colorado State University, terrified. But quickly I gained confidence – I developed my sketching skills, advanced my sewing techniques and drafted patter ns. And then, I was introduced to Fiber Arts. I lear ned to manipulate color through dying processes and studied woven structures. I’ve even lear ned to use a loom! I dyed yar n and weaved panels on the loom that now lived on my kitchen table. 89
C r ea t i n g wea ra bl e a r t i s th e a dve n t u r e I wa s m ea n t t o d i sc o ve r. Fresh out of college, I had to shake the feeling classes had given me – always a deadline, restricting guidelines and the relentless feeling to confor m. I didn’t have any idea what was next. For months, I listened to music, sketched for hours, read books and explored the part of my brain that were limited in school. I n c o l l e g e, wh i l e t a k i n g my p re re q u i s i t e c l a s s e s, I continuously struggled in math. Always my achilles heel, I lacked confidence and suffered from anxiety when test day came around. I took one math course four times so that I could continue with my major. It was an incredibly difficult time. But it became the inspiration I needed for my post-college designs. My current work is completely inspired by geometry. I’ve explored 3D shapes and watched as they bring life and personality into my gar ments. I’m lear ning to not rush into any project and to take the time I need to explore and ref lect. Creating wearable art is the adventure I was meant to discover and I always be thankful for the challenge that tur ned into inspiration.
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Design Credit Nichelle Tesone
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Photo Credit Aundre Larrow
THE OPENING star t in g the pr et t yg irl r evolut ion Photog raphy by Michelle Roller | Written by Mary Genetti
Opening. That word has started to mean something to me. It struck me in a way it’s never struck me before. I love words. I think they are one of life’s greatest gifts. I use them constantly, and while I realize that they definitely
making us feel worthless. Other days, I feared becoming a less authentic version of myself on my road to success.
have their limitations, I am obsessed with them in spite of that. There are particular words, though, that make my heart swell because they are the most accurate way for me to express huge ideas, emotions, visions, passions, and thoughts.
to put down my fears and open myself to the possibilities of our future. With her by my side, I found strength to put trembling foot in front of trembling foot. When one of us was filled with dark, the other clung to the light. I know not all people are as lucky as I am to dream-chase alongside a best friend, and so, I wanted to take this opportunity to write to all people beginning their journeys as I wrote to myself in the throws of our beginning:
Opening has never been one of these words for me, but suddenly I have started to see it in a new light because at this point along my jour ney, I am drawn to opening. I want to open to myself. I want to open to the divine. I want to open to this one, perfect, precious, pur poseful life. I want to open to the people in it. I want to open to my vocation. I want to open.
I a m d ra w n t o o p e n i n g. I wa n t t o o p e n t o myself. I wa n t t o o p e n t o th e d i v i n e. I wa n t t o o p e n t o th i s o n e, p e r fec t , p r ec i o u s, p u r p ose f u l li fe. When it came to starting our company, the prettygirl revolution, with my best friend and business partner, I felt something entirely unexpected. I felt hesitation—no, sheer terror—about opening myself fully to the deepest desires of my heart, to the strength of the passion and conviction within me. While it seemed that I had been waiting my whole life for the chance to chase my dreams, there I was at the precipice of realizing them, and I was paralyzed with fear. Some days, I feared failure’s way of 93
Starting a revolution alongside a friend truly helped me
Wi th h e r b y my s i d e, I fo u n d s t r e n g th t o p u t t r e m bli n g foot i n f r o n t of t r e m bli n g foot . My lov e, Slo w do wn. Tak e a moment to think of all the obstacles you’ v e ov ercome to get to where you are today. You can ov ercome this t o o. I p ro m i s e yo u : yo u h a v e t h e s t re n g t h , a n d yo u h a v e t h e c o u ra g e. K e e p g o i n g. Ju s t b e. E x i s t f u l l y a s yo u r b e a u t i f u l s e l f. G i v e yo u rs e l f f u l l y t o t h e w o rl d a ro u n d yo u . T h e re i s no one quite lik e you, no one who can giv e e xactl y what you hav e to giv e. Lov e e v er y molecule of your being and e xpress it by opening yourself to e v er y e xperience, to e v er y person, to the divine, and to this life. Go ahead, little one. Lea p. You may just surprise yourself, but if you fall, kno w that I am al ways here to catch you. Lov e al ways, Mar y T heresa
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Photo Credit Alexandra Wallace
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YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE BETTER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE. YOU SHOULD STRIVE TO BE BETTER THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU COULD BE.
Photo Credit Alexandra Wallace
Ken Venturi
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