Hello and happy Friday! I meant to do this yesterday, but I am back in studio trying to get ready for 2013 and the day just got away from me. So, this week it will be Open Book Friday.
I want to thank you all for your questions! I love getting them, hearing what is on your mind and honestly, answering them is a good reason to sit down and think and write. I really appreciate this opportunity. So, thanks! And keep ’em coming!
On to questions! (I am answering these in random order, or in order of what I have the brain power for today…)
Katie asked:
I’m sixteen years old and I fell in love with your work a little over a year ago. I’d love to know if you knew this was the direction you wanted to go as a teenager? When did you figure out this was your dream?
Thanks so much
xoxoxox
Katie
Thanks Katie! The answer to that is complicated. (Not unlike being sixteen.)
It was never actually my dream. There. I said it.
When I was a teen, I was doing a little bit of everything and trying really hard to get focused on my schoolwork so that I could get into a good college. I was not a natural academically, so had to make the decision to apply myself every single day.
I was very into art and theater, and knew that I wanted to pursue those things at a higher level, but I didn’t really know how or where. I also played sports and wanted to be involved with athletics at the college level, so going to a conservatory was not high on the list. Honestly, at the time, I wanted to be on Broadway and dreamed of moving to New York and giving it a shot, but truth be told, my very practical side kicked in (as well as my very practical Mom) and after someone came to speak to one of my art classes about graphic design, I thought “OOOH! I would like to do that!” I ended up at the University of Kansas School of Design and entered a very rigorous and challenging program and loved it. Curly Girl Design very slowly developed as my style developed and my work and opportunities developed. It happened because I put in the time.
So the truth is, this was never my dream. It became my dream as I developed and learned and stumbled through the very organic (and mostly messy) process of becoming myself. A process that I am still very much in the middle of.
The good news is, you have your whole life to become who you are going to be.
All this is not to say that you should not have dreams or that you should talk yourself out of dreams… or anything like that. It just means that you will be (hopefully) about a million different versions of yourself over the course of your life and hopefully you will allow yourself to explore them as they come up. There will be many dreams and many paths. You may not get to follow them all, but will figure it out. You don’t always have to know what you are doing, or going to do. Even if everyone else thinks you should.
Take your time. Commit to learning. Commit to yourself, and commit to exploring. Then follow the thing that makes your heart sing. Over and over again.
That’s all I’ve got for today. Have something you want to ask me? Leave your question in the comments section of this post.
xoxo
That is really good advise Leigh! Sometimes it takes a long time to figure it all out. The journey is half the fun. : )
Hi Leigh,
I’ve been a huge fan of yours ever since I saw your cards at Pickle Papers in Wenatchee, WA a few years ago. I currently work in health care marketing/communication but really want to open a store similar to Pickle Papers and Marmalade. (http://www.picklepapers.net/)
I worked at the Pickle in high school and worked at GAP throughout college, but I have no idea where/how to even begin the process for opening a store. I dream about this daily and am a creative and organized person, I just don’t know where to start. I’d love any advice/tips you could pass along!
🙂 -Lauren
Some very wise words there – thanks for this post! Very inspiring for all of us I think.
You do authenticity so well. Thanks for inspiring us…my question is simpler in nature ~ what is your favorite Instagram filter?
Reaaly enjoy reading these Open Book Thursday posts! Really enjoy hearing the process of how Curly Girl came to be!
I think this may be one of my all time favorite post. I have re-read it countless times since you posted this. Thank you for being real in a world of fake and sharing your journey.
Lauren from OK