I’ve known Emie Otis, (shown above) owner of Beauty Mark Designs, for several years now and have been following her work with a watchful eye.

Emie who is a gifted and savvy designer is known for her range of talents including photo-styling, hair, make-up and fashion design.

Her recent creation Madame Bottle Fly (shown below) was modeled by the designer at Portland’s Junk to Funk Show where ‘trash is transformed into wearable works of art.’

Madame Bottle Fly was made with over 600 bottle caps attached to a delicate wire frame (made out of over 30 wire hangers) weighing in at 45 pounds, and demanding over nearly 450 hours of work.

I was curious about Emie’s dream, the obstacles she’s faced, and the evolution of her work. Here’s more from Emie:

CJ: What is your dream?

Emie: I want to be independently and artistically successful. That means continuing to have the freedom to create my art, and in return to receive financial support to pay my bills and live sustainably. I call myself a Beauty Dominator and am currently living my dream of photo-styling, designing clothing and working as a hair stylist. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

CJ: When did you first realize that art was your dream?

Emie: Well, I remember being 8 years old and my sister (who is a bit older) knew she was going to be doctor and I knew (without a doubt) that I was going to be an artist. We were joint-custody kids and I remember one day (in particular) when my dad took me for walk in the neighborhood. He lovingly told me that my sister (as a doctor) might have an easier time being respected by society and that I might find more challenges on my path as an artist, but he respected me for being an artist.

Every time I think about that time, it makes me cry. I remember thinking that someone understood what I felt, and it was very comforting. There were times when I felt second-fiddle but never with my dad. There was this sense (as I grew older) that what I felt on the inside was that I was just barely making it on the outside. My dad’s support was everything. For example, at one of my gallery showings, he bought more than half of my work.

I always knew I wanted to communicate myself artistically. For example, in middle school, I’d cut things up and staple and hot glitter them to shoes. I later took classes. There eventually was a  snowball-effect and all the work started to pay off. I often stayed up working until 3am, creating my own clothing line, entering in competitions and doing photo-styling projects.

CJ: What have been your biggest obstacles and how have you worked through them?

Emie: My biggest fear has been rejection. I’ve overcome it by NOT giving up. For example I’d hear things like, “Your finishing work sucks, you’re not professional enough, etc.” I would beat myself up for a week, let that process, and try again. It’s been a process of many life lessons, and mistakes are important. Perseverance is also important. As an artist without a degree in Art I’ve often considered myself an outsider. Yet the voice inside my head tells me things like, “Keep going Emie and don’t give up.”

I do my part and let the Universe decide. For example, if I don’t get chosen for a competition, I believe that wasn’t supposed to get in, and that’s probably giving me an opportunity for something better.

CJ: What advice would you give to others following the creative path?

Emie: Be as organized as possible. That has been a big challenge for me. Organization really helps because you are the only person taking care of yourself. A lot of being an entrepreneur is not creative, but is also very important. If you want to be financial successful, you have to have a business mind. Do a budget and assess everything.

CJ: What’s been your biggest victory?

Emie: I had a really good 2008. At this time in my life I feel very comfortable in my skin and am proud of my accomplishments. I won 4th place in Junk to Funk, I participated in Explode La Mode where 15 local fashion designer were highlighted. I showed 18 of my garments and The Oregonian featured 6 of my pieces. I also became Trillian Recycled Artisan, I set up an Etsy account, and photo-styling projects which all were very encouraging.

Although is has felt overwhelming at times, being accepted, acknowledged and maintaining that level has been exciting and scary.  I am optimistic.

For more info on Emie, visit her website, Beauty Mark Designs, www.beautymarkdesigns.net.

After all the traditional routes of searching for a business name (like looking online, asking the opinion of others and racking her brain), Laura Bolster — owner of the greeting card company Red Aphrodite and shown at left — gave herself a deadline.

After all, Laura had recently quit her (less than fulfilling) elementary school teaching job to pursue her dream of bringing a new, fresh and unique face to the greeting card world with her own creations. As she says, “I couldn’t even get a domain name or open a bank account until I had an actual name.”

Then one day as she describes…

I was going through many of my card designs (each one individually named) when I landed on a card named Red Aphrodite. I stopped. Those two words jumped off the page and into my heart.

I stared at the design, noticing the collage I had created and the figure of Aphrodite. The clipping, taken from my grandfather’s own book, “she has always known genius” starred back at me and truthfully,  it scared the shit out of me. My first thought was, “I can’t call myself that” and my judgments around it began to unfold.

I was hesitant but intrigued. I sat with it and it resonated with me in a really big way. I realized that when I had finally let go of the external search, the name appeared in front me and I knew it was within me the entire time. And so Red Aphrodite was born.

The above anecdote was taken from my recent interview with Laura Bolster, for ‘I Dream Stories’ on PPng. I had heard of Red Aphrodite — a unique greeting card company, inspired by photos and vintage images of spirited women, (Laura’s) grandmother’s antique lace and her grandfather’s sheet music — and, as always, I became curious about the history of Laura’s dream, obstacles she’s faced and what advice she would give to others on similar paths.

After the interview and as I sat down in front of the fireplace to write this post, I began to reflect on our conversation. I was especially inspired by Laura’s sense of grounding, her clear voice and her honesty in sharing her experiences.

Here’s more from Laura:

The history of the dream

In my mid 20’s (right after college) I traveled to South America. It was one of those eye opening, life transforming experiences where the world became very big. I returned with a desire to be part of an international artisan community. I saw these wonderful folks, (in the countries I visited) who created things from their hands and then sold them. I had seen similar items in boutiques (back at in the States) and I knew that retailers were making a good profit. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to represent artisans around the world, giving them expression and I would just be a conduit?”  I wanted to meet artists and then write about them. The experience and the influence of the artists planted a seed in the back of my brain.

That experience evolved into teaching ESL (English as a Foreign Language) to adults for 10 years and then I moved into teaching elementary school for five years. I became tired of both jobs. I felt my creative expressive personal side was being squashed and squandered and I didn’t feel like I was really living the life I wanted.

Acting on the dream

So I quite my job as and I got to create the life that I had been dreaming of. My thought was, “You only live once.” And a huge question mark was in suddenly in front of me but I knew it was the right choice. When I made the change, some people said to me,  “I can’t believe your so relaxed about it.” And I was.

My partner, Oliver who is a lovely and supportive person, told me to go for it. I got to create an art studio in my house which I had never done. I let myself play creatively. I hired a life coach and cherished my personal process. Without any formal training, the art of collage came to me naturally. I created (and continue to create) what comes to me intuitively and those are little pieces of myself.

Making the financial transition

I made the financial transition into my dream in three ways. One was with money that I had saved. I decided to use my money to invest in myself. I felt it was more important and vauluable than investing in, for example, an IRA account. Two, my partner was able to support both of us and lastly, I continued to work part time, teaching the evenings.

We always live within our means and therefore, able to make this happen. I’m not dreaming to get rich. I’m dreaming to live more quality of life that involves following my creative passion, unique expression and vision.

Moving through obstacles

One of the pieces to having my own business is that I am an artist first and that is very right brained. For me, art takes time. Sometimes the muse doesn’t hit until the end of the day. That can sometimes be an obstacle when the other seven hours of the day are spent not creating my art.

However, I accept the process. I look at the what I do have; the high or creative channel might happen during the last hour of the day and that’s really okay. That means it takes time to have something to show.

Another challenge in running a small business is the 20 hats I wear. Sound familiar to anyone? I am my own social networker, researcher, marketer and accountant. I work with trying to balance my time in this area.

My dream in this is to create something that sustains myself, my family and my community. My biggest dream is to give back to my partner Oliver who has been so supportive and generous.

My idea of getting rich is about giving back. It is important for Red Aphrodite to be in community with other businesses practice sustainability and believe in economic vitality for all. For example, Red Aphrodite gives a portion of its sales to Kiva– a micro-lending organization that helps people worldwide with their small businesses.

Advice for others on a similar path

It’s important to embrace each step along the way because you are walking your own, unique path and it’s one that will teach you lessons along the way. Certainly you will have your own unique challenges. Search for like-minded people who can help you to sustain your dreams.

Remember that by following your heart, you are doing something that our world needs. This is a vital piece. Once you find a support group you will feel embraced and at home.  There is no textbook for running your own business.  It’s experience that teaches us. Become proficient at your passion.

In my opinion, creating the life you want is not always about making a million dollars. It’s about creating a world where we all can live together in a sustainable way.

For more info on Laura Bolster and Red Aphrodite visit the website: www.redaphrodite.com.

I remember a few years back (when I first discovered More Magazine) reading stories about women over 40 who had made fundamental career changes all for the sake of their own happiness. It was inspiring and encouraged me to continue paving my own unique path.

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Nancy Thompson, (shown at left) for I Dream Stories on PPnG.

Nancy, who turned 60 this year, (and with several years in the corporate industry) made a significant career shift in 2007 when she started ‘Flourish’ - a company whose mission it is to offer events that create wonderful opportunities for women to connect and celebrate being women.

I was very curious about where her dream came from, obstacles she’s faced and what advice she would give others on the same path.

Here’s what she had to say:

My dream really began about four years ago.  At the time I was bored with my corporate job where I was involved in corporate events, meetings and travel. I kept feeling like there was something more that I wanted to be doing. I was 55 (at the time) and feeling the need (now or never) to get in shape and really start taking care of myself. I started going to the gym, hired a personal trainer and saw the value and benefits of being fit and flexible.

I wanted to help other women feel the same and specifically was interested in working with women between the ages of 45 – 60 who really had different needs. I couldn’t quiet figure out how to take that to women.

Later on in a conversation, a friend said to me,  “You are thinking too small. There is something more here.”

About three weeks later I channeled an entire vision of what I wanted to do and what my real purpose was for the next part of my life. It was clear; working with women in transition, 45 and older, (although not always), who have worked and haven’t had time for themselves and were looking for the ‘what’s next?’ in life.

I had a vision where women could come together in a space and share their feelings, needs and desires and provide services such as massage, nutritional counseling and one on one personal training. That included classes such as yoga, tai-chi, and nia which are gentler on the body, focused on strengthening and stretching. However, I also wanted to address the mind and the Spirit.

My dream included using the same space to bring in speakers and offer other types of classes on subjects that would be of interest to women. My vision included a tea bar for meeting up with a friend, etc. and creating a community.

I feel like community can sometimes be missing from our busy worlds. We are sometimes like individual silos who connect only from time to time. My purpose, therefore, is to create a growing community of women, who are connected and inspired.

‘Flourish’ is about living vibrantly each day, feeling fit and fabulous in your body, mind and heart. It’s also about providing a place of inspiration, where you can find a purpose, enjoy what you’re doing and celebrate ourselves as women.

I began to implement my dream by starting to create the community first. I established monthly salons (based on European models from the 1800’s) which are held in a home setting. There is something very unique about these salon gatherings. A group of 15 to 35 women come to someone’s home, we have wine, something delicious to eat and meet new women. I’ve seen women re-connect with other women and walk in and say things like , “I haven’t seen you for five years!” Great conversation and contacts are made. We then have a speaker on different and interesting topics such as meditation, astrology, naturopathic medicine, etc.

My biggest obstacle? That would be my fear of failure. Taking a giant leap at my age is in some ways more challenging. The fear of financial failure is still very large for me. Instead of investing a large amount of money in the beginning, I decided to gather my community first. That’s what’s happening now.  Flourish has grown from 4 to 5 people attending the salons to 25 or 30 people and that number continues to expand each month. I took that fear of going out on a limb financially with far less risk while keeping my eye on the goal.

What would I advise others on the same path? First thing; go for it! I think it’s so important to follow your passion. You know, we have a very short time here on earth and as you get older, you start to realize that you are closer to the end than the beginning.

The following quote had an powerful impact on me when I read it several years ago:  “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have lived just the length of it.  I want to have lived the width as well.” –Anonymous.  I don’t want to get to the end and think, “I wish I had done that.”

Find a support and advisory network that can help you support your dream and give you really good advice about things like marketing. Create that really good team to help you fill in the blanks of what you don’t have.

Find people that you respect and create community. I now have a Flourish Advisory Board who really support my dream.

Figure out a way to do it, walk through it and get out of your own way.

To sign-up for The Flourish Flash newsletter, visit the website at: www.flourish-pdx.com.

We’ve all heard about (and probably know) women and men who take that risk and leave their day job to pursue their life dream(s). It’s scary and requires courage but it’s always worth it and in the end brings us much more happiness and fulfillment than drudging it out in a career that keeps us from following our pure potential.

Last year, Thalia Plummer, (photo taken by Amy Mcmullen www.amymcmullen.com) founder of Premiere Events Portland left her corporate day job to start actively pursuing her dream as an Event Planner and Writer. In interviewing Thalia for I Dream Stories, I recognized similarities on our path and was curious to find out more about her dream, obstacles she’s faced, how she’s worked through the icky moments and what advice she would give to other dreamers.

When I asked Thalia what her name meant, she knew it was Greek and thought it had something to do with abundance and happiness.  I did some further research and found that her name refers to THALIA the Greek Goddess of festivity and rich, luxurious banquets. Coincidence? I think not. That’s just confirmation she’s on the right path, imho.

Here’s more from Thalia:

I’ve always wanted to write and that’s how my dream started many years ago. My dream is to consult and write about Event Planning, in service of a larger audience that is looking for green and sustainable resources.

I was involved in the field of Event Planning in a corporate environment for 10 years and left late last year to follow my dream of combining my passion for writing with my skills as an Event Planner. What I experienced in a corporate setting was that working very hard could get me to a certain level of success but at the end of the day I didn’t find a lot of satisfaction. I felt like I was working on someone else’s dream. Part of what I loved to do was planning and creating strong happy relationships with clients, no matter what their budget. I enjoyed facilitating and supporting the client’s vision of their special event.

As my dream started to evolved so did my blog, also called Premier Events Portland - A one-stop shopping resource for green weddings and sustainable event planning in general.  What I found after spending endless hours on the Internet researching green resources in the industry was that there wasn’t a lot available and I saw a need. I’m eager to write about things like sustainable fashion and if I consult for corporate clients, I want it to be green. Suddenly my dream started taking on a life of its own and its exciting.

The major fear that comes up for me is around money. When you step out on your own, you don’t know if you’re going to have a guaranteed income. However, I have faith in what I’m doing. It feels right to me. I take opportunities as I see them. I network a lot. I put myself out there. I use my intuition and look for signs to guide me and things just happen to work themselves out. Two days after I quit my job, I met someone who I ended up collaborating with and that brought me to a new level. Time management is key as is focusing on what is important.  Everything is a balance.

What advice would I give to others following the same path? Don’t be afraid of hard work or putting all of your money into your project. Have faith that if it is really what you’re passionate about and what you’re meant to do, then it will work out. I found that talking to others about my fears is a powerful way to release them. Portland, for example, has such a wealth of resources to help entrepreneurs and they want you to succeed.  There are always opportunities to collaborate and receive support no matter where you live. All you have to do is ask.

I’m on the phone with Organizing Consultant and Teacher Elsa Jewett (shown at left) of All In Good Order as she describes the beautiful backdrop of Chautauqa Park in Boulder, Co where she is surrounded by glowing red, gray and brown jagged (and gigantic) rocks that are simply breathtaking to gaze upon. I’m waiting to start a phone interview with Elsa for ‘I Dream’ Stories on PPnG but I get lost in her description of the surrounding Pine and Aspen trees, the mountain range and how she’s looking at one of the most magnificent views in the world.

I am curious about Elsa’s life long dream, her efforts to pursue it, how she has worked through her fears and challenges and what advice she would give to other dreamers on the same path.

Here’s Elsa:

My dream has taken me in a lot of different directions. For one, my purpose is to teach organizing and following that dream is now evolving into teaching other organizers in a particular way; in a Feng Shui way.  That means teaching others to align themselves first and foremost with a healthy lifestyle; getting appropriate rest and sleep, maintaining a healthy diet and balancing our culture’s chaotic way of life through things like exercise, meditation and/or yoga.  It’s about deciding what is right for your body and going within to find it. It’s also about balancing work and play time, even though many of us following our dreams feel like work is fun. There is an important distinction between the two and knowing when to stop and start again is one of the things I teach.

I’ve been living my dream of organizing since I was a child.  In the early part of my life, it felt therapeutic to organize my room and my closet over and over again on a daily basis. In middle school, I’d sometimes stay up to 4:00 am re-organizing my closet (that I had just organized the night before.)  I found serenity in my bedroom and in my own space in a home that I felt was chaotic.

Seven years ago I started my business as an Organizing Consultant. Prior to that, I knew I wanted to work for myself but at the time the idea seemed impossible. The first person I told my dream to was my life coach who told me to ‘just do it.’ As soon as I heard that, something inside of me clicked and I knew I was on the right path.  That evening after I got off the phone, I formed my business, All In Good Order.

The biggest obstacle to my dream has been my own mind and happens when I get into my own fears. I have learned how to work through those fears. For example, I have had a fear that sounds like this: “My business will start dwindling around a certain time of year.” Then my mind follows up with questions like, “What’s going on here?”  I’ll then tailspin and that thought manifests into a negative reality. Now, when business starts to slow down or a client calls to cancel an appointment, I change the scarcity mind set thought of “Oh my God, how is this going to impact me?” to “This is what this person needed to do and it may not be the right time for us to work together.” That thought transforms the fear I have into a gift I’m giving them.  And I’m honoring both myself and my client in the process.

I tend to be a high anxiety person. I used to feel very anxious and overburdened when I had too much on my plate. That pattern would show up over and over again and I would push myself until I burned out. Not anymore. The key is how to manage our time in a healthy way. Now, when I start to feel overwhelmed with my life, instead of saying, ‘Oh God I’ve got so much on my plate’ which leads to an increase in my anxiety levels, I say to myself, ‘Okay there is a lot on my plate right now and energetically I need to be bigger, which means no drama.’ If I have too much going on, then it might be time to go within myself, set external limits and then trust that all will be well. And it always is. That shift in my mental process is how I take care of myself and calm down. It’s important to handle things positively.

What advice would I give others following their dreams? Never give up no matter how many people are telling you to just get a ‘regular job.’ If what you want is your dream, just stick to it. If everything feels like it’s caving in on you, go to a chair, turn everything off and just wait in silence until you have the answer because you always have the answer. It may take time but it will come.