Redefining the creative process
I have been a hair stylist / salon owner for many years. While I love the instant gratification of seeing my work walk out the door shortly after I started it, I still felt I needed a more diverse arena for my creative outlet.
Ten years ago, I opened a modern general store called ACME Mercantile around the corner from my salon and started to work 7 days between the two places. At first, I loved the whirlwind of creativity that ensued - Graphic design, window displays, ad layout and creating the whole product mix of a general store. We also had a large assortment of products we created in house that still does very well online.
After 10 years, I was more concerned about getting shifts covered, ordering holiday inventory early enough and paying bills. The idea of creativity was now lost on me. I had a million more product ideas in my head, but no time or energy to produce them. I knew it was time to get out when my lease ended.
I had made a prototype of the Merkin Bag two years earlier. Whenever I wore it, people asked where they could get one. I always said we would soon have them at ACME. It was becoming obvious that as long as I was consumed by running a store, I could not be consumed with anything new and the bags would never exist.
So here I am, when I am not at the salon, I'm making patterns, cutting fabric, sewing, sketching out new ideas and loving what I do all over again.
