Bohemian Business Spotlight

Color + Pattern

I read about this talented woman in Better Homes & Gardens a few months back and was instantly in love with everything she does. I believe I placed an order the day I read about her, and then I sent her a tweet to let her know that I was going to be in touch and that I loved her products! What I love about Khristian A. Howell is that her expertise in color and pattern is so spot on. It's trendy but still unique and her work adds life to any home or office. Check out this amazing interview!

I won't ask your age, but what was your favorite T.V. show to watch growing up? 

Ha!  I'll tell…90210 and ALF.

What or who gave you the courage to start a business?

My mom and dad always had an entrepreneurial spirit. They always wanted to be the masters of their own destiny. Both of them tried various ventures, but never made this dream a full reality. I like to think that I learned a lot by watching their successes and failures in business. 

Out of all the creative businesses you could have chosen to start, why did you choose Color & Pattern expert?

I don't think any artist chooses it. This path chose me. 

Lots of people want to be their own boss for obvious reasons, however they don't understand that it takes a great deal of commitment, and hard work. What's your work-day like and how do you stay focused?

My work-day is so different every day. I am constantly trying to stay focused, manage the chaos, and work efficiently.  What I have learned about myself is that I work in very intense spurts. I have times of really intense hyper focus followed by periods of rest. This is just my natural rhythm, and I have stopped trying to fight it. I used to feel really guilty and think I should be working with that kind of intensity every day. I would try to push myself through these periods. I would wind up not getting anything done, and just miserable. I am learning each day on this journey to really listen to my inner voice and my body. 

How do you find the strength to persevere when the challenges seem to outweigh the rewards?

I have not felt a time when the challenges out weigh the rewards honestly. I am so committed to living this lifestyle that I really can't imagine any other way. I am so thankful everyday that I get to do what makes me happy, and live a life to my own beat. Coming back to this place of gratitude gets me through the tough times. 

What inspires you?

Travel! Culture,food, music, laughter. 

What's your go to wine when it's time to unwind? :)

I really love Amarone. Deep, rich and earthy, yum!!

Most people who want to start a business don't know where to begin...any suggestions?

Make a list (and then more lists!) and just start!  There is no formula in my view and there are many, many paths to success!

When it comes to the following words, what advice would you give?

Work: hard and with integrity. 

Self:  don't identify self by what you do for work

Life: don't take it so seriously. Just have fun!

Love: love hard and with total abandon 

Friends:  be loyal, caring, and laugh your face off together!

I define a Bohemian Spirit as someone who is free, unique, and unafraid to make her own stamp on the world. Why are you a Bohemian Spirit?  

Someone recently called me fearless. It made me stop in my tracks and think, who me?!  Then I realized what a compliment it was. Then I realized, even though I would not have said this about myself, I guess I am. My husband asked me a long time ago when we were first together, "What is there to fear?". I could not answer him. That moment, simple and pure as it was changed my life. I mean really what is there to fear?  So I try something and it doesn't work. So what?!  Really, there is nothing to fear and I know each day that I am an endless well of creativity, as we all are. 

Khristian A.Howell

Khristian A. Howell Color + Pattern

khristianahowell.com

I bring life to products and spaces with my keen eye for color + pattern.  Join me as I embark on a color revolution!

Bohemian Business Spotlight No. 5

I thoroughly enjoyed this interview! It's not that I don't enjoy the others, it's just that Jasai Madden is a woman who provides so much calm in a world full of crazy. She's a lover of "living" as you'll read...Atop all of the positivity that she exudes, she's also the owner and chief mixtress of beauty products at Kitchen Pretty and author of "The New FastGirls." An earthy renaissance goddess indeed! Enjoy!

1. I won't ask your age, but what was your favorite t.v. show to watch growing up?

 

I absolutely loved Laverne and Shirley. Watched it everyday after school. I think it was in re-runs by then though. LOL! I also loved The Cosby Show and A different World. But only the Dewayne Wayne and Whitley relationship ;)

 

2.  What or who gave you the courage to start a business?

 

I have been working for myself in one way or another since I was ten years old. I braided hair all through high school and took care of my son for years doing that. I am also an author, having written and published two books, the latest of which, The New FastGirls, has just been released in electronic version on KINDLE and NOOK. So the act of striking out and doing my own thing has been woven into the fabric of me since the beginning. Kitchen Pretty however was born very organically out of my interest in never being laid off again. And so in my quiet listening I heard an opportunity to connect my passion of using food-as-medicine with the business of beauty. One month after I was laid off I began making all-natural, handmade beauty products. That was kind of it. So, the courage to start a business has never been a thing I’ve needed. Now the fortitude to keep going…. that’s something altogether different!

 

3. Out of all the creative businesses you could have chosen to start, why did you choose Kitchen Pretty and Natural Beauty Products.

 

It is very much a tale of one thing begetting another. For me, everything started with the fasting. I began to fast in Winter 2008. In doing so I began to get in touch with the deepest most hidden parts of myself. When we access this space, lots of potential that had been previously hidden, surfaces. So fasting of course made me look at what I was eating and looking at what I was eating made me look at what was healthy and what wasn’t. Learning and then beginning to teach others about the healing power of food, I understood that what works to heal the inside of the body also works to heal the outside. So I incorporated those ingredients into the products that men, women and children need and use most often and I had myself a business model. In reading this back it feels more like gift than a choice.

 

4. Lots of people want to be their own boss for obvious reasons, however they don't understand that it takes a great deal of commitment, and hard work. What's your work day like and how do you stay focused?

 

If anything is unorthodox about me, this would be it. I just met a woman who is an advocate of tossing out balance and strict structure and working with our natural “Flow”. I would have to say that thus far that – Flow – has been my program. I know what needs to be done and I do it – kinda. I get distracted more often than I am comfortable admitting but I somehow find my way back and on track. And in the process I have usually discovered some other wonderful piece of my wild puzzle that fits perfectly.

 

Recently I have attempted to adopt a process of noting what I have to do and then checking those things off the list or at least noting what I’ve done at the end of the day. But I really don’t recommend any of this. What I do recommend is that people develop the discipline of listening closely to their lives and rhythms and obeying those directives, however that looks.

5. How do you find the strength to persevere when the challenges seem to outweigh the rewards?

 

I know that nothing is as it seems. I pout. I nap. I know that nothing is as it seems. I go to the bookstore. I work on another project. I know that nothing is as it seems. And then I get back to work.

 

6. What inspires you?

Beauty of all kinds: beautiful scents (coffee, lavender, nag champra, the scent of my man) beautiful sights (vistas, flowers, book covers, faces, nail polish), the warmth of the sun, the glow of  the moon and ready hearts.

7. What's your go to wine when it's time to unwind? :)

 

Anything smooth and red. (whites make me tipsy) I am in discovery mode with wines again and it feels like dating. *swoony*

 

8. Most people who want to start a business don't know where to begin...any suggestions?

 

Listen. Power down. Get still. Do what you love. Stare at the sky. Stop trying. Kiss the “fails”. Be kind to yourself. Bake something. When we do these kinds of things it opens us up to the vast world inside. A world that most of us have closed down out of fear and shame and programming. Be kind to yourself and what is in there will come out. The best businesses come from that place inside.

 

9. When it comes to the following words, what advice would you give?

 

Work: do it honestly and out of love. And if you cant do it out of love yet, tell the truth about why you are doing it so you can get free.

 

Self: Seek yourself like you would a lost love or child. Never give up and embrace what you find in whatever state you are in.

 

Life: Know that what we see is only what we’ve chosen to see and that we can always choose differently.

 

Love: Do it. Don’t stop. And start with you. And then your nearest enemy. And hurry up.

 

Friends: Love them where they are. And mean it.

10. I define a Bohemian Spirit as someone who is free, unique, and unafraid to make her own stamp on the world. Why are you a Bohemian Spirit 


Because I am God’s daughter. Sweetheart to the Sun. Sister to the moon. Free as the breeze.

Jasai Madden

 Kitchen Pretty

 www.kitchenpretty.net and www.thenewfastgirls.blogspot.com

I am a writer, food coach and the kitchen mixtress for Kitchen Pretty, an all-natural beauty care company.

 {Wanna be in the Spotlight? Email: bohemianspiritjewelry@gmail.com}

Bohemian Business Spotlight...No.3

When you mix funky+fabulous you definitely get the Double Stitch Twins. These crochet extraordinaries have been perfecting their craft for 20+ years and it looks as if their skill level just keeps getting better and better! I absolutely love when women can take such a simple craft and turn it into a work of art...and that's exactly what Monika and Erika have done! Check out what they have to share with you all today.

I won't ask your age, but what was your favorite t.v. show to watch growing up? 

Monika: Love Boat

Erika:  Fantasy Island

What or who gave you the courage to start a business?

Honestly, it always felt more like what we've always done, and less like courage. We were both independent contractors since the age 17, doing hair in college, teaching aerobics and dance, managing our commercial print modeling careers, etc. As a matter of fact, to take it back even further, we taught dance choreography at a school in exchange for free dance lessons at age 14. We definitely didn't see it as courage, it's just that we had skills and talents and were able to use them as currency so to speak. By the time we were older, it was too late to be afraid of starting a business because as independent contractors, we always managed our own careers. Guess you can say, we just have entrepreneurial spirits.

Out of all the creative businesses you could have chosen to start, why did you choose crochet design?

Over the years, we've nurtured our special interests in health, fitness, nutrition, modeling, dance and crochet, just to name a few. Crochet design just happens to be the one that's enabled us to reach more people. Right before we started Double Stitch, I (Erika) started to have an interest in creating Mosaics. But just before I made my first one, Monika and I decided to crochet gifts for our family for the holidays and that was the end of that! I always wondered how far I would have taken Mosaic art though:-)

Lots of people want to be their own boss for obvious reasons, however they don't understand that it takes a great deal of commitment, and hard work. What's your workday like and how do you stay focused?

Commitment is right! Many times we describe ourselves as the most organized, unorganized people. lol! Our days vary so much, but we still have a natural order to our work week. A typical day can include, getting the kids off to school, having our morning smoothies, go to the gym to workout, run errands after class (shipping, emailing, supply shopping), sometimes going to auditions, coming back to our neighborhood to run more errands, do paperwork, set aside time to crochet and prepare for upcoming trunk show, fashion show or Craft events. Each individual task takes lots of preparation and social networks have added an extra outlet as well as extra work as far as marketing is concerned.

How do you find the strength to persevere when the challenges seem to outweigh the rewards?

As sisters, we strengthen each other, but we can truthfully say that we don't have any negative or non-supportive people in our circle. NONE! We looked up and realized that the people closest to us were spiritual, strong individuals that believe in the power of prayer, thoughts and words just like us. Whenever we are down all we have to do is pick up the phone or make a visit and the next thing you know, we're laughing and signifying! Our friends and family are a true blessing and they believe in what we are doing, even at times when we may question ourselves.

What inspires you?

The beauty of nature is awe-inspiring.

What's your go to wine when it's time to unwind? :)

We both like Kendall Jackson:-) Chardonnay

Most people who want to start a business don't know where to begin...any suggestions?

With information being a click away these days, research is a great start. You can google anything and get some solid information. Find groups and workshops that deal with your interest and start building knowledge about the business of ..."what ever it is that you like".

When it comes to the following words, what advice would you give?

Work: Gone are the days where you have to do a job you don't like to get by. Start with you personal or professional interest first, and then find inventive ways to not only make a living but make a good living at what you love. There is enough of everything for all of us. Ideas, work, money, happiness, etc...

Self: Honor your goals and aspirations. Showing support of yourself shows others how to react to you. If you are down and out and desperate, you will only attract much of the same. But if you do nice things for yourself and show the universe that you are worth it, the universe will show you that you are in many ways.

Life: Life is a journey, not a destination. So, enjoy yourself along the way.

Love: Loving is sharing.

Friends: Pay attention to the energy of your friends and circle. If you enjoy your friends and family and are there for them to enjoy you, all trials in life are that much easier.

I define a Bohemian Spirit as someone who is free, unique, and unafraid to make her own stamp on the world. Why are you a Bohemian Spirit?  

The Double Stitch Twins are Bohemian Spirits, because we " do what we love and share what we do"!

Erika and Monika Simmons    

Double Stitch LLC

www.doublestitchtwins.com

Crochet Design Team, Authors, Models, Spokespersons

Bohemian Business Spotlight..

It's so easy to talk about this lovely lady. She's classy, creative, and all about All Things Pretty and Pink! I've been a fan of Ebony's work before I knew her, and about 1 year ago I found out she was opening a boutique and I couldn't wait to visit. Upon entering I found myself in a whimsical wonderland of beautiful smells, french music, and pretty unmentionables....It was girly heaven! Since our meet Ebony has gone on to perfect her own fragrance line and is in the works of taking Nina Fleurina Boutique mobile. You can connect with her HERE on her blogsite, but please enjoy her BBS feature and feel free to comment...she would LOVE to hear your voice!

I won't ask your age, but what was your favorite t.v. show to watch

growing up? 

Here's a few...Saved By The Bell, Punky Brewster, and The Cosby Show.

What or who gave you the courage to start a business?

I was a preschool teacher for many years, both my parents were entrepreneurs, I would spend hours daydreaming when I was suppose to be watching children. I would be planning and fantasizing about being my own boss.

Out of all the creative businesses you could have chosen to start, why did you choose a boutique?

Owning my own boutique and developing my own "pretty" products...seemed very natural for me I love fashion and products that made women feel pretty and that is what I do.

Lots of people want to be their own boss for obvious reasons, however they don't understand that it takes a great deal of commitment, and hard work. What's your work day like and how do you stay focused?

My typical work day starts in my head, because I'm a "creative" but very methodical. I'm a dreamer so I can see visual artistry in motion in my head, first. Sometimes it can take all day to get something done and sometimes it can take a quick second but all this is happening in my head while running my boutique, designing, styling, blogging and being a wife which is a job in itself. Lol!

How do you find the strength to persevere when the challenges seem to outweigh the rewards?

I live my life aware of challenges which are more like hurdles, sometimes I leap flawlessly and sometimes I stumble and fall but either way a race needs to be finished and ultimately the goal is to win. I've won more then I loss so I continue to sprint my way through this wonderful life.

What inspires you?

Ooh! Poetry, romance novels, fashion, movies, fragrances, natural beauty, people and anything vintage and old with history inspires me.

Nina Fleurina Perfume Commercial from Ebony Robinson on Vimeo.

What's your go to wine when it's time to unwind? :)

Wine...I don't drink wine often enough to know but I do love a glass of champagne preferably pink every now and again.

When it comes to the following words, what advice would you give?

Work: find something you love and do it until it wears your heart out.

Self: Do what please you and God and when others see the light you exude then you know you're in the right place.

Life: I always say "you" are in control of your destiny, make life what "you" want it to be.

Love: Lol! I'm a "hopeful" romantic, so I see life with pink colored glasses. I married the love of my life almost 14yrs ago what else can I say.

Friends: I'm surrounded by beautiful creative women who I look up to and love dearly...you my friend are one of them. They inspire me and encourage me to continue to do what I do.

I define a Bohemian Spirit as someone who is free, unique, and unafraid to make her own stamp on the world. Why are you a Bohemian Spirit?

I swear I have wings because I'm such a free spirit. At times I can be a quiet spirit or fun and full of life. If I weren’t married I would probably be a gypsy traveling all over doing arts and crafts or something. I'm free to be who I am, a lover, a creative, a fashionista, and a bohemian spirit.

Ebony Robinson

Nina Fleurina Boutique

www.NinaFleurina.com

http://loveninafleurina.blogspot.com/

Boutique Owner, Perfume and Product Developer and lover of all things French and Vintage.

{Wanna be in the Spotlight? Email: bohemianspiritjewelry@gmail.com}

Bohemian Business Spotlight is BACK!

Woo Hoo!!!! Yes, Yes, Yes!!! It's On!!! I hope you guys can feel my excitement through this post. I am so psyched that I've come off the couch to blog about this on a Sunday afternoon. I can't wait to reveal a great new line-up of talented women that will be featured in the 2012 Bohemian Business Spotlight. For those of you who are new to the blog...Welcome & Hugs!!! Please familiarize yourself with the BBS by clicking the BBS link down and to the right --->. There are several extraordinary interviews with women who are fulfilling their passion, inspiring others, and just doing the dang thang!

January 18th will be the first feature of 2012 and every Wednesday thereafter. I hope you'll stop by to check it out.