Last month I was interviewed by HerIdeaBlog.com. They feature creative women each week and I was very excited to participate in this. I have put my interview below, but be sure to go to the website to read about more amazing women!
How would you describe yourself?
In describing myself, I’ll borrow from one of my cards that says, “Live Loud”. I believe that we should live our life with intention and grab it with both hands, living with gusto. I call myself “The Queen of Sparkle and Shine” because I’m passionate about sharing truth, encouragement, shining my light, and giving big sparkle hugs. I’m often seen wearing a tiara (I’m Queen after all).
I’m a retired elementary school teacher and I’ve already enjoyed a lot of living in my years. Currently I am the only parent of two teens, I teach reading to kindergartners who were ill-prepared to enter school, I’m writing my first book, I’m a blogger and Instagram “encourager” shining my light and truth to uplift others, I’m a bi-monthly contributor to the Women2Women Michigan magazine, and the owner/designer of Empowordment Cards by Mimi.
I’m also an inspirational speaker. My business is called Passionista At Large, which is the “umbrella” for all my other interests. “Passionista” describes my zest for living and my intense desire to share with individuals how they can rise above negative beliefs to be empowered for making positive choices in their lives. The “at large” part is a way of poking fun at myself, as I am 5’10” tall. When I was teaching I’d refer to myself as large and in charge. But it also means that I’m on the prowl to Inform, Inspire, and Ignite. Everything I learned on my journey to self-empowerment I long to share with others.
Tell us a little bit about your Etsy shop.
Words are absolutely powerful–whether spoken, written, read, or heard in our minds. I have found that having a visual reminder of truth helps us to focus on that truth. And that is how my EmPOWordment Cards began. I wanted cards that would uplift and build self-esteem by providing affirmations and positive words to live by.
Two years ago when I started designing cards, I knew nothing about Etsy and Instagram or all the quotes that are so prevalent now, so was completely pulling from my own creativity and experiences.
Memes had just become popular, and I’d been designing them for my blog posts. My sister commented that I should make them into cards to sell. I wasn’t really sure about that idea, but because I wanted something to take to speaking engagements, and give out to others, I began to design cards to empower and build self-esteem—with words—thus the name EmpoWORDment.
I was a novice designer, using PicMonkey to create backgrounds and designs to showcase the all-important words. Many of my cards reflect my own journey. For example, “Don’t Let Anyone Ever Dull Your Sparkle” is very meaningful to me because formost of my life I allowed others to control and dim me. “I Was Born To Shine” is something I realized only a few years ago, and now I purposely tell everyone that we all have a unique light to shine in this world. I had just designed “Queen of Courage” when my sister was diagnosed with cancer. I dedicated that card to her. Every card has a personal meaning (and story) for me.
I truly love designing, and soon branched out into mugs, journals, note cards, a cute card deck that can be made into a garland, and this year I created a Sparkle & Shine calendar. It has monthly affirmations that are to be repeated every day of the month. Doing so will change your thoughts and help to create positive energy in your life.
My designs are colorful and sometimes quirky. They capture attention. They provide others with encouragement, self-esteem boosters, empowering words, and positivity. They often create emotion, because words ARE powerful!
What does empowerment mean to you?
Empowerment to me means living fully as your authentic self, free from self-limiting beliefs that control your behavior and hold you back. Empowerment can be a huge deal like the women’s march, or small, personal steps toward freedom.
My own empowerment began when I realized I’d believed lies about myself all my life. I believed that I was too emotional, not very smart, not worthy of love, was broken and unlovely, to name a few. One day, in an act of courage and boldness, I finally told the lies in my head to “shut up!” and began purposely replacing them with what I call truths. If you care to read about that, go to https://particularpassions.me/2016/04/05/the-lies-that-bind-us/. The truths I began saying to myself are universal: I am enough, I am creative, I am amazing, I am powerful and strong, I deserve good things in life, and I am loveable. Our brains are quite amazing, and even if we don’t believe these words at first, when repeated often, our brain will begin to store them as part of our belief system. And that’s what happened to me! It sounds very simple, but it took me several years to get there.
All of my life I’ve been in love with words. A person can create visual images, emotions, and life and death, with words. The lies I’d been allowing to blow through my brain had been creating death to who I was created to be. When I began believing and acting upon the new truths, I became a powerful force to be reckoned with! I can now shine my light with purpose. And I know that I am “Amazing With A Side of Sprinkles”!
What is a quote that has inspired you lately and why?
Asking me, someone whose business is designed around quotes, to pick out a favorite quote is pretty tough. But I will tell you the one that has guided me for these last six years. “Don’t tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon!” by Buzz Aldrin, one of the first astronauts on the moon.
This speaks to me about not being limited. About doing those things I might think are impossible or out of my reach. And it says that there are amazing opportunities that I don’t see yet, just waiting for me.
If you could spend a day with any creative woman, who would you choose and why?
If I could spend a day with any creative woman in history we’d need a conference!! There are so many, many women that I respect for their abilities, their hearts, and their authenticity. Sue Monk Kidd, a favorite author, wrote a book that transformed my life. Maya Angelou inspires me with her guts, strength, passion, and incredible ability with words. Meryl Streep continues to amaze me with her acting ability, her humor, her ability to embrace aging, and her love and compassion. Carole King began my journey of poetry set to music and she continues strong. See? There are so many. And what a conference THAT would be!!
What are some of your other creative interests?
I enjoy many other creative activities besides designing and writing. I love gardening and creating beautiful flowerbeds from which I can make “yard gatherings” bouquets. I write poetry. I sing. I paint on rocks. I sew. I have created a lovely home. I create memories for my children, through camping especially, and travel.
What do you enjoy most about being a creative woman?
What I enjoy most about being a creative woman is that days are never, ever boring! There is always something new to learn and try. I feel resourceful and I’m very grateful for the abilities that are mine. I try not to take them for granted, but use my gifts for the betterment of others. And I suppose that is one of the things I love most about being creative—I can help others see truth and become empowered. And I pray that as the creative force flows through me it will pour out onto others in a way that positively affects their lives.
Most of the cards shown above are available in my Etsy shop. The link is below.
So really. Why would you follow in the exact footprints of someone else?
Me saying, “Seriously?”
They do not have YOUR unique qualities, gifts, abilities, and desires, and you don’t have theirs.
Should you fashion your life after what other people say? Should you let what is important to them be what guides you?
Perhaps to some degree, if they are people you love. But when it comes to achieving what you truly desire in life, I believe that you need to be the one to determine what is most important to you.
And please, do not let people’s opinions of you alter your course one bit! Know your own truth.
YOU are the one to determine
the kind of person you want to be.
What you wear, how you talk,
what your goals are,
the things that fulfill your heart,
what kind of job you want,
the kind of a person you want a relationship with,
where you want to live, how you run your home,
what books you read,
how much schooling you obtain……
these should be things of your choosing and should not be dictated by the choices of others.
Of course I am not discounting the wise counsel of people. We all need help with decisions and lifestyle issues.
I’m referring to giving up yourself
in order to follow blindly.
Or relinquishing your desires
because someone thinks they are silly.
Or not wearing something you love
because no one else does.
Or not truly honoring your heart and spirit
because others criticize you for it.
You have a brain, emotions, intelligence, reason, values, morals, and common sense.
Use them to figure out, and pursue, what is valuable to you. Mark your own path, and
Write your own script for your life!
As always, I thank you for visiting. I’d love to know what you think!
Oh darling, don’t you know that who you are is the most amazing and fabulous gift to the world? Who you are is full of wonder and possibility. You deserve to be loved and fulfilled in what you do. I know it’s tough many days. I know some of you are not in an ideal situation. I know some of you feel as if the ground is swallowing you up and closing in over you.
I know because I’ve been there. And it took action and big steps (in little baby steps) to get me out of that hole. But I am here to tell you that YOU can start today to change your situation. There are people who will help you.
Do not try to do it alone. I know, precious one, that you feel as if you must be strong and do this life thing (as hard and unpleasant as it is) by yourself because that’s who you are. Well, you only limit yourself when you limit your possibilities.
Start talking to people. Start saying what you want and need. I promise, lightning will not strike you. Start asking for help. Start with someone you trust and get them involved in seeking help you and ways to improve and/or get out of your situation.
You are NOT alone! You do not have to suffer in silence. There ARE solutions. I know. I found them.
The biggest thing is to start realizing how valuable you are. How much the world needs your special, unique gifts and love. Start telling yourself the TRUTH–that you are amazing and have wonderful abilities and gifts for this world.
Start seeking ways to BE who you really are. To pour out your beautiful spirit and shine your gorgeous light.
Because darling, you are perfect, just as you are! Never apologize.
Having children with special needs is such a challenge! But one thing I’ve learned….it keeps us TOTALLY dependent on God. No way can I be “in control” because in the blink of an eye, our life could be in shambles.
There are days my prayer has been, “Oh God, oh God, oh God” because I just didn’t have words. Didn’t have energy to formulate words. It was all I could do to breathe and take care of my children (I am their only parent). Some weeks (months) every.single.day is a challenge. Like pushing a locomotive up a steep mountain.
And then, thank God, we will get a reprieve and I can at last take a deep breath. And I just sit. And sit. And let God fill my mind, body, and breath. And He brings healing to my emotions.
Because there is no doubt about how emotionally draining it is to watch your child hurt, or be disappointed because of physical limitations, or become emotionally so out-of-sorts that all day is a battle.
Or how physically and emotionally exhausting it is to be making hard, frustrating, impossible decisions for the duration of several days.
Sleep-deprived, worry-filled, and constantly searching for solutions can totally wring a person out!
But oh, God is able! The video below is amazing and so uplifting.
Mandisa sings her song Overcomer with clips of people who have overcome some extreme physical challenges.
I equate the physical with our mental and emotional challenges. It’s not an easy journey (Wait, what? It’s gonna be hard? Hey, I didn’t sign up for that!!!) But a journey that I hope will bring God glory. Because the glory is all His.
Anything that I’ve accomplished with my children has been while He was holding my hand, speaking into my spirit (sometimes I didn’t want to hear Him–la la la la la!), and guiding my every move. Because I was useless. Incapacitated.
In spite of that, and because of Him, my children are amazing miracles. But that’s a story for another time. Enjoy the video. You will be hooked!
Thank you so much for stopping by. YOU are the reason I write.
Be kind and share with someone who could use this. 🙂
Have you ever had one of those days where you were just filled with joy? Today was that kind of day for me. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful 30 degrees! Almost shirt-sleeve weather! I had to go grocery shopping, which I detest! But I had decided to treat myself with flowers. And wouldn’t you know? There were tons of FUSCHIA-dyed mums!! So of course I bought one bunch. They were perfect for me. And I rescued some poor, bedraggled Alstromeria lilies that were marked way down. For about $8.50 I bought enough posies to make all these bouquets. (Don’t mind the Christmas trees you can still see in the background. I HAD to stop and smell the roses–er, mums!)
On to the produce section. The grapes were tiny, about the size of my little finger nail! Another lady and I were exclaiming about it. They were the size of raisins already!
I moved on to the lovely section that holds cauliflower, broccoli, celery, red cabbage, four colors of peppers, and numerous other colorful items. I asked the produce guy, “Don’t you just love working in the produce section?” He looked at me a teeny bit funny as he shrugged his shoulders. What’s the guy to say? So I clued him as to why he should like his job! I said, “It looks so nice, and it’s all so colorful and pretty!” He agreed that when it looked nice it wasn’t so bad. Lol
These are exactly like what I bought. I love their rich colors!
Around the corner at the onion table I struck up a conversation with the lady cleaning the potato bin. I asked her if onions last better in the refrigerator. Well, she keeps hers in a box in the cabinet. And then she imparted this AMAZING bit of information!
In the spring, whether they are in a store, in your cupboard, or on the counter, onions will sprout and so will garlic. Period. In the pitch black or constant fluorescent light. In the spring–when nothing in their environment has changed–they will sprout.
WOW!! I was just in awe. I said to the lady, “That is just crazy! It’s like God sends them a memo or something! “Ok onions and garlic. You may not know it yet, but it’s spring. Time to do your thing!” We had a chuckle over that. That just made my day. I told her thank you for teaching me something today. (Any day I learn is a great day!)
I couldn’t help humming as I went along with my shopping. All those little things added up to make my heart overflow! And I am so grateful for my sight so I can celebrate God’s wonders in the flowers, veggies, and fruit department! I’m also thankful that people don’t seem bothered when I talk to them. (I kind of do it a lot. Maybe they are just being gracious.)
I must have had a smile on my face as I walked through the store because people kept looking at me. I’ll bet they wished they knew my secret. 🙂
Oh my gosh I’m so excited! Deborah St. Hilaire from Bay City is interviewing me, live, tonight on her Divalution Radio! Check it out. 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) on W4DIVAS.com. It should be a good time. 🙂
Also, we will meet early and collaborate about holding women’s small group meetings at her amazing studio/storefront/gathering space. This has been one of my dreams for five years. And what will I call these gatherings? Well, as Passionista At Large, they will be “Passionista Playdates”!! Comment below if you are interested in these and I’ll keep you posted. (Location is Bay city, Michigan)
It seems my words of the year “Expand” from last year and “Abundance” for this year are working for me! Sometimes it really takes just putting one foot in front of the other and doing what you know to do at the time.
So carry on with your bad selves, shine YOUR light, and rock 2017!
most of my life I allowed others to control and dim me. “I Was Born To Shine” is something I realized only a few years ago, and now I purposely tell everyone that we all have a unique light to shine in this world. I had just designed “Queen of Courage” when my sister was diagnosed with cancer. I dedicated that card to her. Every card has a personal meaning (and story) for me.
Asking me, someone whose business is designed around quotes, to pick out a favorite quote is pretty tough. But I will tell you the one that has guided me for these last six years.
and try. I feel resourceful and I’m very grateful for the abilities that are mine. I try not to take them for granted, but use my gifts for the betterment of others. And I suppose that is one of the things I love most about being creative—I can help others see truth and become empowered. And I pray that as the creative force flows through me it will pour out onto others in a way that positively affects their lives.
