***Flygirl Fridays***

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to take a course called "Flying Lessons" given by a very talented artist - Kelly Rae Roberts. It was an excellent course that covered such topics as letting go of yours fears, going after your true passion, and many other things. One of the best things about the course was, I got meet and learn about a lot of talented artists, all in on different paths, but all working towards making their dreams come true and learning to take flight. Flygirl Fridays is all about these wonderfully talented people and a little bit about them, so you can get to know them as well!

Please join me in welcoming

Janet from Tatterned 'n Worn!

Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
My name is Janet Forrest. I am a wife, mother of two, Gaga of three, blogger and aspiring artist. I am a retired shop owner on a quest to live the most creative life I am capable of living in this next chapter in my life.

What is something that you really love, and why?
Being creative in all its many and varied form. I love to take something plain and uninspiring and turning it into something beautiful, and I love to write. Why? I wish I had a good answer for that. It is something inside me that won't go away, and I'll just explode if I don't do either!

What would your dream project be?
My full on biggest dream would be to own a gift shop that received national acclaim. But given that the possibility of that happening are slim and none, for many reasons, I would love to do a full layout for one of the Stampington magazines, and perhaps be an inspiration for others who want to live a more creative life.

What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever received?
There are two that stand out in my mind 1) Do what you love and you'll never "work" a day in your life, and 2) Your attitude is the only thing in life you can control.

Where does you inspiration come from?
Everywhere. There is little in the world I see that doesn't give me an idea for something I want to either make or write about.

What do you think is the biggest thing holding you back?
More than anything, it is fear of success. I know that sounds odd, but I'm afraid of how my becoming successful, and NEEDING to focus on my business or career would impact my family. I spent twenty years of my life putting a business at the top of my to do list, and although I loved it, it was hard on my family, and I don't want them to have to go through that again.

What change do you think would most help your business grow?
Finding a way to reach a bigger audience with my blog. Right now I am being read by mostly my art community, and although I treasure them, they are probably not the people who would buy my art on a continuing basis. I would like to get to the point where I do all my sales from my own website/blog and didn't need to do shows, or find shops to sell from, or depend on the ability to be seen on Etsy.

What’s the biggest thing that you took with you from Flying Lessons?
I have a good business background, but there was a huge a gap in my knowledge base in “current” information, in light of how much social networking and internet selling has changed the retail environment since I sold my store. Kelly’s class gave me that information. But way more important to me was the “community” of artists that it gave me access to. The “Fly Tribe” and how close we have become in such a short period of time is a gift that was not foreseen when I plunked down the money for the class, and it is what I consider to be Kelly’s genius. The “info” is available in other places. She knew that it was “community” that made the magic! And in introducing us to each other, she gave us more than just information, she gave us a support system that I don’t think any of us expected, or even knew we needed.

Websites

Blog: http://tatterednworn.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tatterednworn
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/tatterednworn