***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
Lori Moon!

Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
My name is Lori Moon and I’m an artist. I am a photographer, jewelry artisan, and I dabble in a little bit of anything and everything creative (ATC creation, painting, doodling, journal making, and I dream making large metal sculpture).

During 2011, I consciously chose to “begin” and intentionally started to build a creative life. I’ve been creating things for as long as I can remember (ask my close friends and family – many of them have received jewelry or framed photos as gifts).  Both of my parents are very creative; my Mom quilts and has done crafts since I was a child (I have fond memories of her selling at holiday shows and all the ornaments we helped to make) and my Dad owned his own auto body shop and often creates lawn ornaments out of up-cycled materials.

What is something that you really love, and why?
It is difficult to pick only one thing. I love to take pictures. I carry a camera with me at all times. I often think I see the world naturally through a macro lens. Seeing the tiniest detail of color on the petal of a flower and how the color isn’t even, how the water droplets gather on a stem after a warm Spring rain, how the pattern of the rain drops in a puddle are never the same, or the texture of the paint on a weathered door. I can get lost for hours (and have) just visiting a flower garden or an open meadow with my camera. I have to stretch my viewpoint to take a landscape photo and find that when I travel outside of NYC it is easier for me to do.

What would your dream project be?
I’d love to create a safe, beautiful space for creative artists come together. My big dream is to someday own enough land where I can build a studio, create a large central gathering building, and then use prefab structures for housing throughout the property.

What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever received?
Hmmm, I’m not sure if it is advice, but the best thing anyone has ever said to me was last year when my boyfriend (whom I’ve known since college - 25 years) asked me if I could do anything, earning money was not the goal, what would I do. Without hesitation I told him that I would to be an artist. He giggled and shook his head – I, of course, got defensive. He quickly corrected me and said that he wasn’t laughing at what I would do but – and I’ll never forget it – “you ARE an artist, you just don’t have the time to do it because you have an office job”.  I walked around for days saying out loud that “I AM an artist”.  This conversation is what pushed me to explore the web for creative blogs, and thus I took Beth Nichols’ Do What You Love e-course, then jumped into Kelly Rae Roberts’ Flying Lessons class and he still inspires me to continue on the path of building my creative life.

Where does your inspiration come from?
I am inspired to create by texture, color, nature, and the little things that most people walk past and don’t notice. The grate covering a hole in the street, the pattern of the wrought iron window guard, the water droplet left on the leaf, the color of the autumn leaves, the veins in a maple leaf, etc.

Also, the messages from the universe.  The words used by street artists or the words in advertising that speak to me are messages from the universe. The message conjures emotions or thoughts relating to something that is going on within me; in my heart, in my mind, in my soul.  

What do you think is the biggest thing holding you back?
Time. I have a full time day job. I need to create the time to create product.

What change do you think would most help your business grow?
Me – I need to change. I need to believe in myself more. I need to believe that people will actually buy my photos and jewelry. I have doubts and fears - they just honestly get in the way.  Next, I need to get a business license, tax i.d. and then to figure out the logistics of printing, packaging and mailing my prints and jewelry.

What’s the biggest thing that you took with you from Flying Lessons?
The biggest thing was the support of the other participants in the class. We call ourselves the Fly Tribe and there are 378 of us. We support each other through celebrations, shoulders to lean on when times are tough, encouragement, opinions, laughs, tears, etc.  It is a really beautiful thing when likeminded people come together and form a community and Kelly Rae, by setting up a private Facebook group for the class participants, did just that – she created a community of artists that are intertwined forever. The content in Kelly Rae’s class is phenomenal, practical and inspiring. Happily because she provided us with a pdf of the course work I will have the content forever. I refer back to it often. But, the Fly Tribe, they hold a special place in my heart and I interact with them every day.

Places to find me:
Blog: http://lorimoonstudio.blogspot.com
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lorimoonstudio/