Posted by Sigrid Olsen on February 12, 2012 0 Comments
Last week I found myself in the middle of a politic battle completely by surprise. I have strong ethical and political views, but I keep them mostly to myself because I find that preaching one's beliefs often is polarizing and I am looking to unite people. So when I first was asked to be the keynote speaker at the Susan G Komen annual luncheon in Sarasota, I was honored. I saw it as an opportunity to share my personal story and philosophy of hope and gratitude with the hundreds of guests that planned to attend. Then the world exploded with the news of SGK's defunding of Planned Parenthood and I was immediately faced with a dilemma. I never hesitated to fulfill my promise to speak, but I admit I felt conflicted. I had "friends" who fervently criticized SGK and intended to make me feel shame about my connection with the organization, and all around me supporters were dropping like flies. But then I thought...if I don't speak who will suffer...sure I will be making a point, but I wanted to touch the hearts and souls of the audience, so I chose to speak and I am glad that I did. I took the stage minutes after the "reversal" was announced, so the tension lifted somewhat and I was moved by the survivors highlighted in the large crowd. For those who are interested...here is the transcript of my speech:
First of all, I want to thank you for inviting me to speak today. I am new to the Sarasota community and instantly feel like part of something much larger than myself. I look around and see so many faces...a few of you I know, many I don't but we are a congregation of human beings with a common concern...curing a disease that has touched each of us in some way. So many women (and men) -- many right here in this room, and some sadly not with us today--have suffered, succumbed and prevailed in the face of breast cancer.
I consider it an honor to be standing here in front of you.
I am one of the lucky ones. Whenever I tell my story, I feel as though my experience pales in comparison to others I have heard and witnessed. I feel I got by easy. Everyone's story is unique and personal, but there is a common bond of humanity that knits our experiences and makes us united.
No one goes through the experience of having cancer and emerges the same as they were before it. In my case it served to make me both stronger and more vulnerable. Through my vulnerability I learned compassion. I also learned to ask for help and was blessed to have it...my husband, my family and close friends were there for me..unobtrusively, thoughtfully and completely. I am grateful not just to have survived, but in some ways just to have had the experience. Honestly.
I know that sounds unlikely. But being a breast cancer survivor has become an essential part of the fabric of who I am... and I am thankful for that.
In my past life I was a fashion designer with a very demanding career, two children and not much time for myself. My diagnosis came during a particularly hectic design season in October of 2004. Funny...I say "diagnosis" like it happened all at once. But in reality it was a long drawn out process that took months to unfold. Most of you who have traveled this road know what I mean. First, it is the "questionable" mammogram. Then the follow-up mammogram, that leads to the ultra-sound which is also inconclusive. Oh and three afternoons away from work. And dressing, undressing, waiting, more waiting...getting literally poked and prodded and having waaay too much attention being paid to a part of your body that used to be fun and even useful in the past. You know the feeling, Im sure.
I was and still am a very busy lady and had put off getting a mammogram for too many years before the fateful day I received the news that something was wrong. That was my first mistake...but fortunately I still was at stage zero (DCIS) and no real harm was done...we caught it early. My life was never really in immediate danger. So after the x-rays, the ultra-sound, the MRI and then 2 lumpectomies I still was faced with having to choose a mastectomy. No matter how casual I sound now, the first time you hear the "m" word it goes through you like a shot. I recall going back to a design meeting after taking the call in my office, stunned and completely distracted. I felt like a woman in a stupor. But I was well-practiced at putting things on the back burner and before long I just became absorbed in the moment and postponed thinking about it until I got home. Then I probably collapsed and unraveled in the safety of my own four walls.
I know that having great medical care is important. It took me a little while to find the right combination of doctors. I live ( now just in the summertime) in Gloucester Massachusetts and my initial diagnosis and followup took place in Boston, about an hour from my home--if traffic was merciful. As I shuttled from clinic, to hospital to doctor's office, I tried in vain to keep my equilibrium and sense of self. I did not want to become a simple statistic, a number on a chart. Slowly I began to sense that was exactly what I had become. The decision-making was a really hard process even for me who makes snap decisions at the drop of a hat, based on gut instinct. (Like signing a lease on a gallery in Burns Court and moving to Sarasota pretty much on a whim). My husband Curtis and I went to appointments together, the most notable of which was with a plastic surgeon in Brookline who made me feel:
a. stupid for asking questions
b. inexperienced for never having had a mastectomy before
c. vain for caring what I would look like afterwards
I recall feeling pretty defeated after that appointment, but then determined to find a better option.
I decided I need to do more research and get a "second opinion". So I enlisted the help of friends, even saw a therapist to talk through my feelings and eventually was steered towards a team of doctors right in my back yard. It turns out Salem Hospital, 20 minutes from my home was excellent and my doctors were amazing. The surgery was long... 9 hours, but the beauty of it was that the mastectomy and reconstruction took place as one event, so when I awakened from anesthesia the deed was done. I knew very well what was at stake so my first words as I came to thick with nausea were: " and the lymph nodes?" ...AOK. Thank goodness. So I went right back to sleep and stayed there for the next 15 hours.
The other remarkable thing about this hospital was that they embraced alternative healing practices. Not only did they allow a Reiki therapist to work on me just before surgery and then immediately after right in the recovery room, but they billed me for it right through the hospital. I believe that this was one of the factors that helped me recover so quickly. And gave me hope that things are changing in the field of Western medicine.
My plastic surgeon was (and is) extraordinary. She studied to be an artist until she decided to make a right turn into medicine, bringing her keen eye and delicate motor skills to the field of plastic surgery with a specialty in breast reconstruction. So our appointments were all about how she would reshape my figure and construct the "seams" of my new topography. She showed me pictures and looked me straight in the eye when we talked. She answered dozens of questions with patience and keen intelligence. As it turned out, I healed beautifully and got the breast reduction and uplift I had secretly wanted for years. And now, almost 7 years later I am free of cancer and healthier than ever. AND she has become one of my closest friends.
I was oddly happy in the weeks leading up to my surgery. Instinctively I knew that this respite was something I desperately needed. I was never afraid. Why? I have no idea...I guess because I felt I was in good hands, I had been reassured that the cancer was very early stage, and I guess I just had faith. Strangely it felt perfectly natural.
Little did I know that this leave of absence was a precursor to my permanent leave that occurred 3 years later when my company closed. But thats another story! At that time I was on the go constantly and I unknowingly had set the ridiculous pace that was now expected of me. I would never have slowed down if I hadn't been forced to.Today I see several situations in my life that underscore this same theme: My spirit needs one thing and my personality insists on another and in the end circumstances prevail and I am compelled to try another route. Reality always catches up.
The change of pace inevitably came. My first couple of weeks at home recovering were spent gently existing...just BEing. For once in my life I didn't have to do anything and didn't feel compelled to accomplish anything except get better which my body had to do on its own. No amount of forcing or cajoling would change the fact that I needed to rest. But it wasn't hard to do that. I am one of those people who does not tolerate Anesthesia very well. In fact, it kicks my butt. Every single time. It took me longer to recover from that than I expected. I was somewhat dazed and exhausted for the better part of a week. While I was uncomfortable ( my friends remind me I would enter a room bent over in a pathetic posture protecting my injured chest) I managed the pain by taking extra strength tylenol and lying down for days. I cannot take anything stronger because I get severely nauseous and dizzy from pain killers. I didn't have the strength to read, and zero interest in TV...the most entertainment I required was listening to the birds outside my bedroom window or warming myself in the sun outside on my deck.
I found the lack of stimuli to be very Zen. I kind of loved it! Hours drifted by and I noticed beautiful small things...the shadow of a birds wing across my second floor window, or the changing course of the sun as the day went from morning to evening and the light changed color from my vantage point upstairs. Subtleties that I would have surely missed as I rushed about my normal days. As we all surely miss every day.
Medically I was very lucky. The size, type and location of my cancer enabled me to get by with no further treatment...no chemo, no radiation, no drugs of any sort. To me, surgery is the easy part...to have any foreign substance in my body systemically would have been much harder to deal with. This is why I say I had it easy. I give a modest bow to all of you who have endured more.
Once I started to feel better I made some moves that I am happy for to this day. First, I had lunch with friends. During the day! Unless you have worked 10 hour days for 20 years you don't know what a revelation this is! I reconnected with people who had meant so much to me, but I had seen a handful of times in recent years because I was working all the time. Life in Sarasota is rich with just this type of socialization, so I am always happy now! Second, I started to paint again. Just mixing colors and feeling the brushstrokes was healing for me. OK...I admit my inner "alpha" got the better of me and before my leave was up I had painted a collection of work and had an opening in my new gallery that we had just set up in our summer cottage in Gloucester. All the pieces had uplifting messages and bright colors that expressed my newfound peace of mind and happiness. That was the beginning of my personal journey that marked the first foray away from my identity as a fashion designer. And third, when the doctor gave me the all-clear, I headed to the gym and hooked up with the best personal trainer I could hope for. I told her my condition and she developed a Pilates routine for me to rebuild my strength and range of motion. She now has made it her protocol for recovering mastectomy clients and we even got written up in Pilates Style magazine back in 2006. She has also become a close friend. That lead me back to yoga which is now an integral and essential part of my life.
People who know me well know I prefer to be happy no matter what. I work hard at it. I don't like to dwell on the negative. I try to find the silver lining in ever case..and if not that then I look for the lesson to be learned.
This experience gave me plenty in that department. Lessons were everywhere and it gave me so much to be thankful for.
Every situation offers plusses and minuses...
..In the plus column:
--I learned very quickly who my true friends are...and they are many.
--I learned how to ask for help and not be ashamed to receive it.
--I gained 2 amazing new friends ( surgeon, trainer) and have such respect for these women who work hard and give so much.
--My priorities quickly shuffled into place. Things that used to be so important became less urgent and my health, my peace of mind, my family and friendships now take top priority in my life.
Today I am here a changed woman. I am living the life I have chosen...not one that has chosen me. I am surrounded by interesting, funny, curious, creative people who enrich my life immensely. I am healthy, strong, and at peace ( most of the time!). I see beauty every day. Nature astounds me. New horizons are right around the corner and I can't wait to see whats next!
Thank you.
Read More
Posted by Sigrid Olsen on January 01, 2012 0 Comments
My New Year's Day was ushered in by a pod of dolphins this morning. They swam below my balcony, gracefully breaking the surface of the water creating a gentle a silvery wake. I had already awakened with a profound feeling of peaceful happiness, grateful that this feeling would be the start of 2012 for me. I expected to share the dawn hours with the usual gulls and pelicans, but the dolphins were a pleasant surprise. As I sit to reflect on what to write about the turn of the calendar year, I recognize that this notion of 'pleasant surprise" is a perfect theme for 2012. I love it because it infers allowing good things to happen. My hopes and dreams will unfold organically, manifest naturally, and I can simply let go of my usual impatient struggle.
Last night a group of us sat around a fire pit and the inevitable subject of New years Resolutions came up. I responded by saying I just want to be open to any and all that comes my way. That sensation of openness and receptivity is now my mantra for the coming year. Life isn't about getting everything you want. Half the time we only think we know what we want anway. Our inner selves know better. Over time I have come to appreciate what is important...the elements that I know I need to have a happy life. Most of this is universal for all humans, but each of us has our own unique set of priorities for fulfillment. During a recent talk I gave I referred to this as my personal "pie chart" where I divide life up into the slices that mean the most to me. Here it is:
FAMILY: I love people in general, but there is something viscerally important to me about my closest relatives...aging parents, sisters (half and step), children (and step-children), grand children, husband. Its not just the blood relation, because in my blended family the relation is more about closeness than actual DNA. I pray for their happiness and am delighted when I know they are at peace, pursing their dreams and discovering new things. That's what love is.
COMMUNITY: By this I mean everything from my closest friends to the world at large. I think we all live to be in connection with one another. I know I can't be happy without a sense of social context...being part of a group larger than myself and my immediate family. My retreats, even my gallery provide me with opportunity to connect with those outside my circle, enriching my life immensely. Beyond that if I can offer anything to make the world a better place, I believe thats a good use of my time and energy.
LIVELIHOOD: I have a very strong work ethic, both as an artist and an entrepreneur. I like to work and it makes me happy. That being said I have only recently come to find an acceptable balance for myself in this regard. My life would not feel full without a daily effort to create and offer something to the world, but I don't like to create in a vacuum. I enjoy the challenge of commerce, bringing a deeper, more authentic approach to it now that more aspects of my business are directly under my control. I work hard, but its fun for me.
NATURE: The dolphins this morning are an example of how important nature is to me. My thirst for beauty is largely satisfied by the splendor of the natural world...even the simplest, most basic things. The other day I was so busy, rushing around in my "beat the clock" mode and out of the corner of my eye I caught the glow of a shaft of sunlight caught on the corner of the sofa, illuminating it with a golden light. It literally stopped me in my tracks. Wistfully I gazed at it for a few beats and then continued on my mission to finish whatever it was I was working on. But it spoke to me...a silent reminder that profound beauty is all around us if we open our eyes.
MIND/BODY: This catch-all phrase describes the things I do to make my body healthy and my mind clear and peaceful. Yoga and meditation are at the center of everything for me today. All I do emanates from this daily practice. Its hard to describe the far-reaching effects for body and soul...I feel like the flow of asanas and the quieting of the mind affects me at a cellular level. What I love most about it is that with yoga there is always a new place to get to, a fresh challenge every time I get onto my mat. It helps me cultivate patience and is responsible for the openness that greeted me this first morning of the New Year.
CREATIVITY: I love to make stuff. I always have. As an only child I entertained myself with colored pencils and magic markers for hours on end. And my eyes enjoy seeing beauty, whether natural or man-made...a walk on the beach, a visit to a museum...both are equally stimulating. But for me inspiration almost always develops into creation. I can only take in so much before I have to capture it somehow (writing, drawing, painting, photography). Creativity permeates every aspect of my daily life, whether it is cooking a meal, decorating my house or planting a garden, even arranging flowers. This is like breathing...I can't live without it.
What does your pie chart look like?
Read More
Posted by Sigrid Olsen on October 31, 2011 0 Comments
We have reopened our shop gallery in Sarasota and settled into our routine here...morning walks over the bridge, daily yoga classes and days off at the beach. Our reopening party was a success and we enjoyed seeing old and new faces as the season begins. I've set up my painting corner in our rental and cooked a few meals in the kitchen. We have savored some incredible sunsets over the bay and reconnected with Florida friends. This all leads me to reflect upon what home means in my life: it's more than just shelter..it is the insertion of oneself into a community and feeling supported. It is having a place to create, to reflect, to rest. Achieving this at all is an accomplishment so I consider myself very fortunate to have found home in two places. Many of us have learned to adapt to so many settings...circumstances can send us all over the globe, so we make homes whereever we are.
Read More
Posted by Sigrid Olsen on September 18, 2011 1 Comment
I am sitting in the airport lounge at CDG in Paris waiting for my flight home to Boston after a dreamy retreat week in the French Countryside. Martha and I woke today at five and headed to the train in Avignon where we dozed as magnificent clouds appeared in the morning sky over the green rolling landscape that zipped by our windows. In a few short hours we found ourselves at the airport and ready to return to reality. I find myself in possession of various electronic gadgets, flip-video, iPhone, camera and iPad...all loaded with hundreds of photos and video bits that have yet to be uploaded and edited. So please forgive the text sans visuals as usually I avoid blogging without pictures.
This retreat unfolded naturally just like every other one, shaped in part by the location, and in part by the people.
Every retreat is like a soup that is altered and enhanced by the uniqueness of these two ingredients.
Provencal Retreat Recipe:
Lavender and honey
Olive oil
Fresh peaches and figs
Songbirds
Dappled sunlight
Combine the above ingredients with 6 lighthearted women, 2 happy leaders and one extraordinary hostess.
Introduce 2 young chefs with high ideals, exquisite taste, a full pantry and sun-warmed produce.
Add a full pad of watercolor paper, 8 bottles of translucent watercolors, 32 stamp pads in various colors, rubber carving blocks.
Begin with breathing excercise on the terrace at dawn.
Follow with an hour of walking in the brightening light of day along a canal in the countryside.
Meet with a poetic breakfast in the garden.
Continue at the same table by mixing the above art supplies to create an array colorful pages. Show one another.
Break for a short while and enjoy alfresco lunch followed by more artistic experimentation.
Roll yoga mats onto outdoor terrace under the trees and intensely blue sky for afternoon yoga.
Swim in pool to taste.
Share a glass of wine, sparkling water followed by amazing dinner and starry sky.
Finish with a good nights sleep.
Smile.
Repeat.
Serves 6-12.
Read More
Posted by Sigrid Olsen on August 29, 2011 0 Comments
Fish and Birds have long been among my favorite motifs. The egret was, in fact, the first shape I cut out of the surface of a potato and applied to the surface of a fabric to print. It was the central icon of my company's logo and still to this day graces many a card or platter in my gallery. And love is one of my favorite emotions. The promise of new love is imbued with such hopefulness, such optimism that the notion of an upcoming wedding grabs everyone's heart and makes it sing.
So I think...why is it so hard to find gifts for the happy couple that match the exuberance and good spirits of the occasion? It is not a time to be overly practical, but to capture the memories of joyfulness and bring them literally to the table every day. That's why I enjoy offering and creating every wedding platter that I make as a special order gift. It is my favorite studio assignment and I have engaged my fish and birds to commemorate the event with me in the two designs I mentioned above and pictured below. Every platter ( there are 4 sizes ranging from $60 to $160) can be ordered by motif ( fish or birds), by color ( blues, aquas, greens etc) and inscribed on the bottom with the couples names and date of the wedding. They make the perfect shower or wedding gift and can be shipped directly to the recipients.
NOW we also have Kissing Fish and Love Birds Cards to enclose with your gift!
Read More
Posted by Sigrid Olsen on July 21, 2011 7 Comments
It has been a few years now since I have had to show up at the office for a 9 to 5 gig. The truth is, it was never 9 to 5 , more like 8 to 6 on a good day, longer during crunch time or if meetings were involved. Full disclosure: meetings are #2 on my list of the top ten wastes of time in the universe (just after watching reality TV). So during these 25 years eventually my priorities shifted to allow more time for work and I passed up my morning walk, rarely got to the gym and hardly ever entered my studio except when my fashion collection was involved.
Everything is different these days. For those of you who are (not so) secretly hoping I will get back to designing clothes like I did before, please consider this: I spent a quarter century doing just that and loved it so much I neglected every other part of my life. Work like that requires passion that sometimes causes one to put aside everything else. When priorities shift family, friends, health and happiness sometimes have to take a back seat. When the business was closed three years ago my world instantly felt upside down, but today I realize it just felt that way as dramatic change often does. I embraced this change and today my world is right side up.
I arrange my work schedule (which is no less passionate than before) around yoga classes and beach time. Sometimes this means I am in my studio painting at 6 am or answering e mails in the middle of the night (...waking at 3 am is sometimes both a blessing and a curse). I have an enormous capacity for productivity and only feel really alive when I am engaged in some creative project or breaking new ground. I get impatient. I always look for the next challenge. I am restless and often dissatisfied. This is my nature. It is balanced by the fact that this searching often leads me to wellness. I have made a summer commitment to practicing yoga every day and being outdoors as much as possible. Breathing deeply, standing straighter, feeling open to new people and conversations gets me living life more fully and that makes me happy. Come visit and see the difference...
Read More
Posted by Sigrid Olsen on May 06, 2011 4 Comments
Now that we have moved ourselves south to Sarasota Florida, summer isn't such a precious commodity as it has been in past years. We have lived all these past few months in balmy weather, basked in the sun, walked outdoors every morning and enjoyed sunsets late into the evening on this far western "East Coast" location. I have noticed that the little ember of energy that begins to die inside me every January never lost it's spark this year. I have kept the flame burning and the work flowing. Creatively, entrepreneurially, it has been a good move.
But it is time to head home again. Summer is on its way to Gloucester and we need to be there for it's debut. We thought long and hard about trying to keep both locations open for the summer, but finally realized that one or both would suffer without us. So, next Saturday May 14th at 5 pm we will close our doors in SRQ for a few months while we take our focus back to Rocky Neck. We have upgrades to do here in Florida...(tackling the ever-challenging maintenance of the leaf-green floor for one thing.) And this year, since opening this southern location was a spur-of-the-moment decision, we have only enough merchandise to stock one shop at a time...so we will pack it up and head north just in time for Memorial Day in New England.
I hope to see some of our kindred spirits in both locations as we all try to follow the sun. Join us as we enjoy the best of both worlds.
—Sigrid and Curtis
Read More
Posted by Sigrid Olsen on April 03, 2011 14 Comments
People often ask (every day in fact) if I miss the fashion business. The truth is...I do, especially this time of year when Spring issues of Vogue and Elle are out and I remember the excitement of a new season. But the reality is that as a designer you never get to enjoy the moment. It is the opposite of living in the present.
Now as a retailer, consumer and objective observer I have a broader view of the trends and still feel compelled to select and comment on the ones I like. Here are my Top Ten:
1. WHITE on WHITE...Always a classic. For spring, you can experiment with new shapes and silhouettes in basic white or adorn it with accessories as if it were a blank canvas.
2. FEMININE PRINTS...Even though I started my career as a textile print designer, I rarely wear prints, because they are often boring, ugly or overdone...when the designer gets it right it works!
3. NEUTRAL TERRITORY...Clearly my trend taste runs towards the perennial favorites and not the passing fad, but who doesn't love Ralph's take on the beige/white/khaki mix?
4. STOP IN YOUR TRACKS COLOR...There is no fear of brights on the runway for Spring. Maybe it is like a forced smile during a tough economy, but I like it.
5. REINVENTING THE PANT...High rise, bell bottom, wide leg. I am still a fan of the skinny/straight leg jeans, capris, but thats just because they fit my non-shapely silhouette, but I am sure there are many grateful women out there who welcome the waistband relocating back to the waist and the forgiving shape of wide leg trousers. A classic look from Derek Lam.
6. STRIPES...Nautical or not, Spring wouldn't be Spring without stripes. I am personally not a huge fan for myself, but always love the look on others when worn well.
7. THAT 70'S LOOK...In the seventies I was wearing beat up Landlubber hip-hugger jeans and oversized chambray workshirts or Indian print granny dresses with hiking boots. Somehow I missed the "glam" trend as a homesteader/goat farming artist. But this Spring it is touted as "new" and here it is on my daughter, Brita in her vintage Pucci.
8. ACCESSORY AS ACCENT...Wearing colorful scarves and jewelry is the way to express yourself...I love this unusual color combination by Matthew Williamson.
9. A LITTLE BIT OF LACE...OR A LOT...Take your pick...or not. Just don't look like Madonna circa 1985.
10. BIG BANGLES ...from Marc Jacobs to ISLA beach house...big bangles are the must-have trend in fun jewelry!
Read More
Posted by Sigrid Olsen on January 28, 2011 2 Comments
I just returned from hosting an art and yoga retreat in a little corner of paradise...Tulum Mexico. It is on the Yucatan Peninsula just 2 hours south of Cancun, but a world away from the giant resorts of the Mexican Riviera. My husband and I first visited there about 10 years ago just after we were married on the island of Isla Mujeres not far away. We fell in love with the beach, the people and the vibe...so we keep returning year after year and now I have devised my Inspiration Retreats to bring women there to fall in with it love too.
Here my Tulum Top 10 ( it was hard to keep it to 10!):
1. Happy dogs...Oh to be a dog on the beach in Tulum!
2. Everyone does yoga (or other amazing movement/dance)
3. Amazing sunrise over the ocean...every morning
.
4. Tropical Beach + Gelato = Paradise.
5. Miles of white sand beach for my morning walk.
6.Palapa living close to nature...its wild and windy!
7. You can get good Italian cappuccino right on the beach.
8. Beautiful fresh food.
9. Massage? Amazing.
10. Every day is a spiritual experience!
Read More
Posted by Sigrid Olsen on January 09, 2011 8 Comments
Curtis and I were just in Sarasota to attend a dear friend/business associate's memorial service a week ago. The day was overcast, but beautiful...gentle breeze and a hint of sparkling sun on the bay as we sat in the shelter of ancient banyan trees and palms at the local Botanical Gardens. Slowly we became enchanted with Sarasota...a place that had never really appealed to me before. The idea of opening a southern location for my gallery had been percolating for a few years, as we shuttled ourselves back and forth between Massachusetts and Mexico or the Caribbean during the winter months in search of a tropical getaway. The escape was great , especially for the first couple of years after exiting my hectic stress-filled world of fashion and business. But now that I have begun to shape a life for myself that is more relaxed, integrated and healthy, I find myself itching for a new creative challenge. My retreats grew in part out of this restlessness, as well as a desire to connect with women around the country who share a love for the outdoors and a hunger for a healthy, happy life.
Well, now I have a happy,healthy life and my inner "compulsive creative" has been on the look out for some action. In 2008, I left my fashion line behind and poured myself into developing my art website and gallery. In 2009 we opened a second store in our art colony, ISLA beach house where we spotlight clothing and accessories we have purchased to reflect our love of the island lifestyle. I also established my Inspiration Retreats during that year. 2010 was a "maintenance" year without any new projects surfacing. There were a few things in the works but nothing really new happened last year, despite my trying.
I said goodbye to 2010 one night with my favorite book group friends and we performed a quick outdoor ritual ( it was snowy) of writing down things we wanted to let go of and also our wishes for the new year on slips of paper that we then tossed into the fire pit. Without disclosing either of my scribblings, my desire for new creative challenges has been met.
In Sarasota we wandered around and found the artsy Burns Court district on the advice of a very hip and well-traveled friend who lives there. My first impulse in a new area is always to seek out a yoga studio and so I did. We had an instant rapport with Robin, the owner of Yoga SRQ who is not only a new friend, but our new neighbor. We signed a lease yesterday on a space right next door for our second location of the SIGRID OLSEN art gallery and ISLA design studio. We plan to open sometime in February (yes this February!) with a showcase for my artwork, cards, prints, ceramics, artfully mixed with textile prints, home furnishings and a splash of wearables.
My one concern as we contemplated a new location was to find a community that we love as much as Rocky Neck. Feeling connected with people is important to me and already we have met so many wonderful, interesting locals that have welcomed us with open arms. This new enterprise has unfolded effortlessly...that tells me we are in for some fun! And plenty of opportunity to be compulsively creative.
Read More
