Why be inspired, not influenced?

As you may have read, savannahred's slogan is "be inspired, not influenced." It sounds pretty catchy, but what does that really mean from savannahred's standpoint?

First, why "not influenced"? While the word "influence" can mean something positive, it can have a negative connotation as well. Being "under the influence" of something/someone usually means a person is up to no good, right? When my mom got mad at me in high school for "faking sick" a lot my junior year (ok, I was only kind of sick - Who really wanted to go to high school anyway? Right?!), she would say, "This is Kelsey's influence, isn't it?!" (Poor Kelsey. :-/) By saying, "be inspired, not influenced," I'm challenging those who read my slogan to pursue only something positive and to think about what may simply inspire them.

Inspiration is an incredible word, and for someone like me who has a tendency to focus on syntax, "inspire" is a word of power. It's a word of action and good things! I also believe that each person builds on ideas from others throughout their creative processes, which shares our hearts and minds, and inspiration is the main component of that. With "be inspired," I'm challenging those who read my slogan to really dig deeper.

Speaking of inspiration, I've been meaning to share this. Somehow this awesome lady, Courtney, got inspired by yours truly in a big, big way! To sum it up, this lady made a concrete mosaic and fabric replica of savannahred's Love Buttons dress and put it in an art show! How freakin' cool is that?! When I saw it, I cried. (It was also next to a giant painting of Jimi Hendrix, so there was a little more lovin' there on the side, too.) Courtney is one sweet, sweet, curvy lady, and every time I see her, my heart jumps with glee! She works for Sublime Stitching (where this blog post lives) and she is all kinds of incredible. How she was inspired by me, I'm not sure, but I've been touched by this amazing display of talent and love. Thank you, Courtney. Your work means more to me than you know!

On a personal note (not that this blog is anything BUT personal! Dear Diary...), the next collection I am working on is grabbing inspiration from so many aspects of my life! You'll hear all about Native Swing Fall 2012 soon enough - don't worry! :)

There will be another update soon, so I won't divulge anymore. Hope your Thanksgiving was amazing and filled with love and laughter!

<3.