Tips from Stina The Renegade Seamstress

"Every Woman Wants a Dress No One Else Has"

31 December 2016
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Tags: Arteries by Stina, artistmom, AVLfashion, clothing, collaboration, creativity, dreambig, environment, every woman wants a dress no one else has, fashion, fashiondesigner, followyourdreams, girlboss, inspiration, livethelifeyouimagine, recycle, recycled, refashion, renegade seamstress, renovation, shop local, slow fashion, sustainable, upcycle, upcycled, women

"Every Woman Wants a Dress No One Else Has"

Slow fashion is the process and upcycling the tool Stina Andersen uses in designing ARTeries by Stina custom dresses because" Every Woman Wants a Dress No One Else Has"

Focus Pocus and Goal Sewing!

22 December 2015
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Tags: artistmom, Asheville, business, createthechange, dreambig, fashiondesigner, focus, girlboss, goals, inspiration, livethelifeyouimagine, sewing, SMARTgoals, women

Alright Amigas! Time to start setting intentions for 2016, you know creating unrealistic expectations for your superhumanself that will drop off the radar in a few weeks. Then again- perhaps you want to focus on a few possible resolutions - that you will be able to maintain and love working to achieve!

Throughout the past year due to the business of life and the combined stress of working a 3/4 time job, sewing my clothing line, launching ARTeries Mobile Boutique, and being a single parent, while remaining social and healthy; I lost track of some of my goals! That's not to say I didn't achieve a lot of my goals- because I rocked 2015 and did a H-E-double hockeysticks of an amazing job. (Back patting sound effects.)

In fact 2015 was sew successful because I learned a new tactic for setting myself up for success from my business consultant Tonya Snider of tenBiz.She assured me that SMART goals were going to get me where I wanted to go!

She was sew right! I happen to love acronyms and alliteration as different words may work better for some people when making goals. My favorites are in bold!

S - Specific, or significant, stretching, stimulating, simple, self owned, strategic, sensible...

M. - Measurable, or meaningful, motivating, manageable, maintainable...

A. – Achievable, or attainable, action-oriented, appropriate, agreed, assignable, ambitious, accepted, audacious...

R. - Relevant, or rewarding, results-oriented, resourced, recorded, reviewable, robust...

T. – Time based or time-bound, time- lined, track-able...

Those guiding words have helped me narrow my focus and create SMART goals that shape my pursuit of change and success in both my professional and personal life.

Lists are a great way to start planning. From there you can create an outline or a "How to" for yourself. Like a road map you can consult to make sure your on the right track along the way. There are samples of SMART Goals and free downloadable forms if you need that structure Get it Girl!

Sew, try to carve some downtime for yourself this holidaze to do some SMART planning for the year ahead. Maybe if this concept is new just start with a short term goal that can be met fairly easily with a two or three steps before launching into I want to change my life mode!

For example:

Strategy: I am going to run a New Years Resolution 5k on January first.

Measurable: I run the race at 10am and am having a celebratory brunch at noon.

Action Steps: I found a couple of friends to support this goal and run with me. I registered for the event, step three put on my running shoes...

Rewarding: I am going to feel like a superstar for the start of 2016.

Time-based: The date is set, I just have to show up and participate.

This is one girlboss who wants success and happiness in 2016! Stay SMART benchmark those goals!

Sew it up,

Stina

Fashion Designer Mom: A True Story

11 November 2015
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Tags: artistmom, Asheville, dreambig, fashion, fashiondesigner, followyourdreams, inspiration, liveart, livethelifeyouimagine

Fashion Designer Mom: A True Story

Up until the time my daughter turned three, I was operating under the guise of "Sculptor Mom". I had a BFA in Sculpture/Fibers and was running my first professional studio in The Phil Mechanic of Asheville's River Arts District. Since graduating in 1999, I was creating large scale fabric art theatrical sets, installations, and a ridiculous giant whale weaving. Clothing was something I was commissioned by friends for burning man costumes or I designed for myself to perform in theatrical settings like the Fringe Fest.

Late into an all-nighter, as my daughter lay nesting in a pile of fabrics in my studio; I noticed the struggle of scale and space that I was experiencing. The studio was basically split down the middle with sculpting materials. One half from floor to vaulted ceiling was stacked with forms, ideas, potential mixed media materials and the other half was the rumblings of a clothing line. That night I decided I would move out the wire, twines, rope, yarns, beads, tape,wood structures, armatures and make room for a focus, fashion design.

Her nest blossomed into a loft, then a sleeper sofa as I built studio after studio growing into my designer jeans and returning to the creative dreams of my youth. Peeling back the years of formal art education until I was 10 again- cutting up 60s prom dresses that my grandma would bring home for me- staging fashion shows with my two younger sisters. I was still that girl, but now I had a college education and some life experience under my belt.

What a curvy, windy road this last decade has been, but I wouldn't change a stitch of it. She is learning to sew, has picked up fashion design like a fish to water. When indecision strikes I let her decide the color, material or cut to solve the problem. My little model is growing up sew quickly, now selfies and makeup are figuring into the equation. I promise myself I will not force her to work in "the House" of ARTeries and she has joked that she would call it "ARTeries by Cantona".

My daughter is tuning 12 this weekend, and of course I see the reflection of myself in her youth, and yes everyone says "she looks like your mini me." The deeper truth of this story is that I chose to become a fashion designer to be successful for us. I had to choose the path that would allow me to live my creative dreams, help me achieve financially stability, and be an example for her. I am a proud mom, and now I strive to make her proud of me both as a mom and professionally as a Fashion Designer.