By: » Perspectives from a previous Purse-o-nality

» Perspectives from a previous Purse-o-nality — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:15:39 +0000

[...] Janna Lopez, writer and publisher for Portland Family Magazine, was one of the 14 purse-o-nalities for 2011′s Power of the Purse held at Pure Space. As an innovative leader, passionate about serving the communiy though meaningful story sharing, she video-documented her experience working with bag designer, Michael Eggleston from Ellington. We recently caught up with her to get her How did you get involved with Power of the Purse 2011? I had known about it as a past guest over the years and was always impressed with what a great, fun, worthwhile event it was!! Why did you get involved with the event? I believe in the mission and purpose of helping young impressionable girls become strong, smart and bold. What were you looking forward to the most? I was looking forward to the positive energy and inspiration of the Girls, Inc. girls. How did you enjoy the event? It was a blast! I totally dressed the Rock n’ Roll part to match the fantastic purse Ellington designed for me. How did you feel about all of the purses turned out? AMAZING! What a wonderful opportunity for the participants AND the designers!! WOW! How successful was your purse? I think it was the second or third highest selling purse. I was right there with Gert Boyle’s! Similar to Jack Jewsbury with Ziba, Janna captured her collaboration process with Ellington in a series of videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57hzzVeHu3A The Purse inspiration: “Little Bit of Kitty, Little Bit of Rock n Roll’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2R3ACXce5c How was it working with Ellington to design your purse? The crew, designers and staff of Ellington were kind, attentive, professional and very very fun to hang out with! What did you enjoy about the collaboration? I loved that they picked up on the Hello Kitty meets Judas Priest aspect of who I am. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2R3ACXce5c What surprised you about the collaboration? The purse was way cooler than I could have imagined! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfv8AJir8_4&feature=related What did it feel to be part of the event? It was an honor, from start to finish, to be among such talented, kind, engaged women. What is your favorite part of the event? I enjoyed seeing all the other purses and talking with the guests. If you could do it again, who would be your dream designer? I’d have to stay with Ellington. Unless of course Seth Aaron wanted to design a matching coat for me. Who do you think, any local or global celebrity, would make a good purse-o-nality? I think the Girls, Inc. girls are the real stars of the show… As a business owner, what advice would you give to girls on pursuing their passions? To always try and love themselves, be silent enough at occasional points to listen to themselves and do their best to accept themselves for who they are. What was the best advice you got as you were starting your business? It was more people’s actions of loyalty and dedication of staying by my professional side than their words that kept me encouraged. What has been the most challenging part of owning your own business? Reeducating people about the importance of print media and that social media is PART of the plan, not the answer to market or save a business. Print media can and should be relevant, creative, viable now more than ever. I am blessed that I can positively impact people’s lives buy sharing positive news. I believe 1 story can change a single life. How are you strong, smart and bold? By recognizing I have much to learn. I am a work in progress. I am seeking to cultivate a strong heart-based life just as much if not more than a thought-based life. I try and be grateful for my health, my opportunities, my children, my friends, my partner and the great gift of this crazy journey we call life. [...]

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By: » Perspectives from a previous Purse-o-nality