LittleMissMatched's blog

Margo Sawyer Interview!

by LittleMissMatched

When did you know you wanted to become an artist?

I always would draw and my favorite game was building fantasy structures that my dolls and cat would live in.  I would play for hours with bricks and stack them to create imaginary buildings, strangely, not so different to what I do now as a practicing artist. Art was the thing I was the best at.  It has always made me feel centered and comforted in difficult times.

Did you go to school for art? Did you teach yourself?

I was very fortunate, at around eleven years old a neighbor in Lewes, England, suggested I go to Saturday morning art classes…which where in Brighton College of Art, some 20 miles from where I lived…The classes where held in a former school, and housed the graduate painting department of the collage and this Saturday morning art class. So from an early age I was around the smell of oil paint, large cold and mysterious spaces, and the energy that is part of art school.  At high school I was fortunate to have six-art faculty on three campuses of Priory school, in Lewes. In England the teaching of the arts is a vital part of the fabric of education, and I was lucky to go to museums and galleries at an early age.

Why did you decide to concentrate on sculpture?

The pivotal time was going to Egypt in 1973. My mother, never really liked Christmas, so we would go to far away places during that time. The curious thing was in 1973, Egypt was coming out of a war, this made the two week experience, unique, we were just 17 people everywhere we went in Egypt, it was like we had come across each historical structure for the first time.  Very profound. The experience of seeing temples carved of living rock, which where sculpted, painted and where a union of art and architecture has made a lasting influence and directed my interest in installation art or as the Mattress Factory Museum states it, art that you can walk into.

Why are color and pattern so important to you?

All colors are important one color needs another to make it be that color.  It is the interrelationships of color.  In my work I have used red a great deal, for its passion and vibrancy, also blue, for its calm and stillness, both these colors are the dominant form in my new work Synchronicity of Color.

What's the hardest thing that's happened to you in your life? And how did it help you in your work?

Both my parents died when I was quite young.  My father when I was 6 ½ and my mother when I was 20.  As an only child, and growing up predominantly with my mother, this loss was big.  Fortunately my mother taught me independence, and a belief in myself.  I had a lot of help from friends, and so now, my friends are like my family. Sometimes the hardest thing makes a person.

What's the nicest/warmest/weirdest/funniest rejection you've ever received?

The hardest thing, being cut from my mothers will…not such a big thing really, but as an only child, it was hard to have your main icon of your family, seemingly reject you.  She gave it to a great cause, she left her money to Howard University in Washington D.C. However, at that time, I was entering graduate school at Yale, and it just seemed wrong.  So I fought the wishes of my mother, and in the end, I got a portion and so did Howard University.  Which is the best of all situations.  The thing it taught me was to stand up for what I believe in.

Do you have a favorite exhibit of yours that has been on display from over the years?
 
It is always the last one that you have made; it is so close to you and so big in ones focus. My favorite is; Synchronicity of Color made this year.

Can you give me a quote that I can hang up on my wall ‘o quote in my bedroom?

A lovely lady, Mrs. Moore in Elgin, Texas recently gave me a framed embroidered quote.  It has an image of a large tree and four birds on the branches of the tree. The quote says,  “Go out on a limb, that is where the fruit is”.  When she saw it, she immediately thought of me, and my risk all attitude to life.

Are you Marvelous, Fabulous, Kooky or Zany?

Got to be FABULOUS… if I don’t thinks so, no one else will, and it makes life fun and very exciting.

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Stacy Julian Interview!

When did you make your first scrapbook? Was it love at first glue?

I made my first scrapbook during the summer I was 14. Honestly, it was just OK, because I didn’t have any fun stuff to add—but I did draw pictures! I made my first “creative” scrapbook page about my oldest son, when he was a baby and YES, It was love at first glue. I kept the page on my bedroom dresser for at least a week and would look at it several times a day. I felt like the mother ship had called me home!

How did you learn to scrapbook? Did you teach yourself? Did you take a class? Did you learn from someone else?

I took a class! It was called Scrapbooking 101 and the teacher taught me all the “rules.” I’ve been working on unlearning those rules ever since.

Why is scrapbooking important?

Scrapbooking is important because it helps you slow down and spend time with your memories. Memories remind you to be grateful for the people, places and things that are a part of YOU. Grateful people are generally happy people.

Do you have to be artistic to make good scrapbooks? What are the most important ingredients to a good scrapbook?

NO, you don’t have to be artistic to scrapbook. If you like pictures and words and colorful stickers and papers you can scrapbook. The really exciting thing is if you just forget about the “art” part and play and have fun, you’ll get better and better at putting it all together and before long, people will say “you’re such an artist” or “you’re so creative” and that feels good. The most important part of a good scrapbook is YOU – the perspective you share is what makes the pictures interesting or meaningful to others—so be sure to share what you think and feel!

What's the hardest thing that's happened to you in your life? Since scrapbooking is partly about keeping memories, do you also scrapbook about things that have happened to you that are hard, sad, painful?

Our family adopted a baby girl from Korea. It was incredibly hard to wait for her! At one point, I thought I’d go crazy if I had to wait one more day. I kept a journal and made a blank scrapbook for her while I was waiting and that really helped.

It was also really hard when my favorite grandma died. I even had to speak at her funeral. One day not long ago, I was really missing her and I found a picture of her and some pictures of her house and yard and put them together on a page. I felt MUCH better.

If you just scrapbook about the happy stuff, your story won’t really be a true story, so be sure to talk about some of the hard parts in “happily ever after.”
 
What's the nicest/meanest/weirdest/funniest rejection you've ever received?
 
You know, the thing about me is that I’m just clueless enough that I’m usually not aware that I’m being rejected. I’m sure there have been nice, mean, weird and funny rejections—too bad I can’t tell you more about them.
 
Can you give me a quote that I can hang up on my wall 'o quotes in my bedroom?
 
I LOVE quotes! This one has been my most favorite ever since I read it on a poster in the Humanities building when I was in college.

To be perpetually thrilled with life need not detract from
the solidarity of your goals or the soberness of your purpose.

(I wish I knew who to credit it to!)

My new favorite is:

Once you figure out who you are, turn up the volume!
[Michael Bungay Stanier]

Are you fabulous, marvelous, kooky or zany?

Yep, all of the above, and Wacky too!

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Cat Cora Interview!

Hi everyone!

This month’s Fabu Interview is with the one and only female Iron Chef, Cat Cora!

I'm sure you've seen her kick up the heat on the Food Network but read on to see where her culinary creations come from, what adds spice to her life and what type of kooky kombinations she thinks you should try!

When did you first know you wanted to become a chef?

Growing up, food was very important in my family.  I think my passion for cooking is innate, and something I have always wanted to do since I can remember.

Did you go to cooking school or did you learn on the job?

I graduated with Honors from the CIA, but I always had intended to also intern in France, where I learned a ton of invaluable tricks and lesson first hand.

What’s the hardest thing that’s ever happened to you in your career (or in your life) that you’ve had to overcome?

Being a female chef in the 90's in France was very difficult, but surviving it has made me stronger today than I would have been otherwise, so I am very grateful for all of the experiences.

What are your favorite flavor combinations?

Sweet and savory together are always wonderful, and specifically, peanut butter and chocolate together are a sure hit when I need something sinfully sweet.

What’s an unusual food that you think everybody should try at least once?

Sweetbreads I love but seem exotic to some, uni (sea urchin) is delicious and cheeks, the upper ones, I will eat from anything (fish, lamb, etc., -  they are the most tender part).

Are there any foods you don’t like?

None that I can think of -  I will try anything once.  Some innards even I have tried ONCE and I am cool with.  But my motto is try everything once.

What inspires you when you cook (i.e. your grandma, a certain place in the world, a combination of colors you saw on a flower)?

I cook a lot of family dishes that bring me back to childhood memories of being with my family, and I think of my grandma, or all of the fabulous holidays we spent together.

Why do you think you’re the only female Iron Chef? And why, in general, do you think there aren’t more women chefs?

I think I was chosen for my extensive culinary background, I have trained in all the places the guys have, France, New York, Napa Valley and trained HARD.  I have the TV chops being with Food Network 9 years now on various shows.  And finally, I can bring that all together in kitchen stadium and win (although I am a good sport when I lose as well, very important.)

There are a lot of great women chefs out there, but women tend to be more demure than men about their accomplishments.  Men are very outspoken about theirs and they are born and bred competitors.  Healthy competition is great among women and there needs to more of that.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of your accomplishments, marketing them and being assertive as long as you don't hurt anyone and you keep it all in perspective (basically don't get arrogant about it and don't start believing your own press).

What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you on the job?

Burning a chicken and catching the oven on FIRE!

Are you fabulous, marvelous, kooky or zany?

I try to be fabulous and when I am not so FAB, it is so OK.  It took me a long time to be okay with that.  When you get in your 20s, 30s and 40s believe me, you realize how some of the things you felt in your pre-teens and teens changes as you get older.  I was never chosen homecoming queen or most popular, but look what I accomplished.   But a little of each from time to time... :) I am not too proud to be all the above

Suze Orman Interview!

Hi Everyone!

This month’s Fabu Interview is with marvelous money maven, Suze Orman.  Suze is an Emmy Award winning television host, NY Times bestselling author, magazine and online columnist and was even named as one of the world’s most influential people by Time Magazine this year. How crazy accomplished is that?!  Keep reading and hear what this personal finance powerhouse has to say about becoming who she is today...

When did you first know you wanted to help people manage their money?

I'm not sure I ever realized that. I just wanted to do what made me happy. What felt good to me.  What gave me energy when I did it. Little by little I found that by talking to people about who they are and what they have, it gave me energy. Beyond the dimension of me making money, it brought me into the world of being happy myself, and this helped me bring great advice to others, which helped them make more money as well.

What was your first job? Did this job inspire you to become a businesswoman?

My first job was working at my dad’s little deli where I served people. Essentially, I worked as a waitress from almost 13 to 30. So my very first job and many jobs thereafter were serving people. Did that help me become who I am today? Absolutely. Now I just serve people a plate of financial advice instead of food! Being humble, having humility, and treating people with utmost respect is what a good waitress does and that’s also what I do. When you’re a waitress, you have to make sure your customers are very well taken care of so they’ll want to come back and sit at your table. This taught me how to serve a plate of financial advice with care. And so, you betya, it taught me everything I needed to know to become the business woman I am today!

What did you have to do to learn how to manage money? Did you go to school? Learn on the job?

I did not go to school to learn how to manage money. In fact I was a waitress for 7 years making $400 a month until I was almost 30. Then, by a fluke, I got hired as a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch. Truthfully, I think I was hired solely because I was a woman. At this time, because there were no women working in jobs like this, companies were being forced to fill what was called “a women’s quota.” I was told I wouldn’t last long, but they’d hire me anyway. I went in and gave it all I had. I learned what I needed to know as I was doing it. And before you knew it I was one of their top-producing employees!

What happened that made you believe that you could go from a waitress to a stockbroker?

I had always wanted to have my own restaurant. The customers that I had been waiting on for 7 years gathered together and gave me $50,000 to open my own restaurant. They told me to keep it in an account at Merrill Lynch until they could help me open the restaurant. I went into Merrill Lynch and I was greeted by a broker by the name of Randy.  Randy lost all $50,000 in just 3 months. Now I didn’t know what to do because I owed these customers $50,000 and this was more money than I thought I’d ever make in my enter life. Then I thought, “It can’t be that hard to be a broker because all they do is just make you broker.” So I decided to go and interview for a job at Merrill Lynch, myself.  As I mentioned, they had no women at the time and I think they just hired me to fill their women’s quota. And the rest is history!

What was the greatest lesson that you learned from losing money?

Every time one door closes another door opens. That every thing always happens for the best.If Randy hadn’t lost my money, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing to this day.

You're in a field that still has more men than women. How did this affect you especially when you started out?

Nothing can keep you down beside yourself. You don’t need to have other women around you to support you or to hold you up. You have to be strong enough to hold up everyone else. Nothing stops me from being what I want to be except me. Men and women are just people and when you see everyone as the same--no matter what sex, race, religion, whether they’re thin or fat, rich or poor, tall or short, beautiful or not--if you can see everyone as an incredible gift to this world and as someone who can teach you, then you know that everything is possible. Then you see possibilities not negativities.

What's the hardest thing you've had to overcome in your life?

My own self-doubt.  My own thinking that I can’t do something, that I’m pudgy, that everyone else is more beautiful and better than me.

Are you fabulous, marvelous, kooky or zany?

All of 'em!

Will you tell me a quote you love that I can hang up on my wall o' quotes in my bedroom?

"It is far better to do what is right than to do what is easy." -- Suze Orman

Yeardley Smith Interview!

Hi Everyone!

This month's Fabu Interview is with Emmy Award-winning actress, Yeardley Smith, who is best known for being the voice of Lisa Simpson (woohoo!). Yeardley has spent 19 years performing on "The Simpsons" which is the longest-running prime-time animated series in US TV history. How crazy cool is that?! Yeardley has starred in movies and TV, too. And now she's onto books. Her novel, I, Lorelia (HarperCollins), will be on bookshelves in 2009. So be sure to check it out!

When did you first realize you wanted to be an actor?

I knew when I was five or six. I grew up in Washington, DC, and there was a woman in my neighborhood who had eight kids and she turned her garage into a theater for her kids, plus all the kids in the neighborhood, during the summer. My first role was as a living portrait of “The Girl in the Straw Hat,” which is a painting by Mary Cassat. Basically, I stood center stage in the exact same pose and as the girl in the painting while classical music played behind me. It seemed like I was there for five minutes, but it was probably barely one minute. I was so nervous my knees where shaking under my dress, until the moment the spotlight hit me. And then I knew, “Oh yeah, baby, this is where I want to be!”.

What did you do to become a professional actor? And did you start out doing voiceovers or did that part of your career come later?

I did a lot of school plays before I graduated high school and embarked on my career. School plays were a great place to develop my comedic skills, and learn how to take direction. Which just means, I had to learn not to take everything personally. For instance, when a director makes a suggestion, he or she isn’t saying that what you’re doing is wrong, they’re telling you how to take the good part and make it better. Once I got that through my thick noggin, I loved being an actor more than ever.

As far as voiceover goes, I had no interest in it. When I’d make lists of things I wanted to accomplish as an actor, voiceover was never on them. So when I got the audition for “The Simpsons” I didn’t care if I got the part or not. Thank goodness the decision wasn’t up to me! Now Lisa Simpson is one of my favorite characters of all time. Even if someone else was playing her I’d love her to pieces.

What was your very first acting job? How did you get it?

The whole time I was doing school plays I was also scanning The Washington Post for open auditions on the weekends. One of those auditions was for a loosely adapted musical version of Peter Pan, at a dinner theater in Arlington, Virginia. My first professional acting job was playing Tinker Bell in this production. I was 14 and got paid $50 a week, (when the checks didn’t bounce), which was more money than I’d ever made in my life.

I remember there was rumor at the theater that a producer was coming to see the show because he wanted to take us to Broadway. The fact that we had to cancel performances at least once a week because we had no audience never worried me. We were going to Broadway and I was ready.

Do you like being known as Lisa Simpson? And what do you like best and worst about her characters?

I love being the voice of Lisa Simpson. She’s a great girl. When you’re lucky enough to do a character for a long time (we’re about to record season 20 on “The Simpsons”!!!) you get to know them intimately, just like a person in real life. When “The Simpsons” is over I’m sure I’ll be a wreck! Not just because I’ll be out of a job, but I’ll miss spending time with Lisa Simpson every week.

So, the things I like about Lisa are that she’s smart, funny, cute, sensitive, fair (as in, she’ll consider both sides of an argument), and she has a great sense of humor, as well as compassion for the underdog. I also love it when she shows her mischievous side.

I don’t like it when she gets too preachy or becomes a know-it-all.

What was the hardest thing you've had to overcome in your life?

My low self-esteem. For a long time, I didn’t like myself very much. I thought I was fat and ugly and never good enough. So I took it out on myself by being bulimic for 23 years (from ages 14 to 37). The funny thing is, I knew I was a good actor, but I also worried that one day I would wake up and my gift for acting would be gone. Poof! As though my worthiness had run out and, therefore, my gift had been revoked.

Luckily, I’ve always been the sort of person who is interested in finding ways I can make myself more fabulous . Sometimes my stubbornness makes me slow to see the writing on the wall, but when I get it, I really get it. Five years ago, I overcame my eating disorder and stopped bingeing and purging for good. Woohoo! It was a really important step in feeling like I really do deserve all the wonderful things that have happened to me in my life –and believe me, there have been a ton!

What was the most embarrassing thing that every happened to you in your career?

The first one that comes to mind was when I lived in New York, way back at the beginning of my career. I was auditioning for a musical so I obviously had to prepare a song for my audition. I had to start my song over three times because I forgot the words in the same place THREE times. Needless to say, I did not get a callback.

What was the funniest/meanest/weirdest/nicest rejection you ever got?

I was called in to read for a sitcom a few years back, and even though the audition went well, I didn’t get the part. Three weeks later, a friend of mine went in to read for the same part on the same show, and when she asked her agent, “What are the producers looking for?” Her agent said, “They’re looking for a Yeardley Smith-type.” Can you believe that??!!!

Are you fabulous, marvelous, kooky or zany?

I’m definitely fabulous, marvelous and kooky. As for “zany,” I think you need to be more spontaneous than I usually am before you get to call yourself “zany.” So I’ll work on that. :)

Will you tell me a quote you love that I can hang up on my wall ‘o quotes in my bedroom?

“I’ve decided I need to be braver. Which means I’m going to try to do one thing every two weeks that scares me.” –Lorelei Lee Connelly, age 11; from the novel I, Lorelei by me, Yeardley Smith.

Which brings me to the next thing I’m really excited to tell you about. I’ve written a novel that will be published by Harper Collins in early 2009. It’s called I, Lorelei and it’s about a fabulous 11-year old girl named, Lorelei. (Duh.) The book is actually her journal, but instead of writing, “Dear Diary,” Lorelei writes to her recently-deceased cat, Mud, whom she’s sure would like to continue to know how she’s doing from day to day.

Lorelei’s journal starts out as a light-hearted daily log, but as her parents’ marriage starts to unravel the book becomes a poignant, still-very-funny narrative about a family in distress and a girl grappling with the ground shifting under her feet.

I’m certain if you like Lisa Simpson, you’re going to love Lorelei.

Lauren Myracle Interview!

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for checking out my new blog column that I like to call “Fabu Interviews”. Here’s the deal: each month I interview a totally, fabulously cool lady about her career and how she got to do what she does. I’m hoping that you’ll get inspired by these super women—I know I am!

For my very first Fabu Interview, I talked to Lauren Myracle—author extraordinaire. I’m sure you’ve read one of Lauren’s many New York Times bestselling books for tweens and teens. If not, you gotta check ‘em out. There’s TWELVE, ttyl, ttfn, and l8r, g8r and her newest book (which is coming out as I type) called THIRTEEN.  I got a sneak peak, and let me tell you, it’s sooooo amaaaazing! You might want to do a 100 yard dash to the bookstore so you can get one of the first copies to hit the shelves!!! In the mean time, read my interview with her and you’ll learn all about how Lauren became the superstar writer that she is…

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was seven and first fell in love with Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" books.  (Have y'all read them?  Sooooo fun!)  I love books more than anything (except people) and I always knew I wanted books to be part of my life in a big way. I feel really lucky to get to do what I love.

What did you actually do to become a professional writer?

Well, I started writing seriously when I was 22. I'd written on and off before then--mainly in journals--but at 22, I thought, "Well, babe, do it or don't.  And if you don't, then resign yourself to having a job you aren't passionate about."  And I could NOT resign myself to that.  So, I started writing for an hour a day, and after a year, I had a novel written.  Which was BAD.  In fact, I went on to write five more novels that will never be published, because they were terrible, though I didn't know it at the time. Then I wrote Kissing Kate. It got accepted for publication when I was 30, and it came out when I was 32. (10 years after I started! Whoa, dudes.)

What was the first thing you got published? How did this happen?

It was my novel Kissing Kate, and it happened after my editor, the wonderful Susan Van Metre, made me rewrite the entire thing FIVE FRICKIN' TIMES.  That's right, five.  And that whole process took TWO YEARS.  And all that time, I never knew if it would actually get published or not.  Then, one day, I took my son Al to the park--he was just a baby at that point--and I came home to a message from Susan saying to give her a call because she had good news. My heart started pounding, but it was after 5:00 Eastern Time, and I was worried that Susan would no longer be in her office. I called, expecting to get her answering machine, but she was still there, and she did in fact offer me a contract for Kissing Kate. Yahootie! I remember exactly what I said to her, which was, "Oh, that's wonderful! If I were the screaming type, I'd scream with joy." Later I cursed myself for saying something so incredibly dorky.
I wish I could say that I'd done something wonderful and creative to celebrate, like buy myself a silver charm shaped like a book or indulge in a new, leather-bound journal. But no, I just kind of sat there quietly and grinned. Ack. I did take my family out for ice cream, though. Yay!
 
What was the single hardest thing you ever had happen to you in your career? And what did you learn from it?

This is probably not the answer you expect, but:  about four years ago, I was working on a novel called Rhymes with Witches.  I was pregnant at the time, and my baby died in utero, when I was six months along.  It was awful and devastating and so so sad  (and not just for me, but for my whole family).  Anyway, after a while, I got back to writing--but the joy was gone.  And one of my friends pointed that out to me, very gently, saying, "Lauren, you've got to find the joy.  Otherwise, why keep writing?"  And he was absolutely right.  So, I had to learn to give myself time to grieve when I needed to, but also to not let that grief permeate my whole existence forever and ever.  I had to learn to have FUN writing (and to be deliberate about having fun) rather than ever letting myself slog through a book just to get it done.

What was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you in your career?

Ha!  Just a couple of months ago, I gave a speech in NY about writing, and the elastic in my thigh-highs went totally kaput and BOTH stockings dribbled down my legs as I was up there in front of two hundred people.  They just sat there, pooled around my ankles like black ghosties.  It was horrid and hilarious.

Can you tell me what was the funniest/meanest/weirdest or nicest rejection letter you ever got?

When I was just starting to try to get published, I sent a manuscript out, and it was returned to me with SLUSH written across the first page in bright red letters.  No note, no letter, nothing.  Just SLUSH.  It made me feel slushy, all right!

Are you a "sock" person?
 
OH yeah.  In the summer, I'm barefoot all the way, baby.  But in the other months, I love socks, and I especially love un-boring socks.  In fact, I refuse to wear boring socks.  Here is a picture of my favorite pair of socks--which I bought WAY before you asked if you could interview me!  Yay, fun socks!

Are you fabulous, marvelous, kooky or zany?

Can't I be all four?  Actually, I'm not zany.  So we can cross that off.  I'm definitely kooky, though.  But I really WANT to be fabulous.  Can I be fabulously kooky? ;)

Tell me a quote you love that I can hang up on my wall ‘o quotes in my bedroom?

"Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh, be swift to love, make haste to be kind!" -- Henri-Frederic Amiel