what its really like to have a job you love.

its a strange thing to have a job you like. its a even more peculiar thing to have a job you love. i love my job. the shop... with the grey walls and white furniture.. the clean open pallet to create. the chance to meet new people everyday, the chance to make someone feel beautiful on an important day, the chance to cheer someone up when they are down. i really do think i have one of the best jobs one could ask for. i love going to the shop everyday. strange things happens when you love your job.

1. your friends may not understand.

it is safe to guess that 3 out of 5 of my friends do not love their job. this can be a problem with friendship. sometimes they don't understand while even on days i have off, i want to and need to be at work.

2. you take everything personal.

positive: there is a lot of intrinsic reward in making someone feel beautiful.

negative: i can fit your body but i can not fit your mind. when you are not happy i take it personally.

3. its not about the money.

positive: your work is not soley centered around a pay check

negative: you must always remember that despite love it is a business.

4. personal life and professional life bleed together.

nights are spent emailing... saturdays are spent doing fitting... sundays painting baseboards and mopping...

5. you are always at work (mentally)

this means that i am always thinking about work. fabric orders, bills, clients, taxes, swatches, dresses, bowties... emails, facebook messages im behind on... time to design spring 2012.. . whats going on at the factory? wedding dates of 15 gals all at the same time. all, on average 50 plus, clients i have at a single time, who needs what, when, how ... when is her spring break? maybe a different neckline with her hair cut? on and on and on... yes, i think about you all, all the time.

don't get me wrong i love my job but where does laroque end and annabelle begin? i am sure that this question has been asked my every person in my shoes. at some point everyday i try to turn off " laroque" and turn on " annabelle". thats a hard thing because often im not sure where one ends and the other begins. one time i saw a client at the garden center and she said "what are you doing here?" in a tone that implied i should be sketching the next design.

i do know that when i spend time not related to the shop im better at being creative, and ultimately its creativity that drives my collections. the colors of the ocean while on vacation the way a southern recipe for lemon bars makes me think of my grandmothers vintage dresses...creativity comes from many sources.

as an independent retailer, whole-seller and designer, accountant, maid and counselor i wear a lot of hats... but what hat is truly mine? its not realistic to think that all the hats should fit perfectly. after all, i am in the business of "fit" and know that it can be tricky to take multiple things into consideration at once. still i try very hard to make all the hats fit and balance the act of wearing so many while still feeling that under them all i am me.