Journey to be Almost-Zero

I have been a designer for a long time.  I have said this before but I always felt it was my calling.  Every experience I have had has shaped me both creatively and ethically.  

In my 20's, I loved flying around the world working with different people. It gave me a chance to see how the "Industry" worked, or rather didn't.  That experience, which was seeing people who did not have plumbing or some of the basics we take for granted, guided me to start my own business with my husband Dennis.  I was determined to pay a REAL living wage.  

I always say, I fell into sustainability because I wanted control over the process so I kept it pretty local.  Now I feel I was guided to that as I was guided to start saving every scrap I had because it just seemed wasteful to throw it out.  

After collecting it for a while, I looked at what had accumulated and was horrified.  If I had so much as a small designer, what did the big companies throw away!  I started taking my "scraps" and putting them together into yardage which I then used to make things.  The first piece I ever made was a wedding dress that I gave to a very special friend when she got married.  

At this point in my journey, I have started to really think about what I am doing and why. I know that I need to create to fill my soul.  The things I have been doing are finally starting to get to the mainstream of peoples consciousness. I also know it is important to buy fabric and create new from an economic standpoint for others to work.  

I am reading a book called The One Thing by Gary Keller.   In trying to figure out my One Thing.  Maybe this is it. There is no such thing as Zero Waste, but I can say I am Almost Zero.  

On last thing....I did a focus group a while back and learned that my customers do not throw the clothing I make out,  They consider it to be timeless, heirloom clothing.  That really knocked my socks off because I always wondered about that.  Never wanting to be part of that Fast Fashion world of throw away clothing so they have helped me carry the message.  With Gratitude.

Submitted August 31, 2019 at 05:51PM by steelponystyle https://ift.tt/2PxBIk3