Creative Mom Update – Ana of the Pretty Peacock

If you’ve been reading for a while then you will recognize the Pretty Peacock name.  Ana has been a past featured creative mom and a sponsor for the very first wwWhip Up.  She and I have formed a fast online friendship and I feel like we ‘get’ each other quite well. To me, she is the epitome of a ‘Creative Mom‘.   I’m thrilled to have her share an update with us and I hope you’ll go and check out her work.  Here is a post from her in her own words -

“Now and then it is good to pause in our Pursuit of Happiness….”

“And just be happy.” ~ Guillaume Apollinaire I came across this quote after not having heard it for a number of years and it made me stop in my tracks.  When you have a small, homegrown business, like I do, it is nearly impossible to stop long enough to acknowledge all the accomplishments made, and obstacles hurdled.  You are always looking to the “what next.”  Reading Apollinaire’s quote again made me realize that not only did I need to take some real time to tell myself “good job, girlie!”, but that I had to also evaluate why my means of pursuing happiness had suddenly gone from passionate excitement, to more dread and resentment than I ever intended, or expected.

It wasn’t just the fact that my days seemed to be filled with tasks such as invoicing, ordering supplies, and shipping, talking to vendors, and responding to endless emails, rather than using my two hands to actually create something – or, at the very least, design something.  It was the fact that the pieces that I had been creating as of late, have strayed from the jewelry that once spoke to me.

The Pretty Peacock did not set out to create ‘mommy jewelry’. In fact, my original pieces consisted of quotes and quips that spoke to the woman – alone and autonomous. Don’t get me wrong: There is no perfect way to articulate the depth of which I love my children. I am proud to be their mother. But motherhood does not solely define me. I stood proud and strong prior to giving birth, as I do now and I feel like far too often, we forget ourselves in the midst of caring for everyone else.

So, how did I end up with a shop (predominately) full of pieces that celebrated only the motherhood aspect of women? I followed the market. I tracked what sold the best and fastest in my shop and created more and more pieces that reflected the same qualities in various styles.  And in that process, I forgot all about what mattered to me, as a designer and as a person, which was to celebrate, empower, excite, and embrace the strength of women.

Well, I have to take back the reigns.  I am in the process of creating a new line of pieces that don’t allow you to personalize or customize a thing. These are pieces that you wear to remind yourself that you, despite the carpool duty and Girl Scout leading, are a feisty, sassy woman who should make no apologies for herself.  These are the pieces of jewelry that give off good juju…little charms that you can touch and remember that the world is still your oyster.

the new line

I am scared out of my mind about this new collection: It could be very ill received. It could be ridiculed. It could be a huge waste of time and effort. But you know what? I don’t care.  I need to do this for me. I need to do this because I have to believe that there are other women out there just like me who can appreciate a little pick-me-up when they look in the mirror and see a sparkling treasure that speaks to them.  This is my pause in the pursuit of happiness that makes me happy.  And I’m running with it.

~ Ana Talukder Simpson