A Giveaway and Cheers for Carrie and Danielle’s Style Statement

Here’s something cool. Today I’m being featured on Carrie & Danielle Daily Q&A “What do you need to move your vision forward?” and in a featured interview and we’re featuring them here. Talk about link luv! The following post is part review, part interview, with a GIVEAWAY too! To WIN A STYLE STATEMENT BOOK, write a comment on this post, and at random we’ll give one away. Thanks C&D!) Deadline for comment contest is Friday, Sept 12, 5pm.In 2006 I read a feature about Vancouver’s “Style Shrinks” Carrie & Danielle and was instantly intrigued. Meet Carrie-former designer of homes, magazines, wedding dresses, and competitive track athlete. Meet Danielle- former director of a DC Think Tank and business Mastermind with a real interest in the human spirit. Carrie & Danielle together equal an incredible “Design your Life” company. I’ve admired their life mission to encourage authenticity and their tenacity to get a six figure book contract! (the book? Style Statement. Just released last Spring by Little Brown, and Co.) After hearing their story I just had to introduce myself and invite them to become Fairy Godmothers.

They accepted the invite happily and began sharing their magical wisdom, not just to our audience, but I have been fortunate to brainstorm on many of our startup decisions with Danielle and it’s been a true gift. She has solid instincts. They’ve provided awesome support and content for our site. Above all–it’s been a joy to watch them prepare for and then release their book, then launch their new site with Daily Q&A and popular blog.  The first morning after they launched their new site there was 70+ comments waiting for them. Talk about community!

Here’s my experience with Style Statement:

When I initially heard that Carrie & Danielle were actually going to SHARE their trade secret of “how to discover your own Style Statement (defines your authentic self)” with the universe I could hardly wait for their book to be published, particularly because it would fit my bootstrapping budget. When my copy arrived this Spring I had no idea what to expect, I wondered, was it a textbook of different fashion styles? art history lesson? Not at all, although you’ll definitely learn about style…it is mostly self-discovery and mentoring, with a lot of beautiful real life examples along the way.

Upon seeing and opening the book I was instantly in awe of it’s large format/size, weight (256 pages), smooth with raised printing texture, classic design and beauty, and then I started actually READING it. Wow, the content blew me away. I spent nearly an hour just thumbing through it and I cringed at the thought of actually writing in the book. It’s too pretty, I thought… But it is a workbook, not just a book… so eventually I decided it would be more effective to just write in it rather than write in a blankbook along side of it. You won’t find many of these at used book sales! This is a keeper. Finding a Style Statement isn’t something that “happens” magically as you read, it takes a lot of time, meditation, and consideration.

I spent around 6-8 hours working on my Style Statement book… Sunday afternoons, late nights, whenever I could steal private time. There were many a-ha moments and treasures to experience. I’ve journaled steadily since I was 8 years old and even for me, a person who felt she knew myself very well, there were new profound gems to be discovered. I had never written about some of these topics. Such as “what’s not working in my wardrobe”, “my definition of SEXY”,  “when is it easiest to be my whole self?” or “I crave…”. I loved not only writing my OWN ANSWERS but also reading the interviews and answers of others who I found incredibly fascinating! What a gift to be the creators/receivers of this inspired project.

The objective with the book is to take all the pages of self-discovery and then ultimately come up with a two word, “Style Statement”. Carrie & Danielle guide you through the process very clearly and easily. Your foundation word is 80% of your style (immaterial and material) and then the 20% is your creative edge. For me, my “edge” came first, I was drawn to Inspiration. I found my foundation word after quite some time becoming a prune in my bathtub and then there it was…Cultivated. When I read the poetically written definition I got the chills, I knew it was right. I had wondered why I loved styles of all cultures/time periods and so many other things. Had I ever really THOUGHT of it before? No. This word “cultivated” was foreign, but it resonated deeply and described me PERFECTLY. Bits of their definition for cultivated reads,

They love to nurture their inner life, other people, animals, nature, and ultimately good ideas. Happy to foster and promote the growth of others. They are natural leaders. Positively passionate about growing, learning, and teaching…They always have some pursuit or exploration underway. Cultivated considers all of life’s experiences positive and negative nutrients for the inner garden from which they reap their harvest.

Yes, that is ME-my foundation word. And my creative edge: Inspiration. When I wavered from it for a moment Danielle asked me, “What do you want more than anything?” Enough said. Thank you C&D for helping me see myself more clearly so I can live my life more fully.

So, dear friends, get your book, (sign up for their RSS, read their daily Q&A and blog too), and as they say, CREATE YOUR LIFE. Be Authentic. Go Forth and Live as Art.

After discovering my own Style Statement, I was filled with questions I was dying to ask them, here’s our Interview:

How has the journey of creating and completing the Style Statement book changed you?
We’re tougher and softer. More patient and more demanding. Creating a book that’s as philosophical and image-rich as this is a major project. We did over 20 major photo shoots and tested the Style Statement inquiry process with dozens of people from all walks of life. Ultimately, making art brings you closer to yourself.

What has changed in the collective conscious of the  Universe since you shared it?
Big question! Every day we get emails to the affect of “Style Statement changed the way I look at my life,” “the process is healing,” “shopping is now empowering!” and our we love the women who are saying that they’re inspired to really give themselves permission to be their whole self. So it looks like we’re creating some ripples of realness in the universe.

Why did you feel it was important to share your “trade secrets” in this way?
When we do a one-on-one Style Statement session with someone, it’s a powerful experience, no doubt. But by giving away the process in a D-I-Y workbook, it’s teaching people to fish for themselves. We also wanted it to be accessible for as many people as a possible and the book is now in a lot of hands.

How did you come up with the descriptions for the Foundation words?
Your foundation word is the first word of your Style Statement and it represents your core, your first nature – it’s the 80% word. We’ve done one-on-one Style Statement sessions with nearly nine hundred women and men now and after a few hundred sessions we saw some patterns emerging in characteristics. We ended up with about 40 Foundation Words (ie. Refined, Innovative, Feminine, Cultivated, Sophisticated…) and the “personification” of those words was combined with the personalities we saw in our Style Statement clients. Each word is incredibly poetic and layered…like most humans are.

What’s your next big project? Still thinking of a TV show??
Our Daily Q&A is an interactive newsletter for living an inspired life. And it’s rocking! Hundreds of women and men answer it every week – we’re blown away with the quality of responses. Same goes for our blog, which offers a holistic take on everything from relationships to business.

When are we going to see you on Oprah? What’s her style statement (do you think?) Can you share?
Yeah, Oprah producers called us. That was a big day. We’re workin’ it and keeping our fingers crossed for a show. What’s O’s Style Statement? No idea. That’s the thing about the process – you gotta go in if you want to find out.

Who are your role models/what women entrepreneurs do you admire? Why?
We love Bobbi Brown – her family is at the center of her life and she’s set up her compnay so she is purely creative. Same for Donna Karan. Caterina Fake, the co-founder of Flickr, is doing some admirable work online. The Body Shop founder, the late Anita Roddick, was a hug inspiration in terms of being socially progressive and dynamic.

What do you hope your legacy will be?
The beauty of truth.

LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE ENTERED IN THE GIVEAWAY!