Creativity rocks.

When I was 5, my sister and I thought it would be a good idea to sucker my dad into setting up the circa 1980 video camera (you know, the one that goes through the tv so you can actually see yourself on tv as it's being recorded) so that we could broadcast the news. My sister, being the diva she was (is) of course had to play the news anchor. We set up shop in the basement on the couch and started our very professional and informative newscast. She predicted the weather, then cut to a commercial break. It was my time to shine. Product to advertise? Shampoo. And I did a dang good job if I do say so myself. I'm sure I probably sold at least a million bottles promoting it's ability to make your hair soft, shiny and healthy.

How in the world I knew at the age of 5 I was destined to be an advertiser is beyond me. Funny how those things work out.

I have been very fortunate in my life to have met and become friends with some truly damn good creative people. And I mean SUPER creative. So here on this blog, I am going to give mad props for the people that have inspired my creativity throughout my life and career. (And no, I haven't met Martha or JK, but wouldn't that be sweet?)

1. Jane
Meet Jane. AKA mama. Where to even start? From doll clothes to Halloween costumes to the James Dean quilt to panda bear birthday cakes to those god-awful troll angel ornaments, this lady does it all and is a little bit of Martha Stewart (minus the whole jail time and fraud thing). She's one of those ladies that walks around with sewing scissors in her left pocket, straight pins in her mouth and a tape measure around her belt and doesn't even flinch. All while sewing the shit out of anything. I will never forget when my BFF's bridesmaid dress didn't fit an hour before my wedding. My mom made all the dresses and took it personally when it didn't fit her just right. So what does my mother do? She whips out the needle and thread 2 minutes before walking down the aisle. After, of course, she gained permission to go under her dress and do her biz. In fact, I just bought a dress yesterday for an event tonight. It was on super sale and looked like a sack of potatoes on me. It was the only one left, so I snagged it, knowing my mom would pull through. Luckily my mom is in town and has already managed to do her magic this morning on it so now the black sequin dress fits me like a charm. Thanks mama for inspiring me and bringing me up in a creative environment. And thanks for always fixing my sewing machine jams when I was totally convinced I would have to save every penny I made to buy a new one because I busted yours while you were at work.

2. Kimberly
My first job out of college was a small marketing firm in Dallas, Texas. It was there I first met Kimberly. I was amazed at how effortlessly the girl could come up with creative concepts. It was so easy for her, because ideas were always cranking in her head. She could throw down concepts to sell Kimberly-Clark at the Diaper Derby that were so genius. She had the coolest little ideas ever that were just icing on the marketing cake. And now she owns her own business, The Boarding Bungalow. The place is all decked out in surfside gear, complete with bungalows, surf boards and waves. What a creative diva. She taught me so much my first job and I am lucky to have her in my life again down here in the big D.

3. Maridith and Sarah
The dynamic designing duo. I met these two at my restaurant marketing gig. It was really the first time I learned how to do creative concepting as a writer/designer team and how much power it could bring. These two girls are so talented. Even though they are two totally different people, they are both so talented in their own ways. They are artsy, creative and dang outright cute. They work their magic not on the dance floor, but on the computer with InDesign as their partner. They can layer, edit, draw, distort and recreate. They use their Wacoms and font libraries to create beautiful and amazing layouts that make you oh so happy. They make your headlines "Our chefs had a smackdown with vanilla" and "Hellooooooooo summer" sparkle and shine. (Even though sometimes I needed to correct their spelling, we'll let that slide. Details, details.)

4. Scotty B
I met Scotty B at Garmin. I've never met someone that is so passionate about his craft. He gives 110% to every project he tackles. He looks at life behind a lens and can twist and turn it to make just about anything super cool, interesting and full of emotion. I don't know much about videography or even how you do it. I just know he sits in the dark dungeon all day with two big screens pulling, clipping and editing raw video. The outcome is usually a kickin video that makes you laugh, cry, makes you proud or makes you wanna buy. Mission accomplished. Thanks for inspiring me even after I've moved on Scott, your passion for creativity is like a disease and you've managed to pass on the bug. It's like a gift that keeps on giving.

5. Martha Stewart
Yeah, yeah, let's just not take into consideration the small mishap with the law. Everyone makes mistakes. We should probably also bypass the fact that the woman seems to come off as a cold, heartless and stiff beotch. It doesn't matter, because she is a creative mastermind. She does it all - from baking to cooking to crafts to gardening. She has writes books, answers random quesitons on her own Sirius radio channel and shares ideas on her very own television show. And she makes the cutest freaking crafts on the planet. Her work is brilliantly simple, tasteful and out of the box. Like wedding favor boxes.

6. JK Rowling
Since we all know by now writing is my creative outlet, I had to throw a writer into my mix. JK Rowling is probably the most creative writer I know. Why? Because not only can she write (and I mean write write), I can't even begin to wrap my head around her fierce creativity. Harry Potter and the world she has created truly amazes me. She has come up with the game of Quidditch, an entire wizard language and personalities for about a gazillion characters. Amazing. So amazing.

6. Amy
Even though Amy is not in my field, she is artistically creative in so many ways. She covers the other creative side I don't. She plays choreographer, director, stage manager, costumer and set designer all in one and she's dang good at what she does. I should have known she was destined to do this when she would make me act out the musical Annie 45 times. It was the scene when she was playing Miss Hannigan and me Annie when she dragged me on the carpet for 31 feet across the house. Thanks Am, for giving scarring me for life to be deathly afraid of rug burn to this day. I also remember doing The Sound of Music, but the rug burn blocks out most everything else show-related we did. Oh, except that horrible fashion show we performed in the playhouse where she wanted me to wear a dress I didn't want to and threw a fit on camera. Being dramatic (GASP), she also spilled tea on the cameraman (aka dad). It was that day we witnessed the short fuse my dad had for the true art of drama. Be on the lookout for her someday, because she will soon be directing Broadway shows. And brilliantly, I might add!