say yes

Having coffee with Sarah Childers, Lucia's new blog goddess (precise title TBD!)

“Then the time came when the answer was yes. ”

— Laura Lowery

April 24, 2016 - Daily Notes, From the Editor

The leaves on my maples were teeny-tiny green spots against blue sky two weeks ago. This morning they form a lush blanket of oxygen-expelling softness, hiding my neighbors from sight. Their growth was rapid. Almost dizzying. It was time.

We live in a circular, cyclical, seasonal world. It is Spring in Seattle and everything is emerging. Swift expansion comes with unsettled energy which can do one of two things: send us right back under the covers trying to hide from it; or propel us toward the very thing we've been resting up for all winter. We can say no or we can say yes.

It's time to grow Lucia's team.

As founder and editor, bringing on new team members is a terrifying step for me. I want to be careful and thoughtful. Lucia is not yet profitable. I am still bankrolling this whole operation with my day job. I'm scared of asking for talented help when I'm not yet able to pay talented people what they are worth in dollars.

I believe wholeheartedly Lucia will succeed, though. Not an hour goes by I am not working toward this. Until now, I've had a hard time accepting that other people (beyond Lucia's incredible co-creators, Karly Siroky and Amanda Ford) could possibly feel this way too. 

Like maple leaves knowing April is the time to grow, something inside me whispered loudly this month. Yes, there are mornings when I'd like to stay in bed and keep Lucia small. But it wants to grow. 

So we are looking for a social media & sales assistant.

Growth is never linear. It feels more like fireworks sometimes. Quiet, quiet, quiet, BOOM. Posting the job description brought another new team member, one I wasn't expecting but now see that we need. 

Saturday morning I arrived at the Tangletown Zoka Coffee Roaster to meet with a spark of brilliance named Sarah Childers. Sarah wrote for Lucia's maiden issue and had reached out to me on Friday saying she was intrigued by the opportunity to be involved in a new way.

As we sat down to talk, I pulled out my Moleskine journal with two full pages worth of notes I'd scribbled in red uniball pen from bed that morning; an outline of Lucia's priority needs right now.

"REVENUE" was scrawled across the top of page one, followed by the sources and avenues I need help to cultivate and pursue. We discussed growing the subscriber base, targeted marketing, looking for sponsors, considering grants. Sarah was effervescent, full of ideas, eager to learn more, and yet...her awesome talent doesn't lie in social media marketing or magazine sales. 

The very last note on page two of items I need immediate help with was this: Thoughtful expansion of Lucia's editorial content and blog.

Bingo! Fireworks. 

"Would you be interested in taking on a role expanding Lucia's blog and editorial content?"

She said yes.

I'm excited for you to get to know Sarah. Her intriguing background in education and women's studies seeps into talented writing and a playful, heart-centered spirit. She is an inspiring, intelligent muse. You'll hear more about her (and from her) in the weeks to come.

This morning I listened as rain fell outside my open window. "Who else will say yes this week?" I wondered. I tossed back the covers and rose bravely to meet them.

xo
laura

stolen youth

Photo: SOLD, the movie, in Lucia Issue One : Inspiration {page 90}

April 18, 2016 - Daily Notes, From the Editor

There are brave heart warriors in this world. 

Today in Seattle, 900 gathered in one room downtown to support Stolen Youth, an incredible organization that is shining a bright light on the local problem and worldwide pandemic of child trafficking. 

Seattle's new police chief, Kathleen O'Toole, spoke and her strength and wisdom reminded me of the powerful Celtic women from a time not so long ago, when the feminine and masculine were in balance with one another; when we lived in harmony with nature, rather than trying to conquer it.

Survivors spoke and I felt my face grow wet with admiration of their beauty, perseverance, and courage.

I heard voices of men incarcerated for buying sex with minors in a powerful video that went straight to the uncomfortable truth: They are suffering and in need of help too. 

At the end of the day it comes down to this: we need more heart. There is a lack of knowledge and respect for the softly powerful feminine ways of governing, stewarding, policing, building, healing, nurturing, and loving. 

There is so much work to do to bring an end to the violence in our world and I am in awe of the modern day warriors, women and men I witnessed today who are doing just that.

On a related note, SOLD, the gorgeous film which was featured in Issue One of Lucia, is playing here in Seattle this week at the Sundance Cinema. It will open your heart and mind to the complexities of the issue and what it means for humanity. Knowledge is power. It will inspire change. There are screenings across the country, check the website for cities and dates. Go watch if you can.

Follow this organization. Applaud them. Support them. They are doing work that is saving people. It is saving us all.

xo
laura

fearless : so not part of it

“Fearless is so not part of it. If you’re fearless, there’s something wrong. The fear part is how you know you’re close to the truth. It’s how you know you’re close to something that matters. If you’re fearless, you’ve probably done it a thousand times.”

— Lynsey Dyer, professional freestyle skier, in Lucia Issue Two : Perfection

April 15, 2016 - Daily Notes

This week, I met Lucia's design advisor, Karly, for dinner on a sailboat. She swung through town and in exchange for her creative work had been offered a few nights' stay on a 32-foot floating beauty. She invited me to come for kale salad, wine and to talk Lucia.

It was Tuesday and it was raining. I was exhausted from waking up at 5:00 a.m. to help support one of my clients hosting Hillary Clinton for an Equal Pay Day event in New York. My job was to be a scribe; to watch the live broadcast, listen carefully, and quickly write a press release re-capping the event.

That work, my day job, is what enables me to continue going with Lucia right now. It also requires my full attention most weekdays. Pivoting from that headspace into the softer heart place from which I can write, speak, plan, manage, envision and create Lucia does not happen on a dime.

It stopped raining so we decided to go for a walk through Golden Gardens, the beach next door to the marina. Climbing out of the boat, Karly asked, "So, what's your plan for funding Lucia from here forward?"

Karly has a way of asking direct questions. I have a way of not being able to give succinct answers. Her question hit the center of my tired brain and I could feel the stem where fear lives rile up. The electrical charge moved out into my limbs and then back in again where it squeezed my gut enough to send my defenses straight up. I squirmed.

"Or, do you not want to talk about that? We can talk about something else," she said. 

The only thing I dislike more than fear is letting it have its way. For my 34th birthday my parents gave me a card with a photograph of a small kitten sitting in a giant food bowl labeled "DOG." The kitten's wide eyes revealed terror, determination and optimism all at once.

"We can talk about it, sure," I said solidly, as my big leather boot stepped off the boat onto the concrete dock. 

"I don't know yet and it scares me," I heard myself say. What ensued was an hour-long exploration the whole uncomfortable topic. No hard or fast answers appeared, but I did hear myself speak truth. I listened to Karly's ideas. I stayed in the bowl.

Good advisors, I think, are not people who have all of the answers. They do not always have more experience than you. Good advisors are the people who care enough to ask you the hard questions.

Karly fed me gourmet chocolate when we returned to the sailboat and gently steered our conversation back to design, editorial, and the only slightly less terrifying topic of my love life. 

That kitten in the dog bowl is not fearless and neither am I. But the idea of making friends with the dog--of figuring out this puzzle and succeeding--is more exciting than it is fearful. So I keep going.

I must. You must. We all must. Fearless is so not part of it.

xo
laura