I started the Inspiration Interview Series because I wanted to know more about the people who share their work with the world and inspire me to practice courage, be creative, and dream big. Laura Mayes is one of those people!

Meet Laura!

© Karen Walrond

Laura spent several years as an ad agengy VP, where she wrote for a variety of Fortune 500 companies and metaphoric rock stars.

She is one of the founders of Kirtsy - a social media platform of pure goodness. A site for women, run by women, and about women! Her partners in crime are  Gabrielle Blair, who most of us know as Design Mom, Laurie Smithwick who blogs at Upside Up, and Gwen Bell , a social media guru and consultant!

In addition to her work at Kirtsy, Laura is a lover of great finds, bargains, and design, she also writes for a variety of new-fangled blogs, review sites, and publications including The Queso and Cool Mom Picks.

In her 128 hours of weekly spare time, she enjoys hanging with her brilliant husband, chasing their energetic son (Harry the Hurricane) around the house, and destroying food for dinner parties. She also really digs enchiladas and Elvis and would be extremely happy to talk to you at any given moment about the benefits of New York, British music, design magazines, and carbs.

Today is a big, big day for Laura, Kirtsy, and a whole bunch of us who were lucky enough to be part of the first Kirtsy book! It's launch day for this:

This is a collection of great blog posts, inspirational designs and provocative juxtapositions. It has all the energy of kirtsy, but you can carry it in your bag and you don't need wifi to read it. It will introduce you to the kirtsy chicks, their 22 amazing editors, top bloggers and women from around the world.

I'm so exctied to have a piece in this little piece of history.

Katherine Center wrote the forward for the book and also made this amazing book trailer!

I've known Laura for a little over a year, but it feels like forever when we're together. Part of it is the shorthand that comes from being hardcore Texans. It's a kindred spirit thing that you can't mask with Prada sunglasses. Can you see the reflection of Katherine's one-horned bull in her shades? Yes. Katherine is also from Texas and she has a bull. On a ranch.

Here's my top three "How Laura inspires me" list:

1. Her sheer determination and persistence. We say "Get 'er done!" down here. She's that kinda girl.

2. Her ability to be extremely serious and extremely funny at the same time. Some people choose. She doesn't.

3. Her hopefulness is contagious. She's a true believer. I love that about her.

Inspiration Interview

Here is the best part! I came up with this standard format for the Inspiration Series after thinking, "What do I want to know about people?"

I want to know about their humanity, their ordinary-ness, their pjs.

Enjoy!

Creativity and Inspiration:

What is your writing process? Direct. I almost always publish in first draft. I realize this goes against all of the planet’s writing laws, but it’s a time thing. I picked up this habit writing on super tight deadlines for a very busy ad agency. I’ve discovered that if I go back and re-read and edit and all, I’ll never stop; and I’ll never get anything else done in a day. Now I ride the stream of consciousness, and subconsciously self-edit as I go. It’s not the optimal process, but it’s optimal for me. Because I’ve learned that getting something done is much more important than doing it perfectly. Because it will never be perfect.

How would you characterize your relationship with writing? Writing is an adventure for me. I almost never know where something will take me when I write. I sometimes have a general idea about where I want to go, but I usually wind my way off the track a bit. In the end, I always make it home. Eventually.  

What are your greatest creative inspirations? I write best with headphones blaring to Doves, Blur, Koop, Rufus Wainwright, Kings of Convenience, Trashcan Sinatras, Gomez, Imogen Heap, Everything But The Girl, Stone Roses, The Samples, Indigo Girls, Guster, Badly Drawn Boy, Ocean Colour Scene, Mutual Admiration Society, Ben Folds, MGMT, Dixie Chicks, Manic Street Preachers, Avett Brothers, Neil Finn, Pernice Brothers, Zero 7, The Bird and The Bee, The Rifles, Ra Ra Riot, Muse, Phoenix, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, to name a few. Music is my coffee.

From James Lipton, host of Inside the Actor’s Studio

What is your favorite word? Tie between specificity and simplicity.

What is your least favorite word? Either indecision or kerfluffle. I can’t decide.  

What sound or noise do you love? Thunderstorm rain. 

What sound or noise do you hate? When my son is sad, he makes this very specific sad noise. It breaks my heart.  

What is your favorite curse word? Horseshit.

*** A quick note *** I laughed so hard when I read that Laura's favorite curse word is "horseshit!" Why? Because I just said it a couple of days ago, when I was really, really mad. I don't say it very often, but when I do I sound just like my dad. My voice changes and everything. In Texas, there's a huge difference between bullshit and horseshit.

From JL’s Uncle Jessie Meme

A song/band/type of music you'd risk wreck & injury to turn off when it comes on the radio?   I read a quote once that said no matter how splintered we are as a country, I think we can all agree that they play way too much Nickelback on the radio. 

Best show on television?  Mad Men.

Favorite movie? Tie between Sliding Doors and Amelie.

Favorite room in your house? My kitchen. 

Best concert? This is an impossible question. So I’ll go with my first: Elvis. And no I’m not as old as you would think. Swear.

Brass or strings?  Brass.

If you could have anything put on a t-shirt what would it be? N'est-ce Pas?

The best part about being your age? The not caring part.

Favorite Girl Scout cookie? Thin Mint. Duh.

Poker or gin or bridge? Gin. It’s the only one I understand.

Shower or bath? Gigantic enormous way-too-long super hot bath.

Favorite pajamas? Flannel. Even in summer.  

Nightmare job? Anything on TV.  

A talent you wish you had? Drawing/painting. 

Dream vacation? A month in Italy with unlimited funds.  

What’s on your nightstand? Grace Eventually by Anne Lamott, three tiny trucks, and a glass of gingerale.

From the famous “Weird Things” blogoshpere meme

Tell us 3 weird things about you:

1. I’ve not seen most movies. So people totally freak out that I haven’t seen (fill in the blank).

2. I own more shoes than I do underwear. Swear.

3.  When I’m old and retired, I want to move to a tiny apartment in New York City.

From Smith Magazine’s Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs from Writers Famous and Obscure

A six-word memoir that captures your life as an artist OR your art life.

I decorate ideas with twinkle lights.

"Take a Bow" Giveaway!

To celebrate the new Kirtsy book, we're giving away two signed copies of the new book! The timing is great - what a perfect holiday gift!

All you have to do to win is leave a comment telling us one reason you should take a bow! C'mon! Don't be shy! Give us one tiny reason . . . an accomplishment . . . a "I made it through this moment" . . . or a simple "due to my sheer awesomeness." One tiny thing!

The giveaway ends Thursday night!