It has been over a week since the passing of Horst Rechelbacher, a creative genius in the world of hair and beauty. He is famous for his business ventures and commitment to health, a conscious lifestyle and sustainability. An Austrian stylist who became an expert in his field and found himself in Mpls founding revolutionary beauty businesses. (Not crucial to the rest of the post but you should def get more background at his wiki. IT'S FASCINATING!)

I had the pleasure of meeting Horst a few times over the last few years. The most exciting of which was a product testing session at the Host and Friends salon on East Hennepin in Nordeast (NE) Minneapolis. Horst didn't even do the entirety of my blow out but I am so glad that I was aware of the significance that his hands were even gracing my hair. That volumizing spray could have been a placebo for all I know but I walked around for the rest of the day feeling like the luckiest girl with the most beautiful hair in all of the land! 

Horst was a mentor to so many people, if you read the comments on his facebook page it is filled with students and mentees tellings stories. In an indirect way Horst even mentored me, he was a bold example of what could be. Towards the beginning of Sol Inspirations we were invited to be a part of a Fashion Night Out event that IN was hosting. That was the first night I met Horst, afterwards I googled this dear old man (with his beautiful gray hair and a crazy accent) was doing in Minneapolis, Minnesota.. opening an organic beauty company?! The whole thing seemed too exciting, I was almost suspicious of how forward thinking the whole operation was. 

Horst's philosophies made so much sense and at the time I very much needed an example of how the consumer landscape could change. After that I had my hair done there a few times, I have done several in-house product testing sessions and they have even sent products to my home for evaluation purposes. Horst became sort of an idea example in my mind, proving all the doubts in my head to be wrong. He was successful, he loved what he did, he never stopped evolving towards his best self! He lived the American dream, with a luxurious history in beauty and fashion, sold a company for $300 million, studied agriculture and started a farm. To say he is inspiring doesn't even cross the starting line of describing this man's impact.

Aveda was world's ahead of it's time and Intelligent Nutrients is an impeccable brand that has all the potential in the world to make people healthier through 'beauty products.'

In a way it feels morbid to talk so much about a man's businesses after his passing but Horst's life was so integrated, his love for hair, beauty, health and the planet were the fibers that were woven together by his journey to make up his being. All of the times that I have interacted with Horst we were at the IN headquarters, a beauty sanctuary of a space. I can't imagine that heart break and emotional turmoil that Horst's family is feeling and the extended family that is surely the Intelligent Nutrients staff. I send positive vibes and light to those people during this difficult time. 

It's amazing how many times a day I come into contact with a product that Horst is responsible for. I shower and I use an amazing shampoo thanks to him, I use a lipgloss that delivers antioxidants, thanks to Horst. I use a soothing lavender lotion because Horst had a vision for the beauty industry well before 'eco' was trending. 

Horst will live on through his ventures, through all of the people he has inspired in his long life and through this message...

So for the next week I will be doing daily posts dedicated to hair in Memory of Horst Rechelbacher, a man who will forever be an inspiration to me and I hope you too will take a piece of Horst with you.

xox, kp

Leslie Knope is one of my all time favorite characters on TV and one of my favorite things about her is how much she celebrates her womanhood and the women around her. Leslie created Galentine's Day for her and her ladies to, "...just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas!" Any way this post is inspired by her and Mama DJ.

For the last week I have had the pleasure of being in Cincinnati, Ohio spending the week with my aunt, whom I've recently given the nickname Mama DJ, my mother's oldest sister's life partner - I have had the pleasure of knowing her my entire life. Diane Rae has been a second mother figure to me, a bit more feminine and more involved in visual arts than my biological mother. Always encouraging me creatively and pushing me to think outside of the norm, she has had a real influence on the person that I have become. Her and my aunt's relationship is one of the most functional and full of love that I have ever had the privilege of witnessing. Diane has recently been experiencing health struggles and I am so impressed with her ability to stay positive. She has so much faith in herself that it would be almost impossible for anyone to predict any other winner. I am inspired by her spirit and am blessed to have her in my life! This special time with her got me to thinkin'

I am indeed a boy crazy girl who loves romantic walks, heart shaped chocolates and all sorts of gushy shit BUT celebrating lady-hood and GIRL POWER each and every day is so much more important than obsessing over a stupid consumer holiday. 

xoxox, kp

If you were to ask for a subtitle to this post, it would be: This is the apologetic rational for not posting to my blog in over a month. 

Legend has it that in this picture I am impersonating my mother. With the keys in hand, a bag on each shoulder, a look that could kill and my power sweat suit. That babe knew that her mom was a boss bitch and thought she could be just like her. Ever since I have been on a mission to be as hard working as my mother, she is someone who simply gets shit done & I have always admired that about her. 

Sue, my mother, also knows her limits - she can accomplish barely believable amounts of work, but her ability to know WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH is what allows her to do not only a lot of work but GREAT work.

To my readers I want to express my deepest, sincerest sorrows. If you found yourself searching for new content I am very, very sorry. I won't go too overboard with remorse though because I know you all have a million ways to spend your time on the internet. 

I have spent the last month er so getting my finances in order, to be more specific I have been working my ass off to make some money. I have picked up a new gig pouring beers and waiting tables at a sports bar in the suburbs. I've been putting in more regular hours at The Foundry Home Goods once again, plus the contract freelance work that I do for Sol Inspirations and Project Footsteps. I have been clocking between 40 and 70 hours a week all together between the different commitments. I think that more than explains where I have been since Christmas. 

This blog, this website and building my brand is extremely important to me, I believe it will always have a place in my life. The problem with promising a certain amount new content or that I will post x-number of times a week is that does not allow for my life to evolve as I do. I believe in flexibility and going where the winds of life bring me organically. I have a hard time checking things off a list if there aren't a hundred things on it to begin with. Jumping from one passion project, to a part time gig, to working on home in my pj's is the mix that is working for me right now. That brings me to the question, when is too much, too much?

Everyone has a point where 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH' and something has to give, being able to feel the signs your body is giving you and listen to your limits is key to success. If you are constantly doing too much then your overall production is suffering because you aren't at 100%. 

Sometime in December I hit a wall and realized that I needed to step back from something in order to see the whole picture clearly again, without the chaos cluttering my view. Being that this project is bringing in the least amount of money it made sense for me to take the cut here. Money is basically nothing to me, besides my ticket to some of the amazing life experiences that I desire, but I do have student loans and I have fallen far enough into the cycle of consumption that I need steady earnings. So I accept that I need to work, a lot, so I do things I love so that work is simply another facet of my life. 

And I find systems that help me accomplish as much as I can...

TRAVEFREBLOFFICE (promounced, traaa-Ve-fre-BLAH-fis) - is a word I made up that describes the crap that I cart around with him in order to set up my TRAVELING, FREELANCER'S BLOGGING OFFICE.

Anddd I give myself breaks when I want / need them...

Sometimes my hair is a mess, I am stressed, I stink, I don't always have silky smooth legs, I can't always attend every meeting, every coffee date or best every obstacle. But I try my hardest. My nails aren't always perfectly polished and my outfits aren't always appropriate in the real world.

I still believe in myself and love myself 100%, I'm the shit and I KNOW I can be successful, most excitingly by standards that I define. 

So enough was enough and I took my time to recuperate, I got things under control and I AM BACK. 

READY TO BLOG MY HEART OUT, LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST, TRAVEL, PLAY, LAUGH, DANCE, SING, LOVE, SPEND THIS HARD EARNED DOUGH. 

Remember that you are only as good as you are at your worst, if you need a break from something THEN TAKE IT. I recommend not spreading your self too thinly, you deserve to be at your best & the world will be better off for it. 

xoxox,
kp