Authentic Self interview-Petria May
(cont’d from 11/06 In The Pink)
As often happens when we decide to do something that is exactly right for our Authentic Self, things began to fall very quickly in place for Petria’s plan. She opened the door to her shop on the weekend of July 4th after having spent only June getting herself ready! “Start with what you have,” Petria advises. She did! Many clothes were not yet priced and there was no credit card machine but she opened the doors regardless and people came.
And those people brought people. She added a credit card machine and kept working with a passion. She maintains a regular work week with longer hours during the seasonal time of year. Petria has found that all kinds of people offer her ideas and share their opinions about her business. She welcomes the input.
“I am happy to not know it all, so then I can learn,” Petria told me. She believes that she can learn something from all people regardless of their background, education level or economic status. It is this willingness to be open to others’ ideas that has helped Petria become a person whose bright spirit is fulfilled and satisfied by her work.
Remember Petria’s desire to make a difference in the world? I did and I wondered what she felt about that now. Here’s what she said:
“If I am changing the lives of others, it is because I first changed my own. I made the decision to listen to myself more than to others, to concretize my desires. As a result, I am able to live more honestly, to continue to see the exciting and expansive possibilities that life presents. I gave up a safe profession for an uncertain future involving writing and fashion because they are my great passions. I’ve hardly looked back. When I do look back with relief, I remember an exchange with my dear friend, Sonya. ‘I feel like I’m living someone else’s life,’ I told her, after finding out that I would appear in Vogue, then Essence. ‘No. You were living someone else’s life,’ she said. ‘Now, you’re living your own.’ She was right. The permission to live my own life was the best gift I ever gave myself. For that, I am grateful.”
Petria Boutiq has been featured in Vogue and Essence. Petria’s future plans include more writing (she currently blogs at www.365daysofstyle.com); a hit list of “fashionables” (everyday people whose style she admires); and the introduction of her own clothing line. Stop into see Petria at her store in Great Barrington, off Main Street, behind David Gavin Salon. Her store is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with more hours in season.