Magazine Photo Shoot Interview
When I arrived at this beautiful home sitting on top of a hill in River Place there were cars jam packed in this small cul-de-sac. I was thinking to myself, this is going to be amazing. I walk in the door to what looked like a 14-foot foyer with an elegant chandelier. I looked around saw that there were people running around with jewelry and brushes in hand along with camera equipment. I set my bag down in the kitchen and got my things out so that I was prepared.
I walked up the stairs and entered a room where Heather Frierson was standing telling one of her stylist what her vision was for the model standing before her. She quickly turned her attention to the clothes that the models would be wearing to make sure that they had the right look and feel for what she wanted. I greeted everyone in the room and told Heather that this was an amazing day for her. She smiled with delight and said that this was an exciting day. I stood back to watch everything with my camera and recorder ready to capture Heather’s big moment. Heather’s passion has allowed her to manage a very successful blog and has now taken her to new highs with her new magazine.
On this day she was doing her very first photo shoot for her magazine that is launching this Month. You could definitely feel the energy in the room. It was an amazing experience to watch Heather’s dreams transform into reality. As we talked she tells me how she started Created Woman Magazine.
Angie: How did you get started?
Heather: I have a background in fashion I totally left the fashion industry in 2003 to go work full time for my church and while I was there I totally got a passion for women like I never had before. So, about three years ago I started seeing an emerging of both passions and finally seeing how to merge the two. This resulted in a high-end fashion blog magazine for the everyday woman encouraging them to be who they were created to be. This is what we were doing in the ministry, which is really pouring into women. I saw that there wasn’t anything out there that empowered women to be fashionable and classy or trendy but not have to see the extreme and still be who you are. The real vision is who you are in the inside is a reflection of who you are on the outside. So it kind of all started emerging.
Angie: That’s awesome. Today is your first photo shoots for your magazine, how are you feeling and what is going on in your mind as the process is going on?
Heather: I am super anxious and nervous and giddy at the same time and when I’m nervous I get giddy. It’s kind of surreal and I keep forgetting that I get to make the decisions. So that’s kind of weird that everyone keeps asking what about this and what about that and I’m like uh okay, so that’s kind of surreal [Both laugh]. It’s something I have been waiting for, for a long time and you think [Pause], today is the day, July first, and it is the day.
Angie: What would you tell other woman or people in general that really have a passion like you have but want to start something but have no idea of what to do? What would be your greatest advice for them?
Heather: I think the best advice that I ever got was step-by-step, day-by-day. You have a huge picture and if you try and paint that the whole picture in one day then you are not going to accomplish it and you are going to end up giving up because it’s too hard. So bite off your chunks. It took me three years to get here and it was in chunks, bits at a time. Sometimes it went faster and sometimes it went slower but I didn’t lose site of the vision of the goal. I definitely had people around me holding me up and even the people that are here today [Referencing the people at the photo shoot] are people who have been along the journey for the past two and a half years. I didn’t do it by myself. I think that’s a mistake that a lot of people make is that they try to do it all by themselves and that they try to do it all at once.
Angie: What inspires you?
Heather: There are a lot of things that inspires me. I think what excites me the most is when I see this dream [Created Woman Magazine] coming true. Everyone has a destiny… I think it always saddens me… when people are so involved in the drill of life like going to work coming home. That’s good if you are doing what you are passionate about. What inspires me are people just saying this is who I am; this is what I am supposed to do and then going for it. Whether it’s opening up a Starbucks, being a journalist or whatever it is that you’re passionate about, I think that’s what inspires me. I love hearing stories about people just going for it.
Angie: That’s really good. Your style is amazing. Describe your personal style?
Heather: It’s actually very casual, laid back. I love dressing up and putting on my heels in an awesome outfit but my every daywear is totally jeans and a T-shirt. I’m casual, I’m comfortable. I always compare… not to… you know… I’m not her but Jennifer Aniston. I would take everything out of her closet. The way they snap her just every day in her casual clothes. I’m monochromatic; you’re not going to catch me in a bunch of floral prints. If you do catch me in a floral its maybe the only one that I have in my closet. Jennifer’s red carpet appearances are always simple. That’s why I love clean lines. In my personal style I’m going to have clean lines and lots of time monochromatic tones that are very simple.
Angie: What are your favorite stores? Name two or three.
Heather: Right now there is none. I just had a baby so I’m not shopping much. [Both laugh]Normally it’s Banana Republic because they are very classic. I love their Mad Men style; that’s totally me. I love Zara. Zara is incredible. And of course anytime I get out to Nordstrom’s they always have something.
Angie: Define beauty.
Heather: Beauty is really inside out that’s what it is all about. Everyone is beautiful if they are living it out. You know the person could be beautiful on the outside but then you get to know them and it’s like uh there’s something more there; so beauty to me is living it out. Of course there is like beautiful make-up and beautiful hair which is what we capture with our fashion articles. But the true person is what makes them beautiful.
Angie: What do you do to relax?
Frierson: Right now. [Laugher] Thank God it is summer and one of our favorite past times is wake boarding. We love wake boarding which we are doing this week for the first time this summer.
Angie: I hope you have more times to relax after things slow down for you. I want to thank you so much for letting us in on your journey.
Created Woman is truly about women becoming all they were created to be both inside and out. Created woman magazine will inspire woman, keep them up to date on the latest trends, encourage your spiritual walk, and keep you beauty and healthy as you walk through life. I know that this is just the beginning of Heather’s journey and because of her hard work, dedication, and purpose in life, Created Woman Magazine will touch millions of lives throughout the world.
Angie currently resides in Austin, TX and is married to the man of her dreams. She is fun loving, innovative, and energetic. She loves spending time with friends and family, listening to music, doing crafts and most importantly she loves to shop. She is a passionate teacher who inspires the next generation of youth to go beyond their dreams and challenges them to be the change they want to see in the world. Outside of teaching Angie uses her creative energy towards her life/fashion journalism blog which aims to tell someone’s story. She believes that we should live beyond ourselves as ambassadors of Christ.
