The Devil Wears Pajamas, Chapter 1

Hi Folks!

Anna here. And by Anna, I mean Anna Michelle, not Anna Maria. That's right, today while Anna Maria Horner is in crazy-person-writing-a-book-on-a-deadline mode you get to sit through the ramblings of her intern Anna Michelle Johnson.

Some of you may have read our interview from this past summer, and know that I started habitually reading this very blog several years ago - which means that I was completely, totally and absolutely over the moon when I had the opportunity to become an intern. I had a general idea of what a day in the life at designer's studio would look like, and the thought of working alongside someone as known and recognized as Anna Maria was literally a dream come true for me. So naturally I felt every initial fear and insecurity that would expectedly come from a young girl meeting and working with her role model. Luckily for me, those feelings were all completely unnecessary, and quickly overcome. Unlike my expectations, AMH has made it evident from day one that her goal is not running a business but simply to create beautiful things, and inspire others to do the same (and I think we can all agree that she more than lives up to it). This has made for an extremely interesting and rewarding work environment for me.

On any given day I can be found cutting fabric stacks, helping AMH prep for classes and trips, assisting (or modeling) in photo shoots, or filling orders for the shop; so basically it's an ideal job for a fashion design student and all around craft lover like myself. However, you might also find me picking paint from a quilt market project out of my hair and fingernails, sweating in the attic over boxes of pillows and patterns, or chasing down an escaped dog (or toddler) or two. Glamorous, I know. But despite how much fun and how useful it is for me to be getting this much experience in my field (or out in her field), that's not the reason I've stuck around to graduate from summer intern to part-time. I keep coming back for the craziness that is Anna Maria Horner. She's kind of a freak, did you know that? Mother, wife, daughter, friend, business woman, painter, stitcher and all around magician. Now how many people can say that they've successfully accomplished all of those things? And all before the age of (don't tell her I told you this) 40! How does she do it? Well, after almost a year of close examination, I have made almost no earth shattering discoveries. She is just a woman doing what she loves and was called to do, and she has motivated me become that kind of crazy as well.

So whether or not it comes as a surprise to you, my "Devil" wears pajamas. All day, almost everyday. And in fact, she would encourage anyone to do the same.

And now back to Isabela painting my nails for a book photo shoot which Anna asked me to do once she saw what I was wearing today. She is waiting impatiently for my nails to be ready as the sunlight fades. She's doing that in her pajamas.

xoxo
Anna Michelle