Meet Winged Woman: Cassie Karl of Iris + Poppy

We had the pleasure of interviewing one of the amazing women we've had the privilege to work with over the past few months to learn a little bit about her, and how she overcomes her daily stressors of being a business owner. Please meet, Cassie Karl of Iris and Poppy.

What was the hardest thing you had to overcome on your journey to becoming a Creative Director?

I am the creative director of my own brand, Iris + Poppy -- it's an online women's lifestyle boutique. Being the owner, I have to wear a lot of hats, but creative director is my absolute favorite. If I could spend every day just focusing on the brand direction, marketing, and creating content, I'd be in heaven. I think the most challenging part of getting to this point in my career has been having patience. There is a lot of trial and error in owning a small business, and you can't make knee jerk reactions, even though after one day of something not being successful it can get super tempting to pull the plug and course correct.

Being in the creative space, how do you get out of creative block?

Oh gosh, it really depends on my mood. Sometimes a little Pinterest perusing or scrolling Instagram really helps me get re-inspired, but sometimes I need to take a walk on the beach, headphones in, music full blast, to really feel refreshed and ready to create again!

Additionally, how do you separate your identity from the work you create?

Being the creative director of my own brand, I originally tried to keep myself pretty removed from ever becoming "the face of the brand" out of fear that it would come across unprofessional or like I was trying too hard to self-promote. The truth is, people want to know the face behind the brand, so I am working on separating the two less. On my personal Instagram, as a content creator, everything I do is very aligned with my identity and my personal "brand".

What makes you a Winged Woman?

I feel like being a Winged Woman means knowing you can have it all, with an emphasis on self-care and self-awareness at the epicenter of that lifestyle. Kicking ass and taking names by knowing what your body needs and how to best care for yourself. This can be such a tricky balance, but being a business owner and content creator has really encouraged my lifestyle to work in sync with my body, not against it.

Lastly, what's one thing you would say to your younger self if you could?

You don't have to have it all figured out all the time. I have always been in the habit of planning every step of the way and thought I had my entire life laid out when I was 17. There are a lot of things that have actually happened and worked out, but when I started to let go of how things were "supposed to be" epic things started happening!

Thank you, Cassie Karl, for your inspiring words and for being a Winged Woman. To keep up with Cassie, follow her at @casskarl_.