I just finished reading a piece about a young designer, Chrystelle Dominique who credits Fargo, North Dakota for her success. She is originally from Haiti and travels frequently between Miami and New York as well, but Fargo is where she says she truly blossomed as a designer.

To many this sounds somewhat unlikely and even a little improbable but I can actually truly relate. The entire time I lived in a small town - Vallejo, California, I wrote a novel and launched a jewelry and accessories business. I derived a great deal of my confidence in both pursuits with the simple fact that I didn't have masses of people that I had to try to compete with as I might experience in Los Angeles. It's crucial to be heard, seen and/or recognized when you are first developing your craft - it's really the time you're most vulnerable. Like Dominique, I have since moved on to live and work in a bigger city here in L.A., but I still have loyal friends, fans and supporters in and around Vallejo, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for being there.

I have probably mentioned a thousand times that the internet has changed the way we shop and the way we absorb fashion. These days you can launch a fashion line or become a media sensation from a corner in your bedroom - we don't have to immediately pick up and move to that big city to get established. Start wherever you are and let your inspiration guide you through the rest. 

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