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Do What You Love interview – Andie Cohen-Healy

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Be Your OWN Event! That’s the call-to-action upon which Owner/Designer Andie Cohen-Healy founded and built her company, The Feathered Head. Inspired by past images of elegance when women of style dressed for dining, travel and soirées, Andie custom-designs, creates, collects and curates one-of-a-kind couture headpieces that combine old world luxury with a touch of whimsy, for weddings, special events, black tie affairs, Day at the Races and cocktail parties. 

Dedicated to celebrating a woman’s individuality, The Feathered Head’s bridal and cocktail collection online include fascinators, restored vintage hats, headbands, clips, veils and combs decorated with interesting textural embellishments such as billowy feathers, vintage jewelry, Swarovski crystals, mixed media, silk flowers and heirloom millinery. They are wearable works of art.

 Andie was in her late forties when she started The Feathered Head. She was motivated by a deep-rooted desire bring more creativity into her life and increasing dissatisfaction with her high-powered job as a television executive. In starting her own company Andie has completely changed the way she lives and works and she couldn’t be happier. “I allowed things to unfold the way they were supposed to,” she explains, “and in exchange for giving up one lifestyle I got another completely unexpected one filled with wonder.” If you ever needed proof that it’s never too late to dream a new dream and make that dream come true, this is it… ~ Rachel

AndieProfile1(Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

1. How did your business idea come about? What was the inspiration behind it?

When my husband and I bought our house near Pasadena, CA, we were inexplicably gifted two baby chickens by the sellers. As a New Yorker, I had no earthly idea what to do with chickens! But I fell in love with them immediately and we got three more. When it was time to get married, since I was a later-in-life bride, I did not want to follow the traditional path of assembly line “bridal-blah” geared towards a 22-year-old. I felt like a giant meringue when I tried on the standard poufy-foofy veils. I knew I wanted something different, something that would stand out and reflect my personality, not to mention the wisdom and self-assurance I’d gained over the years. Knowing that people have creatively included their dogs and cats into their weddings, I wanted to honor our “girls” similarly and have them with me, so to speak.

Andie&Chicks2Feeding time! (Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

Around that time I saw a magazine article with a picture of a woman walking down the aisle with a chicken in her arms… that was my ‘a-ha!’ moment. I set out to design a bridal headpiece that would incorporate our hens’ lovely, naturally molted feathers. With much experimentation I ended up with a unique fascinator comprised of my chickens’ feathers, ostrich plumes, pearl sprays and organza petals. People just went crazy over it. It was elegant, whimsical and meaningful.

WeddingHeadpieceThe headpiece I designed and made for my wedding (Photo: Sabine Vollmer von Falken)

I got so many compliments on the headpiece that it sparked the idea of making one-of-a-kind hair ornaments using feathers, vintage jewelry, heritage millinery and other textural embellishments. I knew that there were other brides and party-goers who would want something just a personal to them as my chicken feather fascinator was to me. And, The Feathered Head was born!

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2. What was your life like before this?

I was single, living in New York City and was the Director of Satellite Operations for MTV Networks. This meant that my staff and I were responsible for all satellite and fiber optic feeds for all live events of the Viacom networks. I still can’t quite figure out how I ended up with this kind of job, which was extremely technical and very left-brained. I spent my days in a very fast-paced environment where logistics and exacting details ruled. The allowable margin of error was zero and this created a lot of intense pressure. I enjoyed the people tremendously but I certainly didn’t feel passionate about my actual job. It did, however, allow me to meet my husband, whom I would see once a year over the course of eight years on a Nickelodeon show in Los Angeles.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMy old life: the view from MTV Office, Times Square

After two years of a long distance relationship, I moved to LA. Unfortunately, MTV was not able to transfer me to their Santa Monica office because my staff was still in NY. So I took an operations job with a former vendor of mine, still in the satellite industry.

3. When did you realise you were in a career rut?

The day I started my job in Los Angeles! After leaving everything that was familiar to me in New York – my family, my job, my friends – I had thought seriously about trying to reinvent myself now that I had a clean slate. Though I had the desire, I didn’t have a real direction aside from wanting something “other”. I needed a job so I took the job that I knew, thinking it would be temporary. Over time I grew increasingly unhappy. It was a bad fit and I felt helpless and trapped.

Parenthetically, I had had an unusually large number of friends pass away at a young age, so the saying, “life is short so do something you love while you can” often rattled around in my brain. I’m normally a very positive and action-oriented person so for me, I could only go on for so long complaining about how my job or life could be better. But I had no idea what to do. Fortunately I paid attention to what was fulfilling outside of my job, namely, that I was really enjoying designing headpieces and restoring vintage hats.

AndieAtWork7(Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

It was a creative distraction from my job and at times, truly essential to avoid dissolving into the viscous cycle of negativity and doubt. Towards the end of my five year run, I felt like I was walking on eggshells and it became intolerable. It was a single event that occurred on top of several that allowed me to achieve clarity. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was a Friday afternoon… I called my husband and calmly said: “I’m done, are you ok with that?” Without hesitation he said “absolutely”. Over the weekend we talked about what the finances would look like without my paycheck and even though it would be a challenge, we agreed my happiness and mental health were more important. I gave my notice on that Monday and soon became giddy with both fear and excitement. The moment had arrived. Time to re-invent myself… or at least give it a shot.

I threw myself one hundred percent into The Feathered Head, knowing that I knew nothing but I was determined to make it work. I launched a rudimentary website and ended up having one of my restored vintage hats worn on The Today Show (Kathy Lee & Hoda) during the Royal Wedding week. I felt I was on to something real!

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At work in my studio (Photo credit above & below: Ecadnak Photography)

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4. How are doing what you love?

In those moments when I wonder why I stepped off the cliff into the great entrepreneurial abyss, I try to be clear about why I did it. N.D. Walsch said that “Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone” – and this was oddly comforting to me. I also believe it’s true. I had always wondered what people were talking about when they said “follow your bliss” and I even resented it a little because how do you do that when you haven’t the foggiest idea what your “bliss” is? But now, I can honestly say that I get it.

My chicken feather headpiece idea was hatched and then The Feathered Head as a legitimate business started unfolding organically. I couldn’t wait to get out of bed to start designing and finding vintage treasures. It gave me a sense of purpose. I was learning new things every day, making them up as needed, just trying to get used to redefining myself as an “artist and business owner” and not a “satellite operations person”. When I work on my pieces, I get lost in my own creativity and vision. I feel excited and driven by passion. I’m so proud that my work has appeared in multiple national and bridal magazines and blogs. And just recently I ended up on the cover of a magazine as the lead in to a story on re-invention!

When I work one-on-one with a bride designing a custom headpiece, it is so personally gratifying. I have the honor of helping to make her feel beautiful and celebrating her individuality, just as I celebrated mine for my wedding.  It makes me feel alive and allows me to achieve a higher level of authenticity. I deeply care about what I’m doing and the people I’m doing it for… that is true happiness and success to me. Plus I get to hang out with my chickens in my studio!

5. What does creativity mean to you and why is it so important to lead a creative life now?

Creativity means different things to me on different days but it always revolves around pushing myself to try new things and embrace the unknown. Since I’m an army of one, I often have to teach myself how to do something unfamiliar just before I’m required to do it. Photoshop is a great example. Tapping into my creative side forces me to come up with new solutions and provides new ways of expressing myself. It allows me to translate an internal thought and make it external, put it out there for the world to see (and hopefully like). That is both scary and satisfying on a core level.

AndieAtWorkGlueing and sticking (Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

Çreativity knows no age limits, so it grows and matures as I do. If something doesn’t work, I have to look at it differently and revise, which is a skill I use in all aspects of my life. Opening myself up permitted me to see talents within that I never knew were there… this was quite profound. I’m not curing cancer but I am putting beauty into the world. Making women feel beautiful through my creations adds value not only to my life but hopefully to theirs as well. I guess creativity really encourages me to live up to my full potential. The ongoing process, more so than the end result, is what gets me out of bed every morning with enthusiasm and wonder. What will I make today that didn’t exist yesterday? What new path will I explore? What new skill will I learn (and how painful will it be to learn it) because I don’t have the budget to pay someone else to do it? How fun and interesting!

6. How did it feel to quit your day job to work on The Feathered Head full-time and what sacrifices have you had to make?

It was amazing, stomach-churning and liberating all at once. It’s a rare gift to be able to take charge of your life when things are not going right. I was unhappy in my job, as many people are, but I did something about it. I had no roadmap, no guarantees… but I did have a deep desire for change and, fortunately, a very supportive husband. But it was scary as hell. In many ways it felt like I was jumping off of a cliff. But I’m here to say that if you have the guts to get rid of what you DON’T want in your life, with a lot of hard work you can have the things that you do!

As with all entrepreneurial ventures, it is wonderful, maddening, enriching, exhausting and everything in between. It can be terrifying not bringing in a weekly paycheck and I made a lot more money in the corporate world. But the trade-off has been worth it. I went on a self-imposed “austerity plan”, in which I cut way back on all my personal spending. I reduced non-essential costs in my life, like spa services, restaurant outings and shopping excursions. I felt that if my husband was now footing the bill for things while I built my business, I had to change my habits. That was my personal commitment and it made me feel empowered to do so. Re-prioritizing brought a seriousness to my quest. To me, giving up manicures and that cute LBD was hardly a sacrifice; it was freedom and absolutely the right thing to do.

7. Talk us through a day in your life…

Every morning begins the same way… I put a pot of coffee on and go clean out the chicken coop. When the coffee is ready, I take a cup outside and walk through my backyard. I like to see what the plants have been up to overnight and love noticing whatever little changes have occurred. Then, I sit on a rock and Nugget, my spoiled Buff Orpington chicken, hops on my lap, puts her beak in my armpit and waits till I scratch her back for 10 minutes. Sometimes I wonder if she’s even a bird! This is without a doubt my favorite, and most consistent, moment of the day.

AndieProfile2(Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

Talking out loud, I go over my agenda with her (she seldom has a comment) and decide how the day will unfold. Sometimes I’m in the studio working on new pieces. Other times I’m working on photo shoots/editing for the site or other computer-based marketing tasks. Some days I meet with clients or spend the day sourcing materials around town. I don’t schedule it out as much as I should but in spite of my fear that all the things I need to do will never get done, somehow, slowly, everything gets done. I try to squeeze in a bit of exercise here and there, as it helps me stay focused.

8. Tell us about your creative process. What’s involved in making your one-of-a-kind headpieces?

Well, it depends. If I’m restoring a vintage hat or antique hair ornament, I try to retain the original character of the piece as much as possible. My goal is to be minimally invasive by repairing or creatively covering age-related flaws, tears or markings with items that are from around the same time period. For example, strategically placed vintage rhinestones, mid-Century French net veiling or aged feathers often do the trick. That way the repair is not glaring and I’m staying true to the look and heritage of the piece – I wouldn’t put a modern veil on a 1940s hat because it wouldn’t tell the same story.

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Look Book

TFHPieces1Three pieces from The Feathered Head ‘Cocktail Collection’ online. (Photo credit: Tatum Kathleen Photography)

For my hand-made pieces, I generally start with some kind of a feather, fabric or flower base, evaluating the color(s) and textures. I then play with it, meaning that I’ll keep pairing different anchor pieces with it, such as vintage jewelry, other feathers, millinery, gems and the like. Though it sounds odd, the piece “tells” me, in a way, what looks best. I may look at a mock-up and just know it isn’t right or something feels off. Sometimes I’ll “Frankenstein” a piece, meaning that I’ll rip apart three separate headpieces or trims, taking the most interesting elements from them and building something that’s totally unique. I keep playing with it until it feels right. Then I see how it’s weighted and figure out the best way to secure it into the hair.

When I’m working closely with a bridal client who has commissioned a piece, it’s a very personal, one-on-one process. By asking lots of questions and listening beyond the answers, I try to ascertain what her vision of her wedding day is, and then I make design suggestions. Often I end up creating a piece for her that she never considered originally but absolutely loves. Sometimes I incorporate a family heirloom into the hair ornament. I want each of my headpieces to fully represent the spirit of the woman who wears it and I’m not satisfied until I hear my clients say: “That’s PERFECT!”

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TFHPieces6Three pieces from The Feathered Head ‘Bridal Collection’ online. (Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

9. You work from home in your own studio; what’s it like and what are the best, and worst, bits about working for yourself from home?

It can be wonderful to work from my home studio, in that I have few interruptions and when I’m on a roll, I can create for hours. My output can be amazing when I lose track of time!

AndieInStudio(Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

I have a vegetable and flower garden outside the studio and when the wind is just right I can smell jasmine wafting in. It’s very quiet and peaceful and I love not having to deal with other people’s agendas and drama. I enjoy being my own boss. But, the flip side is that it can be a little isolating, too, and it’s not easy to be self-motivated every day. That is definitely a challenge. I don’t have a staff or anyone I can collaborate with so I have to wait for inspiration to strike. Some days I’m on fire and other days I draw a blank. I do occasionally miss the give and take of opposing viewpoints, which generally can result in a stronger concept. Having chickens as colleagues has its pluses (free eggs) but there’s not a tremendous amount of feedback!

AndieAtWork2(Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

Creativity thrives on a certain amount of tension so when I’m working alone I only have my own aesthetics to build on. The other difficulty, of course, is not unique to me. Any entrepreneur knows the challenges of being a staff of one and trying to get 57 things done! I create my pieces but I also administrate my website, grapple with SEO and analytics, do all the marketing, manage the social media, edit all the photos, work the trade/market shows, source the materials, reconcile the accounting, interface with clients… the list goes on forever.

10. Why do you think so many people, especially as they get older, are afraid to take the leap and change careers – even when they know they’d probably be happier?

Change is hard… we all know that. We get used to defining ourselves in certain way and these definitions are so deep-seated that they can make us a prisoner of our past. We crave security and “what was”. Change messes with our equilibrium; it is intimidating and as we age we’re less likely to take risks when we don’t know what the outcome will be. I think it’s important to keep in mind that the very act of thinking about making a change in one’s life is the first step in the process. I am deeply grateful for all the oddball things fate has thrown my way, and thankful that I had the confidence to take smart and bold risks. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t (and still am) scared of failing!

11. How is your quality of life different now you’re an entrepreneur?

Happier, more vibrant, calmer, more balanced. When I sit at my workbench for hours, glueing feathers and creating headpieces, I am using my imagination, sense of humor and artistic skills in ways I never thought possible. It fills a void I hadn’t even realized was there. I consider it a joy when I’m awakened in the middle of the night with a new design or a whimsical interpretation of a vintage piece. I literally can’t wait to make it a reality. What a gift. So take those wonderful feelings and then, even after a successful show, add total insecurity that anyone will ever want to buy something from me again. That’s pretty much what being an entrepreneur is about!

12. What projects are you working on at the moment?

I just finished a large Expo show at Disneyland (Dapper Day), so I’m doing follow up on that (custom orders, correspondence, etc). My next market show that I’m currently preparing for will be in Las Vegas at the Burlesque Hall of Fame. Disney to Burlesque… you can see how varied my clients are! Aside from shows, I have several brides for whom I’m designing commissioned pieces. I’m also in negotiations with a museum store that’s interested in carrying some of my fascinators.

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Upcoming work – above and below: (Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

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13. Where do you hope this exciting new chapter in your life will lead? What’s the ultimate dream?

I think I am incredibly lucky to have been given the gift of change. In my wildest dreams I did not think my life would take me in this crazy direction, on so many levels. Though not always easy, I allowed things to unfold the way they were supposed to and in exchange for giving up one lifestyle I got another completely unexpected one filled with wonder. And I’m finally at an age where I can emphasize creativity and allow it to enhance my life. I don’t think I have an ultimate dream, as in only one dream. I would say my dreams and aspirations are ongoing: to continue developing The Feathered Head, finding new markets, increasing exposure, honing my skills and growing as a business woman and human being.

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(Photo credit: Ecadnak Photography)

14. What would you say to anyone who thinks: “I’m too old to change what I do?”

I would simply say: “that’s ridiculous!”. I would then ask two questions: 1) What’s the worst thing that can happen? and, 2) How will you feel if you don’t even try? It helps to identify what you get excited about… and then do a little bit of that every day. It doesn’t have to be full-throttle. Just let it feed your soul. Allow surprises into your life and see where they take you… you just never know where chance is lurking! Inspiration comes in strange forms and I certainly didn’t expect mine to come with beaks and feathers! But because I was open to serendipity, it did and I just kept working and re-working the concept. I only know what worked for me and I don’t want to be so presumptuous as to give advice.

I’m a big believer that doing something is better than doing nothing. In other words, don’t wait for something to be perfect! Put something out there and then refine it. Ride the rollercoaster of ups and down, basically just hang in there no matter how dejected you feel at a given moment. Pretend you are fearless! Most important, though, is to have the capacity to LEARN from your mistakes. Knowing that half of all small businesses go under within five years, it is critical that you recognize there will be failures. When something feels terribly disappointing to me, instead of quitting, I allow myself to feel really, really bad temporarily and then use the information I’ve gained as data to re-direct my efforts. Successes are easy… it’s what you do when things aren’t going well that separates the dreamers from the entrepreneurs – regardless of age!

For more information about Andie and her company, visit The Feathered Head website.

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