Smart, funny, kind, compassionate, joyful, energetic, enthusiastic, focused, realistic, imaginative, (the true traits of a “creative”) and our fearless leader. Chris Acton, owner of Acton Creative, is all of this and more. Our current PWN President has been a member since 2019, jumping in with both feet right from the beginning, serving first as Membership Co-Chair then on to the presidency. Leading our group during the pandemic presented challenges but she managed to be stead-fast through it all with a bright and positive outlook no matter what came her way and always adapted to what was best for our organization. One of her biggest accomplishments was making sure our website had a fresh face and brought value to the members.

Being adaptable may be something that was learned early on, as the daughter of a father in the Air Force.  Chris lived in Central Illinois and Spartanburg, South Carolina before moving to and working in Chicago, then ending up in her current location of Chesterton, Indiana. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, her response was simple, “To be happy. I always loved learning new things, but I didn’t want to teach like my mom although I’m grateful for the love of learning that both of my parents instilled in me. I just wanted to enjoy life and just find the joy in the everyday.” It seems the creative showed up early, but when you’re a child that isn’t necessarily something you think of “being”.  

After graduating from high school in Spartanburg, Chris enrolled at Indiana University, Bloomington where she graduated in 1994 with a degree in Interior Design. Knowing she didn’t want to design living rooms and kitchens she navigated towards the corporate world and secured a position designing more corporate settings. While working in that space, the team she was on won a trip as a bonus for beating a sales goal. Being the only single on the trip and not having much in common with those that went she; being the adaptable and friendly person she is, she naturally navigated to a fun group of total strangers that welcomed her with open arms. Through this chance meeting, she had a door opened to her for a job opportunity in Chicago for Discover as a facilities designer. “After my interview was over, I was hired on the spot”, recounts Acton. So, she up and moved to Chicago. While in the city and looking for some activities after work she decided to take a class. “I was always a crafty person – I’ve done everything including painting, crocheting, knitting, scrapbooking and so on but I had never tried weaving. I decided to take a class in 2005 and it was love at first weave.” In 2008 she took the leap of faith of all entrepreneurs, left the corporate world, and decided to make weaving her path.

In the beginning she did the things that all creatives are supposed to do. “I did retail. I did all the craft shows, art shows, fairs, and markets”, says Acton, “but my defining moment was at an out-of-state show. I paid $475 for my booth space, drove there, stayed at a hotel, had all the extra costs involved and ended up not even making back the cost of my booth space. On my ling drive back, I had a lot of time to think and decided that was the last time! I knew I needed to do something different with my weaving.” Since that time and especially with the onset of the pandemic, her focus has been more towards teaching and sharing her love of the art. “The pandemic was really kind of a blessing because it forced me to do things a bit out of my comfort zone which actually made it easier to do the demonstration and teaching aspect,” she stated.

When asked what inspires her, she replied, “I knew I loved weaving from that first class, and I want to be able to share the process and the love of the craft with others”. In case you haven’t caught an episode, you can follow her on Thursday mornings with her Facebook live called, “Live at the Loom”. This writer highly recommends it! She continued that she wants to dream bigger as well, “I would love to be doing a television show and traveling around interviewing other weavers. This is such an incredible art form, and it needs a champion! I want to be that champion.”

Her routine for everyday is to sit down in the morning with a cup of tea (her caffeine of choice) and her planner. Chris’ personal favorite is the Full Focus Planner. “I use a digital calendar to keep my appointments straight, but I still love a paper planner because it gives me accountability and mine even has a journaling component that keeps me focused and on track.” She stated. When asked what the best part is of what she does she didn’t even hesitate, “Hands down, when someone learns something from me. When they have that ‘ah-ha’ moment. If I can get someone excited and inspired, that’s what it’s all about.” On the flipside of that, the worst part, “Keeping up with everything that I’ve created. It’s both a blessing and a curse! I love everything I’m doing but because I’m my own boss and I can always say ‘not today’, I still know I must keep balance and perspective.”

When asked what advice she’d give to another woman entrepreneur she emphatically stated, “Follow your gut! You will most likely get advice from mentors or others you respect and admire, and that advice might be brilliant, but it may not be right for you. My caution is to not always accept advice; as well-meaning as it might be unless your gut tells you it’s right for you – and you will know.” Chris would like to be remembered simply as someone who was genuine. “I want to be remembered as someone that offered a quick smile to a stranger on the street or gave a hug to a friend that needed it. If I can or did make life easier or better for someone and I impacted people around me, I couldn’t ask for more than that.”

This writer is always intrigued by the answers to the question, “What is something no one knows about you”, but this answer was so interesting that I am sharing the Wikipedia page for those who might want to learn more. Believe me, it’s fascinating! “I have a great-great-great uncle on my father’s side who was quite famous in Japan”, was her response. He was a famous writer, translator, and teacher. His given name was Lafcadio Hearn but after marrying Koizumi Setsuko, the daughter of a local samurai family, he became a Japanese citizen and changed his name to Koizumi Yakumo. Chris added, “We were able to visit his hometown in Japan and we were all treated like celebrities. They even have a museum dedicated to him!” If you’d like to read more about Chris’ famous uncle here is the link.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafcadio_Hearn

When asked what her parting thoughts would be to our PWN members, again her response was quick, “Enjoy each other. When you really connect with someone, enjoy the time being present with them. The beauty of PWN is that it’s a vehicle for women to value each other. The more you get to know someone, the more you will value that relationship.”

If you’d like to learn more about Chris and her beautiful art of weaving or sign up for a class you can visit her Facebook page, You Tube channel @ActonCreative or her website at https://actoncreative.net