Meet Leslie Fuentes: Designer & Founder at Haus of Astral // ModernWoman LA

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leslie Fuentes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leslie, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Although I’ve always been interested and involved in ‘creative’ fields since I was 13 or so, I actually wanted a more formal path. I always felt like a career in the creative field was extremely risky because the art / design world is too subjective at the end of the day. But life had other plans for me after constantly attempting to be more administrative focused. I always joke, ‘I wanted to do Marketing but ended up in Design’. But it isn’t an accident, my passion does remain in all things design and function, so although my original perception of a creative career was jaded by fear, it is what I’m supposed to be doing. Me owning my own Creative house of all things creativity, design, and marketing has allowed me to expand and truly embody the many layers of myself. I’m not a marketer without my design skills and Im not a designer without my marketing skills — It all connects at one point.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Before I ever had developed Modern Woman LA, I had Astral. Working full-time in corporate and attempting to develop my business was definitely an experience and in 2016, I put a small pause on Astral and focused my efforts on Modern Woman LA. But Astral has always been a part of my identity as a creative / designer. To me, design is a form of spirituality experience and I feel like in most industries (until recently), the lack of authentic creative freedom had started to decrease because of business. But there is ways to balance both areas with the proper organization and preparedness. I hope to combine everything I am and represent creators that feel the same way as I do. It’s a constant challenge, but nothing great comes from comfort zone and me believing in the one thing I feared the most, is a start to greatness within myself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The best places in Los Angeles are the ones that are in the pockets of the communities that are often overlooked. I’d take my friends over to the Alameda swap meet (if it was post quarantine) or explore some hidden gardens, which those that know, KNOW how beautiful they are, eat chicken wings in watts or pick up some Jalapeño and ham stuffed bolillo from south central. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My upbringing was nothing short of complicated, and although I could live my life wanting to forget the unfortunate moments, I actually embrace EVERYTHING I’ve been through — It made me resilient x100. It made me devoted to growth, to expanding, learning, and discovering. But the biggest take of everything? Being grateful for the people in my life that have believed in me. Scarcity living in a young mind can definitely humble you as an adult, you know what it’s like to not receive, so anytime that anyone has mentioned my name in rooms that have became opportunities for my career, it truly means the world to me, I really appreciate these moments and these people. As for shoutouts, I would want to give a little love to my LoveMade family, my Gasolina family, my childhood friends, some new ones, my aunt, my 4 sisters, and my mom. A very special mention to those closest to me though, Tony, Yasmin, Tina, Hailey, Milton and Diego — They’ve been crucial to the overcoming of some of the lowest points in my life buy have also been there to listen or support me during the greatest, and like I said, I will never forget this.

Website: www.hausofastral.com

Instagram: @hausofastral

Twitter: @fuentleslie