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

Hi Lani, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
As far as my creative career goes; well let’s just say that it pursued me. About 6 years ago I was stuck in life. I knew I needed to advance in my career but there wasn’t an opportunity for that with the company I was with. I had also missed so much of my son’s life that I wanted to make time to be with him. This meant I would have to start my own business and create a lifestyle conducive to an artist’s schedule. For me as an artist 9 to 5 wasn’t doable. Some months I’m a night owl, and some months I enjoy working during the day. 

Let me share some of the background story of how I got to where I am now. It was the day of my son’s 8th grade graduation and we came home to find my car repossessed, I was laid off my job; the real kicker was that my son and I were evicted all in one day. I guess you could say that God was telling me that it was time for a drastic lifestyle change and that if I didn’t take this opportunity to pursue my “creative career”, then I would never have the chance again. 

With my parents’ help and the $500 to my name; (no I’m not ashamed to say I asked family for help) my son and I moved to the desert, I got an office space and started my creative journey. Now six years later and I have grown my business tenfold. I am able to employ other artists and have the ability to work from home and enjoy a creative lifestyle that works for me. To those of you with creative dreams, use my testimony as an inspiration to yourself, that anything is possible. 

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Urban Charm LLC is a design and brand development boutique specializing in creative direction, consulting, product development and ethical manufacturing solutions made in USA. Let us help inspire your next creative project or product. Our motto is “If you can dream it, together we can create and manufacture it.” I believe what sets us apart from the others is that we are a full service design studio. We will help your project from a sketch on a napkin; to full launch of your business. We have experts in all fields ready to assist. 

I would have to say that the thing I am most proud of is myself. It takes a lot of sacrifice and drive to keep a creative business going. Being an artist is one thing, but owning a creative business as an artist is a whole different ball game. It was a huge learning curve and quite frankly still is. The fact that I still believe in my business and myself after 6 years says a lot about what I am capable of. This makes me proud of what I have created for others and myself and vow to never give up. 

How did I get here, business-wise? Hmm, well lots of hard work. I’d say the most prominent thing is taking huge risks and totally facing my fears. I overcame the hard days by reminding myself that there are always two options at any given moment. The first is going backwards; usually never a good idea. Second, to move forward. I guess what I would like the world to know about my story is that I am a survivor. With this said; follow your dreams; no matter what the struggle and always believe in yourself. 

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is just about every flavor of food and outdoor activities to enjoy at the beach where I live. Yearly sunshine, kayaking, paddle boarding, bike riding, yoga and daily farmers markets are just a few of the things to enjoy.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Well that’s easy, I want to shout out to my family for all their love and continued support throughout my creative journey. No matter what hardship, they are always there to help me. If you have that in life, never take it for granted. Check out some of the cool stuff we do over at The Urban Charm. www.theurbancharm.com XO, Lani Harmony 

Website: www.theurbancharm.com
Instagram: instagram.com/theurbancharm
Linkedin: Lani Harmony
Twitter: twitter.com/theurbancharm
Facebook: facebook.com/theurbancharm

Image Credits
Image Credits: Tiann Lee Healing The Urban Charm The Blue Collection AMK Jewelry Concepts

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