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

Hi Melissa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I can’t imagine a life without risk. Many people in business practice a ready, aim, fire approach to decision making. I’m sure that overall this approach provides a stable, lucrative existence but that is not who I am. I fire and see where the chips fall, which is not something I worked at, it is how I am wired. I am not afraid of failure or concerned with opinion which is very freeing. I have certainly failed throughout the process but that is always the greatest lesson. Life is short, take the risk!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I will be moving full-time to a ranch I’ve been building over the last two years (@ranchymcranch) where I will be making goods out of the barn I’ve turned into a studio. I am incorporating worldwide artisan handicraft with my own work in a limited availability drop format on Instagram this Spring. I’ve been a creative and a maker since I was a child. Between cutting up my clothes in Kindergarten to get a one shoulder flashdance shirt to traveling globally and running my own business has not been an easy or direct route. I was and English major in college and ended up as a couture upholsterer in London. My path has also included a ton of horrible jobs, awful managers and clock punching. I can enjoy the success of today with enormous gratitude because of the dues I paid and work I put in. I don’t think there is an end goal…just continuing to create and surrounding myself with like minded individuals.

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.
In Laguna Beach, I’d say the hiking and beach days top the list. Laguna Beach has one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. I’d get coffee at Zinc, lunch on the terrace at Zeytoon or at Ahba and a burrito from La Sirena or Sushi near main beach. In Santa Ynez, I’d invite you to come on over for some meditation and help me groom our rescue horses. We could spend the day in the studio botanically dyeing and sewing. Dinner would be at SY Kitchen or Industrial Eats and we’d head back to the ranch to sit around the fire pit. The next day you’d visit the wineries, maybe hike Lover’s Loop or horseback ride through the valley with Vino Vaqueros. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Energy begets energy and I am surrounded by supportive, smart people that make me want to be my best version. My biggest teachers have been my husband, my children, my bosses (good and bad) and a decision to give up drinking 7 years ago.

Website: www.brasstackstudio.com

Instagram: @brass_tack also @ranchymcranch

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