Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mian Le. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Mian, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I actually started my creative business by accident. I was trying to find cool pieces for my apartment when decorating and really wanted a burger coaster for drinks in my living room. None of the ones online were what I was looking for so I decided to buy some air dry clay and create my own. I finished the piece and loved how it turned out. I wondered if anyone else had the same need as me so I made a DIY TikTok on how to make the burger coaster and it went viral the moment I posted it! I saw the views and was in disbelief.

Mian, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born in Vietnam and moved to the United States, to Los Angeles and recently became a citizen. I was in school and recently started a few businesses to pursue my dreams of entrepreneurship and owning something that can help my family for generations. My creative outlet is my etsy store Miss Mians Makes.

I am an avid clay creator and love creating things from my childhood or items I want and cant find. I am influenced by childhood cartoons and things that represent my culture like fake food art.

I make sure every piece I create for a customer is perfect and even frustrate myself with my perfectionist ways! But in the end when I see a customer message me telling me how much they love it, its always worth it.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

One resource I wished I had tapped into earlier was my everyday life and where I come from. From shows I watch to things I eat to the ordinary things around me. Don’t ever look too far for inspiration when getting creative, let it come natural and the ideas are the simple things.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding feeling by far of being a creative is having your work displayed in peoples homes all over the world. When I see orders on my store from places outside the country it gets me so inspired to do more. Seeing the comments on my viral work telling me new ideas to try and what they love about the creations is so exciting and fun!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Missmian
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missmian/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@missmian