We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Danielle MORRIS. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Danielle below.

Danielle , appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I never really thought of myself as possessing an entrepreneurial spirit until I stumbled upon my passion with Ardor. I have always been creative but just never found what I was actually good at. I have learned that the world is filled with risk and uncertainty, which these days, that feels truer than ever. However, it’s important not to give in to fear. Fear clouds your judgment and can take away your view of the big picture. While struggling to pay student loan debt, I had been following the Dave Ramsey plan, working overtime; doing everything I could to stay afloat. During this time my mental health was also suffering, just doing what I could to survive and get through each day. Which in result lead to a massive mental breakdown, this world can be overwhelming, exhausting if you are just going through the motions of everyday life. It took quite a bit of time, life altering experiences and decisions to get back on track. What started out as a hobby and outlet evolved into so much more because I took risks to get there.
Along with working in Dialysis, I devoted time to what is now my side business, Ardor Creations. I am most proud to offer my memorial pieces such as shirts, resin angle babies, memorial resin keepsakes and cremation jewelry. I will briefly convey that I am no stranger to grief. The pain is, at times, unbearable. Therefore, I have chosen to make beauty out of ashes. The feeling of connection is what keeps us healing and moving forward.
As quoted from Barbara Ann Corcoran, “Don’t you dare underestimate the power of your own instinct.” Deep down, you’ll know if your ideas are good enough to pursue. Any blips along the way are opportunities to learn, not reasons to give up. Of course, I have taken many risks along the way. I have always doubted myself and could never figure out what my talent was. I had come to the conclusion that I just didn’t have one. I would pray about this and that I wanted to find something that could help financially as well as find something I’m passionate about and able to make some kind of difference.
Making the decision to go for it and to take that risk is a step that many people never get to. It’s the most overwhelming part. Once you decide to move on to the next steps, everything will start flowing from there. You will face every new challenge as they arise. I left it in God’s hands, and I trust his plans.
If you push through that feeling of being scared, that feeling of taking a risk, really amazing things can happen. Not all risks pay off, but if you learn to be an optimistic risk taker, you can look at failure as an opportunity to learn. As Michael Stelzner puts it, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” As I am learning, there is rarely a chance for a business to evolve while avoiding risks. I always strive to keep Proverbs 3:5 in mind, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” Unfortunately, when we tend to rely on ourselves for guidance it often causes more issues due to selfish behavior.
God has blessed me with the opportunity of being able to establish Ardor Creations LLC. I never imagined my work could offer some sort of healing and peace to grieving loved ones. Working with people to bring their visions to life and being detail oriented is what I love doing and is what sets me apart from the rest.
“What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, What if you fly?” Erin Hanson.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am most proud to offer my memorial pieces such as shirts, resin angle babies, memorial resin keepsakes and cremation jewelry. I also offer custom tumblers, pens, key chains and other misc. items. When I discovered the world of vinyl printing. I learned everything I could and ventured into making custom shirts. With this I created a lot of memorial shirts which I loved doing. I eventually ventured into other areas such as sublimation, tumblers, jewelry-cremation jewelry and resin work. I am privileged when I am given the opportunity to keep memories alive of a loved one. I enjoy giving back and doing what I can to brighten someone’s day or to try to make some sort of difference in this crazy world. My goal is to spread positivity, hope and love.
It was very slow going, building from nothing. However, since I started Ardor, my main focus has been to be able to slow down and take the time to know my customers and what they are wanting. I strive to go above and beyond their expectations. I believe this is what helps to set me apart from others. If you’re excited, the customer is excited. Being passionate about what you do is what it’s all about. Surrounding yourself with people who will inspire and support you to be the best version of yourself is essential. Having the support of family and friends has helped tremendously. What started out as a way to stay afloat and to pay student loans turned out to be something I absolutely love doing. It’s not just a business to me, it’s my happy place. Which is why with the help of my closest friend and I, named my Business Ardor Creations, Ardor meaning enthusiasm and passion, which seems very fitting.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resilience takes passion, which is where the name for my business came from. The definition of Ardor is passion and enthusiasm. Resilience requires devotion, determination and focus. If you are armed with resilience, no one will be able to stop you from achieving your goals. I have failed and fallen more times than I would like to admit, however, Sir Winston Churchill said it best, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” If I hadn’t failed so many times, I wouldn’t have gained the experience and I wouldn’t have realized how resilient I needed to be to grow into something so much more. Meeting challenges is part of the path to success. It’s how you deal with hardships and what you do to overcome them. Resilience is a matter of choice and determination; it’s the capability to overcome hardships without giving up, no matter what.
I am still learning that resilience is crucial for any entrepreneur. Starting a business is not always about achieving success, but also about the ability to face, overcome and recover from many obstacles. Having a clear vision of what you want to achieve, is essential. Albert Einstein once said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

No matter how tough life gets, you have to find a way to keep going. And that’s what resilience is all about. Resilience is the ability to come back from hard times. My business, Ardor Creations has been my outlet, what started out as a hobby and a way to escape has evolved into so much more. It’s my happy place and I’m privileged to be able to share it with others.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I don’t have a significant social media presence; however, I would have to say, being persistent is essential. There was a long period of time where I would not get much interaction on my social media for my business. I knew getting discouraged was not the answer and decided to post consistently but with a purpose, knowing that one day it will pay off. It goes without saying that content needs to appeal to your target audience and have great visuals. Show that you’re there to genuinely engage with people and you’ll start getting responses and interaction. I made sure to branch out and create a business page on all platforms and created a website. My husband and I also vend a lot of reptile expos which has been amazing exposure for my business. Networking and actually getting to know my audience has been vital. I have learned, it’s about the quality of your audience, not its size. I would recommend continuing finding ways to bring value, and the followers will come. I strive for relationships, not followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: Ardorcreationsbydee.com
• Instagram: Ardorcreations
• Facebook: Ardorcreationsbydee
• TikTok: @ardorcreationsdee