We were lucky to catch up with Destiny Harris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Destiny, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Since I was a little girl, I have always been into arts and crafts. When the global pandemic started in 2020, I lost my retail job because all of the local stores closed down. So after I finished the last of my virtual high school classes, I had a lot of free time on my hands. As always, I resorted to diving back into my creativity. I never really had time to teach myself how to do anything besides painting, occasionally, because I was more focused on academics, but I had decided not to go to college when I graduated because I was not sure if I could commit to the uncertainty of the world at the time. I had just recently learned how expensive college actually was during a financial class I took in my senior year and the pandemic made leaving the house seem terrifying. So, I took the little money I had left in my bank account and ordered some jewelry-making supplies on amazon. This order consisted of the cheapest stone heart-shaped charms and some hemp cord. From there I taught myself how to tie certain knots with the cord to make an adjustable necklace. My mom put my necklaces on Facebook and we sold them to some close friends and family. I realized how relaxing and calming jewelry-making was and over time it taught me a lot of patience. Soon after I was inspired to dive into more creative fields like resin pouring, clay molding, and crochet. There is so much more that I want to explore before I return to my academics, but I know that as long as I can learn, I am valuable in any field.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Destiny, and I am the creator of DeAli Creations. My business is centered around the idea of versatility, creativity, and not conforming to the usual standards of working a 9-5. It’s the idea that you can follow your dreams, see the world, and learn new things every day. I want my supporters to know that they are more than how society perceives them and that they are, at the root, creators. This is related to my business because I don’t want to stop at making jewelry. I want to learn all that I can learn and be all that I know I can be. The hardest part was taking myself and my business seriously. Eventually your close friends and family don’t buy any more products from you and you have to seek support elsewhere, but you have to keep going until you find your community as I found mine at my first few vending opportunities. Now I have the confidence to set up a table anywhere and sell my goods. I also sell my products online, and even though it is slower than selling in person for me, I’ve still had the amazing opportunity to sell jewelry to states other than Pennsylvania and Florida, and even Puerto Rico!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Toward the end of 2021, right before DeAli Creations was almost put on the shelves, an emergency came up that caused me to have to move away suddenly from my endless opportunities in Orlando. I was very heartbroken that I had to leave the community that welcomed me so excitingly. I had to leave all of my products, signage, and supplies in Florida which put a halt on my business. Eventually, I started working a 9-5 and I was able to start all over again. Slowly I was able to get more supplies and make new and better products, and I had my first couple of vending events in my home city, Philadelphia. I am not yet doing as many events as I would like, but I do plan on one day going full-time.

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

My social media accounts got the most attraction when I attended events around the city. When a person checked out my table, I always asked for online support, even if they did not purchase anything from me at the time. I would gain at least 20 followers at each event. Even if I did not make any profit at an event, I would always be grateful for the exposure because I has a chance to introduce myself to potential supporters in person. This created active followers who liked and shared my post online, and eventually, their friends, and their friends friends would all support my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: DeAlicreations.com
• Instagram: @DeAliCreations
• Facebook: DeAli Creations
• Youtube: DessiAliyah

Image Credits
I own all of the rights to these images.