We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Lanne a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I am! I spent many years trying to elude it, wanting others to adult for me, or others be in charge. When I finally learned that the role was meant for me…that was when I started to flourish and enjoy being the boss. It’s a difficult and challenging role as part of the role is dealing with a lot problems ( especially in retail, production, vendors) and many times I think or “fantasize” about just having a regular 9-5 job but those thoughts are quickly dashed…

as this is my path and as a creative it would feel defeating not being able to express myself in my own voice and by my own terms.

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

I am primarily an artist/ painter. I have always been interested in interior design with a lean towards anything antique and vintage flair.
I create every day. Largely in my studio, that’s the genesis for my ideas and designs.
Next is creating product, which designs work best or which don’t.
Finding vendors and production is extremely challenging especially working within a specific price point and budget.
Currently I offer mainly home decor. Original art of course …Pillows, printed backdrops , some accessories bags, scarves etc.
my own brand and vibe I think comes across organically which makes it unique to me.
Almost unintentionally..

Over the years I have evolved into offering my own product line… it took some time.

My initial dream was to have a large company offer my artwork designs on product, but when that didn’t happen I realized it was my role to offer my own line of products.
I work really hard to offer products that are original and tell my story. Products that have an heirloom sensibility to them.
Products that span trends, but aren’t trendy…. and feel a bit classic and nostalgic with heirloom sensibilities.
I’m proud to say I now have a registered trademark to help further my brand and aesthetic.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As a creative, it’s fair to say that I’ve had my share critiques and crushing rejections. Even in times when I feel I’ve tried the hardest. It’s getting knocked down that makes you reevaluate what went wrong and pivot and readjust. Not to say you should change to “fit in” but hold a mirror up to see what if anything went wrong… and where I have the control over to make better, edit and improve. Some of the hardest lessons have been the most incredibly helpful.

Getting back up every.single.time and taking the rejection as a learning opportunity instead of defeat.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to learn was that there is no guarantee and nothing should be set in stone. Even if you do the work there’s no guarantee it will get you the results you had hoped for , it goes with being resilient and willing to go with the flow. If a door doesn’t open it’s not your door You might need to abandon that idea and go in a new direction.

I’ve learned that being too rigid will stifle you. Same has applied to being creative and not getting stuck in a rut. Being able to evolve and change also helps keep your audience engaged.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.jenniferlanne.com
• Instagram: Jenniferlanne.studio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.lanne
• Linkedin: Jennifer Lanne

Image Credits
Jennifer Lanne