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

Latoya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I am a balloon stylist, so my craft involves working with balloons. I initially learned by reading an instruction manual that came with a balloon kit purchased on Amazon. The instructions seemed simple (inflate balloon, then insert into the ballon strip); however the outcome didn’t look much like the inspiration photo. From there, I started looking at videos on “Youtube University” which provided a vast collection of tutorials from multiple artists. After understanding the basics, I just went through a lot of trial and error until I found what worked best for me. Knowing what I know now, I would have enrolled in an in-person course to get hands-on experience from the beginning. The most essential skill to this craft is patience. This is definitely an art form that can be learned, but it’s important to take time to learn the products and installation methods, and take a step back to see your work during the process. The largest obstacle that stood in my way was Fear. I was afraid to reach out for help and I was afraid to spend money on classes. However, they were both misconceptions; not only that, they were the essential tools I needed for my business to grow.

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’m Latoya Murray, a Balloon Stylist who services the greater Charlotte, NC region. I’m a firm believer in celebrating even the little things in life and I help my clients create memories that will last a lifetime. I love creating balloon designs that WOW and bring joy and excitement. I started by decorating for my family’s events (birthday parties, business launches, etc.). However, at one event for a friend, the installation received so much interest that I established my business the following week and started accepting orders. I love creating balloon designs for all occasions from birthdays to corporate events. Even before the event, I design images for my customers to review; which ensures I deliver a product that meets their expectations.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It brings me so much joy to see the shock on my clients’ faces when I’m complete. Balloon installations have become a luxury product that definitely elevate any event. However I offer products at different price points to meet the needs of various budgets.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My business launched in 2019, and shortly after the world was shut down due to a pandemic that put a halt to all celebrations. This could have easily been a defeating moment that ended my business, however I choose to pivot and provide new products. I started “contact-less” deliveries where I would drop off balloons, install a balloon pole in a yard, or setup balloons outdoors for drive by celebrations. This became a big hit because birthdays did not stop and babies were still coming soon! People still needed to celebrate various life events, so we just needed to find new ways to get it done.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jldesignsonline.com
• Instagram: Jldesigns_charlotte
• Facebook: Jldesigns_charlotte

Image Credits
Ted Hargrove