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

Hi Leila, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I love my business, sometimes it feels like it has its own soul, like a friend that I have grown alongside over the years. I began this business somewhat by accident, and very much on the side, in 2018. I was working full time as a graphic designer for museums and I found myself urgently reigniting my art practice after two decades away from it.

I started making small, simple artful vignettes that blossomed into abstract patterns that mused on playful relationships between bold shapes and colors. I was delighted to find myself in a position where people wanted to see the patterns that I was making on products that they could bring into their lives. The business started with a calendar of my 12 favorite patterns, which sold out very quickly. I expanded to other stationery, then to framed prints, wallpaper and homewares. Now my business is at the center of my worklife and I couldn’t be happier.

Making your passion into your full time job comes with many challenges. But so does holding a more traditional job. There are pros and cons to both. When I’m overwhelmed by juggling all the different elements of running a business and parenting (especially in an economy that doesn’t seem to value small business) I find myself fantasizing about going back to a more traditional job. When that fantasy comes up I usually know that I just need a break, some time in the woods, or simply to just phone a fellow small business owner friend.

I appreciate that I can experiment, expand and evolve. I’m always growing and so is the business, and that’s extremely satisfying to me.

Leila, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m an abstract artist and pattern designer, selling table linens, homewares, wallpaper, and stationery through my online shop. My unique, adventurous patterns and joyful color combinations are designed to energize homes and encourage play.

My artwork and products invite people to adorn their homes and lives with visual elements that reminds them to slow down, look deeper, and remember that joy is allowed and necessary!

I love creating objects that people can mix and match in their own way, express their own creativity and create something entirely new. My work appeals to folks who decorate in a maximalist, pattern clashing aesthetic as well as folks who prefer a more neutral, minimalist aesthetic with just a pop of color and pattern. As a designer I embody both aesthetics, it’s important to me to offer patterns that stimulate thought and excitement as well as patterns that offer rest and simplicity.

I love to connect directly with customers and hear how they integrate my art and products into their lives, it always sparks new ideas and new work.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell on multiple platforms and channels because diversifying income streams works best for me. For retail my main focus is my own Shopify site, but I also sell on Etsy to connect with buyers that I might not otherwise connect with. For wholesale I sell on Faire. And I occasionally sell in person at markets, events and open studios. I am currently exploring additional channels as my business expands. (I avoid anything to do with Amazon because its values don’t align with mine.)

Each sales channel has it’s own purpose and benefits. I learn different lessons from each one that inform decisions I make on the others. I was worried that customers would be confused, but in my experience, most customers are only aware of one or two of my channels. I have consistent loyal customers on each of my sales channels and I treat them all with immense gratitude and respect.

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

I have had to unlearn perfectionism, which really is just fear in disguise. I strive for imperfection and experimentation, rooted in the concept that Georgia O’Keeffe expresses so beautifully: “I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” For many years I wanted to wait until a product or business process was perfect before launching, sharing or starting, but this created a lot of stagnation and frustration for me. Now I try to move with more curiosity and an attitude of: this might work, let’s find out. I try to have gratitude for things that don’t end up working in my business, and see them as redirections that move me closer to what is more aligned.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leilasimonhayes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilasimonhayes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leilasimonhayes/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/leilasimonhayes/_created

Image Credits

All images by Cassis Brown