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

Makayla, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

The greatest legacy I want to leave is on my spouse and my children. I want to leave a legacy example of faith, hope, and compassion. Each day, I want to strive to teach my family to honor God, and one another, and to love people well. It is important to teach my children that success is not just measured by how much money you can make. I want to teach them that success comes from the plans God has written for our lives and established for us to pursue.  I want to leave a legacy that equips them to give back to the community and utilize the gifts, dreams, and talents they were given to uplift the lives around them. I hope my legacy stamp would be that my family, friends, and community remained encouraged, challenged, supported, and loved by me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Hi friends, My name is Makayla Harris. I am a wife, friend, creative, writer, and mother of two beautiful brown children. I would say my life as a writer and creative has been forming for a lifetime through school and community. Currently, I have proudly launched my first published Christian children’s book through Barnes & Noble titled; ‘I Can Be The Light.‘ I became interested in reading children’s books all over again as I did as a little girl after giving birth to my daughter. Whenever I would read with my firstborn, it would take me back to the times my mother used to take me to the library. I remember sitting on the floor diving into books and checking out my first Junie B. Jones series.

Getting into the children’s book industry started with me creating custom-made children’s books. I sat down and designed a book that directly served my daughter in her first year of life. I shared the photo of the book on Facebook and started to get inquiries. From there, I took orders to create custom children’s books in 2020; the year of the pandemic. Two years later, my husband Marquis gave me a nudge and encouraged me to publish ‘I Can Be The Light’ that I wrote and designed. I was originally going to create another custom children’s book out of it but the encouragement from my Marquis pushed me to pursue the publishing route.

At the time, I was hesitant to do that because I was already familiar with the process of creating a custom children’s book. I gave it some thought and decided to take a chance to officially publish my first book. Each day, I designed the pages of the book; learned to properly format, and add additional details that would allow me to publish. I am proud of taking the leap and becoming a published children’s book author. I believe I have unlocked doors to help others who want to publish their children’s books. I want aspiring children’s book authors to know that the process can be fun, inviting, and beautiful even when you don’t know how it will all come together. Creativity starts with an idea. We then decide how we will execute what is placed on our hearts to do.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think sometimes non-creatives struggle to understand that creatives are always pivoting and constantly evolving with their ideas. Creatives carry a lot of different gifts and talents and it can be complicated trying to find your place in who you are called to serve. For example, in one season, I was serving only creative moms. I launched a business; Creative Moms Corners, that ran from 2020 to 2022. I felt God tug my heart to let the creative venture go. At the time, I didn’t understand why until I realized that a lot of the business was wrapped around my identity as a first-time mother. As I was growing in motherhood, I was growing out of things that brought me joy in fulfillment in my first two years at home with my children. I needed to pivot where my creative efforts were evolving so I wouldn’t remain stagnant, confused, and comfortable. Creatives are pivoting because they are trying to figure out what works for them or other times they are pivoting because they are called to something new. Had I not laid down the first creative venture, I would have not had the space or capacity to focus on getting into the children’s book publishing industry. Sometimes creatives outgrow how they serve in one season so that they can walk confidently in the new space they are destined to make an impact.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being creative is the ability to go at a pace that is fitting for my home. As I went through a lot of different adjustments after leaving the workplace in 2019, I appreciate how I can serve my family while pursuing the things I am passionate about. It is rewarding to see my toddler pick up the things her parents are investing in like; podcasting, book writing, and even speaking. Our children also get to witness how we lead, love, and care for the home while we grow in our passions. Lastly, it is rewarding to climb through challenges and new obstacles because you’re better equipped to help another creative person who may be enduring a season of hardship or a growth process that you just came out of.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.makaylasharris.com
• Instagram: @makaylasimoneh
• Facebook: facebook.com/makaylasharris