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

Mia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I dropped out of architecture school after a semester, to become a “yoga instructor.” At least that’s what I told myself at the time, to make it sound like I knew what my path would be. Up until that point, I was living a normal life shaped by how my asian immigrant parents expected me to be.

My biggest interests at the time was yoga & astrology. As a Scorpio Sun, born on a full moon, I am definitely someone who is “all or nothing” with everything I do. It feels like I broke a generational curse, pursuing my childhood dreams by becoming a full-time artist, rather than wasting my time at a corporate job like everyone else. I knew when I dropped out, I could not see myself working my soul away at a 9 to 5. Art was the last thing my parents wanted me to pursue. I basically went from being a straight-A honor roll student to a big disappointment in their world. That’s when I knew, I needed to leave home.

So I moved to Hawaii by myself in 2017. I changed my name from Margaret to “Mia” because to me, it stands for “I am.” I found myself working on an organic farm on the westside of Oahu, in exchange for free rent & eating directly from the land we tended to. I lived in a tent in a small art village for a month, and that was the best month of my life. I was blissed out on nature & the island mana all the time. That was the first time, I felt free to be whoever I wanted to be.

The last week I stayed at the farm, the owners let me paint a mural outside, which was the first time I picked up a paintbrush in a long time. I could feel the voice of my inner child talking to me. Being constantly told what I ‘can’t do’ growing up, made her unhappy. It took me further away from knowing who I was. So I answered my calling, and I booked a one-way to Maui. And that’s where my spiritual journey began. I healed forgotten parts of my past & resolved deep emotional wounds from my early years.

That’s when the name of my business was created: Mia Phoenix Art. The old me was gone. I felt like a phoenix rising from the ashes of what felt like many many lifetimes of cultural programming. I told myself I was done with art many times before. But the more I healed, the more I kept returning to what brought me peace & joy.

3 or 4 years after naming my brand, I learned that my middle name, which is also my mom’s, translates exactly to “Phoenix.” I could not believe she waited so long to tell me, but my intuition already knew it somehow! I never liked my middle name growing up, but now I realize that it was all destiny and part of God’s plan. Basically my art is a reflection of my soul, and I am grateful for whoever feels connected to it.

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

My business is a culmination of all the beautiful things I love: visionary art that is inspired by nature, magical dreamworlds & celestial realms. I practice daily meditation, as well as sun gazing, which is where I get a lot of my inspiration and visions of “Heaven on Earth” from. I love paining etheric worlds because it brings my soul to a place of peace, which I hope to share with others.

I am also a devoted astrologer of over 8+ years. I have a Taurus Moon in my 12th House, so I really enjoy tapping into my creativity by making tangible works of art, through which I hope to bring more Venusian beauty & higher frequencies to this world. As someone who never leaves the house without my crystals, I also recently got into jewelry-making just over 2 years ago. My jewelry brand is Indigo Sol Tribe on Etsy.

I love mermaid-inspired aesthetics, so I make wire-wrapped crystal jewelry with freshwater pearls. My art is a reminder that life is beautiful, if we learn to appreciate Mother Nature & all her gifts. The ocean is forever my muse. God loves you :)

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My partner Ahmad is the one who got me to consider being a full time artist. He is also an artist, more specifically makes music. And he has always encouraged me to keep going on my creative path. We met at my first job, before I left New Orleans, which is our hometown. This was right before I moved to Hawaii. We started out as friends who had a lot in common, which naturally over time grew into life partners.

Our dream is to build a life together, making art full-time, along with investing in stocks & daytrading in the futures market. I think having a partner who really supports you, as a woman, is super important. He keeps me grounded and level-headed through all the challenges of running our own businesses.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

After losing my job at a vegan cafe in Maui, during Covid, I decided to pursue art full-time. That’s when I opened my Etsy Shop: MiaPhoenixArt, which made me realize how much work actually goes into running an online art business. As a millennial, I’m no expert at social media or marketing, so it was a slow start at first. I worked from home for a whole year until I ran out of my unemployment funds & savings. I eventually had to go find a regular job to pay the bills.

And that’s when I landed at my favorite job ever. I worked at a henna shop right by the ocean for 2 years, in a tourist town, Lahaina. It was a 45-minute commute to work, but the views was surreal, I can’t even complain. I met a lot of interesting people there, and got to watch the whales breach during whale season. It felt like a dream. It also happened to be the highest paying job I ever worked, and my first commission-based gig. The best part was I got to draw on people for a living. I would work a double shift during busy season and make over $1000 in a day. Then the Lahaina fires happened, and the entire town was burned down… that’s a different story for another day. I took it as a sign that it was time to leave the islands; but I am forever grateful for the 7 years I got to spend there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MiaPhoenixArt
• Instagram: mia.phoenix.art
• Twitter: https://x.com/miaofsirius
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/MiaofSirius
• Other: My partner and I’s Etsy shop for Crystals, Jewelry & Spiritual Creations: https://www.etsy.com/shop/IndigoSolTribe

Image Credits

Mia Phoenix