We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mirina Garoufalidis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mirina below.

Hi Mirina, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I think what makes the way I work different from a lot of people is my commitment to healing. Healing has been a necessary part of my work in owning a business as I deal with a lot of self-doubt & anxiety. Putting yourself out there is one of the fundamentals of growing clientele, and it’s hard to do that when your mind is self-sabotaging! That’s why healing is always, always part of my process.

The literal necessity of healing to run my business has also made self-care and rest equally important as the time I spent on my craft. Communicating when I’m dealing with grief or at capacity is one of the things that makes the way I operate radically different than the industry standard. We are human, we feel things, and *especially* as a creative, the power of what I make comes directly from how well I’m caring for myself.

The same applies to my clients. If you’re having a rough time, it makes no sense to try to push aside your needs to just get it done. I welcome my clients to show up as they are and to be honest about what’s affecting them. Having spent so long being treated as less than human in the restaurant industry, providing that base level care of “okay, we are living beings on this earth with needs that sometimes conflict with our productivity” makes a world of a difference to me.

Mirina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Graphic design work has a very personal touch to it. Most people come to me because they like my style for its artistic quality, my color choices and my love of patterns. I think the reason people stay is because of the level of care I give them. And in the future, I look forward to working with more people who share my values of decolonization, authenticity, community autonomy, and the pursuit of the full body “yes.”

My offerings to small business owners are brand design, website design, print marketing design and monthly design services. Through Mirina Designs I also share personal projects of mine with the world, like the hand-printed affirmations COMFY collection, or my Budgeting 101 zine.

I spent a large part of my life thinking my only valuable skills were in math and things that applied to stable, corporate jobs. While I’m still good at those things, I’d much rather put my energy towards building the future I want to see exist. I choose to value not only my STEM skills, but my abilities in creativity, care and authenticity. And now that I know my power, it’s my responsibility to share it with my community and help make our collective dreams come true.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

There are two things that gave me the cushion I needed to invest in my dreams: the first is restaurants, and the second is good old fashioned budgeting.

While I was in school, I had the privilege (and pressure) of having my rent paid by my father. I was desperate to escape this abusive relationship, I started working three nights a week at a restaurant. Over the course of four years, I painstakingly saved my money and I kept a weekly and monthly budget. I stressed out about going over budget and had the cheapest fun possible. But by the time I had graduated, I had a good chunk of money saved. This safety net, and financial independence from my abuser, gave me the freedom for the first time in my life to choose what I wanted.

Eventually, I decided to start Mirina Designs. I kept my night job and did design work during the day. Over time, as my clients have grown, I’ve pared down days at the restaurant. Balancing both can be really exhausting, but I much prefer being able to say no to clients I don’t want to work with, especially after having to put up with some really gross and creepy customers in restaurants for so many years.

As business has grown, I’ve learned how to set aside money from “high” periods to tide me over when things are slower. Last fall, for example, I was making a lot more than I normally do, but instead of spending it, I put it into this income cushion account. This allowed me to take a break from restaurants after that high-stress period, and also gave me padding earlier this year when things were a bit more tight. I actually learned that trick from a customer of mine at a restaurant years ago – she called it learning to ride the waves.

If you take anything away from what I’ve learned, it’s learn how to budget! The very basics of being intentional with your resources is a skill that lasts a lifetime. If you want a little help in that department, feel free to check out my Budgeting 101 zine, or hit me up for a coaching session (labor trades welcome).

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I grew up in an abusive household. Everything I was gifted with was seen as a threat. My honesty had the power to cut through the lies of manipulation. My creativity had the power to envision a future radically different than the one we lived in. My vulnerability had the power to unravel generations of trauma. All of this was seen as a threat to our patriarchal household, to the men who wanted to possess me, and to those who depended on institutions to validate their worth. The beat down was heavy. I was manipulated into thinking my greatest gifts were worthless. That I wasn’t allowed them. That valuing them meant I wouldn’t survive.

At age 21, for the first time in my life, I found financial freedom from my abuser. I got to experience choice, true choice, for the first time. Even though I didn’t know what my path was, I slowly became electrified with possibilities. I met people who showed me different worlds and different futures – coworkers at restaurants, leaders in the design justice world, and healers. I realized I didn’t have to follow the path that people driven by fear wanted me to choose. And so I chose something different. I chose to start a business.

What I’m most proud of is the courage I had to face the dark, the legacies of harm in my lineage. It takes a lot of strength to choose to become something you’ve never seen modeled before, like owning a business. And it was really hard to do that while my sense of self worth and my ability to speak up for myself was poisoned by 20 years of being abused.

I would never wish what I went through growing up on anybody else, and I certainly wouldn’t choose it again if I had the choice. But you can’t change the past, and what I do know is I’ve learned my freakin’ lesson. I’ll do everything I can to avoid those dynamics of manipulation and control because I know how sweet freedom tastes. My life & work are proof of how rewarding it is to lean into my honesty, my creativity, and my vulnerability.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mirinadesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirinadesigns/

Image Credits
Photography & Design © Mirina Garoufalidis