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

Shamya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

This summer my good friend, Claudia, hosted my going away party. I moved from Wichita to Chicago for art school at the end of August and a week before I left my sister, my close friends and I gathered to celebrate this accomplishment. Sunset was the theme with the idea of the “sun setting on this chapter of life”. Everyone dressed in their favorite radiant sunset color, and we had food and drinks to match. It was so special to have these people who showed up in various parts of my journey all in one space basking in good energy and good times. It was so thoughtful and kind of Claudia to host the party at her house, decorate so beautifully to the Sunset theme and ensure that everything ran smoothly. I couldn’t imagine a better exit from that chapter of life into the next.

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?

I have always had good taste and a sense of style combined with an overall enjoyment of fashion. I appreciate silhouettes and texture and I love color so becoming a fashion designer was a dream placed in my heart around 8-10 years old. It actually materialized in 2020 when I began sewing again and wanted tote bags that were more “aesthetically pleasing” than the ones I owned. That is when i created SB Myndful, handmade accessories made to compliment your beautiful life. I am self-taught in my sewing technique as I got much of my knowledge from YouTube university but to supplement that I am now a freshman Fashion Studies major at Columbia College Chicago.

I hand make Earth-toned tote bags and headbands. The tote bags are made with functionality in mind; they’re adjustable and sometimes reversible. An emerging staple of SB Myndful tote bag designs is the presence of patchwork and color blocking. The Lil’ Halo and The Halo Band are our stretchy, yet snug, and extremely soft textured headbands. They also come in a variety of Earth-toned colors, some muted and some slightly more vibrant. I always emphasize that SB Myndful is handmade. I pour a lot of time and dedication into each item with love embedded in every stitch. I don’t make these items for the sake of it, I make them because I believe in them. I believe in their beauty, their function, and their essence. SB Myndful is currently in hibernation mode. Since I’m in my first semester of college, I decided to step away from my brand so that I can focus on my education. I’ve already learned so much that I can use to help me in elevating my brand and overall creativity.

I believe my optimism is one of my most defining qualities. I am able to view situations from a big-picture view and through optimism, I can recognize that everything is temporary and that all setbacks are essential for my progression. Deepika Chopra defines optimism as a combination of curiosity and resilience, two qualities I have in abundance. Rather than staying down when things are going less than ideal, I get curious about what I can learn from the situation, and how it will in turn work out in my best interest. There is a lesson in everything and that’s what keeps me moving forward.

I feel most proud when I can serve as an inspiration to people around me, especially my family. Through my personal growth and evolution, I have witnessed the shifts in the mindset and lifestyle of my loved ones. I cherish being able to enjoy my family as we all step deeper into our worthiness, truth, and love. Nothing makes me happier than the ones I love going after what they want in life.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Okay, so boom. It’s my first time doing a traditional market. It’s the end of May and it’s been raining all week leading up to Sunday. I prepared myself as best as I knew how but for whatever reason, I never thought I needed a tent… The morning of the event, the forecast shows a 0% chance of rain and so I’m feeling good. I’m excited, I had been preparing my products for a month and had a wide array of products. I had a very good feeling about the event, and I was so excited to execute it. I get set up and everyone has a tent and I ask the organizer if tents were provided…they were not. I shrug it off and set up my display proudly.

As soon as the event begins, so does a drizzle of rain that eventually turns into a steady fall of rain. I’m keeping my cool as much as possible but I’m freaking out internally. I brought a tarp to cover my products in case of rain (still never considering a tent), and so I cover them and then uncover them because I had shoppers! My friend went off to see if they could find me a tent at the store but in the meantime, I stood unwavering under an umbrella with a tarp over my products off and on (because I still wanted people to see them) smiling and greeted folks as they walked by. I remained just as gleeful as I was before the rain began. Many people looked at me with pitiful smiles and some even made comments “aw no tent?” and I just laughed it off.

Eventually, the rain stopped, and then another vendor offered to let me use their extra tent. By the time that tent went up, the rain stopped and never began again, even though this time I was ready for it. Because I have fabric products, they dried very quickly, and them being layered on top of each other or hanging on the clothing rack saved them from being soaked. This whole ordeal consisted of about 45 minutes, but it was chaotic to the max. Once the tent was up, it was like nothing ever happened. I was so proud of the way I handled everything. I stayed as calm as I could while remaining grounded, trusting that it would all workout. That was the first popup that I nearly sold every product. I didn’t let that brief hiccup allow me to question my purpose, my existence, or my credibility, I just rolled with the punches and remained excited, no matter how pitiful it was and truthfully, still is :)

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Authenticity. I honor my vulnerability. I’ve admitted when my designs had flaws and replaced items when requested. I take breaks when I need them, I’m upfront about my production and I share my connections and do whatever I can to uplift the other artisans around me.

When it comes to my customers, I don’t try to just sell them a product; I have a vision for my creations and I let them in on that vision, Leading with authenticity has helped me to build trust with my audience as a nontraditional business. I emphasize good customer service, so nobody feels misled after interacting with my brand.

I also have to give credit to several Wichita-based businesses that have highlighted SB Myndful and used their platform to lift me up. Those businesses include but are not limited to, Dead Center Vintage, The Little Shop, Eminence Esthetics, Festive ICT, Haute Handmade, The Workroom, Mulberry Gallery, and The Old Town Farm and Art Market, just to name a few.

I’m so grateful for platforms like CanvasRebel that take the time to highlight my story!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sbmyndful.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sbmyndful
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sbmyndful

Image Credits
Portrait by Aree Williams, Shamya Banks