We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa Leon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vanessa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I didn’t start earning full-time wage until 2020. That’s when I saved enough money to take the full risk. If you want something to grow, it needs ALOT of attention. You need to think about it, feel it, and actually work it- the holy trinity.

I was super active on instagram and one of my post went viral, awarding my business with best sellers. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any guidance on how to scale my business properly and I burnt out sooo badly! I went 1 whole year without posting and lost momentum on the app. I knew there was no way I could go back to 9-5, I had to adapt! I began going hard on doing festivals and markets to supplement the lack on online orders.

I’m still not where I was when it comes to social media, but I have the confidence that I did it once, I can do it again! I just need 1 post to do well. Nothing beats a healthy mindset, a heart full of hope and love for what you do, and laser focused action. Mix the holy trinity with consistency and it’s just a matter of time. Can you be patient enough to push through all the changes? Can you ground yourself throughout all the failures? Can you celebrate the little things? Everything starts with your mindset, it fills your heart with hope and energy to make the right decisions.

Vanessa, 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?

Mental Gardens began when I was 16, sophomore year in highschool. Anxious teenager, worried about my function in society, how was I going to make money? All I knew about myself was my love for art- pottery, painting, poerty. I decided if I could make jewelry and sell it, maybe i’d be onto something.

Jewelry gave my art functionality, a selling point. At 17 I did my first market, brought my then 12 year old cousin, Sasha, to help. We made $800 and that’s when I told myself (and Sasha) HOLY SHIT YOU CAN REALLY DO ANYTHING YOU WANT IN LIFE! By this point, I’ve had a job since I was 13/14 and valued money. I grew up with a single mother and always worried about income. I knew $800 was way more than I could make in 3 hours at the mall foodcourt.

With the years, my mindset- my confidence would sway. Delaying my own progress. I wasn’t consistent enough because I was scared. I really didn’t have any guidance, I felt so alone. The amount of times I would cry and pray to my angels to bring me a mentor, a sign. The mentor never came around so I relied on youtube to teach me. This built my confidence. When you want something you HAVE to put in the work, hours, obsession, passion, laser focus.

By junior year in highschool I knew college wasn’t for me. I begged my mom for alternative ways to graduate quickly so I could start building Mental Gardens and that’s what I did. I left piper high school, graduated a year early and began teaching myself how to make jewelry.

Now, I’m 25 years old and proud of how I’ve pushed through. At 22 I went full-time due to an abusive boss. It was the ultimate reminder that I am not built to work for someone else. It was the reminder I needed to take the risk. I’m now focused on self care so I can be the best person for my business. Mental Gardens feels like my baby, if I’m struggling mentally I can’t create. I’m prioritizing health instead of productivity. MG is growing and maturing with me, Im proud, patient, grateful. I’m so sure that this is my path, I don’t question it anymore. My angels have constantly provided me with answers when I needed them. Everything I need is in me.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The fire inside me is fueled by my desire to support my little cousins on their journey. I know they look up to me, I’m the eldest. If I give up, what example am I giving them? I have a NEED to show them that as children of immigrants, we are here to live a life not centered around work and money. You focus on the activities that make you feel useful, powerful, the “jobs” that excite you. No matter how irrational it is. I need to show them they have the power to live out their wildest dreams.

We’ve all seen our parents go through so much abuse, stress, depression because they never had the time or money to go deep in themselves and craft their dream life. I try to remind them by my actions that we cannot let their efforts go in vain. We were given the gift of family and we cannot pursue our dreams without support. Everyone in my family was so hesitant about the path I chose, but they believed in me anyways. It helped me believe in myself.

I want to inspire others to be irrational and self absorbed about their inner peace. Take the risk, be in touch with your body, what makes you feel good? Where are you the best person you can be? Follow it! Your life depends on that. Have faith in what you believe in, defend it. Work on your mindset, your feelings and discipline. We are the people pushing the world forward.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Im impulsive, you need to be. I change- often! People don’t really like that. But you HAVE to be adaptable. People think I’m “fake” or unstable but I’m not working at a normal pace. I have to be follow my gut and I’ve built the confidence to follow my intuition. I’m comfortable with change, most people aren’t. I’ve had to train myself to accept that what I knew yesterday might be wrong tomorrow. I’ve made peace with looking stupid and I’ve learned the power to removing people from my life that judge me with bad intention. You’re better off alone than with bad company.

Contact Info:

• Website: MENTALGARDENS.ETSY.COM
• Instagram: @MENTALGARDENS
• Other: TIKTOK: @MENTAL.GARDENS