Today we’d like to introduce you to Leyla Hardy.
Hi Leyla, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My creative journey started back in 2013 while I was attending West Virginia University.
While trying to put myself through college, I ended up getting a part-time job at a very unique jewelry store where I was taught the basics about gemstone and crystals, their properties, and even how to make jewelry. I absolutely fell in love in working with natural earthy materials and bringing them together in a stylish evocative way.
I stopped creating in 2016 after graduating college and moving to Ohio, but two years later I felt unsatisfied with my day-to-day work routine. I felt like something was missing in my life, so I decided to make my very own website and Instagram account and began creating new designs and handcraft jewelry again.
Unfortunately, a year later we had the Covid-19 pandemic, and just like most of us, I was mainly stuck at home. At that time, my husband and I just purchased our first house, and being at home 24/7 I started to look for creative ways to embellish our home and bring nature indoors. That is when I discovered “resin”. So, I began experimenting with resin and quickly fell in love with it.
I wanted to create beautiful but also functional art pieces. I started to make crystal-infused charcuterie boards and they were a hit! I also began to learn how to engrave on wood as well. My first crystal-infused engraved charcuterie board was a wedding gift to my cousin-in-law. I posted pictures of the board on my Instagram account and got a ton of positive feedback which made me want to offer engravings on charcuterie boards to my customers.
Today, I still make crystal-infused charcuterie boards and offer engravings for weddings, housewarming gifts, birthdays, and any other life events. I also make enchanted crystal gardens, crystal-infused mugs, crystal-infused wine caddy and coasters sets, and even crystal-infused side tables.
All of my work can be seen on my Instagram account at hardyzen_designs.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I think starting a small business is never a smooth road. Anyone who has ever started a business will probably tell you one story or another about their struggles.
I’m a pretty private person, so for me, the daily struggle has definitely been the social media aspect of running a small business. Most of my sales come from my Instagram account which is a very powerful platform for business growth. But in order to get people to trust your account and your website, you have to show people the face behind the page so that they know it’s not some soulless account. That is my struggle – getting out there every day on stories or posts, showing my face, and talking to people. I like just quietly creating beautiful functional art.
I will say that I do enjoy open markets during the summer though – I guess I prefer to talk to people in person rather than feeling like I’m talking to myself on social media.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
While I create a lot of different crystal-infused home decor, I’m definitely known for my crystal-infused charcuterie boards.
There are many fellow artists who work with resin and/or create resin charcuterie boards, but I have seen very few that incorporate gorgeous crystals in their work the way I do.
I also believe that by offering engravings on my boards, I’ve created a unique dynamic of being able to collaborate with my customers to create totally personalized functional art pieces.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Music definitely gives me a sense of calm and puts me in a good mood when working on my art. I like using Spotify to listen to Classic Rock – who doesn’t like some feel-good music!?!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hardyzen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardyzen_designs/?hl=en
