How does your creative process mirror cycles found in nature?
Nature doesn’t force things. Neither do I when it comes to my creative process. Creating anything always comes from a natural place of inspiration, then slowly it takes shape into becoming. I’ve been slowing down and resisting the urge to go fast just to say I’ve completed a project. I take the time to truly vet out what it is that I want to communicate with love and intention.
What lessons has the natural world taught you about growth and transformation?
There will always be ebbs and flows. Sometimes life goes fast and it may feel quite messy and chaotic. I do my best to honor those moments as much as the periods that are slower, when I need to process, take stock and understand myself better. No period or pace is greater than the other because it helps me to ground myself in the present moment.
How do you listen to your intuition?
That initial gut feeling is the answer. I no longer spend time trying to qualify whether or not it’s right with evidence, calling a friend or asking someone else’s advice. I listen the first time and I move from that space. I don’t spend any more time trying to talk myself out of why that’s the first feeling that I have either. I’ve spent years honoring that first intuitive hit, that language and guidance within myself, and that within itself has become a practice in self devotion and self respect.
How was your journey from girlhood into womanhood?
When I was a girl, I was very connected to the things that made me happy. As life went on and morphed into adulthood, I felt myself trying to conform and contort myself in ways that felt so unnatural. Saying yes when I really meant no. Having permeable boundaries. Allowing life to sweep me so far from myself that I could no longer recognize that little girl that knew who she was. I spent my late twenties and early thirties reorienting back to a life that honored who I always was. I left behind a career that wasn’t serving me and said goodbye to a lifestyle that wasn’t aligned with simple things like daily intentional time in sunlight, a slower pace and being rooted in my own truth.
I feel like I’ve come into the most beautiful place of my womanhood in my late thirties. I’ve earned these stripes through all the trials and tribulations that have gotten me here. I feel so grateful for this journey.
Were there any rites of passage, moments, or experiences that felt like an initiation for you?
When I was 35, I made a vow to myself that I would never again betray the woman I was becoming. That meant leaving behind relationships, friendships and my former career path. It was the hardest initiation process I ever encountered but now that I’m on the other side of it, I know it was the most extraordinary thing I ever could have done for myself.
Are there women in your life or lineage who have shaped the way you move through the world?
I’m very close with my family. Each woman in my family is so unique and has different qualities that only they could embody. Some of them poured into me, some of them meticulously guided me, some of them just led by example. And as I was growing up, I paid attention, I revered them, I watched them, I asked questions and listened to their stories, their advice. Understanding their life experiences helped me understand the world a bit better and gave me the tools I needed to approach life on my own terms.
What is a piece of wisdom about womanhood you would pass down to the next generation?
Your intuition will never steer you wrong, so listen to it the first time. That first gut feeling is the answer. They don’t call it women’s intuition for nothing. As you strengthen and develop your connection to yourself, your intuition will become your internal guidance system that will never let you down. Trust that inner knowing within you. You are always safe in your body and you are always safe to trust yourself.
What are your favorite HARA pieces and why?
I love the classic Stella low cut bra and the Eva g-string, they’ve become a part of my everyday world. But lately, what I keep grabbing for is the Manu long sleeve top. The boatneck neckline is so perfect and it’s close to my skin, so it's perfect on its own and great for layering too.
