Meet MiElle Harmon | Interior Designer, Full Time Business Student & SAHM

We had the good fortune of connecting with MiElle Harmon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi MiElle, is there something you believe many others might not?
Most millennials here parroted the main piece of advice: “you need a degree to get somewhere in life,” and I fundamentally disagree with that. I may not be the wholesome success story of that lifestyle yet, but what should be shared is that entrepreneurship will get you somewhere in life. For most successful individuals, whether they attended a traditional, vocational school or none at all, the most significant factor between all of them is perseverance. They were consistent in pursuing what they hoped to achieve even as those things changed. That’s where my life has led me. I began in the medical/healthcare industry and transitioned over to the creative business side for that very reason. No one individual is single faceted, so companies have multiple departments and working parts. And as much as I love education and am pursuing one, the traditional system has failed to continue cultivating a multi-faceted learner, which is why so many fall flat to achieving their dreams. We as a society now more than ever should be more comfortable saying “it’s okay if you stay with a job/career for the benefits or for that stability because that’s what you may have been looking for all along”. But it’s also okay to coach young adults to recognize that something fundamentally stable and traditional may not work for you and your goals at all. And know that you will need to preserver and be consistent in the trying, but that you can achieve success beyond the norm if you choose to see it through.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a Creative/Interior Designer building my visual portfolio on Instagram @itsbydesignco. I started freelancing this past year after a passing comment from a dear friend of mine. It made me realize that I had been “designing” throughout all phases of my life. Each time I leave my house, I’m very aware of spatial flow and cohesiveness to a space, even if it wasn’t within the same typical monochromatic fashion that you see in design magazines. What sets me apart is that I’m from a commercial health industry but have always had creative hobbies like dance, art, etc., so I don’t yet have the atypical years of experience. One might assume that you would need an art degree but, only grit and personal experiences can get you places, especially in the creative industry! It’s not easy starting without an introductory reason, like working for a firm, so building my book and creating word of mouth with my experiences is the most significant hurdle. Gratefully we live in the internet age, so reaching out to people for collaboration is something that’s very accessible. I want the world to know about my brand and story that you can be self-made in a saturated market! Just because someone else is doing it doesn’t mean that your reach couldn’t also serve others with the skills and passions you bring to the table.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Being based in Tempe, you’re central to the Phoenix Valley hub and have a lot of reach to different areas. There’s almost anything and everything that you can find to entertain yourself or taste test. Typically, an early morning hike up the short “A” mountain is always a good option if you want a quick burn before going on a food tour with friends. For something more adventurous, though, you can venture out past city limits to go paddleboarding. Saguaro Lake is nearby and even has a shore restaurant. Back in city lines, a place that never gets old is Chop Shop. Their protein bowls would be a fun lunch spot after spending the morning in the water. This way, you can walk off your full tummy down Mill Avenue looking at all the fun shops before resting up for the night. But only if you need to. If you genuinely need to top off a day of yummy foods, you can always head over to Postino’s Wine Cafe to try their boards and wine mixes. With as diverse a menu as they offer, you can find anything to fit your dietary needs while satisfying all your tastebuds in a relaxed aesthetic atmosphere.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my mom, Talma! She’s always encouraged me to be voracious about life and travel and experience all that I can outside of my personal borders so that I could become a more well rounded citizen.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/itsbydesignco

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/itsbydesignco/