If you haven’t met Mayi Carlesyet, you’re going to love this interview! She’s a wonderful artist, creative coach, and all around passionate lady who has a killer blog, Heartmade, that never ceases to inspire me. Today she’s sharing some of her wisdom on running a multi-faceted business and ditching the idea of balance. Get ready to be inspired!
Just in case some people haven’t seen your amazing art and blog, would you share a little bit about yourself and your work?
Oh sure. Here goes the self-proclaimed job title: I’m a multi-passionate artist, eco-friendly designer, professional DIYer and creative biz coach. But what that really means is that I have a serious creating addiction, an obsession to show people how to unleash their inner Picasso, and a deep passion to empower creative hearts to break down their barriers to success and make a real difference in the world.
You’re so passionate about helping other people with their creative business. What made you decide to move from artwork to artwork AND business coaching?
The transition happened organically for me. It’s one of the few things I actually didn’t plan or anticipate.
It all started right out of grad school when I took my first job as Program Coordinator for an Aspen Institute’s leadership program called The Central American Leadership Initiative Foundation (CALI), a non-profit organization that seeks to inspire leaders across the region to transcend from success to significance. In a nutshell, I put together from start to finish leadership seminars for the most influential leaders of the region. I was also exposed + challenged, at a fairly young age, to think more critically + deeply about timeless human values + the pursuit of something greater than myself. And so, I quickly became obsessed with the idea of legacy + making a real contribution in this world.
Pursuing my artistic career has always been important, but the path seemed fairly lonely, until I began empowering others. I’ve been hooked ever since.
How do you balance your artwork and your coaching? Do you recommend such a diversification for someone just starting out or is it better to wait until a year or so into your business?
Balance is a little overrated if you ask me. But, don’t take my word for it, I only say it because I’m terrible at the whole “balance thing”, LOL.
Over the years, I’ve learned not to force myself into the lure of a perfectly pie-charted time management agenda. Life doesn’t compartmentalize like that for me. Believe me, I’ve tried it + it only left me feeling bi-polar + disjointed. I’ve also learned, with a couple of low punches along the way, what my personal boundaries are + what my heart needs to stay healthy. For example, right now I’m only taking a limited number of coaching clients because I’m working on a big project coming out mid-January. The rest of my life is pretty much on pause. I also know I’m planning to take time off after the launch to test some new acrylic brands + dust off my paint brushes.
Ultimately though, to offer some words of advice, it all boils down to attitude. It’s easy to get overwhelmed + feel victimized by a crazy schedule. But, when you spot yourself spinning in that cycle, just remind yourself of the career path that you’ve chosen. You’re an artist. Your life will never be normal + that’s actually a pretty cool thing about you. Stay positive. Be thankful for being busy. Treat yourself gentle. Choose happiness every time. Enjoy the messy ride!
Was there ever a time when you thought your business dreams might not be possible? What did you do to overcome that obstacle?
Abso-freaking-lutely. I’ve felt insecure many times along the way. Just last week I had one of those crying all day in my pajamas episodes because an important project hit a dead end + my contract was not renovated. Oh did I feel like a total loser! But after allowing myself to be sad + disappointed for a day (or two), I did what I always force myself to do: called myself back for another world domination mission. Pinky and the Brain taught me well.
The way I see it, is that when you’re your own CEO, you’ve got to have the pig-headed discipline + self-cheerleading skills to get back on the space ship. It’s what sets apart the doers from the dreamers.
You love sharing video blog posts every Friday with inspirational and kick-in-the-pants incentives. What have you gained by integrating more video to your site?
My Friday Video Time posts have changed everything for me. Video has allowed me to set myself apart from the rest + get more personal + connect on a much deeper level with my readers, with the aid of course of my goofy party props + funky dance moves. I really can’t take all the credit.
Also, since incorporating video, my analytics have sky-rocketed together with the quality of the comments left on the blog (yayyy!), proving than there is a great number of online users that prefer to watch videos over reading text content.
But above all, I have a blast making em’ + I think this happiness is what makes them so contagious. At the end, it’s a win win win for all 
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