Today we’d like to introduce you to Promise Harmony.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in a small lake community north of San Francisco. Growing up both isolated and in an abusive situation, I learned how to take care of myself from a very early age and retreated into art, music, and poetry as a means of coping and self-expression. My earliest thoughts are filled with memories of swimming in the lake, reading countless books about adventure and faraway places, and playing dress up. When I was around 11, I moved to the suburbs of Southern California to a town called Yucaipa. This was a big culture shock for me. My old town only had one stop light, dirt roads, and a couple thousand people. Yucaipa felt like my first experience with the “real world”. My high school had more students than people that lived in my old town!
As I got older, I discovered magazines like Vogue, Nylon, and I-D at the 7-11 around the corner from my house. My love for fashion became a near obsession, and I would often recreate thrift store looks inspired by the latest runway creations to wear to school. This was back in the day when the teenage uniform was a pair of Abercrombie jeans and a t-shirt, but I loved being different and expressing myself through what I wore. It was a way to rebel against my oppressive upbringing and express myself.
I left home as soon as I was 18 and moved to the nearby town of Redlands. I spent years there earning my living by lifeguarding, teaching swim lessons, and leading community CPR classes. I eventually became a manager and was able to make a somewhat comfortable living for myself. I tried college, but my dyslexia and ADHD made it difficult for me to concentrate. I also suffered depression from what I went through growing up with my family, so I eventually dropped out to focus on work.
In my 20’s, I realized something was missing. I was so caught up in my work and providing for myself that I had pretty much given up on my artistic dreams. I still had been dressing up and taking photos of my ensembles and posting the internet, and this miraculously helped me to connect with a community of online creatives. I started to write, style, model, and participate in the online magazine scene. I even ran my own fashion magazine at one point. As I spent more time in the online fashion world learning from other creatives I realized my dreams were closer in reach then I initially thought. I decided one day that I was going to move to LA and make my vision of becoming a fashion stylist a reality. So I hustled for a few years, saved up, and before I knew it I was packed up and bound for the city of my dreams.
LA was life-changing. This was the first time in my life I was surrounded by so many creative people with like-minded ambitions. My body of work as a creative director and fashion stylist began to grow stronger and more professional. It was there that I was inspired to make my styling more conscious and eco-friendly. Living in a big city woke me up to the dark side of consumerism and I learned from others in the industry about how fast fashion and certain methods of production were harmful to the earth. When I first decided to go green, I was worried that it would affect my ability to be hired, but this decision had quite the opposite result. In fact, many companies hired me out of support for my cause and I connected with other sustainable fashion labels who were interested in mission.
Even though my work was taking off and I was finally seeing my dreams realized, I was still going through a deep depression. I tried to hide it from the people around me. I would show up to meetings and shoots with a smile on my face, but inside I was anxious and terrified. I would often have breakdowns before leaving my house and panic attacks about doing anything social at all.
So I finally enrolled in therapy and got the help that I so badly needed. I like to think of my struggle with depression and anxiety as more of a spiritual awakening than a dark period in my life. A calling to go deeper within to face my past and awaken to the truth of my belonging in the world. Through my healing process, I became more empowered, more stable. I realized the truth that I was always healed, whole, and complete. I learned about narcissistic abuse, codependency, and uncovered all the memories from my past abuse that I had been numbing and pushing down my whole life. Facing my inner darkness head-on was the best thing I ever could have done. I even started reading tarot cards and tried alternative healing methods like reiki, shadow work, and meditation. I learned that I was an empath, and recognized my unique sensitivities and became more connected with my talents and gifts. This put my whole life in context, and I grew to accept my past and decided to use it as a catalyst for my greatest good.
I was so inspired by my own journey recovering from abuse/ #metoo that I started a YouTube channel called “Rainbow Harmony” where I discussed the healing process through tarot readings. I started teaching others how to follow their dreams and to trust in their own inner truth. I had no idea that this YouTube channel was going to turn into a full-fledged business!
Fast forward a few years later and I am now a world traveler. I still run my YouTube channel and do personal tarot readings and life-coaching for other creative people and those who have been abused and/or feel depressed and lost in life. I use my experience and inner guidance to help others connect with their own inner truth. I have clients all over the globe, from India, China, Egypt, and Australia to Europe, South America, and more. It’s amazing to see how many of us face the same common struggles and I feel so thankful that I am helping to make a difference one person at a time. I travel between the major fashion capitols and still do my ethical and sustainable styling. Because of the overwhelming support I receive from my YouTube followers I am able to donate a lot of my styling services for free to up and coming eco fashion brands who need help with advertising, lookbooks, and exposure. I truly am living the dream and feel more aligned then I ever have before.
Please tell us about your art.
I am a creative director and sustainable fashion stylist. I curate sustainable, eco-friendly, and responsibly made clothing from all over the world to create unique stories.
I am a fashion stylist and creative director currently traveling around the globe to develop my spiritual experience and connect with others. I have been collaborating and creating images with emerging and seasoned talent in the eco-fashion industry for over 13 years and have been published in Nylon, Coeval, Teeth, Ladygunn, Cake, and more. I am inspired by nature and its ability to adapt to external influences. My vision is to reflect harmony and consciousness through the impressionistic qualities of my work.
I am also a clairvoyant consultant which entails using my intuition and tarot cards to coach people in their spiritual and artistic development. I help to inspire others to walk their true path. I do this through my YouTube channel Rainbow Harmony, where I also post free card readings and share with others how to develop an online business that enables you to travel the world. I do this because I know what it is like to come from the bottom with nothing. Feeling broken, abandoned, abused. The reality is that so many have struggles like this and once I found my way out of that situation I knew I had to help the others.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
My YouTube is filled with info about this! 😉 My advice is to figure out what your desires are. Your desires are the compass that points you to your life mission and soul purpose. If you don’t know what your dreams or desires are, allow yourself to try new things and experiment. Go back to childhood and ask yourself what were your dreams as a child? What were you naturally gifted with when you were younger? Who you always are is who you will always be, we are always expanding and growing upon our inner truth. Money flows where your energy and passion goes. So don’t follow the money. Follow your heart. Work part-time or full-time and nights and weekends hustle towards your goals. Start with where you are, with the tools and recourses that are available to you. Let go of perfectionism and put your work out there and connect with others online. Develop a strong portfolio and body of work.
And above all, never give up. It took me ten years of working for free as a fashion stylist before I got my first paycheck. But it didn’t matter because I was truly enjoying myself every step of the way. Choose something you would do for free anyways. Give, give, give. And then open yourself to receive. Have faith in your natural gifts and talents. Nothing is a coincidence. The right people and opportunities will find you on your path. You just have to do your part and keep taking those little steps. Do something towards your dream every single day. Keep the momentum going. Take risks.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My website is: www.promiseharmony.com. My fashion Instagram is @_promiseharmony. My Rainbow Harmony Instagram is @rainbow__harmony. My YouTube channel is youtube.com/c/rainbowharmony. To support my work, like, comment, subscribe! 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: promiseharmony.com
- Phone: 3232176482
- Email: contact@promiseharvey.com
- Instagram: @_promiseharmony
- Other: @rainbow__harmony
Image Credit:
Photo of me by Chelsea Croucher, Other photos – Kayee Kiu, Michael Stalhberg, Raul Romo, Michelle Terris, David Hajoo Choi, Felipe Q. Nogueira, Jon Harvey, Andrew Echeverria, Mandi K. Smith
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
