Life & Work with Tiffany Millen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Millen.

Hi Tiffany, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
For several years, I had my own business making wooden blanket ladders that fit with the modern farmhouse trend. When my family and I moved, I lost my creative space, and I decided I wanted to start my own online marketplace for women artists and artisans to sell their work, be taken seriously as artists, and get away from the unreliability of Etsy. Unfortunately, after several years and many dollars later, the marketplace didn’t work out due to the heavy competition between Amazon & Etsy, so I now do a lot of writing (I’m working on my second fiction book), have a podcast, and teach women artists individually how to market their artistic work so they can make more sales on their own. I also started my own handmade business again, burning botanical drawings onto hats. I absolutely love having my own business again, making inspiring things for people. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It absolutely has not been a smooth road. In full disclosure, I have thought of giving up the Made By Her platform almost every month, if not every week or day, for the last year. I believe, though, that the more you consider quitting something you know deep down in your heart is what you really want to do, the stronger you become for pushing forward. The struggles, to name a few, have been narrowing my target audience, finding the words to get my vision across, finding motivation when sales are stagnant, and finding reliable people you can hire and delegate things to that don’t really bring you joy but have to be done. No long-term, successful business has gone without struggles, though, so I simply feel like I am one of their peers now. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I think I have been an artist my entire life although, when I was young, I was told a lot that you couldn’t make a “real job” out of something like that. Now, however, I don’t think that’s true at all. Right now, I’ve got two creative journeys I’m navigating at the same time. One of them is doing pyrography on women’s hats (that’s where you burn designs into them), and the other is writing women’s fiction novels that feature strong female characters who find their happy ending in something creative after going through something truly awful in their life. I’m probably more known for the hats right now; in fact, I know I am because I don’t often share about my writing (I will when it’s published!). I’m probably equally proud of both, to be honest; I go back and forth all the time about which one I’d like to lean into, but I kind of like having both because when I feel things getting stagnant with one and need to mix things up, I have the other to lean towards and both are equally fulfilling. What sets me apart with my hats is that I do all the drawings by hand, no stencils, no design copying, just drawings I think will be inspiring. I also let my customers add a small customization to them, so it really feels like it’s theirs. As for my writing, I think what will set me apart is that it focuses on women creatives, not just your standard, trendy drama. I really write to inspire and encourage women to keep moving forward, even when times are really tough because what’s on the other side could be greater than you ever imagined. 

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I live in the suburbs of Orange County, California, and I love that I’m not far from canyons, hills, and the beach at the same time. However, as an introvert, I truly dislike how crowded it is. If you want to go to the beach, there’s lot of people; if you want to get out in nature, there’s a lot of people on the trails; and if you want to spontaneously go out to dinner, you have to wait a minimum of 45 minutes so all your spontaneity has to be booked in advance which is not my style. I do love it when I can discover a new food or coffee spot, though, and there are new ones popping up all the time. 

Pricing:

• $19.99/mo for my coaching membership at www.MadeByHer.com
• $50-$250 for my hats at www.WildflowerHatStudios.com

Contact Info:

• Website: www.MadeByHer.com or www.WildflowerHatStudios.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/madebyher_official
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/402458791519296/?ref=share_group_link&mibextid=S66gvF
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@madebyher_coaching?feature=shared
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/6JAxVZTuTvwD7fXmoOQ9FR?si=y5yuY3IXSMmQnM2_IS0ErQ

Image Credits
Kristyn Dodge