Featured Customer: Mika Harmony Art

Starting off the New Year right with a featured customer that makes us feel like it’s perpetual summer. Put on your best beach gear and read below about Mika and her art!

Tell us a little about your company:

An obsession with seahorse and all the ocean creatures (including the mythical mermaids!) led me into watercolors. Always dreaming of flying, and to satisfy that wanderlust urge, my artwork also includes lots of birds, butterflies, bees, flowers, feathers, leaves and dragonflies.

I create art, stickers, mugs, stationary, jewelry and gifts to help add a bit of sunshine and happy to brighten your day. Originally from Maui, Hawai’i, I am inspired by the vibrant tropical colors of the islands.

I now call Ventura, California home and have a sweet little art studio with a view of the Channel Islands. It is here where I gain inspiration for my newest creations that I have had the privilege of sharing with so many of you for the past 4+ years. I hope to help you escape for a moment into artwork full of saturated color, vibrant happiness and lots of Aloha!

What makes your product unique?

My art and gifts share the spirit and feeling of Aloha and help brighten your day; every order is gift-wrapped to allow you to treat yourself to some happy.

When I am approach a new watercolor design, the painting first starts in my mind. Sometimes while I am listening to music, I get ideas for paintings and start a sketch on whatever paper (backs of envelopes are a favorite!) happens to be close at hand.

Once I have a general idea of my painting, I sketch it out completely and then transfer my drawing for my more complex paintings such as Monstera leaves. From there I pick out my favorite watercolor palettes, best brushes and water containers and start painting!

From start to finish of sketching to finished painting, it usually takes a few hours to complete a painting. The more detailed realistic-looking paintings such as kitty cat commissions, take 10+ hours.

How do you package your products and what ClearBags™ products do you use?

All of my artwork is packaged using the Crystal Clear or Eco bags, plus coordinating backing board. Growing up with the ocean as my playground, I always want to do my best to help protect it. Once I learned ClearBags offered Eco packaging, I knew it would help me in my mission to share my aloha art while minimizing the impact to plants and animals. It is a tricky balance to package my art, protect it, but not create more problems for the environment. Using the Eco bags will allow me to reach that balance of being able to offer a professionally packaged and protected product while also minimizing the impact on our environment. I also recycle packaging whenever I can; all the gift tags for orders come from the extra paper strips cut off of my art prints, plus I re-use mailing boxes that I get from my own orders of supplies.

Where do you sell your product?

My work can be found online at mikaharmony.com and in stores at Hui Noeau Gift Shop in Makawao, Ocean Jazz Maui and The Trove Hawai’i on the Big Island. I LOVE finding new retailers to carry my work!

How long have you been working with ClearBags™ and how do we help you succeed?

I have been working with ClearBags for over 5 years now. I am so grateful to work with ClearBags because I know I can count on their packaging to provide a clear, professional presentation of my art. It takes my art and gifts to a professional level, even though I am just a one-woman show and not a
huge boutique.

When I create my special art prints, original art and stickers, it is important that my customer receive them in the same condition as I created them. I want their order to be flawless and professional. With ClearBags I am assured their order will arrive looking fresh and perfectly protected! The best addition to my order wrapping is the backing board that ClearBags offers. I spend a little extra to make sure I use 2 in each order, so there’s no worry about prints or art being bent. In the time I have been shipping orders (4+ years), only 2 orders have gotten damaged- and both were due to a postal carrier trying to fold the envelope and put it in a very small postal box; it had nothing to do with my packaging. That is a great record! I have sent orders from California to as far as Dubai, Singapore, England and beyond and they have all arrived safe and sound.

What one piece of packaging advice would you give to other business owners?

Imagine how you would want to receive a gift, and package your products in a similar fashion. Everyone shops with their eyes first, so presentation is important.

How can people connect with you?

Website: www.mikaharmony.com

Instagram: @mikaharmony

Facebook: @mika.harmony

Pinterest: mikaharmony

Twitter:  @MikaHarmony_Art