Today we’d like to introduce you to India Hearne.
India, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Typography and graphic design have always been my passion and I have been known to doodle up quirky drawings! After I graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in East Dallas, I moved to New Mexico to further explore my artistic side at Santa Fe University of Art and Design. While living out West, I became really inspired by the scenery. I started creating hand drawn southwestern-inspired designs that we started featuring on t-shirts. We got great response from customers and social media followers about the designs, so we expanded the line by featuring the designs on even more items- greeting cards, ready-to-frame prints, kitchen towels, baby onesies and more. I recently moved back to Dallas to turn my passion into a career. Whiski Designs has been around for about 4 years now, I am so excited to see what is in store for my small business in the years to come.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When starting a business, you have to be ready for any and every obstacle that you may come across. It’s not easy and it takes a lot of patience and hard work. If I could offer one piece of advice, it’s to stay true to you and the core value of your business. Starting a business takes time and doesn’t happen over night. One thing I love about being a small business owner, is being able to meet my customers face to face and really build a relationship with them. When owning your own business, you have to be on top of things and know what is going on at all times and grow at your own pace. Good things take time – a lot of time.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Whiski Designs – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
When I started Whiski Designs, I knew that I wanted to develop a line of products that were affordable for my customers, quirky and something people could connect with. When studying graphic design, I quickly learned that when working solely on the computer to make my designs, they lost their handmade feel. I am definitely more old fashioned when it comes to technology – I prefer a pen and paper over a computer. All of my designs are hand drawn by me and I believe that’s what makes my designs stand out from others. My business is based in Deep Ellum, where I have recently painted a mural. It has always been a dream of mine to say that I have a mural in Deep Ellum! Whiski Designs offers custom designs fit for any occasion and 100+ different designs available at pop up markets and online.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
When I was growing up, my parents owned a gift shop in East Dallas. Seeing them build a brand and connect with their customers and other business owners was really inspiring to me. I loved traveling with my parents to gift markets to find new goods to bring into the shop and help out with displays and merchandising. I witnessed first hand the hard work and patience it takes to build a business. I guess you could say being an entrepreneur is in my blood! I wouldn’t be able to run my business without their help and guidance. They have taught me everything I know about business and have shown me that hard work pays off in the end.
Contact Info:
- Website: whiskidesigns.com
- Phone: 214-517-4767
- Email: whiskidesigns@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiskidesigns/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhiskiDesigns/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas 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.
