Today we’d like to introduce you to Misty Vento.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Misty. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have been an artist my whole life. I spent my youth and college years as a dancer which naturally transitioned into yoga after having my first child in 2000. Yoga fit the bill for me physically and emotionally, especially having 3 children in 8 years. But starting a jewelry company was sort of a beautiful accident.
In 2012, I lost my 4-year-old son to a drowning accident. It took me a long time to find my bearings and start to heal. I bought a mala and wore it daily to yoga and to meditate with. I kept thinking “I could make this, I’m gonna teach myself how to knot and see how this goes.” I tried and I loved it, I loved that it became a meditation for myself to make them, use both my hands and purely focus on the task at hand. I’ve always been a painter and artist and love mixing color combinations, so putting different stones and colors together was very therapeutic.
I made them for myself and gave them away as gifts to my friends. Then, people started asking me to make more and make custom ones that spoke to them. So, this meditation hobby bloomed into Prana Rasa Jewelry.
I am still small but focus on custom, hand strung designs. Nothing is mass produced and I make everything with my own two hands. A true labor of love while working full time and a single mom of two teenage girls. But it has kept me sane and helped heal my heart.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think if you ask any small business owner that answer would be a resounding NO! Juggling a full-time job, small business and being a single parent is not for the faint of heart. But that is part of what I love about it is the challenge of making things happen and sharing my art. The two biggest struggle factors are time and money. No one starts a small business out of love planning on being rich. It makes me sound richer and hopefully, other people’s live brighter sharing my joy. So, the struggles are definitely worth it.
Please tell us about Prana Rasa Jewelry.
My business was born out of having a creative eye and seeing a piece of jewelry that spoke to my heart and the desire to create my own designs. Every piece is hand-strung, hand-tied with semi-precious healing stones. Having a mala was emotionally important to me as I used meditation as a healing tool in my grief recovery process. But they can be beautiful additions to accessorize with as well. All mala necklaces contain 108 beads which are the traditional mediation number. I am very proud to handmake each piece with love and healing mantras.
Prana means breath and life-giving force, Rasa is the essence of human experience, emotions that govern human life. These two words together spoke to me and became a fitting business name. I believe the human connection of what I do sets me apart, I’ve met the most amazing souls on this business journey and connected with people in every stage of the healing process for many different reasons. The friendships I’ve made on this journey have been life-changing.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I think it’s easy to look back and say “what ifs” but honestly I believe everything has its way and maybe the outcome would be totally different had I started this business with a firm plan. Although I would have hired someone part-time long ago to help me juggle all the little behind the scenes aspects, it’s a lot to do for one person! I truly enjoy changing, adapting and going with the flow. Thinking of this only as a business would take some of the love out of it for me. So, its ebbs and flows, just like life.
Pricing:
- Custom Malas $78 – $108
- Wrist Malas $24 – $42
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.pranarasajewelry.com
- Phone: 214-608-0555
- Email: pranarasajewelry@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pranarasajewelry/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://b-m.facebook.com/pranarasajewelry/
Image Credit:
Danielle Doby, Ashley Flaig Photography
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