We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alicia Aihara. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alicia below.
Hi Alicia, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I learned my work ethic at the knee of my grandparents and mother. My grandparents were immigrants from Mexico and Japan, and part of the Greatest Generation. They struggled to bring their family to a better life in America, always believing that the next generation should be better than the last. When WWII came about, my Japanese grandfather had to endure life in three of the Internment Camps. He volunteered with the Army to drive trucks in the interior United States, so he could serve his country and earn money that the rest of his family couldn’t while incarcerated. All of my grandparents worked so hard to make sure future generations would have a solid foundation to work from. I will always be grateful for their tenacity and courage.
My mother used that foundation to find a career in a time when women were beginning to fight for equal consideration and rights in society. She refused to be “just a secretary” and climbed the corporate ladder to become a supervisor in her company. She taught me the value of standing up for myself while still being diplomatic and kind. One of my core memories is of her working a full-time job, going to night classes to further her education, and then coming home to clean and cook for our household before sewing my Halloween costume until 3 in the morning. She’s a powerhouse, and an inspiration of both a mother’s love and a successful working woman. To this day, the sound of a sewing machine late at night brings me comfort. It’s why I fostered my sewing skills and eventually used them as a cornerstone of my small business.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m the owner and seamstress of Gallant Fox Creations. GFC is dedicated to bringing beautiful and mindful occult items to the public to enhance their daily lives. The occult world doesn’t have to be scary and dark, although that aesthetic certainly has earned its place in modern culture! But it can also be beautiful, soft, and supportive. I strive to show that side to the world and make things like divination accessible and interesting. Additionally, I try to encourage education of different cultures through the items I make. My cornerstone product are my Treasure Bags made from recycled antique kimono silk fabric. Over 500 tons of kimonos are discarded without being recycled every year in Japan alone, and I take these worn-but-serviceable pieces and create gorgeous padded bags that can be used to house any kind of valuable small item. I’ve had customers use the bags to protect their dice collection, jewelry, and sunglasses – and of course their tarot cards and rune sets! Treasure Bags are bits of textile history given new life and purpose. While I sell Treasure Bags and other occult goodies online, I am also found at vendor events throughout Southern California and beyond! A list of my upcoming events are on my website and are constantly updated. If you come by, I’m more than happy to talk your ear off about the history and use of kimono silk textile, or any other product I have!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First, my skill in sewing affected my journey. I learned how to sew at my mother and grandmother’s knee, and hand-made my first Barbie dress when I was 6 years old. I believe it’s important to base your business on something you’re passionate about. The old saw about “do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” is mostly true! Do something that sparks your excitement and encourages you to grow!
That’s not to say that a small business is fun and games all the time. A business owner has to wear a lot of hats and be flexible, especially at the beginning when funds are extremely tight. You have to be willing to fail and learn from failure. One of my favorite Japanese proverbs is “nana korobi, ya oki”, which, translated, means “fall down seven times, stand up eight.” It means that while you may fail, you must learn and rise up from the failure. Use it as a lesson and rise up better than ever!
That being said, it’s ok to lean on someone else’s expertise. Know and acknowledge when a skill is entirely out of your wheelhouse, and allow yourself to get help. A good example is when I tried to create my own website for my business. I spent two weeks researching and watching tutorials online on how to make an engaging and functional business website. I was becoming increasingly frustrated and hard on myself when I kept failing to learn an entire skillset many people turn into whole lifelong careers. I finally admitted that it was too much effort to learn how to program a website AND run a business at the same time, and sought help from a web-designer. She set up the basis of my website and taught me how to use the functions I’d need to upkeep it. While you need to rise up after failure, it’s also ok to ask someone else for a hand up, too!
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
The phrase “better a jack of all trades than a master of one” comes to mind. I believe fostering different skills is crucial to being a better sole business owner and person in the long run. By gaining different skills and understanding the basis of different mindsets, you grow in your understanding of the world. Picking up an interesting line of learning may even lead you to a lifelong passion, and open up entire communities of friends! In High School, I met two Wiccan classmates who became very dear lifelong friends. Along with introducing me to the pagan community, one also began to take me to theatrical productions. I became fascinated with the costuming, which complimented my sewing skills. I learned how to create costume pieces for Renaissance Faires, which in turn opened up the “Rennie” and historical reenactment communities. From there, I met new friends who were involved with LARP (Live Action Role Play). From all of these synergistic communities, I have formed a core group of friends and contacts who have supported and loved me through all the different phases of my life. If I had just stayed in my small corner of life and not branched out, I would have missed out on all of these enriching and loving people. Explore, take chances, and most of all dare to love!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gallantfoxcreations.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/gallant_fox_creations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gallantfoxcreations
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/gallantfoxcreations/
Image Credits
Alicia Aihara
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