Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kinda Hibrawi. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kinda, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I have found that being optimistic serves as a great way to approach life in general. Whether it is a lesson I need to learn or to approach something from a different perspective, there’s always a reason something does or does not happen, and usually it’s for my own good. Approaching things with optimism allows me to be more thoughtful, and less reactionary to most of life’s challenges.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a Syrian-American artist and creative Director based in Southern California for over twenty years. I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and spent most of my childhood in the Middle East before moving to the U.S. for college. I’ve been exhibiting my art in group and solo shows both internationally and in local galleries across the U.S. for the last fifteen years. I was named by the United Nations a 2012 Global Thinker and Influencer at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development. In 2016, I had the honor of being invited by the White House to the annual Eid dinner with President Obama for my artistic accomplishments as an Arab-American. In 2019, I co-founded Mint + Laurel, with my business partner, Rama Chakaki. Mint + Laurel is a social enterprise that aims to preserve and highlight traditional craftsmanship by artisans from the Middle East. I built our online e-commerce website and designed the products with the artisans, we also ship nationwide.
In 2022 I launched my first NFTs with great success and a sold out collection on OpenSea and Foundation. I was also featured in Yahoo! Finance as one of the top female NFT artists to open NFT Los Angeles 2022.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities I try to focus on; curiosity, perseverance and collaboration. Asking questions often is the best way to learn, it keeps me on a path of growth. Perseverance goes hand in hand when starting any business, because there will be days where you are bound to feel like a failure, the only way to succeed is to rise above this and keep going. Collaboration is one of my favorites, because I get to work with amazing people and it keeps things interesting!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes! We are always looking to collaborate. At Mint + Laurel we partner with artisans from the Middle East, by selling their handmade products on our website or we collaborate on a new product together. This partnership is really what our business model is rooted in. Curating beautiful handmade products that are not only good for you, good for the earth and also tell a story. Our goal is to showcase Arab culture in a beautiful and special way.
For anyone looking to collaborate or partner with us, they can email us at: [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mintandlaurel.com
- Instagram: @mintandlaurel
- Facebook: mintandlaurel
- Linkedin: mintandlaurel
- Twitter: @mint_laurel
Image Credits
credit is Mint + Laurel, LLC.
