Meet Lainey Hashorva

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lainey Hashorva a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lainey, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Confidence and self esteem evolved and developed for me as I aged and grew from big mistakes and huge successes. I think persistence and tenacity are keys to success as well. An old professor of mine used to say that those two qualities were far more important than talent even – the ability to persevere- when it’s hard, or boring, or lacking inspiration or downright impossible. If you just keep going and keep showing up, eventually things break through. It could be a great job, a tremendous obstacle, a health catastrophe or a relationship. The tricky part is also in knowing when to switch tracks. I’ve always been stubborn and willful. I often get something in my head and it doesn’t leave me alone until I get it, conquer it, obtain it or understand it. Especially when times are hard. It seems little girls are confident and free until a certain age or point when they start wondering or worrying what others think. That’s the trap for all of us – especially creative women. Freedom from worrying about what other people think really is a gift of aging in my experience. After a certain age and decades of life experiences you finally become more and more free from the worries of what other people think of you, your choices, your ways. Even your style and way of being. As women age they become more truly who they are and less afraid to be that. I wish the liberties and confidence of aging were given to us as young women to fly free from self imposed and cultural norms as to fitting into what we are “supposed” to be rather than all the authenticity of who we are and could actually be. I’ve faced some huge and brutal battles in my life including surviving cancer, being mugged at knife point, the riots in Los Angeles, creating and sustaining my own business for twenty five years, and even taking on one of the biggest banks in the country legally for fraud, and I prevailed against tremendous odds.
All of these events and experiences have left a mark but have also made me feel so much more comfortable in my own decisions and in my ability to prevail. It’s exhausting!!! But it’s also the path of each of our lives to keep going or to lay down and surrender. We know what’ll happen if we give up. But life definitely surprises us if we keep on keeping on through the darkest chapters. That has made me more fearless and powerful in my own sense of self and in finding my voice. Most of all showing up as my own hero again and again rather than looking for someone else to save me has given me the most confidence and self esteem of all.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

After over forty years in Los Angeles as an actor and designer, I recently relocated to Northern California to reset and create a new phase of life. I’ve been a self employed entrepreneur for decades doing business as The Magic Bean Company creating hand crafted artisan home decor and gifts. Every piece was handcrafted or painted and signed. It was a magical serendipitous experience that really took off in the early to mid 1990s and lasted twenty five years or more. Eventually I started incorporating more and more vintage items and components into my work and collections and morphed more in that direction. I am currently a “Super Seller” on Chairish.com and my curated vintage collections of art and decor can be found at Laineybean Vintage on the Chairish platform. I love the history and workmanship of vintage pieces, the aged style and the soul that older pre loved items have rather than the new sterile feeling of mass produced imports. Vintage is healthier for the planet and so much more fun to discover.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Writing has always been a key part of my life and journey. I think that so often people think they need to fit in rather than have the courage to stand apart. I like to make lists, leave myself notes, email myself and remind myself of creative impulses I think of that I might lose track of if I don’t write them down. Writing is cathartic and gives a voice to the sub-conscious ideas and thoughts wanting to percolate. Another great way to learn is to allow mistakes. Don’t try to be perfect or edit as you go. Let the creative process spill all over the table and then pull it in or expand it out. Mistakes are great gifts in the creative process as to growing and developing what works. Trust your process and trust the timing of your life. We get so impatient for results and desired outcomes but the timing really does have to line up when we are ready and other things align. Persistence and consistency are key to any craft being mastered. Show up. Learn your lines, Hit the mark and tell the truth. In whatever it is. Show up and tell the truth.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

I’ve always been a bit of a loner. When I feel overwhelmed or fragmented I find that it helps me to connect with an old friend that knows me from way back. Have a pow wow or “committee meeting” as I like to call it with a few friends I trust to flip all the pieces around. After polling my committee of like minded pals, I definitely recharge my battery with solitude. I love being home and doing my own thing. It centers me most and I love living alone. I set my day, my plans and my goals up when I’m quiet and grounded. I love a nap now and then too! Peace and quiet with a good nap and a snack is a good way to recharge. Creative projects definitely keep me going and inspired always.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chairish.com/shop/laineybean
• Instagram: @laineybean

Image Credits

Lainey Hashorva