Meet Miki Lansdowne

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Miki Lansdowne. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Miki below.

Miki , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

We are all born as blank canvases. Confidence or the lack there of is learned and influenced by many things in life. Sometimes people and challenging situations can really affect our confidence, especially as children. For me, it was learning from mistakes and the deep desire to always be better than I was yesterday. My consistent choice to grow in emotional maturity and the choice to never quit on myself. The paths in life I have taken, and not always by choice, have helped me build resilience and confidence. When I overcome obstacles, achieve goals, and even fall flat on my bum, I must get back up. I made the choice to not let tough times defeat me and learn from it. I keep pushing forward regardless. Those are the steps of success and confidence in my book. I do not always feel confident. No one can be confident all the time. I think arriving in confidence is the courage to get up and keep going. To not be my own enemy. The true battle is within us, in our minds. So, I speak well to myself. I talk to that girl in the mirror and pour words of affirmation into her. We must be our own biggest supporter, because not everyone has our best interest in mind. It is not selfish to make yourself a priority. To love others well, you must love yourself well first.

Another way I build confidence is by doing things that scare me. Overcoming fear builds strength and confidence. I set a challenge for myself. If I am afraid of something, I must do it at least once. Of course, I will have that voice of fear feeding me self-doubt and criticism, But I work hard to override that voice with truth and self-affirming thoughts. Seeing that the true battle is of the mind and not reality. Once I began working on mindfulness, life has changed dramatically. I slowed down and started thinking first, instead of being driven by emotions. It has really helped me process things that steal my confidence. I am proud of myself. Five years ago, I did not think the way I do now.

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 what I like to call, a “Jill of Trades.” I am a published photographer, and author of the book, “Abandoned Gary, Indiana. Steel Bones,” I am a Beauty Artist at House of Color Salon, an Internationally published Pin-Up Model, and I am the founder of Iron Lilies Savannah, GA; a women’s motorcycle group.

I enjoy so many things, so I do not limit myself. If I am curious about something, I learn about it and will try it at least once. Why not?! That is another part of confidence: Putting yourself out there and trying something you have never done before, even if you may not be the best at it. That is not what it’s about anyway. Who cares if you are the best, just go for it. Everything I have done is self-taught, except for being a Beauty Artist, I did go to school for that. Currently, I am learning how to repair a 1973 Harley Davidson. I am learning to do most of the work myself. When I get to a tough spot, sure, I’ll reach out to friends for help. That is also part of confidence, being able to ask for help when you need it. I am excited about this new adventure and being able to ride something I restored.
I have been a photographer for about seventeen years, and it is my first love. I started shooting at about the age of seven. Urban Exploration is my main subject. I had the pleasure of traveling to Kyiv, Ukraine in 2019 to photograph Chernobyl. That was a once in a lifetime experience for me. I think that will be my first art showcase here in Savannah. But I have a pretty big body of work that I want to share, and I am really excited about doing it here. My book was inspired by my first Urbex “Urban Exploration” trip to Gary, Indiana, where I met some of my dearest friends, the Decay Devils. I could not think of a better honor than to write about Gary, Indiana. I just fell in love with the beautifully abandoned places and the people. It only felt right to have my first book feature where it all began. I’m not going to give it away of course, but (I feel), not only did it capture the heartbreak of a lost time, but the renewal of hope in current times, as well. I always feel so disappointed when I hear people say Gary is abandoned or lost! That is far from the truth — there is so much hope, love, and renewal happening in Gary today!

The Iron Lilies Savannah, GA is a motorcycle group I started in 2023. It’s open to all ages, all styles of motorcycles, and anyone identifying as female. To be a sisterhood of strong, independent women. To support and create a fun, but collective group — One where all women, no matter their age, ethnicity, or differences, can come together and feel welcomed. My biggest “Rule” (if I’d even call it that) is: Just be cool! No mean girl stuff, or lack of respect for your sisters is welcome. As women, we face many challenges already, and one that should not exist, is a challenge being between us! Being unique is something I have known all too well in my life. It’s not cool to feel like “you do not fit in.” That toxic mentality separates us, and it starts in elementary school. We are women now, and it’s time that negativity stops. We should be able to come together and break this barrier we’ve created ourselves. The group we have now consists of about ten. All ages and styles of motorcycles. Different career paths and interests. I am proud of how it has come together over the last year.

Last, but not least, I have been doing beauty artist work for about 14 years. I love it and I love my salon, House of Color. I enjoy helping people feel good about themselves. I want the experience of sitting in my chair to be one of breaking stereotypes, building confidence, trust and feeling heard. It’s not as much about creativity for me, as it is making a difference. Like taking a cancer patients wig and cutting it, so she feels more like herself in a tough time. Or helping a mature woman feel beautiful and confident about aging. Creating a safe space for tough conversations when someone needs to talk, and having the openness to listen and keep it private. It’s about relationships.

And then there’s modeling — something I started about two years ago with some girlfriends, The Bombshell Baddies. I have always been into pinup and Rockabilly music culture; Vintage hair, clothing, and classic cars. This was a group where everything I love comes together. Being behind the camera was always where I was most comfortable, but now I am learning to be the subject because I am normally the quiet type . It has really been so much fun. Again, I just want to just inspire people. As women age, we have been made to feel that we are just old and less attractive, “Go get fillers, boobs, and color your hair!” while men somehow become sexier as they age and turn grey, then go for younger women, Go figure! So I am here to show it is not true ladies! Just because you age, it does not mean your old or less attractive! We are still beautiful and sexy! All ages and all sizes. I care for women everyday who feel so bad about themselves and it breaks my heart to see such self criticism. Wear that mini skirt or a cute little lingerie piece ! Wear your hair how you want! Hey, I decided to become a pinup model in my 40’s, so do what makes you feel confident!

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?

I think having resilience is necessary. Being able to adapt and having the willingness to change and grow.
Developing the ability to pick yourself up and adjust to adversity.

You must be Flexible and have the strength to bend without breaking. We must move forward, even when things do not work out as planned.

The biggest life change for me is being easy on myself, and having mindfulness. We must check in with ourselves throughout the day. Where is my thought process? Am I having negative thought patterns? And if so, we need to redirect those thoughts. Replace a negative thought with a positive one. It is not easy developing mindfulness; it’s like managing a toddler. There are tons of negative thoughts and emotions running around in our brains unmonitored! We must consistently catch what our minds are thinking about and how we are feeling. I was so surprised just how many negative thoughts and feelings I was having daily. Sometimes, I did not even realize I was thinking about things. It freaked me out, to be honest. So, I started working hard on managing my mind and it was challenging work, but also, so worth it. I am a different person because of it. Less stress and anxiety. My quality of living has increased just by not having so many negative thoughts. I am happier and healthier. I have learned to let go of things and move on from past trauma, as well. It’s by far the best skill I have developed and it’s changed my life.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

I would have to say the book that impacted me the most was The Laws of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks.

It taught me that my thoughts, and words have power that influence my life, and that when we live in gratitude, it cultivates happiness and balance. It helped me realize that when we live in the past and hold onto it, it will only create more trauma, and struggle in the present. It was totally a life changing book for me, to say the least.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Drew Miller
Steven Scienski

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