Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Milena Mimi Leznicki. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Milena Mimi, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I’ve always been creative and always worked in creative fields. As a designer, your job is to solve a specific problem, creatively, and this is what I have done all of my professional life.
When my daughter was born, I learned quickly that my career as a shoe designer was not sustainable with a baby. I cannot get an an airplane to a factory with a few hours notice, I cannot be at the studio late nights or weekends.
This led me to create The Rainbow Play Space! Building a new business is a huge creative undertaking. From solving new tasks to learning how things work to designing the space itself. There are many more steps to accomplish before we are open for business, but it has already been a tremendously creative process to figure out how to get everything done. The best part is that the end result will be a community space where babies, toddlers and their adults can play and learn how to be creative.
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?
“Play is the highest form of research” -Albert Einstein
Imagine a co-working space for babies and toddlers where they can do just that: play. The Rainbow is the first family community space with classes for babies, toddlers and their adults in the heart of the East Village, NYC. The Rainbow focuses on art, music and dance, sensory and STEM, movement and sports. Created for babies and toddlers aged 0 months to 5 years old and their grown ups, our mission is to build a safe and inclusive environment devoted to the physical, emotion, creative and social development of children in our community. Our goal is to also build a close sense of community and create support groups for our local families.
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 Rainbow grew out of necessity in our community. Countless conversations with fellow neighborhood parents led me to the conclusion that if we wanted an indoor play space in the East Village, why not start it myself. To be sure, I polled more families to confirm what they are looking for. I vowed to be loyal to our community, listen to everyone’s opinions, and partner with other local businesses.
For anyone starting out on their journey, my advise is to listen to those around you. They will not only help you define what you are building, but will also be your loyal customers who were on the journey with you.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Our biggest challenge so far is finding the right space for The Rainbow. We’ve been in contract for multiple spaces, but for safety or trust reasons, had to walk away. The East Village is a great residential community full of small store fronts, but not many retail spaces big enough for a play space. The other obstacle we are facing is extremely high rent prices which does not work with our vision to be financially accessible to our community.
We are patiently looking at spaces all the time and are more than confidently that the right space is just around the corner!
The Rainbow is your home away from home. Come play with us!!
Contact Info:
- Website: Coming soon!
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therainbownyc/
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