We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bryce Landers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Bryce, 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?
I would say that a lot of my confidence and self-esteem have been fostered by other creatives within the Cincinnati community. I can honestly say that this is, hands down, the most supportive community I have been a part of. The transparency between other makers right off the bat with things I’m new to, whether it be social media, sourcing materials for products, etc., has been such an integral part of my continued growth.
I’ve also built my confidence over the years by constantly reminding myself that failure is a huge part of success. Whenever I try my hand out at making a new product, I go into it with the assumption that I’ll have to make several more before they’re at a place where they’re ready for consumption.
Nothing starts out perfect, but being able to create something that you’re proud of in the end makes it all worth it.
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 started my company as a hobby back in 2019 out of my apartment while attending college. At the time, I was studying International Business (for my parents) and woodworking (for me).
I’ve always personally thought that working with your hands was really rewarding, and while I loved woodworking, I was moving around a lot at the time and wanted to play around with creating something that didn’t require a separate workshop space. After a few years of studying and a lot of trial and error, Manelos Leather was finally founded.
My favorite part about my business is the amazing collaborations I’ve been lucky to be a part of. I partner with local Cincinnati tattoo + fine artists and laser engrave their pieces onto the face of wallets and bags. I love being able to create with other artists that inspire me and end up with products that vary so much in style and design.
My hopes for 2024/2025 are to expand into silversmithing, so that I’m able to make my own hardware, as well as chains and signet rings.
Currently everything is still being made from my living room, and I couldn’t be happier with the direction that
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?
Patience, especially when it comes to learning a new stitch or creating a new pattern, is definitely a quality that was hard for me to acquire. I’m a big perfectionist, and learning how to be okay with new projects taking time was a big challenge. I think it’s important for everyone starting out to realize it might take a while to reach the point where you’re comfortable selling your goods, and that’s okay! Give pieces to your friends and family members to try out for a while and make sure they’re giving you honest feedback.
Giving myself the freedom to be creative. I think early on, I tried to stick to making things that were pretty simple and would would appeal to a broad audience. It took me a while to let myself be more creative and make pieces that I wasn’t sure would hit my target audience. As my pieces have changed, so has my clientele! The best advice I could give to someone starting out (even though I’m just starting out myself) is to make whatever speaks to you.
Money management is also crucial. It’s essential to keep track of every expense, no matter how small, so that you can ensure you’re pricing your products correctly.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always looking for new artists to feature and collaborate with! My work mostly features tattoo artists in the Cincinnati area, but I’d love to expand that and collab with creatives in other cities and countries.
My email and DMs are always open.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.manelos.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manelosleather/
Image Credits
Whitney Pelfrey – Native Iris Photo
