We had the good fortune of connecting with India Mills and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi India, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been creative. As a child, I would always draw or doodle things around me. You know – the typical fruit, flowers, etc. But one day, I had an assignment in an elementary class and I can’t remember exactly what the assignment was – but I had to draw a house. I was so excited that I drew the most intricate house ever! It was so much fun to just have this idea in my head and put it down on paper. I was a super shy child, so looking back at it, I think being able to express myself through art was the perfect outlet.
Since then, I’ve always been the go-to person for anything creative – whether my sister entered a pumpkin decoration contest for Halloween and asked ME to come up with a design to help her win (I believe she placed 3rd in her department), to friends reaching out to ask for a special one-of-a-kind gift to give their relative. I’ve helped come up with concepts for parties, just anything where I can be creative and not have limitations – I am all for it.
For my career, it really started with my love of games. I love hosting game nights so one day I thought to create my own. It was a Cards Against Humanity mash up with Truth or Dare almost. And I loved it. It was my baby and the start of my career. From there, I began making custom wine-themed coasters and they’ve since evolved to many things. Each year it seems I am evolving and adding new products to my website. I love getting inspiration from other creative minds and finding new ways to reach new customers.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is me. It’s special, it’s personal. I often get really nervous after I’ve completed a piece of art and prepare to ship it. It’s like I’m sending my child off for judgment – will people think she’s ugly? Could she have more? I should have given her the white shirt instead of the purple shirt. Okay those were kid analogies but you get the point! Because I put so much into my art – especially the wall art paintings – they are personal pieces that I get anxious to share. Think of writing down your thoughts in a diary and then publishing it!
But, the feedback and look on the faces of the individuals I sell to make it all worth it. It’s… refreshing to say the least. And, it’s confirmation that I am doing exactly what I should be. I would hope everyone puts their heart into art they sell, but in addition to that, my art is also one-of-a-kind. I do a lot of custom pieces that I have not seen much of in the art “community.” I have custom coasters or custom photo displays where the customer provides the images. Whether you are gifting to grandma, uncle, colleague or neighbor – there is something for everyone.
The most exciting part about my business is that I am not solely focused on one type of art. Almost everything does include epoxy resin, but I have products that range from cell phone cases, to coasters, to paint kits – there are many options so my creativity is not limited.
If I wanted the world to know one thing about my brand or story, is just that I am real. I don’t claim to be the best, I still make mistakes and probably will continue to throughout the years, but I don’t present myself or my brand as anything other than me. I don’t put on a facade, this brand is me. I am sharing products that I feel are special, that are creative and different and you often won’t find the variety in a business like mine.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Okay so first, I LOVE going for drinks and brunch is my #1. If a friend is visiting, we’d likely visit the following places – lets say they’re staying Wed-Sun:
Wednesday:
I like to “celebrate” Wine Wednesday and there is a really cute small business in downtown Auburn Hills called Michigan by the Bottle. We’d visit this place and get a wine slushy, wine flight or just our favorite glass of wine. They don’t have food, but we could snack on a variety of knick knacks – including a soft pretzel with goat cheese – SO GOOD. We’d probably need to eat a bit more after our second glass, so we’d order pizza from Larco Bros. They walk it over to your table so it’s convenient and so very good. Pizza is my all time favorite so we are for sure having it a few times while my friend is in town.
Thursday:
We’d probably head out for a nice dinner at Townhouse Detroit. Great drinks, a beautiful atmosphere and the best buffalo cauliflower you will ever try! I’d likely host a small game night after dinner where we can just laugh, have fun and enjoy each others company.
Friday:
So I don’t go out often, but when the weather is nice it’s always a good time to go to Exodus Rooftop Lounge in Detroit. There’s something about being on a rooftop that brings a different type of energy! If my friend isn’t in the mood to go to the rooftop, Drag Queen Bingo is the most fun you’ll have in one night. I mentioned earlier that I love games and even though we’re playing Bingo, it’s the best time you’ll have playing Bingo. Five15 in Royal Oak hosts this event and it’s basically a comedy show mixed with Bingo AND you can win prizes. If my friend has never been to a drag show in general, we would definitely visit this place!
Saturday:
Saturdays are the best day of the week in my opinion. Why? Because these are the days where we can finally go to brunch! We’d start out at The Meeting House in downtown Rochester where we’d enjoy the BEST pancakes ever. Test me on this, they are the best hands down. After we enjoy a mimosa or four, we’d get ready to enjoy downtown Detroit later.
Campus Martius is the perfect place to visit, especially when the weather is nice. We’d head to The Fountain Detroit, which is a cute outdoor eating space. They have really good drinks and food if we’re hungry. We could also walk over to Parc and enjoy more drinks if the sun is beaming down on us or if we just need AC for a bit! After we explore a bit more downtown we would head to The Skip – a super cute, outdoor bar in an alleyway. Frozen cucumber margaritas… how could we not visit this place?!
Sunday:
Sundays would be a bit more chill. We’d enjoy a nice Sunday Funday at Bobcat Bonnie’s in Ferndale or Detroit. I like this place because not only do they have a build your own Mimosa or Bloody bar, but they have vegan sausage and board games you can play at your table. Literally made for me!
There are so many fun places to visit in the area!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So I am blessed to have an amazing support system. My family and friends are always very supportive of everything I do and vice versa! But, I would say my boyfriend was instrumental in giving me the confidence to turn my hobby into a business. I can overthink things A LOT and he really pushed me to get things up and running. He came up with my initial business name, sat with me while I created and recreated my logo, he’s been there from the beginning. Always encouraging, providing ideas, whatever it may be. So he deserves the biggest shoutout.
Website: https://www.swirlsiprepeat.com
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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgy8o7hVIgAJ8Y_pPuY6ang