When to Quit the Dream Job: Stylist Drea Z. Harbin on Creativity, Burnout, and Her New Fashion Venture, Eyes of Wise

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Drea Z. Harbin, artist, graphic designer, creative entrepreneur, and owner of the vintage clothing and jewelry collection Eyes of Wise, joins Carrie on this week’s episode of The Localist. Drea and Carrie dive into how Eyes of Wise came about, Drea’s transition from agency art director to independent entrepreneur, and how it’s just as important to know what you don’t want as well as what you do. Drea then tells us what being on a styled shoot is like, the value in collaboration and cross promotion, and how important it is to have support and people you can bounce ideas off of. Drea and Carrie talk about how the advice from men can differ from the advice given by women, how change can sometimes feel like failure, and how slowing down and self care are crucial (face masks are recommended but aren’t cure-alls!). Drea and Carrie then get into the business side of Eyes of Wise and discuss Drea’s ultimate goal with the business and the services she offers (which sound like a dream come true!). Drea and Carrie wrap up with the sustainability aspect of buying second hand and local, Drea drops some shocking statistics about the fashion industry and then offers tips on how to make the change to more sustainable clothing options. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Eyes of Wise

Daughters Baking 

Cooking Light magazine

Cary Norton 

Sapere Collection

Liesa Cole

Forecast Salon

Brittany McNaughton

Mark Hyde

Verra Studios

Botanica BHM 

Church Street Coffee and Books 

Brene Brown TED Talk 

Rising Strong by Brene Brown

Selune Jewelry

Drea’s Book Recommendations

TIME mag special issue on Success (especially the article What Ambition Means for Women)
About Carrie

Carrie Rollwagen is host of the Localist podcast and cofounder of Church Street Coffee & Books. Currently, she works as Vice President of Strategic Planning at Infomedia, a web development company in Birmingham, Alabama. Find the Localist at @thinklocalist on Instagram and follow Carrie at @crollwagen.

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