The Origin Story of Lovely Maxson
I recently sat down with my sister, Genna Hartnett, to discuss the origin of Lovely Maxson, my creative process, my goals, and some things that I’m most excited about for the future of this blog! I won’t do too much of an intro here because she did such a wonderful job asking insightful questions, and I can’t wait for you all to read what we talked about!
One Saturday morning, over a cup of coffee….
Alexandra Hartnett Rojas wants to make the world a little bit more lovely. If you have the pleasure of knowing her well, this should come as no surprise. For as long as I’ve known her, and it’s been a while, she has always been able to make anyone feel welcome into a new space. You instantly feel more at ease when you know she is a part of planning, even if it’s something as trivial as picking a new restaurant. As we sat down to talk over Zoom about the launch of her new interactive lifestyle website Lovely Maxson, I knew I would learn more about how she balances working in the tech industry, maintaining a budding fitness Instagram, and being effortlessly chic even while wearing a simple denim top and no makeup over coffee on a Saturday morning. Luckily for me, and for all of you, we spoke about the importance of trusting in yourself, leading with vulnerability, and achieving your dreams one day at a time.
I’m so excited to hear about Lovely Maxson, your debut blog and personal brand! Could you give an introduction on what to expect and how you chose the name Lovely Maxson?
At its heart, I’d like for Lovely Maxson to be a blog and a creative outlet for me. In my day-to-day role, I have a lot of organizational tasks that I must complete, but a big part of who I am is also my ability to be creative and share experiences in my life or advice with others in ways that are exciting, like through pictures, writing, and overall, hopefully with humor. I’ve also set up an account for Lovely Maxson on the rewards program called Like to Know It! where you can purchase and get discounts on any of the items or experiences that I share. I plan for the blog to be centered around lifestyle, so documenting my travel experiences, restaurants my husband and I visit around Austin, hiking, fashion, and health. By combining my middle name Maxson, a family name that I’m very proud of with being “lovely” I want to create a blog that has the spirit of living a live that is effortless, beautiful, and sophisticated. It’s all going to be very personal in ways that people can relate to!
As your younger sister, I’ve always felt that you possess an effortless grace while as well as a strong pragmatic sense of leadership. What do you see as your role in the final project when you’re leading a team at work or planning something in your home?
I’ve never really thought of myself as a leader really, but I do consider myself to be very self-aware, so I know my insecurities very well. The way that I’ve been able to best get across my personality and establish what I’m trying to say is just to be vulnerable with people. I find this is a great way for the people you’re leading to connect with you better and there is a stronger sense of understanding between you and your team or audience. I always try to lead with empathy, understand my audience’s perspective and their interests, and ultimately find where we all align. I’ve also learned both in business and in life that it’s crucial to learn as many facts as you can, so when you lead with empathy while also having this knowledge, you’ll develop an environment where effective creative decisions can be made.
You speak about Lovely Maxson as your passion project, and especially coming out of the pandemic many young professionals were forced to put other interests to the side to just survive. Do you feel like this happened to you and is that part of what makes you want to launch Lovely Maxson now?
The idea for Lovely Maxson has been brewing in my mind for a long time and even more so during the pandemic, but the real catalyst that made me want to start sharing all the creative lifestyle ideas that I have in this way was the planning of my wedding in May of 2021. During this process I found that you really begin to develop your own unique style that becomes intrinsic to you. I was never the person who dreamed up their wedding from age 10, so jumping right into it was both enjoyable and a learning experience about myself and the tastes that I have in lifestyle and fashion, and through it I found lifestyle influencers and brands that spoke to me. I knew I wanted to create something like that but wasn’t sure how I would be able to create a similar influence or what my brand would be. And specifically, why now? Well (laughs) I’m turning 30 and I knew this is something that I would want to grow into the future and could be influenced by my life, my relationship with my husband and when we eventually have children and beyond. After all, what’s a better deadline than your 30th birthday?
Transitioning back to your childhood, you were a professional ballet dancer and dedicated your youth and adolescence entirely to your dance training. What are some of the lessons or values you feel that you learned in your dance training that you still carry with you?
That’s such an interesting question. I meet so many people in my job that ask me “How did you go from ballerina to product owner or delivery lead?” because it’s hard for people to see the connection. I really think that dance in general, or any serious athletic or artistic pursuit, teaches you that no matter how good you are or how much experience you have, there will always be things in which you’re starting from zero. You may have no prior knowledge of the choreographer you’re working with, or even the style {of dance}, but you must completely immerse yourself without any ego you may have and be open to learning new things from whoever you’re working with. That has been so useful to me throughout my career in IT; I started out as a junior developer working on a team of people who had much more experience than I did and instead of relying on my ego I told myself that I needed to learn a new skill to survive. That was the main key for me to teach myself Java or to gain mentors in my field. I feel like that really connects back to my vulnerability and not being afraid to ask for help when you really need it. Coming out of ballet, I’ve really had to learn how to stand by my own opinion when speaking in a room of my peers and having the confidence to say, “My opinion may not be right, but I need everyone to understand this, and I need to be heard.”
Moving into your post graduate life, you moved to a completely new city, Austin, TX. Could you talk about some of the things that Austin as a city has exposed to you?
Austin is a very “come as you are” type of city, very much a melting pot of America. There are so many different cuisines to try, you can walk into any restaurant, even ones that are supposed to be “fancy” and can see people in a range of attire from really dressed up to super casual. The people are so friendly here, and it just makes you more comfortable to be yourself. The city really breeds a sense of creativity because there are so many different types of people here from all different backgrounds. There’s a lot to be said about the impact of that creativity on the tech world that is very present here, and you can feel that intimate spirit wherever you go in Austin.
As you approach 30, what do you feel you identify as now?
I think that I’m a young professional, my work means is very important to me and a lot of who I am I defined by the work that I’ve done. I really love working in the tech industry and that is a major part of my identity. I hope I can also call myself a creative blogger. I take my relationships with my family and friends very seriously, so I feel that in general I’m a very dedicated and loyal person. And I still really feel like a kid at heart, and I love to experiment in various ways, whether it’s with a new recipe or a different decoration around the house.
We’re talking from your beautiful home now. What is a section of your living space that you put together and that you’re the proudest of?
I would say my living room! It’s evolved so much in the time that we’ve lived here. It’s the first thing people see when they walk into our house, so it was important to me to make sure that it’s not jarring on your eyes and that it feels comfortable. Natural light in a room is so important to me and having plants. I’ve heard people say that having a plant in every room really helps with your mood and the oxygen flow in your house. I designed the space with the idea that when I’m in this living room I want to feel like I’m at the beach, in terms of the color palette and the decorations. We also evolve our living room with the seasons, so in the fall we decorate it with pumpkins, but ultimately, I don’t want any seasonal decoration to change the feeling of the room to much away from that original beach theme. I feel the most truly at home when I’m here in my living room!
How about a recipe that you’ve tried to make that you were proud of cooking or baking?
Definitely my pumpkin roll! One of my best friends here in Austin has a great family recipe that she taught me, and I’ve had a lot of success with it. I tried the one that she made, and I just thought, “It seems so complicated, but I want to learn how to do it!” I felt so accomplished in learning how to make it, and when I made my first one. Since then, I’ve made it for my husband and for my parents and it’s been a big hit (laughs). Plus, it’s a great recipe to make with your family and friends because you can delegate responsibilities to different people.
You’re apart of a generation of entrepreneurial young women, many who aspire to start their own business someday. What would your advice be to them as you launch Lovely Maxson?
Just start! This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but had made so many excuses to myself about why it wouldn’t work. After a while, I just told myself “Stop. You’re just making so many excuses, so just start” and that same day, I bought the domain name and ever since I’ve been slowly chipping away at it. I remember watching a video of a psychologist who said that if you’re trying to approach a big task, dedicate 15 minutes a day to working on it. By doing this, it will fill a spot in your brain, and you’ll eventually want to spend more than 15 minutes a day to working on it.
