Michael Lanier is the founder of Pueblo, an indoor plant shop in the historic Garfield neighborhood in downtown Phoenix. Along with his partner and co-owner, Coby Bruckner, Michael has created a vibrant oasis in our desert city. The space they have curated at Pueblo is one of life and acceptance and hope. The fostering of life with pruning, watering, moving and observing. Acceptance that a deep breath and a quiet moment amongst plants is exactly what your soul needs. And ultimately, hope that things will not only survive, but thrive. Michael brings this positivity to his neighborhood and beyond, and we are so honored to chat with Michael for Around The Blok. 

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF?

My name is Michael, I’m an Arizona Native and a placemaker. I’m an outgoing introvert and believer in this city and her future, a purveyor of plants and a naturalist at heart. I look at the world with an optimistic realism and will do my best to make my time on earth as productive and joyous as possible, planting trees and providing (literal) shade as I do it.  

WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?

I do what I do because I firmly believe in a positive impact. Humans have an incredible knack for destroying the past, and I want to do my absolute best to ensure that whenever I am done, I left a positive impact on as many people as I could in the ways that I can–and for me that means enabling people to fill their lives with just enough knowledge that they feel a little better off and more connected to the living things that can’t talk back.

WHAT BENEFIT DOES ART PROVIDE TO SOCIETY?

Art is so hard to define. Art is music, and movement. It’s color and shape and form and anything that inspires even a slight chill down your spine, or a tingle in your back. Art moves you, and inspires you to want to do that for others. Art helps you notice a detail that’s always been in plain sight. Art is human, and today it seems more important than ever to just feel human. 

WHAT'S YOUR ADVICE TO OTHERS CHASING THEIR DREAM?

It’s so easy to convince yourself that a dream is something you’ll do when you have time, but waiting until you feel ready tends to put a dream off for life. Make sure there is passion in it, and make sure that you can sustain yourself while you chase it. There have been so many times that I get lost in the details of what I do that I forget that the bigger picture is just to enjoy what I do. Don’t get lost in the small, overwhelming obstacles.

WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION AND WHY?

My biggest inspiration would have to be other artists, entrepreneurs and creatives. Friends, local and far. People who are doing their best to make a go of their own desires and dreams.

WHEN YOU THINK OF HOME, WHAT COMES TO MIND?

Home is Here. I’ve always assumed home was just where I was at the time, but I always end up coming home to Phoenix. It’s always a little dusty, always a little polluted, always a little washed out but no matter what it is, it’s always home, and I always want to improve it and watch it grow and mature in any way it can.