Fennella
Taking the “woo woo” out of witchcraft,
I’m taking the “woo woo” out of witchcraft, and changing opinions to make the practice cosy and accessible to families with children. I’m using my children’s illustration to do this. I want to help families communicate, spend time in nature, and build rituals and routines that them closer together.
Which Make_Happen distinction do you use the most or has impacted you the most?
It’s difficult to say because there has really been a lot.
Initially, the thing that really spoke to me is the “One Thing” that you can do every day to get you closer to your goal. Even if it’s just something small, completing one action every day really does make things happen.
I have also found the idea of the “Purple Cow” really helpful. When I was trying to do children’s illustration, I was just one artist (and an untrained one at that) in a sea of illustrators who want to work in children’s literature. There’s not a huge amount of illustrators specialising in the witchcraft market, and even fewer targeting families within that. It’s a lot easier to reach the people who will like my work when I target them specifically.
How has being a part of Make_Happen influenced your creative process?
As well as making me more consistent in my creating, I have realised that I can’t just sit around and wait for my audience to find me - I have to be out in the world, connecting with them. Making phone calls and speaking to people in person is scary, but it makes things happen a lot quicker than posting on social media and hoping.
What is your biggest achievement since starting the course?
Honestly I am so proud of myself even just for being here. I’m kept very busy looking after my baby boy and going to my day job, and it would be far easier to go “This is too much!”. But every time I show up to a seminar, or complete my One Thing, I’m doing something for me, and to build a better life for my family in the future.
One thing I’m particularly proud of is the progress of my business into wholesaling. I’ve designed a “Witchy Family Planner” and managed to get a few local spiritual stores to agree to stock it. I hope to grow the number of stores I work with, and hope this could be great repeat business which would be huge for me. I don’t know if I would have even considered it as a possibility without this course.
What advice would you give to aspiring Make_Happeners who are just starting their creative journeys?
You can’t keep doing things the same way and expect them to change. Make_Happen will support you to try different things out, and make the changes you need into routine. Sometimes (often) it will be uncomfortable - but sometimes (often) it will be wonderful.
