Meet the Maker Month: Hillary of Fairy Freckles

Hi! I'm Hillary. It's lovely to virtually meet you! The best way I can describe myself and what I do is I'm a lover of nature that uses natural elements to bring peace, love, and healing to humans. I love to make natural wellness easy to achieve for others that don't necessarily know about plant magick and all that it has to offer us.

Why did you start a business around natural wellness? I started this business because I know that a lot of people have lost track of their natural state as beings living on this planet along with so many other natural beings (animals, plants). I'm trying to help people reconnect to themselves using the earth and all that it has to offer. To remind them that beauty and magick do exist because at our core, we are magickal beings so why not tap into some other forms of magick that this planet has to offer us.

When did you start your business? I started this business fairly recently, at the beginning of this year on January 3rd 2022. I launched on the very first new moon of the year (which was in Capricorn) to draw in as much abundance for my business as I can get. The fact that I'm able to do this interview so early on in my career makes me realize that I was right in following the moon and using its powers, this is amazing and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to share what I love.

What are some of your interests related to your business? Since everything in this universe is connected in some way, my interests vary. I love plants, gardening, animals, astrology, astronomy, reading, writing, creating, connecting with others and so much more.

What does being a Maker mean to you? Being a maker to me means someone who uses their creativity and inspiration to add something to this world. To unapologetically put a piece of themselves out for the world to see, use or benefit from in some way.

What motivates you to create? The whole world, the universe, and all of the creations are a part of it. That's what motivates me to create. And also the fact that I know more people can benefit from plants is what motivates me. People have been so disconnected from themselves for so long, knowing that I can help someone reconnect with themselves through nature is all the motivation I need to keep creating.

How have you developed your skills? I've been gardening and using plants as medicine and as food for a couple of years. There are so many benefits to be found in natural elements that I love to learn about. I've studied botany, herb gardening, plant magick, astrology, astronomy, and so much more to help me develop my skills. I also have my diploma in graphic design so it's needless to say that I love to learn as much as I can about many different topics.

Where are you from and how does that influence your work? I'm from Montreal, Canada. It influences me because we have a very long winter season here. I can't be as hands-on with my plants in the winter compared to the hot summer months. So during the winter, I do as the plants do, I lay low, I reflect and I rest. Then when summer arrives, I'm ready to bloom!

How have your life experiences shaped your art? My life experiences, all the good and all the bad, have led me to be the person I am today. I create the art that I do, being the type of person that my life experiences have turned me out to be. I try to use all sorts of emotions to create, and being a Scorpio sun, I draw inspiration and power from even the bad life experiences that I've been through. So I quite literally try to use everything that I've been through in the most beneficial way to help me move towards my goals. No bad experience stays bad for long because I always try to learn from everything that happens, become stronger from it, and use it as motivation to create.

How has the pandemic impacted your creativity? It has impacted my creativity because it has made me understand more about how humans work and think during stressful times. When all of humanity is going through a shocking turn of events, there's not much you can do as one person watching it all manifest. So I take from it what I can in terms of still trying to get inspiration from the stories I hear and from the emotions it has brought to me and to other people. It is harder to be inspired during this time because of the stress and the state of the world, but it has also made me realize that humans are so resilient and that all different kinds of emotions can lead to inspiration and motivation, even the emotions that can be harder to deal with than others.

How do you apply your creativity to other aspects of your life? I do everything in my life surrounding my love for nature. I get my creativity from being connected to nature, so I like to try and stay as connected as I can with anything that I do. Meditation helps, reflection helps, taking needed steps back from my reality helps and spending time in nature all help keep me grounded, creative and appreciative in my everyday life.

What themes do you pursue in your work? I pursue natural, organic, beneficial, authentic, and appreciative themes to do my work. I work with the thought that there has to be an even exchange when working with natural forces, as nothing can occur without an energetic exchange. Hence I pursue my work with an abundance of appreciation and love for the earth, the universe, and mother nature by being as authentic as I can with it. I work alongside the earth, I don't just take from it, I give back to it as well and I speak to my plants. These are just some examples of how I stay authentic with my appreciation of nature and how I do my work.

What is your favorite thing you've created and why? I'd have to say my teas. I love creating tea blends and harvesting plants, drying plants, putting them together for specific purposes, and then sharing them with the world. The fact that tea tastes really good and makes everyone feel good is a plus!

Tell us about your first sale My first ever sale was for two tea blends and two lip balms. the Happy Tummy Tea Blend, Sleepytime Tea Blend, my Strawberry Lip Balm, and Lilac Lip Balm. It makes me very happy knowing that people believe in plant magick and want to try my products to help them either feel better, relax, fall asleep, or bring some peace to whatever may be going on in their lives that I'm not aware of. This sale really humbled me and I was so happy that I was able to share my knowledge of plant benefits to the world in a physical and tangible way.

What is your dream project? My dream project would be to combine my love for plants and astrology somehow and create something that symbolizes both of those elements. I'm not sure yet how I can do that, but it's going to happen in time and I can't wait to see what I come up with and how I can share it with the world!

Do you accept commissions? I don't accept commissions. I am planning to hopefully soon start creating customized tea blends for people who are looking for something more personal to them.

What type of art do you like to consume? I like art that creates an emotional response. Something that gets me thinking about it, feeling something from it, or questioning things about it. I like art in that I can interact within a knowledgeable and emotional sense.

Describe your creative process I usually get creative ideas when I'm connected to the natural energies around me. This happens mostly in summer when I can sit outside on the grass all day, feel the sun on my skin, look at the blooming flowers around me, listen to the birds chirping.. that's when the love, inspiration, and creativity come to me. That's usually what my creative process looks like.

How do your interests shift from one project to the next? My interests shift only slightly depending on what the base is that I'm working with. I like to stay connected to nature and be authentic in anything that I create, so the basic themes stay the same no matter what I'm making. The fact that I'm knowledgeable in many different topics lets me tap into that part of my knowledge more if that's what I'm working with. For example, if I'm making tea blends, I'm going to be taping into what I know about plants as opposed to if I'm designing labels, where I'm going to be taping more into what I know about graphic design instead.

Describe your latest project I would have to say that my latest project was setting up my website! I studied HTML and coding and even though it's not my strong suit, I did try to use as much of it as I knew to create the best possible layout to showcase my products and my brand in a visually appealing way. Check out my website www.fairyfreckles.ca and see if you find I did a good job!

How do you know when you've finished a project? I'm a perfectionist most times, especially when it comes to what I create. So it's hard for me to be 110% satisfied with a project. It is easier when using other energies (like plants) to make my creations because I tend to just feel if a product is right or if it needs more work based on what the energy of that plant is that I'm tapping into. I can't change the aspects of plants nor do I want to, so it makes it easier knowing I'm working with something already so powerful that I can let it do the talking for itself.

What are your long-term goals? One of my long-term goals is to eventually be able to have my own huge garden where all of the plants that I use for my products and creations are grown and harvested by me. The whole process of growing an herb is special because how you treat the plant matters. I'd love to be able to know that I'm using herbs that have been properly cared for and loved ever since they were seeds.

What steps are you taking to ensure your growth as a maker? I'm making sure that no matter what happens, what I create, or who is interested in my products, I'm staying authentic to who I am and to what my goal is in trying to bring the benefits of plant magick to people. That's the most important for me I believe and as long as I continue to be authentic and use natural energies to keep people connected, I have no doubts that I'm going to keep growing as a maker.

What inspires you? The same thing that motivates me to create is what inspires me. Everything is connected therefore inspiration can be found in anything but I find that the most inspiration can be found in simple things like plants, the sky, strangers, animals, stories, colors, voices and so much more. I get inspired by everything and anything.

What initially drew you to your craft? What drew me to my craft is knowing how good it made me feel to reconnect with myself and with nature, and how I knew others could benefit from the same feeling.

What three adjectives would you use to describe your work? Probably authentic, natural, and elevating.

What story do you want to tell with your work? I want to tell the story that you could always connect back to your natural self and that nature is the base of where we come from. We are a part of nature, we are magickal beings and we should start believing it more and using nature to help us believe it.

Why are humans creative?

Humans are creative because they are so resilient. They could use so many different types of emotions to create so many beautiful things. The fact that even harder emotions to process such as anger, or sadness can be used to create something wonderful and can make someone else feel happy for example, is utterly amazing.