84. Creative Self-Expression, Wearable Art & Your Inner Kid with Mikaela Clark (Hansel Founder)
Mikaela Clark started her clothing company with the mission of making one-of-a-kind sustainably produced clothing that connected people with their inner kid.
In this episode we chat about:
How her childhood inspired creativity and self-expression
How she founded Hansel as a way of grounding and connecting to her childhood self during a period of transition
How you can get more playful and curious with using sustainable fashion as a tool for self-expression
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TODAY'S GUEST
Want to connect with today's guest Mikaela Clark?
Take a peak at the Hansel website >> https://www.hanselclothing.com
Find Hansel on the 'gram >> @hansel_clothing
AND if you’re in the New York Area be sure to check out her upcoming event with the Brooklyn Museum - DM Mikaela for details.
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GET IN TOUCH
Did this episode spark an interesting reflection or a question stirring in your heart? I love hearing from you!
Instagram: @meghanljohnston
Email: hello@meghanjohnston.com
Website: meghanjohnston.com
Episode Transcript
[00:00:00]
You're listening to episode 84 of With Heart and Wonder. And let me tell you this episode is truly something special. It was such an honor to get to record this episode with today's guest Mikaela Clark, getting to tell you all about her. In just a moment. But I wanted to share that as I was reflecting back after recording, thinking about just like how I think it's almost impossible to hear what you're about to hear and to not feel more curious, more inspired, more playful. Mikaela is just such a shining example of somebody who lives With Heart and Wonder, and just so much of that playful curiosity that we love to celebrate here.
Now, let me tell you about Mikaela she is a multidisciplinary visual artist, musician, lover of all things floral and the Brooklyn based designer behind Hansel Clothing. [00:02:00] Born and raised in St. Louis to a family of creatives, she founded Hansel with the mission of making one of a kind sustainably produced clothing that connected people with their inner kid. She believes that fashion can be a vehicle for change, both in our big collective world by repurposing clothes to reduce textile waste. And in our small personal worlds by giving us the confidence to take on our days. Her purpose in life and business is to minimize waste, maximize joy and create beauty from the world's excess.
Now let's dive in to the interview.
Meghan: Mikaela I am just, like, my heart is beaming with excitement to have you here today. I have been looking forward to this conversation so deeply.
Mikaela: Wow. Oh my gosh. Well, that starts me on a good note. I love to hear that. I feel the same way. I'm, I'm very excited to be here. I think from the beginning, once we started communicating about this podcast and the idea of doing this, I felt so just like grounded and aligned with your energy of how you speak with empathy and kindness. And I don't know, you just have a very gracious aura about you and everything this podcast stands for is things I love talking about, so I'm equally as excited. Thank you for having me here.
Meghan: Oh my gosh, I've been, in the last few weeks, I'm just going to share this personal thing, I've noticed I'm, like, being moved to tears more. It's so
Mikaela: Megan, that's sweet! Yeah,
Meghan: It's really fascinating. It's like, there's like a lot of emotion moving through me. Um, so thank you for those words. And maybe I'll just share, because we connected in, in a fun way, so we'll do a shout out to the Imby community right now.
It was at the beginning of the year and you led this, just like such a [00:04:00] beautiful grounding, compassionate workshop of feeling into the year ahead from this perspective of a garden and it was mmm, it was that perfect mix of a chance to play with compassion and curiosity and creativity which I know are gonna be some of the themes that weave into this conversation. But I'll just share a that, like, I am not somebody who is very comfortable drawing, and it was such a beautiful space, though, because we were, like, doodling, and it was a chance for me to really, like, reconnect with that part of myself, and I am just so excited to talk more about creativity today. Because I know that you and I both believe so strongly that there are so many opportunities for us to explore our creativity and maybe we could start off just by talking about your journey with creativity and what that's looked like for you.
Yea,
Mikaela: I would love to and I'm so glad you gave a shout out to Imby as well, Sara Weinreb Community. She has been an internet friend of mine for four or five years. I don't even remember how long, like, just feels like a true friend and she has created such an amazing virtual community. And so yeah, shout out to Sara for asking me to do that amazing wellness workshop.
Um, but yes, my entrance into creativity. I feel like I was just kind of born into a family that just, that is just creative in so many ways. I'm giggling already because when I think about my family, I just can't help but like smile, but also roll my eyes. You know, it's that like that cross stream, two different streams, um, or currents that warm and cool current like in a lake of like opposite energies that just make this [00:06:00] chaotic beauty.
Um, that's definitely my family, very passionate, very emotional people born to two Cancers with two sisters who are Aries and, um, all creative people. And I think that is something that instilled a desire to make something. with what I see around me from a very early age.
So, you know, my mom grew up in band. She was a huge music lover. She played every instrument in the band. She was the drum major. Um, you know, music is something she was really passionate about, but she also really enjoyed drawing. Um, her mother was a poet and was really good at drawing and, um, was a sewist and taught my mom how to sew and mend her clothes.
And my grandmother is just one of the most creative women I've ever met. She would hand draw every one of our cards. She took a lot of passion or she took a lot of pride in, um, even the way she wrote her script, her handwriting, passed that down to my mom. Um, and my mom was the first one that taught me how to draw in 3D.
So she was like, she noticed that I had a knack for drawing as a kid, and she's like, okay, you know how to draw a two dimensional box. Here's how you make it three dimensional. And like she is the one that taught me about perspective and um, how to sketch things. And my dad is just this, lover of music. I mean, that man knows every artist under the sun, just voraciously consumes music.
And, um, since he was a kid, he started playing guitar, I think when he was 15. And, um, he lived in a time where your connection to music was just through the radio. So it was very influenced by your place and location. And, growing up in Louisiana and having this passion for folk music because of that. Um, and then moving to Kansas City where now he had this introduction to jazz, [00:08:00] funk, you know, the way he's influenced my music appetite is just so, um, pivotal and, profound.
So some of my favorite bands are. Well, I love James Taylor, obviously, like Earth, Wind Fire, and then my mom's favorite, Stevie Wonder. So I think growing up in a house where my dad was like playing the bass every day or every night when we were going to sleep, he plays the electric bass in the basement.
We would go to sleep with, you know, the bottom of our floor like bumping because of the reverb, you know, and that, that was soothing to me. Um, as long as I can remember, that's been happening. And my mom would play instruments. We've always had a piano in the house. And so I think that was the first infusion of performance and the arts that came into my life.
And watching my parents keep their passions alive with music from such a young age, I know I immediately wanted to be a part of it. My sisters and I would make up dances while my dad was playing. We would, um, you know, play dress up, um, get involved with our school talent shows. So that was, yeah, definitely the biggest infusion at the start was music related.
And I, and I definitely have to thank my parents for that.
Meghan: I almost get this sense as you're talking that Like that your house was just like humming with this like creative energy, like it was just like in the air almost.
Mikaela: That's such a great way to put that. I think that's why I can't help but like giggle when I talk about it. Cause I'm like, I don't even know where to begin. Like, it's like, as I'm talking about it, I know it makes me emotional. I just, when I think about my family, I just think about a burst of color, just paint strokes, just, just things flying through the air, like fury, anger, happiness, joy, like just a lot.
There's a lot of emotions in that house, but it was such a great place to be a creative individual because that emotion came from being in a family [00:10:00] full of people who were designed to express. And I think that's a beautiful thing, you know, and I don't know, I think it's really special.
Like my parents just really highly prioritize that in their lives. And I just followed their example. And When I moved to St. Louis from Houston, I think that just increased tenfold because I went from an environment where it was all about being outside with your friends and we had a group of neighborhood kids that would just ride our bikes through all the subdivisions and it was, it was very communal. When I moved to St. Louis, or more specifically, a suburb of the city that was very homogenous racially and just very different. Um, It was kind of immediate isolation. It was kind of a culture shock for me. And I think that creativity really exploded in those years because all of a sudden I didn't have this.
There was giving me that feeling of place and belonging and joy and a place to express those emotions. I had to do that internally. So, you know, I went from always being outside with my friends to like not really having friends because I was new and um, that was same summer that my mom got us into sewing classes and decided, okay, I want you girls to know how to sew.
Before you leave the house, you need to know how to braid like traditional black hairstyles, box braids. You need to know how to braid and you need to know how to sew. Those were her, those were her stipulations. And I think I just took that and ran with it. I think I saw a tool to keep me company and to keep me grounded and to give me something to spend my time on.
And I think my imagination and creativity really, um, flourished in spite of, you know maybe the grief that I was [00:12:00] experiencing from letting go of that community in Houston.
Meghan: How old were you, Mikaela when you made that move and started to learn how to sew?
Mikaela: Yeah, I was about 10 years old. So we moved when I was nine, very close to 10, but it was really when we moved into our home the following summer when I was 10 that I took those classes and remember learning how to sew. And, um, yeah, I just remember my mom, once I learned the basics, we'd go shopping and I'd be like, oh, can you get me this tank top?
And she's like, honey, no, let me show you. This is cheap. You don't want this. And she would turn it inside out. She'd be like, look at the label. This is the material, feel that in your fingers. That's not going to wash very well. Look at these seams. You can make this yourself. I mean, as a kid it was frustrating because you're like, just buy me the tank top.
I really like it, you know, but. I really value her for that. And she started that at a young age. So yeah, about 10 years old.
Meghan: Wow. There's so many themes that you've brought up already in terms of self expression and community and identity and there's so much here to explore. Let's take a moment, and I know we're going to come back to some of these themes. Since you've got us on the topic of sewing clothing, what inspired you to create your clothing company, Hansel?
Mikaela: Yeah. I always love talking about this because I feel like Hansel was this dark horse that came into my life out of nowhere. Like I would never have expected it, but at the same time, it makes a lot of sense. Um, what inspired me to Start Hansel was really just being in another point of transition in my life.
I'm starting to notice things in my own life of when I'm somewhere new, I turn back to [00:14:00] these, these grounding techniques and I let those things to teach me something new and give me a soft place to land. I had just moved to New York. I was in a relationship at the time that, you know, I, I didn't know many people in the city other than the person that I was with at the time.
I was feeling disconnected and I was feeling like I needed something that was my own. And, um, I started really pouring into my practice of making clothes and painting on denim, and through that experience of starting to share a little bit more of that with other people, I noticed that it was something that was becoming a point of connection that a tool for building community again.
I think that's really what it comes down to, is people have this appetite for it. I started with customized hand painted denim jackets. I would hear someone's story, ask them a few questions. Design something entirely unique to them based around their story and then paint it on a jacket and deliver it.
And once word got out about that, I mean, it spread like wildfire. I can't even count how many I've done. I think it's well over a hundred, it might be around 150. I don't even know over the years now, but. In the first three months, I made 24 hand painted jackets, and this was before the brand was called Hansel.
Um, I was just doing this thing in New York, trying to find a way back to myself, trying to find a way to connect with that inner kid in St. Louis who was lonely and didn't know what to do and turned to creating and clothing and sewing and imagination. And, and I was trying to tap into that again. And once I saw people responding to it.
It was like, Oh my gosh, I've been feeling isolated and lonely. And now I've got this community. Now I've got these people who understand me, who see, um, the value in what I'm doing. And so I think, think it [00:16:00] took a while for me to understand what inspired me to start it because. I don't know, maybe I felt selfish.
I felt like, oh, I, it's just something I needed, you know, like, I'm like, am I allowed to say that? Like, it was just for me, you know, like, I just needed, I needed a place to express and I needed people to connect with. And then once I started sharing my art and seeing that it was something that people also needed, that it, that through these clothes, through the pieces I was making, they were feeling connected to their inner kids and their selves.
And they were feeling more like their creative selves. And like, they had a place and they belonged. I was like, Oh, this has a purpose bigger than me. And that's when Hansel was born. I was like, I need to give this a name. I need to give this a face. I need to make a home for all of us. To be able to keep coming back to.
I started really doing the customized denim in the fall of 2018, and I started going by Hansel Clothing and started the brand and the look and the feel, um, the following spring, May 2019.
Meghan: Incredible. When I look at your clothing, I mean, first of all, the hand painted denim is breathtaking, and It's just, you can feel that like pulse and that hum of creativity and there's like a life to it, like a sparkle, um, and it's layered. And also I know you've been creating all sorts of different types of clothing, upcycling, and when I look at it, it just makes me smile.
There's just this like playfulness that I think, and I know part of the vision is really bringing joy and helping people reconnect to their inner, kid and to, like, to childhood. I almost feel like when you were describing this, like, desire to create a home, [00:18:00] that it's almost like you're inviting all of us back into your home that you grew up in, that was
Mikaela: You make me cry. Yeah.
pulsing
Meghan: with energy and life and, like, like, almost like you're inviting all of us into that home.
Andthis invitation for us to access the creativity and to play and to go back to, isn't there something about childhood? And I mean, Um, so I see this all the time because I work with others in a coaching capacity and so often people will reference like wanting to feel like a kid again or like wanting to reconnect with that feeling of freedom or that that the play or the wonder or the curiosity. And what I love so much about your work is that it's a portal to bring us back to that place.
Mikaela: That means more to me than I can even express. Like, truly, I just feel that in my heart and receive that. And thank you for sharing that perspective with me, like even hearing your perspective of how you perceive it. I mean, it means the world. I never connected those dots, um, of it being like inviting people into kind of that home that I grew up in and to take part in that buzz of creativity.
But when I think of that, that just feels so special and so right. And so I'm really grateful for your point of view. I definitely think that my goal in continuing to do Hansel, because there's one. There's one, you know, impetus that pushes you to start something, but what sustains it
Meghan: of
Mikaela: is that feeling of making something that I needed when I was that 10 year old kid, or honestly making the imaginative place that I would go to when I would make things.
[00:20:00] You know, like making the fantasy world that I wanted to escape to in those moments of transition and inviting all of us to be able to have a piece of that in our daily lives and to create that magic and weave it into our lives so it doesn't have to be an escape anymore. It doesn't have to be like, oh, I have to go away to experience this thing and isolate myself.
And it's like, no, it's woven into the fabric of my entire life, and I have a right to do that. I have a right to like, go back to those things I loved as a kid and, and make that a part of my toolbox as an adult. Like that, I, I deserve that tapestry. And I think I just want to, I found. That that has provided a lot of healing for me and I think I just want to invite other people to experience that as well and hope that my clothes can be threads in that tapestry for them.
So I just really appreciate your reflections.
Meghan: Oh, of course. Well, and it makes me think as, as you're, as you're speaking, um, about that relationship between self and, and others, right? And like the way in whichin starting Hansel, it was a way for you to connect to yourself and a way to connect outward. And I love the idea of wearable art and thinking about it in that way.
Especially, you know, even just thinking about. The difference between having art that is like sitting in a gallery or even just like a wall on our home. But the idea of like taking it out into the streets and the idea of the art moving and being in flux and fluid and a point of connection like I can and I don't know but I can imagine you creating a jacket based on somebody's story and somebody else then stopping that person and saying, "wow, I love your jacket".
But then it opening a conversation, because the art on the jacket is so [00:22:00] connected to the heart of who that person is. Like, how, how incredible is that? I just adore the intention that is behind every part of, of, this, I, I don't know. I don't wanna call it a company 'cause I feel like it's more than that, you know, like, I feel like it's more than that.
Um, but it just, it strikes me I've been thinking a lot lately about,
the relationship between like individual and collective healing and, um, And I really appreciate how you're talking about creativity as a vehicle to bridge the two.
Mikaela: Wow, I never would have put that together so beautifully, but I can only hope that's what I'm doing. Yeah, I really, I don't think I would have even been able to see that or if I had seen it, be able to claim that for myself. So it's just a gift to hear someone else perceive that in your work. I definitely think a bridge is a great, great term for it because I think it is a vehicle when you don't know how to express to the world or the people in your life, sometimes even the people closest to you, who you are and what's hurting you or what brings you joy or what you've been through? I think clothing or art is a way to introduce yourself to the people around you without the burden of words. It's just so powerful to not have to like, I don't know how to say it, but this is who I am. This is how I want to be seen. This is how I want to be treated. Like I may, walk around kind of with a scowl because I live in New York and I've learned that if I have my, you know, Midwestern happy go lucky smile plastered on my [00:24:00] face, for some people that's an invitation for people to think you're, you know, weak or a target or whatever.
I'm gonna wear butterflies on my jacket because I want to be treated gently and softly and with wonder and like that's who I am, you know? And I think, um, there have been so many times in my life where I haven't been able to understand all of the, I don't even know what the word is, emotion, ajida, anxiety, joy, the mixture of all those things going on inside of me.
The things that I'm grieving, the things that I'm thinking about, but being able to just wear it and just go out and feel like you at least have control over that part of your life. And like, you still don't have to sacrifice, like you said, connection because you don't know how to express to people what you're going through.
It really does feel like such a tool because I think, um, oftentimes, people always are so surprised to hear that I'm an introvert because I love people. But at the end of the day, sometimes I still struggle with not necessarily shyness, I did a lot as a kid, but I struggle with being perceived, and people would never guess that, but I think that's why I put so much into the clothing that I wear and I make, because I think it's my way of saying, I still want to be here, I still have things that, like, I want to connect with you about, like, I'm still present, I'm still here, I just have a lot going on inside. So I might walk around silently, I might hang around on the edges of the room, that doesn't mean that I don't want to feel And I think other people can maybe relate to that.
And so using wearable art as a tool to like, even if they don't realize that's what they're doing, to, to have that piece of connection with other people. I think, I think that is what makes Hansel special. And like you said, it, sometimes I struggle to call it a brand or company as well, because it [00:26:00] feels more so just like a community or even just a philosophy. Like a group of people who live by the same philosophy or like, you know, value the same things. So I don't know, I can only hope that that's what it can continue to grow into. But I love, I love the way that you illustrated that.
Meghan: Mmm. we talked about your relationship with creativity as a kid. And how that then has, I would love to talk about how you keep that spark of creativity alive through the ebbs and flows of life. And you said it, you know, like it's one thing to start a project, and it is another thing to keep it going through the ups and downs.
What does keeping that spark of creativity alive look like for you?
Mikaela: Man, such a beautiful thing to think about, even as you were asking. I was picturing just all of these, the ebbs and the flows over the last three years because it's been a chaotic three years. If I can be really, really honest with respect to everyone's walk, perspective, beliefs, everything, always utmost respect and acceptance.
Um, for me, what keeps that alive is being connected to what I believe is like the ultimate creator and so I have a personal faith practice. Um, I'm really like a spiritual person. I live near a park here in New York. Walking in the park in the mornings, just letting my mind be silent. When I get into those seasons where everything feels so loud, my anxiety is so high, and the pressure I [00:28:00] feel to make, Hansel, or make the clothes that I design the most incredible, amazing thing, it becomes too much and makes me not want to do anything at all.
You know, you're paralyzed by the pressure that you're putting on yourself, but also that the world puts on you, you know. We have to be more gracious with ourselves and recognize that we live in a society that's all about like, scale, scale, scale, relevance. Like, Instagram is an app where the stories disappear after 24 hours.
It's literally designed to make you feel that if you don't capture the moment, it will disappear. And so that, that continual, like, drudge, I guess, through day to day sometimes can affect your creativity because it just feels like this pressure. And I think when I get to those moments, it is so impossible for me to really be creative.
The only thing that really jump starts me again is taking a beat. I need to get my mind really quiet. I need to let go of the have to and recognize that this is about me in the first place. This is about creativity that was put inside of me. This is about a form of expression and a tool that's supposed to bring me and other people joy, or at the very least be a practice that's therapeutic.
To allow it to be hijacked by the pressures of capitalism and the speed at which our world and news cycle moves is so unfair to myself. And I think I'm only able to remind myself of that and have that perspective when I take a moment away. And I think for me specifically, when I think about things, when I look above what's just around me in the world and reconnect with that higher power I believe in, because I think [00:30:00] it helps me to remind myself that every circumstance I'm dealing with it's a one point in time, it gives me perspective, it helps me to have a 50, 000 foot view, you know, and remind myself, oh yeah, I am so much more than just this one moment in life.
If I have the ability to believe in something that big and vast, and I'm this small, but I have that vast, I have a connection to that vastness, and I have a part of that vastness inside of me, oh my gosh, why would I get bogged down by these small things? You know, like I am going to be okay. Like, I, things are so much more than what I'm able to see three feet in front of my face.
I think that's perspective, that, that dichotomy of vastness and then smallness. I need that perspective to be able to go back into it with fresh eyes. See the grander purpose and allow my intention to continue to be aligned with that inner purpose, I feel, and not be swayed by what, what's going on around me.
Because I think when you zoom out like that, you're able to see humans for as long as, you know, the history of our species have been creating, for the history of our species have, um, encountered obstacles. And we're all still here. You know what I mean? It's just so good to be like, there's nothing new under the sun.
Everything will be okay. And I know it probably sounds dramatic to hear, but I think the things we go through in life have, have an impact on us. That is dramatic. I think a lot of people out there are struggling and hurting and the things that other people may not validate as very serious to them are profound and impactful and painful to others.
I think people really need language that speaks to that level of [00:32:00] importance and that level of, um, just validation for the struggles we go through and doesn't minimize that experience. So that's why it may sound dramatic, but that's why I speak the way that I do, You know, my mom passed away three years ago, something that I've talked about publicly a few times, and I'm very open about in my life. And, you know, she was just my beacon of joy. She was my North Star. She was my soul twin. She was my best friend. She was my, the embodiment of my confidence. She was like half of my heart. And I don't know. I think there are a lot of people out there walking around with a lot of different types of losses that feel like their pain is invisible.
If they're maybe even dealing with a loss that people don't realize impacted them as much as it has, or I have friends with chronic illness, or friends, battling cancer. Like, we're all walking around with something on our shoulders. And, um, I know that this, I'm kind of like really tangential here, but I think I'm just trying to make the case for taking yourself seriously in those moments where you feel disrupted and you feel like connecting to your creativity, which I think is what makes us human, is impossible.
Take that disruption seriously. Take yourself seriously. Take what's ailing you seriously. validate yourself and take a step away and connect to whoever or whatever you need to connect to, to feel valid and to feel loved and to feel whole again and then come back when you're ready.
Meghan: [00:34:00] I think there are so many really potent and powerful and relatable things in what you shared. And I mean, you're such a kindred spirit and anyone who's like a regular listener to the podcast might be able to sense there's some themes there that have been so, so similar in my own life. And. I think you are so absolutely right.
There's so much pain and hurting and grief and dysregulation right now in society. And I've been saying this thing lately of like, I honestly think that the two things that are going to help us most, individually and collectively, are rest and creativity. Like those are the things, you know, it's in the taking a beat in the rest in the like giving ourselves the time and the space and getting quiet and the stillness to reconnect with Whatever source of spiritual or grounding presence we have in our life, whether it's within ourself or nature or a higher power.
And then it's also that expression, right? The, like, letting things out so that they're not just inside. And, um, that expression can sometimes be a release of, the grief and the anger and the loss and the sadness. And it also can be one of joy. And of like the playfulness and it was beautiful to hear you talk about both of those Things because for me those are the foundational things we need more time and space To rest and like rest into ourselves and our beliefs and we need more time to create.
Mikaela: That's beautiful. thank you for [00:36:00] sharing that and for Putting a theme and like a, I don't know, like a vessel to all of the words that I shared. I know I can get very verbose, but I feel like that encapsulates it so perfectly. Rest is so, so, so, so vital. And being able to say out loud what you need and what you're feeling is the only way to survive.
I mean, it's like, you can rest all you want, but if, I completely agree, if you don't have that other element, reconnecting to the world after you've taken time away can be painful, or you feel like you don't belong, or now you, you know, we need each other, we need
Meghan: We need each
Mikaela: Expression is that tool to like, draw people in, and like, And have community and say, I don't want to do this alone.
Who else is feeling this? Um, so that is just so beautiful, beautifully said. Um, I couldn't agree more. I
Meghan: I could honestly I feel like we could go all day
Mikaela: know.
Meghan: there's so much that we could talk about. Um, this has been such a rich conversation But there was one other thing I really wanted to touch on today when I look at your work and all of the like fun and creative and playful things that you are creating, it definitely stirs inside me questions of like, how can I get more curious and creative and playful with my own expression through fashion? In ways that are also sustainable because we haven't talked about that, but everything that you make everything that you make is from things that have been discarded It is entirely grounded in deep care for our planet and our collective community. And so I wonder if we could just spend a few moments, like, just any tips you have for, I don't know, the person who is afraid to play with fashion or to go to a thrift [00:38:00] store or to cut up their clothing.
Like, what can you tell us to give us a little bit of inspiration?
Mikaela: Oh my gosh, I love that question. I love, I love talking about this because I'm so passionate about it and fashion can feel like such an exclusive in industry. It kind of is Born and bred on exclusivity. So I think any question that's reminding people that they have a right to be here and that they are part of this conversation gets me going.
Um, firstly, I would say my first instinct was to be like, ask yourself why you feel like you don't belong in that, you know, but I'm like, okay, maybe I shouldn't encourage people to psychoanalyze, you know, but maybe, maybe put a pin in that and come back to that. Ask yourself why you feel like you don't have a right to that expression.
But I think if you're feeling any nervousness about like, okay, I don't know how to thrift, I don't know where to start, or you want to feel more creative, I think a really good first stop is your own closet, actually. Like, do a closet clean out. Take a Saturday or take a day off work. Put on your favorite movie.
Mine will be Pride and Prejudice and then Belle, um, which no, it's not Beauty and the Beast for, you know, listeners and it's amazing period piece. I highly suggest it. Um, but put on your favorite period piece movies or your favorite music and just sit in front of your closet, pull out things, put them on your bed, look at what you have.
Think about the ways that you're, you're either utilizing what you have or not. Remind yourself of those pieces you bought for yourself three years ago that you were nervous you wouldn't be bold enough to wear and try incorporating it into an outfit that week. I think there's something so exciting about using, seeing what we already have in a new way.
And what people I um, really respected in the industry talk about often is like the most sustainable thing you can [00:40:00] do is not buy anything new, I'm very aware of that. Even being someone who sells clothes, because to me, I'm like, listen, I, this is about lifelong expression. This is about community.
This is about taking care of our planet. If at some point. you know, your stream comes into my stream, and we run parallel for a little bit, and you see something that sparks joy that you want, I'm more than happy to sell that to you, you know, but I'm not out here, like, you can only be creative with Hansel's clothing, you know, or Hansel clothing.
Um, so I think starting with your closet is so fun. And I think it also kind of gives you a little spark of confidence because you'll probably find things in there that you're probably not giving yourself enough credit. You'll probably be like, okay, actually I've got some nice pieces in here I really like.
The second thing I would say is get creative with layering. I think, um, layers are a big way to like. Up- uplevel an outfit. When you get started, put your base on, then take a second, look in the mirror, thinking about what's a layer I could add to this. Look in your closet. Do you have a little denim vest? Do you have a belt? Do you have accessories? Like what, like put a third layer on and just see, and just see how it feels. Don't worry about how it looks. My big thing is if it feels good, I will rock it. I don't care how I look and it just makes sense to me. So if you feel great, leave the house. I guarantee you there's one person who's going to feel joy just from seeing you.
Then when it comes to thrift stores, my favorite thing, my friends and I used to call it having a Saturday. So I live in Brooklyn. My favorite thing is when it's, you know, either late winter, early spring, or late summer, early fall. It's when it's the most beautiful, sunny time in New York without humidity.
It's just beautiful. The air is crisp, it's a little bit cool, and it's super sunny. Take a day, get a coffee, get a bagel. And then just hit the thrift stores. Just [00:42:00] go to Greenpoint, go to, go to your favorite place, wherever you live, and just have a Saturday. Take your, you know, your friend, go on your little errands, try. And it's kind of just like giving yourself an opportunity to just like see what's out there, see what sparks you, um, and get used to being in those spaces.
I think seeing it as a fun destination rather than, okay, I want to start thrifting I'm going to go to this one store and I have to find something, like, can feel a little bit more fun and exciting because it's about the experience and the connection and and you won't feel as defeated if you go to a store and they don't really have anything you like and you end up buying something you don't want that you're gonna throw away.
You know, it's like you want to be in a good mood. So that would be my, you know, third recommendation. And finally, when you're thrifting, I think really focus on start to familiarize yourself with different fabrics and textiles. So when you're new to the space, I always like to look for the 100%. It's not always necessary, but I love 100 percent silk, I love 100 percent cotton, those are my favorites.
Or if you can find something that's got a silk blend, um, you want materials that are going to last, that are going to be durable, and that are going to really elevate your style. And then just have fun. I mean, you know. It's supposed to be fun getting dressed,
Meghan: Oh my gosh, so many great tips there. I think sometimes people, you know how in like the home design, world there's like the like white neutral home that then everyone just like replicates and it's devoid of color and personality and it just like it isn't that life in color that I know Hansel is all about and I think sometimes people then just kind of replicate that in their fashion almost, you know, and I love this invitation to let let it be a place where we can explore our creativity and our expression a little bit more. Um and also doing it in ways That are more [00:44:00] mindful and conscious of the planet And I love just how much your face lit up when you were giving us all of those tips it was just like like a bright shiny sun and I feel like um, It's always such a joy to just like see that that passion um and how beautiful that this is the work that you are doing in this world.
Thank you. Thank you, thank you for sharing everything that you did today. It was a conversation with just like, such a depth of heart and soul. I'm curious as we wrap up, is there anything else you want to share today?
Mikaela: Just so much gratitude for you, Megan, for the person you are, for the joy that you're clearly bringing to the world. I know we don't know each other well, but every interaction I've had with you, you just beam with warmth and kindness and gentleness, and I think what you're doing is so important. I think the way you speak to people and what you're putting out in the world is so important.
And it's things that I needed to hear. And I know many, many other people needed. And we need bright lights like you. So just thank you for being here and thank you for being you. And thank you for having me here. I mean, I'm just... As you can tell, I get so geeked talking about all of this, so it's such a joy, and if I can share, um, I'm in the process of putting together, an in real life experience in partnership with the Brooklyn Museum this fall that is actually all about this, like, Allowing people to like, fill their lives with creativity and teaching them how to do that.
So I'll be leading an upcycled fashion workshop later this fall. all the details TBD, but I would love to invite anyone in the New York area to join that because I'm, as you can tell, so passionate about letting everyone know that they have a right [00:46:00] to this earth. Many times. And I want to be able to give that back and teach other people how to have that tool. So, um, if anyone's interested in that, you know where to find me.
Meghan: That sounds honestly so incredible. I'm like, can I come to New York for this? Like, this sounds so, so, so good.
Thank you so much for joining us today for this really special episode. I honestly wish that it could have kept going for hours. I had so much more that I would have loved to talk about with Mikaela
If you'd love to stay in touch with Mikaela and check out the amazing work that she is doing with her company. Hansel you'll find the links to both her website and her Instagram for Hansel clothing in the show notes.
And if you're in New York, be sure to check out this upcoming event.
I would 100% be there if I had the ability to teleport. So if you go be sure to tell me how it is. It sounds so incredible. And as always, I love hearing from you after these episodes. I'd love to know if you had an aha moment today. About your own relationship with creativity or self-expression. You can send me a DM over on Instagram @MeghanLJohnston or send me an email hello@meganjohnston.com. Until next time, keep living With Heart And Wonder.