Hello Joy-seekers, meet Wendy Hanna!
Wendy is an artist from Queensland, Australia and spends her time living between the Gold Coast and Agnes Water 1770. She is the owner of Cool & Kind Company and sells her uplifting designs about kindness on hoodies and t-shirts. I've been following Cool & Kind for about a year now and connected with Wendy a few months ago because I was so inspired by her designs and wanted to feature her on my podcast!
In our conversation, we chatted about joy, art and color, artistic expression and breakthroughs, kindness, and self love. I am including Wendy's responses to a few of my questions below:
What does joy mean to you and how do you express it through your art?
Joy is just what it's all about! Joy is a really big thing for me. From the moment I wake up, I really need to make a conscious effort to choose joy today, throughout the day and that can be in the little things...seeing a flower that's just bloomed and blossomed. With my art, the color is the joy! I've just really felt that recently. I think through the pandemic, a lot of us were kind of dulled down a little bit with color...what we wore, how we felt. I just feel it's been a real awakening that color just inspires me, lights up my spirit! And I find when we are all playing with the color in classes or one-on-one, it's just a happy feeling, a joyous feeling. I think color brings out the fun and the freedom and the joy!
What inspired you to start Cool & Kind Co and can you tell me more about the Kind tribe?
Kindness is a lot like joy and there's joy in kindness, so it kind of all overlaps. I was going to start a clothing company a few years ago, and then that didn't happen. And I just experienced so much kindness through COVID, throughout the pandemic. I lost my job at the beginning, and there was just so much kindness from people and family, and it just started to evolve. I was thinking about starting a shop. I moved up to Agnes Water with my daughter and her family, and that was so kind. I was so grateful. It just made me aware of kindness. There was so much kindness. Kindness is everywhere. It just sort of flowed from there, and my art and the designs, it all goes together: the joy of the art and doing the designs and the kindness. And I'm still learning about kindness. I still challenge myself every day.
I think it's just beautiful that people can wear and want to wear it, and other people see that. And that has a little touch of inspiration to people. It's just been a little domino effect. Kids are loving it, adults are loving it! Being part of the Kind Tribe is just coming on board with kindness really. It's exciting to see it evolve and people's reactions! I just love it!
I think the world needs kindness right now. It's all about self-kindness too. That's been my journey through it. It's also helped me be more aware of that. Being kind to yourself, taking time out. Saying yes to the things you need to, saying no to the things you don't need, looking after yourself, whether that's a bubble bath, or putting the phone down, or going for a walk, getting out in nature. I think if we can fill up on that fuel for ourselves, then we can pass that on, and that's when the kindness can really spread! We've got to look after ourselves.
I am so thrilled to share our conversation with you all and I hope it leaves you encouraged on your own journey to joy and kindness!
You can follow Wendy on Instagram, @wendyhannaart and @coolandkindco!
Comments