We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Indigo Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Indigo, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In 2021 I was in the last semester of my Bachelor of Education. Our final project was to write a children’s book. At this point I was heavily involved in search efforts for a young man, Ryan Shtuka who was missing at a ski resort just 45 minutes from where I was living at the time.

Ryan Shtuka disappeared in the early morning hours of February 17th, 2018.

This tragic event heavily impacted the community and prompted extensive search efforts and an online campaign to raise awareness. Being so close to home, I joined search efforts and witnessed thousands of people coming together to support a family. many people did not know the Shtuka’s prior to Ryan’s disappearance and yet they attended searches day after day, organized meal trains, shared posters both online and in their communities and offered words of support and strength online.

So, there I was trying to write a children’s book that aligned with values I grew up with – community, kindness, compassion…
The Kindness Quilt came to be. A story of a missing dinosaur and a community who came together to share in acts of kindness and help Little Dino find his way home.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have always had an entrepreneurial side. While going to school I started a tutoring business and taught 6 students after school as well as a hugely successful summer horseback riding program that I ran for four summers and serviced over 100 clients. How could publishing and marketing a book be any different…right? It has been a learning curve to say the least!

I never thought I would publish a book. It was never a bucket list item nor was I ever a passionate writer. I graduated in the midst of Covid. When we completed our project to write a children’s book we were asked to read our stories to share with the class. I shared my recording to Ryan’s page, thinking nothing more than ‘hey, here is this cool project I did’

People wanted copies. And so, I published. This was a journey on its own. It was incredibly important to me that the integrity of the story be kept intact. I had a vision already forming of what a published copy would look like. I spent months researching avenues for publication. I landed on hybrid publishing – a mix of traditional publishing and self publishing. I kept the rights to my book and called all the shots on edits, illustrations, layout, pricing, etc.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Seeing as this was a one off project (maybe more in the future – stay tuned!!), I was able to project initial costs quite accurately. I chose a publication package and set up a payment plan. I was able to tuck away money each paycheque to gather the funds. If I were to give anyone advice it would be to start tucking away as much as you can comfortably squeeze into your budget. It adds up quick when you start putting away a little bit here and there and not touching it. It is worth it to see your passions and creativity come to life before your eyes!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

With the Kindness Quilt being inspired by Ryan’s story there is a drive to advocate for all missing persons. Everyone deserves a voice when they don’t have one and a community to show up for them. Every person, and their family, deserve closure. Being a teacher I also have a goal to have my book in as many schools and classrooms as possible. I have created a lesson plan for classrooms to create their own Kindness Quilt. this is a wonderful classroom community building activity and gives classes opportunities to have discussions about acts of kindness and helping the people around us. I would love to see it in every classroom in my district to start and then push it farther!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://booksbyindigo.com
• Instagram: @thekindnessquilt
• Facebook: The Kindness Quilt

Image Credits

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