We recently connected with Christine Blystone and have shared our conversation below.

Christine, 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?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is the creation of Magic Flowers—a deeply personal, seven-year journey of illustrating plants, writing poetry, and hiking the trails of Washington and Oregon. What started as a quiet exploration of nature and self slowly bloomed into a book and a 60-card oracle deck filled with plant wisdom, magic, and inspiration.

This project wasn’t just about art or storytelling—it became a practice of healing. Through my work, I created a space where I could process my own experiences and reconnect with the natural world. It constantly surprised me by deepening my curiosity, reshaping my inner world, and nurturing my relationships with myself and others.

What makes this work especially meaningful is sharing it with people who resonate with it. Whether through illustration, poetry, or the ritual of sharing my own stories, I strive to create a space where others feel seen and inspired—a place of magic and gentle belonging.

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’m the creator and founder of Velvetback, a heart-centered creative studio where I bring together my work as a writer, artist, designer, and maker to help people connect with plants and discover meaning in their magic.

My journey into this work began with a background in graphic design, which I studied at Portland State University. But it was my lived experiences with nature—long walks through the forests of the Pacific Northwest, quiet afternoons spent sketching flowers, and the deep listening that plant life invites—that truly shaped my path. Over time, this practice of observation and reverence grew into a body of work that is as much about inner transformation as it is about creative expression.

Velvetback offers a range of thoughtfully crafted products designed to spark intuition, reflection, and magic. These include:

• Magic Flowers, my debut book that combines magical memoir, plant illustrations, cyanotypes, and poetry to guide readers through personal growth and plant-based insights

• A 60-card plant poetry oracle deck, designed for daily reflection and intuitive connection with nature

• Flower essences and natural incense cones, created in small batches to support emotional clarity and ritual grounding

My work lives at the intersection of art, healing, and plant wisdom. It serves people who seek connection to nature, their intuition, and their own inner voice. I aim to create tools and spaces that feel like an invitation to pause, to notice, to feel, and to come home to yourself.

What sets Velvetback apart is its deeply personal, poetic, and intentional nature. Each piece I create is infused with my hand-drawn illustrations, my voice, and the imprint of my lived experience. This intimate, handcrafted approach resonates with people in meaningful ways—my work has earned over 600 five-star reviews on Etsy, and Velvetback has been featured in top-tier curated offerings like Astral Box, Witchcraft Way, and Writual Planner subscription boxes. It’s even found its way into the hands of high-profile fans like luxury fashion designer Gabriela Hearst and Adventure Nannies founder Brandy Schultz.

Beyond the numbers and recognition, what I’m most proud of is the community that’s grown around Velvetback. Hearing from people who tell me that my oracle cards live on their altar, that a poem spoke to their grief, or that an incense blend brought comfort to a hard day—those moments are everything to me.

For those new to my work, I want you to know that Velvetback is more than a brand—it’s a sanctuary for quiet magic. It’s a space where art and nature meet, where healing isn’t rushed, and where you’re invited to explore your own connection to the world around and within you. Whether through a card pull, the grounding scent of natural incense, or a story that resonates, my hope is that you feel seen and inspired—just as I’ve been, again and again, by the plants themselves.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’ve always loved drawing and writing. As a kid, I wanted to be an artist or an author — those were the dream jobs. But like a lot of people, when I hit my teen years, I became really self-conscious. I started judging everything I created, and eventually, I stopped drawing altogether. It just felt too embarrassing not to be “good” at it.

Writing stuck around a little longer. I studied journalism in community college and ended up landing what I thought was my dream job at a local alt-weekly. But once I was in it, that same self-doubt crept in. I started feeling like maybe I wasn’t cut out for it after all. So, I let writing go, too.

Years later, while spending time getting to know the plants in my garden, something shifted. I started drawing some of my plants — just little sketches here and there. My husband, who’s also an artist, encouraged me: “You can do this. It’s in you.” And with his support, I kept going. I drew my first 10 plants, wrote poems to go with each one, and for the first time in years, it all just clicked. I realized I am an artist. I am a writer.

One of the biggest things I’ve had to unlearn is perfectionism. Creativity isn’t about being flawless — it’s about showing up, staying curious, being willing to mess up, and letting yourself grow through the process. That shift in thinking changed everything for me. Now, when I hit a challenge, I don’t shut down. I get curious, take a breath, and know I’ll figure it out step by step.

And that mindset carries over into how I work with others, too. I’m a big believer in creating space to experiment and encouraging people to try things — even if it’s messy at first. Letting go of perfectionism has made room for so much more joy, better ideas, and a deeper sense of generosity and trust in the process.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is getting to co-create with life. There’s something really magical about taking a feeling, an observation, or an idea and giving it form. Whether I’m drawing, writing, or making something with my hands, that creative energy feels like a conversation with the world around me. When I’m in that space, it fills my cup. It reminds me that I’m alive, that I’m part of something bigger.

Creating brings meaning to my life, but it also creates connection. When I put something out into the world — a poem, a drawing, a botanical incense blend— and someone else resonates with it, that’s incredibly powerful. It’s like we’ve shared something unspoken. It’s how I find kindred spirits, and how they find me.

So much of being a creative is about paying attention, staying curious, and translating your experience in a way that makes someone else feel a little more seen. And to me, there’s nothing more rewarding than that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.velvetback.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_velvetback_

Image Credits

Alicja Hajdukiewicz, Christine Blystone