We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anndell Wubben. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anndell below.

Anndell, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I’ve been doing henna for 17 years but it took about 10 years until I was able to go full time with my work as I focused mainly on festivals and arts events. Several years ago I was given the terrifying opportunity to open up a brick and mortar, and to have the very first henna boutique in South Dakota. I was able to focus more on private appointments as well as events and having the opportunity of time I was able to experiment with my work more and focus on coming up with new techniques and styles for my own style and niche. With the store front I propelled my work far faster and to a better place than I had previously even imagined. Would I have gotten there without it? I have no doubt about it, but did I get there faster because of the opportunities that came about because I owned my own place? Absolutely. I was able to give myself the time and the space to fail and improve, all because I was able to take my business full time.
It has also allowed me, a single mom, to not only live my dream of doing art for a living but show my child that you can make a living doing something that you wholeheartedly love and want to do. That if you continue to work hard for something it doesn’t have to be out of reach and that when you need to change or pivot you can do so with grace and with enthusiasm for what comes next.

Anndell, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello! My name is Anndell and I own Henna Harvest, located here in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I got into henna while volunteering at Renaissance Festivals with friends throughout school and have been doing Henna Body Art now for 17 years. I am definitely not your average henna artist though! I specialize in illustration and realism and have found a fabulous niche working with clients who are looking for tattoo trials, realistic florals and animals as a large part of their design work. I have gotten to do so much realistic work that I’ve been lucky enough to teach around the country as a teacher for other Henna Artists and showing them how to incorporate realism, illustration, brushwork and watercolor into their everyday practice. Oftentimes when one thinks of Henna Body Art, you picture very traditional designs or bridal work, which covers a majority of the arms and legs/feet, however since I work heavily in tattoo trials, I also work closely with tattoo artists and have been told that the work I do is a unique bridge between the two forms of body art.
Because I have such a unique niche I have spent a lot of time working at Comic Cons where I recreate people’s favorite characters, both on their body, but also by painting with henna and creating prints of my work. I am most proud of my different techniques that I’ve come up with that allow you to paint with henna on the body by layering multiple heavy layers of watered down henna to create different depths and tones. I have then brought this same style of work over onto paper and paint with henna to create original works of art as well as fan-art for Comic Con and festivals.
Working with henna on paper allows me a unique experience to reach those who may not be looking for body art but can still appreciate the art form and how diverse it is. When you get the opportunity to touch an original henna painting you are able to use multiple forms of sensory input including visual, touch as the henna dries in a raised pattern, and you can smell the henna and essential oils itself as you are looking at the piece.
Using henna in these ways with this particular style of design has really become the newest form of modern henna that is starting to become popular with all ages and I’m excited to be at the forefront and help hold the torch for modern henna body art.

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

I think that one of the most reward ing aspects of being a henna artist is the ability to connect with so many people on so many levels during my year. Henna is a plant based dye, made from a bush, so it is completely safe to use on all kinds of skin and all ages of kids to adults. When working at an arts festival I can work with any age from 5 years old and their family to teenagers, and even grandparents who come through with family (or on their own!) In fact, I’ve been working certain festivals for so many years that I have seen kids grow up through school into college and even have some adults who started coming to my booth fairly young and now bring their own children during festivals as well! I look forward to seeing my regulars every year and seeing how their lives have changed since I’ve seen them last. Working with such a diverse age group throughout the year keeps me in touch with different generations and their interests, but also helps me come up with new ideas and designs that multiple ages will find appealing, although oftentimes I am also given free range to create something completely custom just for the person in my chair.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I would have known about other gatherings and conferences that other henna artists attend and learn at. It took me several years to find a conference and then another couple to afford to fly across country to attend. On the bright side, while there I was introduced to several other artists who only lived a few short hours from me who hosted another smaller conference twice a year that was much easier to attend. I’m glad I was able to go to the larger international conference but meeting other artists in my area not only fostered some amazing life long friendships and opportunities but also allowed me to connect with and learn from my peers. Once I met some of these artists my art immediately started getting better at a rate I hadn’t experienced before. I was able to question, watch, and experiment with them without feeling intimidated and without some of that overwhelming imposter syndrome so many of us experience. I have also been a big part of my local arts council and small groups, to the point where I’ve even been asked to speak at several arts panels and events on my experiences over the years. I wish I had learned of these groups and been able to partake in them sooner as they’ve been another amazing source of connection for artistic peers, business owners, and other pillars in our arts communities. It is an amazing feeling to know that you have sources to rely on when you have those business questions or opportunities you may not know how to approach. Not to mention making new friends in any arts field is a wealth of knowledge and friendship that can be many times overlooked. My favorite places to work and partake are out local Business Start Up groups, female entrepreneurs groups, local arts council, book co-ops who host arts gatherings of all kinds and any free classes and events that I’m able to attend (Need to make those connections!)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hennaharvest.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/hennaharvest
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/hennaharvest
• Other: Etsy : www.etsy.com/shop/hennaharvest

Image Credits
@Anndell Wubben