We recently connected with Helena Fernandez and have shared our conversation below.
Helena, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Oh man, there are two meaningful projects that come to mind. They’re little pieces of my childhood that had a big influence on my creativity then and are a big influence on the impact I strive to make today.
In elementary school, my teachers always had such cool art projects for us to do for the holidays. There was a cool project we made for Mother’s Day, where we drew our family on this round paper, and then a few weeks later my drawing was on a plate! I ran home and showed my papi (dad) and I’ll never forget my dad’s grin, saying, “For her breakfast!” She used it every day for her morning snacks too, and that’s when I got to see one of my creations come to life for everyday use. Little did I know I’d be creating an entire collection of items for everyday use and wear!
Then there’s a project that’s super close to my heart. When we lost my sister, Charlie, it hit us hard, but my mom made sure we celebrated her, always. We had an ofrenda (altar) with photos and her favorite items displayed, honoring her all year. So, when I moved out, I wanted to create an ofrenda in my home too. I was so broke, though, so I got creative. Dollar Tree was my go-to. I snagged some Halloween light boxes, tore them apart, and got crafty with scrapbook supplies. Instead of displaying the ghosts and pumpkins I placed photos of my sister in the frames instead. It’s beautiful how something you put your heart into can be so meaningful. I’m looking forward to doing this on a much larger scale this year when I build a community ofrenda with my local peers.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In 2020 I was feeling frustrated. When my grandparents had birthdays I could never find a card in Spanish to gift to them so I’d have to write a custom card for them. For Father’s Day, I would rush to design something personalized but have to print it on crappy copy paper to gift to my papi (dad). My family members deserved something special and relatable all the time, not just on special occasions. So I dusted off my Cricut Explore Air 2 machine that my mother-in-law bought me for Christmas the year prior and I started making customized wine glasses and beer mugs, another great Dollar Tree find.
There was a learning curve though, I wanted to make more things with my Cricut but didn’t know how and the Facebook craft groups were filled with cranky impatient people. Thankfully someone from one of those groups privately messaged me and recommended that I look for tutorials and tips on TikTok. This was in 2020 when my siblings were quarantined inside and filling up their time copying dances and recording themselves lip singing on TikTok! So I was skeptical, but there were a lot of great videos and helpful people on there. It motivated me to start sharing my own crafty journey and share tips and tricks I was learning along the way too. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be traveling around the United States, attending private events, collaborating with craft companies, hosting events, or even helping so many people through their own crafty and handmade business journies but I am, and all because I started sharing all the things on TikTok.
Back to the summer of 2020 though, I made a list of items I finally felt comfortable customizing, besides glasses, and started photographing everything to post on social media. I used Canva to create a brand kit and referenced that in Procreate to design the logo for my business, Homemade By Helena. We launched on August 10, 2020, with some sassy Spanish and English phrases on stickers and a menu of custom items. My goal was to make enough money to invest in a better printer and quality paper for prints to make cards with. The stickers were such a hit though that people were asking for the funny and unique phrases on apparel.
To be honest I’m not the best at drawing anyway and typography has always been something I’ve loved so I ran with it, I started creating more text designs on Procreate and Adobe Illustrator. Then I would screen-print those designs onto sweaters and shirts. Not in the traditional sense either, there’s no darkroom to expose the image onto the screen or washing off the emulsion afterward. I create a stencil of my design using the Cricut machine, weed out the design, stick the stencil onto my silk screen frame, and then screen print the design onto the blank apparel.
By January 2021 my handmade business was already pivoting, I didn’t want to fulfill custom orders anymore after my first holiday season. I wanted to create a Latine Lifestyle brand to empower all Latine generations to embrace their roots and to feel proud taking up space in whichever hobby or career that they strived for. There is a need for more representation in my Latine community in all career paths and hobby groups, I saw that more and more every day when I would open my TikTok app and see over 50+ comments of people saying “I wish I could do that” or “Wow, I’m Latina/x/e too, you inspired me to try too”. I would literally jump around my house, cry happy tears to my husband, and try to respond back to everyone I possibly could to encourage them like, “You can do it too, just start!” and “Yes, go for it!”
That was when I knew I had to create a line of items that could be used every day, that anyone could wear or display to help boost their confidence, feel pride in who and where they’re from, and encourage others to feel the same. I renamed my business from Homemade By Helena to Hecho By Helena, registered with the state, and became legitimate!
As a full-time undergrad student and full-time Speech Language Pathologist Assistant, I knew I couldn’t do it all but I tried to anyway. I tried keeping up with Etsy shipping schedules and was staying up until 3 AM some nights studying and making products. In the spring of 2021, I graduated with my bachelor’s in Communication Disorders and started thinking about what I could do next to grow my business. I signed up for my first in-person market that summer for my shop’s one-year anniversary and it was one of the most embarrassing days of my life as a business owner. I was focused on the setup more than the products and it was raining that day! I learned so much that day and the rest of that year from doing more markets during the cold season up here in New England.
Then there was the year 2022 when my biggest business failure started and the brand I was building started to fall apart. I reached out to graphic designers on Etsy and purchased commercial licenses to use their designs in my shop. And unfortunately, I learned about art theft hands-on. I lost hundreds of dollars because I ordered screen print transfers with a commercial license from someone that stole a design from a company in Germany! GERMANY! I was heartbroken and disappointed in myself. I got in my own head in the worst way “I should have done more research, I should have tried harder to make more designs of my own, maybe this small business thing wasn’t meant for me.” The mission behind my business was also getting lost during this time, and my original creations were becoming invisible in the mix of random seasonal designs.
Right as I was experiencing imposter syndrome, I was offered a really cool collaboration opportunity with HTVRONT, a DIY craft supplies company. I used HTVRONT printable vinyl paper to make my stickers and would tag them or use the hashtag #HTVRONT, with the sole purpose to connect with other creatives that used their products too. Thanks to the amazing online community I built over on TikTok more collaborations and hosting opportunities were offered to me that winter and spring season. I have a tremendous amount of appreciation for my TikTok community because they kept me going right when I was about to give up.
There was one problem though, I still didn’t know how to revive my business. I didn’t know how to focus on one problem at a time let alone problem-solve the challenges I was facing from designing, production, and selling. Thankfully I met a DJ at an outdoor Market that put me into a local organization, Breakfast Lunch & Dinner (BL&D). I scrolled through BL&Ds Instagram that night and saw that they were collaborating with an organization called reSET, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs and small businesses through programs, coaching, mentoring, and so much more. They were accepting applications for a program called the Retail Incubator and I knew I had to apply! Later that summer I got accepted into the 10-week fall program and I treated it as if I was back in college again. I took notes on everything, attended all the coaching sessions, started learning how to price my items, fine-tuned my business’s mission, created solutions to my sales problems, and found a community of entrepreneurs that I could lean on for support and be just as helpful back to.
Earlier this year I read a quote “If you weren’t ready, you wouldn’t have the opportunity” and I try to keep that in the forefront of my mind now. A little over a year ago I was about to give up my entire business endeavor because of one bad business outcome and then again because I was struggling to make sales, but each time an opportunity presented itself and I put myself out there to try something new. That’s what gave me the confidence to apply for a job with reSET, they posted for an Outreach Coordinator this past spring and I submitted my resume. Never in my five-year plan did I anticipate pivoting from working with students with various abilities to supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners as my full-time job. That’s what I do now though and I get to utilize all of the social media and marketing skills that I’ve learned these past three years from running my own small business. I get to work with my entrepreneur friends and make new ones too, so I constantly get to grow into this new role and as a business owner.
I’m really proud of myself for making so many changes, not only in my business but in my personal life too. Hecho By Helena is going to continue to grow until we find a way to bloom into my dream community center/cafe someday. It feels good to see that the work I’m doing and the creations I make have a positive impact on other people’s lives, including my own. I’m excited to continue working with Latine graphic designers and artists that want to amplify Latine voices by collaborating with me, and I get to build relationships with them directly! This fall I’m coordinating a Dia De Los Muertos community event in Hartford, CT and I’m really excited to share a piece of my culture on a much larger scale. If any of this resonates with you connect with us on social media or if you feel inclined to get involved please reach out to us. All of our contact information can be found here: https://linktr.ee/hechobyhelena
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Uplifting creatives looks different for everyone but I think it can be as simple as showing up. Showing up for creatives and showing up for one another. Being a creative can sometimes make us feel like hiding in our own artsy bubble but we have to show up too. I get it, going to a place with a new group of people can be nerve-wracking. Our presence matters though and that’s how we get to make new contacts and discover new opportunities for ourselves. Going to each other’s showcases, hitting up those local activities you find on Eventbrite, or joining a workshop your friend shared on their Insta story can make a huge difference. It’s like saying, “Hey, your creativity matters, and I’m here to cheer you on.” That’s how we fuel the creative fire, by being there for each other, sharing the energy, and soaking up the inspiration!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most incredible thing about being a creative soul is having the chance to pay it forward to the kids who need it most. Growing up in a tight-budget home, crafting was my go-to activity, next to watching TV. If I didn’t stumble upon various art mediums, I’ve got no clue where I’d be right now. Back then, I’d craft stuff for my family, and steal some of my mom’s scrapbooking supplies to create my own collages. Middle school sewing club was a chaotic mess because I was the worst at it but I got to spend time with my big sister and she would always save my projects. Then came photography, capturing my teenhood as I figured myself out. And now, almost thirty years old, I get to sprinkle that same magic onto other young minds. Being part of free workshops and hosting pay-what-you-can classes, it’s like passing on the torch of hope and creativity. Seeing those kids light up, like how I did back then, it’s everything. It’s life coming full circle, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Especially when they say I’m “cool”, nothing is cooler than being told you’re cool by the coolest group of humans themselves!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hechobyhelena.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hechobyhelena
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HechoByHelena
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-martinez-fernandez-ba0643b0/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hechobyhelena
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UChglAQnFpW5rrvUc0-35Kfw?sub_confirmation=1
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hechobyhelena?lang=en
Image Credits
Headshot: Liv D’elia, Liv D Photography Event Photo: Frankie Carpio, 18 Motions Family Photo: Dominic Cassarino