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Moorea Seal | Artist + Author + Designer

@mooreaseal

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I like to make 🎶, write ✍🏼, build🛠️, create🎨, design💻 + do cool/fun stuff🌈
📖 Published: @52lists @everylittlethingtarot
🫣Ft in “Unmasking Autism” book

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Theeeere it is.

I fell in love with detailed woodworking this year. It started with learning to hand carve spoons. Now I’m learning to turn on a lathe. This is my first ever attempt at turning a block of wood into a cylinder. Yummy.

Here’s the deal. I run my little weird artist and author business because I just want to keep learning. To me, that’s the point of being alive. Curiosity is my purpose.

I am not passionate about commerce. Not retail. Not money. I’m passionate about LEARNING. I care and I am curious. It’s capitalism and the need to profit off what I make that crushes my spirit. So I choose to keep learning while I keep selling.

People tell me I’m good at marketing, which always baffles me, because I honestly hate having to market myself and don’t enjoy selling you anything. I wish I could give everything I make to you as a gift. What I care about is honest storytelling. What I love is connecting with people. Under capitalism, I guess that gets repackaged as marketing.

Ex-business partners have told me I have no sense of self-preservation when it comes to money. Look, I intellectually understand I need it to pay the big bills. But money has never motivated me. I’m motivated to do anything so that I can LIVE. And I resentfully accept that selling and marketing what I make is a necessity if being a maker is my career. And it is. So I share.

Learning is the medicine that keeps me alive under the grind. It costs time, energy and resources, and it is WORTH every bit. It’s an investment in my mind, my heart and my soul. Opening myself to new experiences is the nectar of being human. It’s the sweetness of life.

So here’s me sharing a moment I’m REALLY excited about: a skill I get to keep, use, and connect with every other skill I’ve gathered in pursuit of making.

My cerebral self is forever asking, “What is the point?” My body answers, “To be here and try things.”

So that’s my ask of you. Try the thing. The one you’ve told yourself you’re too old, too busy, or too unqualified to begin. Be a beginner in public. Fuck perfection, create evidence of being ALIVE! That’s the whole point. Go be here.

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This is the info I wish more small businesses shared: the actual sales data, the money. SWIPE for the numbers!

Some background: I started in small biz in 2009, straight out of a Studio Art degree, selling paper goods and handmade jewelry on Etsy. My jewelry ended up in 50+ stores worldwide. In 2013 I launched one of the first online shops focused on curating handmade, ethically sourced, small-batch goods, and in 2014 I opened my first storefront in Seattle and wrote my first book with @sasquatchbooks. @52lists took off, was sold in 500+ stores at its peak, and led to five more journals in the series. I achieved some wild things between 2013-2020. It was incredible and TOO MUCH.

In 2020 I closed the store, ended a toxic business partnership, ended a marriage, and went into hermitage at 34. Three of the wisest, healthiest choices I’ve ever made, no matter how it looked from the outside.

Since then my career has pivoted toward fine art + a tarot deck and workbook for mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing, made 50/50 with my sweet pal @goshcallie over three years and published with @clarksonpotter. Earlier this year we released an audiobook version that pairs every card with its own meditative soundscape.

I’m an artist and a caregiver at heart. Returning to craft fairs, wholesale, and retail now is far more heart-centered than it ever was AND more mindful of the $ data I once avoided. Back then I ran myself into the ground to create MORE while neglecting my own financial compensation. Now I know my limits, choose carefully, and create to reveal what matters most: art, self care, compassion, and resource sharing. Everything you do is magic, if you choose it to be. Whether you’re new here or have been with me through every iteration, I’m so grateful you’re in my world.

As I rebuild the practical side of being a part woowoo part skeptic witchy socialist maker in a capitalist world, I want to share as much as I can. Send me your questions, and let’s rebuild together in my era of “what’s next?”

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Two years ago, we released Every Little Thing You Do Is Magic, our tarot deck and interactive workbook centered around self-care and building a sacred ritual for reflection and healing. Today, we’ve sold 61.7k copies worldwide, and a few months ago we got to narrate our very own audiobook of a whole new version of the book made rich with intentionality and immersive elements with everyone—including folks who are blind—in mind. Because shouldn’t absolutely everyone have access to the magic of tarot? That’s why the entire book features fonts which are easily read regardless of a person’s word processing abilities—it’s completely dyslexia-friendly. And gender? Nah. Not for tarot. We’ve included a section explaining why we decided our queer-made tarot deck didn’t need queens and kings, and why it court system has been renamed Apprentice, Champion, Oracle, and Elder instead.

Getting to write half of this project and illustrate the cards while @mooreaseal wrote the other half and collaged it all together was such a dream come true. Every part of this project has been my favorite thing I’ve done professionally, and I am profoundly grateful for the warm reception from you all.

If you haven’t gotten a copy yet and you’re in Seattle, my neighborhood bookshop @thirdplacebooks has plenty, and our pals at @charliesqueerbooks keep it stocked, too! While it’s available in most major bookstores, I encourage you to shop small and support independent booksellers. They are one of our greatest hubs for knowledge and SUCH a magnet for good people. Go hang out at bookstores! Buy books! Be nice to workers! And read some tarot ✨

Photo from a book signing we were thrilled to do for @compassroseshop in Tacoma in 2024. They also have a phenomenal Olympia location! Give them a visit if you’re in those cities ❤️

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It’s Fall ya. Time to make a list of all the coziest, uplifting songs that wrap you up like a warm blanket. #52listsproject

Where are all my list lovers? This weekly guided journal is the most comforting companion through every season. Find 52 Lists Project wherever books are sold. And visit the @mooreaseal booth at Renegade Craft Fair at the Seattle Center on Oct 10 + 11th to meet the author! It’s me ;)

#Listlover #lists #selfcare #guidedjournal

Some musicians whose music I find most uplifting:
@thedangelo
@missjillscott
@yebbasmith
@misshannahcohen
@iamyolaofficial
@jamiethedrake
@tirzahmusic
@musiqsoulchild
@michaelkiwanuka
@lauraveirs
@nickdrakeofficial
@janetjackson
@louval
@jamesblake
@realwashedout
@allenstone
@common
@minnieripperton
@steviewonderlegacy

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Here are some Fall/Autumn animal and nature decks I've been using. 🍂🍁🐦‍⬛

Seasons of the Witch Mabon - Lorriane Anderson Juliet Diaz Tijana Lukovic @spiritelement @tijanadraws @rockpoolpublishing
The Wild Chorus Oracle - Abacus Corvus @abacuscorvus
Every Little Thing You Do Is Magic Tarot - Callie Little Moorea Seal @goshcallie @mooreaseal @clarksonpotter
The Pigeon Oracle - Never Grow Up Club @nevergrowupclub #PigeonOracle
Vintage Animal Art Tarot - Bobby Alexander @BobbysTarotDeck
The Forager’s Daughter Tarot - Jessica Lei Howard @jessicaleihoward
Everyday Witch Familiars - Deborah Blake Elisabeth Alba @deborahblakeauthor @e.alba.art @llewellynbooks
Urban Crow Oracle - MJ Cullinane @mjcullinane @hayhouseinc
Swamp Witch Oracle - Toni Keniston @toni.keniston #SwampWitchOracle
Envoys & Artifacts Oracle - Jessica Lei Howard @jessicaleihoward
El Goliath Tarot - Goliath @elgoliathtarotdeck #ElGoliathTarot
Fox and Crow Tarot - Angela Tubb @angelatubbcreations #FoxAndCrowTarot
Heartwood Tarot - Stephanie Burrows Adam Oehlers @three_trees_tarot @adamoehlers
Oak, Ash & Thorn Tarot - Stephanie Burrows Adam Oehlers @three_trees_tarot @adamoehlers
The Guardian of the Night Tarot - MJ Cullinane @mjcullinane @hayhouseinc
Woodland Wardens - Jessica Roux @jessicasroux andrewsmcmeel
The Wild Side Oracle - Marjorie Sarcelle @leducva_nu_pieds #WildSideOracle
Thistledown Oracle - Stephanie Burrows Adam Oehlers @three_trees_tarot @adamoehlers
Folkloric Forest Tarot - Lennox Rees @helloivyly

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DAY 29 - 52 Lists of Happiness!

#recordyourselfchallenge #ChallengeAccepted #day29 #52lists #songofmyheartspace

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I’d like to submit my handmade (by me) spoon to the Spoon Jury of the internet. Hit me with your strong opinions, I’m ready.

• It is wood from a tree in my neighborhood, a Madrona.
• I used basic hand carving tools from @bainbridge_barn, an art education and resource space that blows my mind. Shout out to @woodenspoonfool for teaching me the essentials while supporting my audacious dreams.
• It took about 3 hours to hand carve
• Sanding by hand took exactly as long as it takes to listen to the audio recording of Walt Whitman’s “Life and Adventures of Jack Engle.”
• I then made the perhaps stupid but curious and experimental choice of using a rubber mallet and a slotted screw head to notch in a little star shape to the handle. I shall use actual carving tools to attempt more embellishments in the future. But my impulses called, and I listened.
• I roasted said spoon in the oven at 300 degrees for about 30 mins to deepen its color from a pale wood to something a lil richer.
• And last but not least, I used walnut oil to get this baby ready for actual use as a spoon and to deep the color even more.

Ps, this is the second spoon I’ve carved and completed. And alas, to try and sell them, paying myself a living wage based on an hourly rate of $40 an hour, this spoon would cost you $280 which I doubt anyone would pay for. But I’m going to keep carving spoons because I love it :) I think that’s art. Making because you need to, you want to, you love it, whether or not it’s a “sellable” object.

#spoons #autisticadult #woodcarving #spoontok #artobject

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Maybe the best Before and After I have ever captured.

I spent much of my time working for @villanellefloral on ladders, stringing cable wires and hanging individual flowers to create a hanging garden. The lavender roses, butter yellow stock, and fresh green bells of Ireland created a pastel floral dream.

Then the bride and groom spun beneath the chandeliers, and it felt like a Bridgeton fairytale.

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It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, unless it is.

I had such a good time creating this upside down garden under the gentle and fearless direction of @villanellefloral . She assembled the kindest, hardest working team who were literally singing the whole build. @mooreaseal , @newleaffloraldesign and @melodramaseattle ! Go follow them!

I got to string cables, design part of a chandelier, drape vines, flip to the reception, and add the prettiest flowers to the hanging installation.

I loved working in a team for this wedding, and I’m so excited to keep meeting and working with florists in Puget Sound.

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& Just like that, We said goodbye to Leo Season and Moved into Nurturing Virgo Season. 🌞🍃🌿⁣
All while we’re still in the eclipse portal, Nearing the Lunar Eclipse in Pisces. ⁣
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Memories are about to flood, if they haven’t swept you already, the very best you can do in Eclipse Season, Just Stay Present With each moment. ⁣
Stay present with all of your emotions and how they feel in your body. ⁣
This is a change that will unfold over the next 6 months, so just try to be exactly where you are right now. 🌿💕🎱⁣
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#astrology #eclipse #tarot #presence

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🖤O Every Little Thing You Do Is Magic Tarot é um deck super diferente e ideal pra ajudar a reparar nas pequenas coisas da vida!

As cartas têm ilustrações em um estilo moderno e uma simbologia única, com os arcanos da corte repaginados.

🔮Eu amei a relação de cada carta com um cristal, uma música e uma essência diferentes, além da numerologia. Senti que esses detalhes fizeram com que eu me conectasse de cara com o baralho e adorei encontrar músicas de artistas que vão de Phoebe Bridgers a The Rolling Stones.

E outro detalhe que eu amei é que ele vem com um card holder, perfeito para deixar a carta do dia em destaque!

Esse trabalho lindo é uma colaboração entre @mooreaseal e @goshcallie, e o deck foi um presente muito especial. 💜

👀Agora fiquei curiosa, qual música você escolheria para representar a sua carta favorita do tarô?

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Well, today I tackled the room I always DREAMT of having as a scrappy little kid who wanted to be an artist… that has recently been an embodiment of my own bad habit of prioritizing the needs of others over my own. Dammit, it’s like growing up as a closeted queer non-binary baby in repressive Christian culture in the 90’s had some sort of impact on me. Shocker! Forever learning and unlearning!

Aaanyway, having this space is a dream come true. I’m forever grateful for this space …which easily turns into a dumping ground when I’m busy with other work. Eep.

For the last few months, I’ve been helping to make the first ever Dahlia Farm Music Festival become a reality on Bainbridge Island, WA. I moved to this island 2 and a half years ago with my girlfriend after living in Seattle for 20 years. It was hard moving away from my well established community in Seattle to pursue a quieter life closer to nature. But I’ve slowly built local community I crave, and I love being a community builder wherever I may be. I got involved with @rollingbaymusicclub a few months into its inception and the music festival that just happened this past weekend was my main focus the last few months. It was almost entirely put together by local volunteers and I may have taken on a little more than I had planned. Typical typical. But when I care, it’s hard not to help. I gave a lot of my time, energy, skills and resources alongside so many other amazing volunteers. And the day was a success!

And now it’s time to focus on my own big dreams. I’m 40, I’m a multidisciplinary artist and I want to make a living from my own creative projects. So let’s get this damn studio back into working order so I can MAKE!

And in episode 3, I promise to tackle that pile of mail I’ve avoided that’s mixed in with random paper, bills, and cute little drawings that my neighbor kids and niece and nephews have sent me 🥹

#bainbridgeisland #selfcare #Mooreaseal #startingoverat40 #cleanwithme

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