We had the good fortune of connecting with Myranda & Taylor and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Myranda & Taylor, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Curiously enough, before we knew we wanted to start a business and pursue a creative career, we discussed how intriguing owning a witchery would be. We’re both so passionate about the craft and with us both being practicing witches, it was something we spoke about quite frequently. We wanted to provide an easily obtainable path to practicing and delving into spirituality, no matter how far into the journey someone might be. Pursuing the witchery as a career path was more about the art than the money, and it still is. We often talk about what we want out of this and discuss the business together so we can make sure we’re keeping an open line of communication. It sounds goofy, but it’s like we’re coparenting and Bat & Fae is our baby. It really does have its own persona. Something about shaping its personality and its attributes on a daily basis is so fun for us. Bat & Fae showed us that going after an expressive career path really is what we both wanted, and we didn’t even know that in the beginning. But now we look at this business as something we can shape and mold as we go. Something that when you look at Bat & Fae, you can see this incredibly well thought out piece of art. Because that’s truly what it is. Every piece of her is art. Every bit of merchandise and every item we add is just another bit of the painting we’re creating. We wanted to create something that is environmentally friendly, and still inexpensive and obtainable. Something tangible and captivating and imaginative all at once. Something that, when we aren’t in this world anymore, people can look at it and see the poetry in it.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One of our main goals is to make sure our items are not only better quality than others, but also more inexpensive and more eco friendly so we do a ton of research when we come up with new product ideas and want to add more to the shop. There’s this unspoken concept that having a “witchy” aesthetic or practicing the craft in general has to be “expensive and unobtainable” but that definitely does not have to be the case.
Before we started, we heard 100+ times that living with or working with your best friend is the worst idea and that it won’t work out, and this was something we really were fearful of when we first started. But honestly, our ability to communicate with each other and how we work together shows that not only are we business partners but we really are the best of friends and if you watch the way we work together, I think it really shows and our connection is what we’re most proud of.
Getting where we are now professionally was not easy, as much as we’d like to say that it was.
With a normal job, you can clock in at the start of the day and clock out at the end of the day. With a small business, especially when you’re in the very start of it, such a big part of making a name for yourself is that you just don’t clock out. It’s constant social media, constant marketing, constant perfecting orders and items. From the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep, you’re working. Which can be a little overwhelming sometimes but I think it has really been key to getting our name out there and bringing a solid customer base. It hasn’t been easy, but that isn’t a bad thing. I think starting a business has tested us in the best and worst ways and we’ve learned so much about each other and ourselves along the way.
There was a few times in the beginning that we both threw our hands up and tried to quit, but after talking about it, we both realized that we just can’t give up on Bat & Fae. Some days, it was all we had to look forward to. Some days, Bat & Fae was all we had. You just don’t give up on something like that. You don’t give up on the thing that gets you out of bed in the mornings.
A couple things we’ve learned are; the more you do it the easier it gets, no matter how long you’ve been doing it. Two people cannot agree 100% all the time, but they can learn to compromise in a healthy way. And sand paper is more expensive than you’d think.
Something we’d like to convey is that the reason we picked Bat & Fae as the name of our witchery was to show that we aren’t just here for those that enjoy the darker side of things like bats, coffins, and oddities. We’re also here for those that enjoy the glitter, the fairies and the lighter side of things.
The craft isn’t a one size fits all journey. We wanted to be that light in the tunnel that can show you don’t have to have a certain aesthetic to enjoy it all. No matter how far into the journey you might already be.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If we had a friend visiting town, we’d probably spend a day at the mud park. Then, of course, we’d be eating our body weight in crawfish. And maybe catch a concert too! But after moshing and mudding in the same week, we would definitely need a couple of days to relax and checking out Raven’s Moon, one of our favorite metaphysical shops in Houston, is the best way to do that in our opinion!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’d love to dedicate our shoutout to our significant other! They’ve helped and supported us in every way they know how and they absolutely deserve a shoutout.
Website: Batfaewitchery.square.site
Instagram: @BatFaeWitchery
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