We’re looking forward to introducing you to Megan and Joey Cash. Check out our conversation below.
Megan and Joey, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Writing a children’s book. I’ve always loved children’s books and illustrations, especially nature based stories with woodland settings. I love illustrations that have a vintage feel to them, with earthy tones and watercolor paint. I had the idea to do a children’s book many years ago, but never had the courage or confidence to get it started. It wasn’t until I had a baby (now a toddler) that I really got inspired to try it. Earlier this year I began working on my first one and it has really boosted my creativity and confidence. I’m so glad that I decided to try it!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
The Faery Forest is run by myself, Megan, and my husband Joey. I initially started this business back in 2017 making miniature fairy furniture out of natural materials. A lot of those pieces consisted of bookshelves filled with books and accessories, tables and chairs, bedrooms, writing desks, etc. But in 2021, Joey quit his full time job of tattooing for over 20 years to join in the business with me. Ever since then our career completely changed – we now make entire rooms/scenes straight from the fairy realm out of lanterns, clocks, handmade wooden book nooks, jewelry boxes, and so much more. We really love to go antique and thrift shopping looking for anything we can find and repurpose into our art. Usually when we find an interesting piece, we’ll imagine what a fairy might use it for if they stumbled across it. How they would decorate it, what kind of furniture would be in it, etc. Everything you see in our pieces is completely handmade from natural materials. We avidly collect driftwood, sticks, acorns, dried leaves and florals, and integrate all of those materials into our work. The magical touch is always the lighting – we try to put lighting into every piece we make. This way it has a more practical function as well and can serve as warm, cozy lighting for a room. Joey and I both have a background in and passion for design, architecture, nature and fantasy, so it just felt right for us to do this together as a team. Joey’s skills in woodworking (and honestly everything else) is what truly took our work to the next level, and we’re both so thankful we get to share this passion together.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Honestly, nothing. As a child my parents always instilled in me that I could be and do anything I set my mind to. No matter what it was, I always had their support. Even when I started The Faery Forest I know deep down my parents may have had some doubts, but that didn’t stop them from encouraging me. I have held onto that belief since I was a child and now have first hand experience – truly, anything you set your mind to, you can accomplish it (with lots of hard work, consistency, and confidence). I also think it’s so important to hang onto a lot of the mindsets we have as children – the imagination, creativity, that constant sense of wonder. I’ve always tried to hold onto those things, even if it’s just a little. I would not be where I am or the artist that I am today without it.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
A fear that has really held me back is the fear of being judged/what people think. While I’m so thankful for the wonderful community of people and followers we’ve gained and connected with over the years, the internet always has that small group of hateful people who have nothing nice to say. Joey and I both are very shy, introverted people and we have almost completely hidden ourselves behind the camera throughout our entire career. We always wanted the focus to be on our art. But, these days it does seem that a lot of artists/influencers do really well and connect more with their audience when they show their faces. This is something we’ve debated for many years but still haven’t tried (yet).
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I think one area where smart people are getting it wrong is when they get too comfortable and quit asking questions or wanting to learn more. This can honestly apply to any aspect or career. As a person and an artist I’ll never stop asking questions, wanting to know other perspectives, or wanting to learn more and strengthen my skills. I’ll never claim to know everything about a subject because there’s always more to learn. With information so instantly and readily available at our fingertips now we think we can quickly learn about a subject, but the reality is this method of “learning” isn’t sticking. We’ve got to devote time, practice, and effort into learning a skill or subject for it to stick. And always continue to want to know more.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Definitely what I was born to do. The things Joey and I were passionate about as children have never changed, and we are lucky enough to now be doing them as our career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thefaeryforest.net
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/thefaeryforest
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/faeryforest
Image Credits
Megan Cash, The Faery Forest
