Our latest interview is with Hania, the wonderfully talented creator behind the Self Love Tarot. The deck focuses on a female figure, without demanding female perfection. The girls on the cards are curvy, have hairy legs but they feel comfortable and happy in their own skin.
Hania created the deck to allow herself to feel self acceptance and self love and to look for good energy within herself and not to relate these feelings with her appearance. These cards help to promote these same feelings within the reader.
Kickstarter - Self Love Tarot
Where in the world do you call home?
For me home is the place where I can fully be myself and I feel happy. It doesn't have to be a place, it's more about the company. Now I call my home Wrocław, a city in Poland, where I live with my husband.
What was your first experience with tarot and when did you fall in love with it?
I am not very experienced in tarot readings. But the first time i was in contact with tarot cards was a very magical moment for me. I was about 12 years old and visiting Spain with my parents. We went to a second-hand open-air market by the sea and there it was. A traditional old tarot deck. I wanted to buy it but as I had my budget of 20 euros for the trip I couldn’t afford it. But this feeling of mystery and magic stayed with me since then.
What made you want to create your own tarot deck? What was your inspiration?
For me the inspiration for this tarot deck was a journey of self-acceptance. As a girl with a lot of body issues and a period of an eating disorder i was quite unhappy with myself. When I started painting and drawing plus size girls it made me feel pretty. I realized that size doesn't really matter and the importance was what you feel inside. As tarot consists of 78 cards, I could fully develop the conversation with myself that was needed at that time and it helped me a lot. The girl on the cards is my self-portrait and she made me more confident than I ever was.
What would you say is unique about your deck?
In my tarot deck you won't always find the typical elements, as I was creating it more based on a feeling than on the specific motives that are repeated in most decks. I was also trying to represent a girl who you can relate to. She has a normal body with hair and imperfections and she is trying to look at life with a smile and sense of humour.
How long have you had the idea for the deck for and how long has it taken you to create it?
I had the idea for a few months before I started. I was trying different media at the beginning, collage, gouache and colored pencils, but the watercolor turned out to be the one that I felt most comfortable with. It took me about two months of summer holidays to paint the Major arcana and then another almost 10 months to finish the rest of the cards.
What have been your challenges in creating this deck?
The main challenge was that I was learning the cards as I was going along with the creation of them. And now the digital part of the preparation of the cards for the printing which for me is just less fun than painting on the paper and getting dirty.
What is on offer for people who pledge?
Depending on the amounts they decide to pledge and the rewards combination, there are option of getting a postcard with a major arcana illustration, an A4 print, the deck of cards with gold details, a Positive Energy Guidebook or an actual original illustration of one of the Major Arcana cards of their choice.
The price of the deck during this kickstarter is lower than what it will be once the campaign is finished. And it is quite possible that this version of cards will end up being a limited edition :)
To back this gorgeous deck that will bring a smile to your face, click here:
Kickstarter - Self Love Tarot
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