We’re looking forward to introducing you to Christine Blystone. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Christine, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Being outside makes me lose track of time, especially long hikes where my thoughts finally quiet down and disappear into the trees. Also, a book that pulls me completely in, or sketching until the light shifts without me noticing. Those moments return me to myself, calm and home in my body again.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m the creator and founder of Velvetback, a heart-centered creative studio where I bring together my work as a writer, artist, designer, and maker to help people connect with plants and discover meaning in their magic.
My journey into this work began with a background in graphic design, which I studied at Portland State University. But it was my lived experiences with nature—long walks through the forests of the Pacific Northwest, quiet afternoons spent sketching flowers, and the deep listening that plant life invites—that truly shaped my path. Over time, this practice of observation and reverence grew into a body of work that is as much about inner transformation as it is about creative expression.
Velvetback offers a range of thoughtfully crafted products designed to spark intuition, reflection, and magic:
• Magic Flowers, my debut book that combines magical memoir, plant illustrations, cyanotypes, and poetry to guide readers through personal growth and plant-based insights
• A 60-card plant poetry oracle deck, designed for daily reflection and intuitive connection with nature
• Flower essences and natural incense cones, created in small batches to support emotional clarity and grounding through ritual
My work lives at the intersection of art, healing, and plant wisdom. It serves people who seek connection to nature, their intuition, and their own inner voice. I aim to create tools and spaces that feel like an invitation to pause, to notice, to feel, and to come home to yourself.
What sets Velvetback apart is its deeply personal, poetic, and intentional nature. Each piece I create is infused with my hand-drawn illustrations, my voice, and the imprint of my lived experience. This intimate, handcrafted approach resonates with people in meaningful ways—my work has earned over 600 five-star reviews on Etsy, and Velvetback has been featured in top-tier curated offerings like Astral Box, Witchcraft Way, and Writual Planner subscription boxes. It’s even found its way into the hands of high-profile fans like luxury fashion designer Gabriela Hearst and Adventure Nannies founder Brandy Schultz.
Beyond the numbers and recognition, what I’m most proud of is the community that’s grown around Velvetback. Hearing from people who tell me that my oracle cards live on their altar, that a poem spoke to their grief, or that an incense blend brought comfort to a hard day—those moments are everything to me.
For those new to my work, I want you to know that Velvetback is more than a brand—it’s a sanctuary for quiet magic. It’s a space where art and nature meet, where healing isn’t rushed, and where you’re invited to explore your own connection to the world around and within you. Whether through a card pull, the grounding scent of natural incense, or a story that resonates, my hope is that you feel seen and inspired—just as I’ve been, again and again, by the plants themselves.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful came from reading. As a kid, books made me feel like a time traveler—able to step into other worlds, other lives, other centuries, simply by turning a page. That sense of power grew as I began writing my own stories and inventing worlds of my own. Through reading, writing, and hours of playing make-believe outdoors—in my backyard and the backyards of my childhood friends—I learned that imagination is a form of power. It gave me the ability to explore, create, and envision what’s possible.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Between 2020 and 2022, I experienced three miscarriages within a year and a half. Each loss left my husband and me utterly flattened by grief—the grief of the miscarriage itself, the grief of the secondary losses that inevitably follow, and, for me, the grief of a body and heart that struggled to heal. I hadn’t fully understood it before, but I learned how deeply human it is to need our grief acknowledged and reflected by others, especially by those closest to us.
When grief goes unspoken, healing becomes harder. When it isn’t accepted, moving forward feels nearly impossible. This is especially true in a culture where grief can feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, particularly as time passes. Our instinct is often to fix or minimize, when what we most need is simple presence—someone willing to sit with us, witness our pain, and say, “I see how hard this is, and I’m so sorry this is happening. I love you.”
These experiences changed me in two important ways. They deepened my capacity for empathy and gentle witnessing, and they gave me the courage to write my book, Magic Flowers, with honesty and vulnerability. I stopped shrinking or hiding my story. I learned that being seen in my pain is not a weakness, but an act of courage—and that openness became a source of real connection and strength.
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. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Well, I asked them, and this is what they said:
“Authenticity and deep connections with those close to you.”
“Your family and expressing your creativity. Your friends also know you love them because you show us we are important to you.”
“You care about your family, friends, being a mother and partner, and the natural world. You use your superpowers to create a more beautiful world through your writing, art, and music. You’re passionate and curious and always willing to embrace the adventures of life.”
“Helping people connect to themselves and to nature matters to you. Growth, authenticity, and supporting your friends. Beauty and magic—and helping others see that in themselves and in the world around them. Nurturing your spirit, community, and body, and encouraging others to do the same. Making cool things, including rad humans (shout out to your two daughters).
“Peace, justice, compassion, creativity, empowerment… both giving and receiving them. You live the mantra ‘Do No Harm, Take No Guff.’”
“Connection to the natural world and small moments where you take in the world are important to you.”
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
I think Velvetback customers would miss an artful, poetic gateway into plant wisdom—one that turns everyday objects into rituals and helps people make meaning with the magic already around them. Through oracle cards, books, flower essences, and incense, Velvetback offers a gentle invitation into relationship with plants that is intuitive, creative, and deeply personal. Rather than prescribing beliefs or outcomes, the work encourages curiosity, slowness, and reflection, helping people cultivate connection and belonging in their everyday lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.velvetback.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_velvetback_
- Other: https://velvetback.substack.com
Image Credits
Christine Blystone, Alicja Hajdukiewicz
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
