my story

Hi, my name is Michelle Berry and I am a mom of two young daughters. My husband and I live on the sunny central coast of California. I work part-time as an elementary school teacher, part-time as a creative digital artist, and as a full-time tired momma.

About two years ago, I started my own business called Fiddles & Fern. This business came about because of my experience with postpartum depression (PPD) in the midst of COVID starting, having a newborn & toddler, teaching remotely, and needing a creative outlet to try to find myself again. I knew I was juggling too much with too much pressure on myself. I knew I loved teaching but it had become all-consuming and I needed a way to make money on the side doing something I loved, like drawing and creating.

I started drawing on the Procreate app and I went down the rabbit hole of YouTube tutorials and Pinterest inspiration for my drawings. This quickly led to me starting an Etsy shop using Print-on-Demand companies. POD's were a lifesaver because I didn't need to have any inventory at home, so it was not a risk to start it up.

Two years later, I have a successful Etsy shop, have done many local vendor fairs, am in almost a dozen wholesale accounts and so much more. My goal here at Fiddles & Fern is to share what I've learned so that you don't have to spend the number of hours I did researching everything on Google.

Even though it's been a challenging journey, I am so grateful to have started my own business. It has allowed me to work from home, spend more time with my family, and cultivate my love for drawing and lettering.

I'm so glad that you're here and hope that you'll stick around for awhile!