Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Cruz.
Hi Gabriella, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Moth Mysticals (MM) was conceived in two parts; MMagic & MMakes.
MMagic:
I worked full-time as a burned-out pediatric home health nurse when I had my second child in the spring of 2018. With the support of my husband, I took a planned 2-year leave to care for our newborn and 4-year-old son as a stay-at-home parent. I received my first-ever tarot reading that winter to help guide my shifting personal desires as a new and now equally burned-out parent of two. Through that card reading, I gathered the courage I needed to follow my heart and, when I returned to the ‘working world’ in 2020, shift careers into something steeped in my authenticity (read: queerness). To satisfy my need to feel and find magic in my life, I dove deep into Biddy Tarot’s online, year-long certification course in March 2019 and completed it in 2020. Along the way, I sought guidance and learned from one of Austin’s voted best tarot readers; Sister Temperance Tarot. I actively aimed to build my magical community, tarot knowledge, and skills by offering donation-based tarot readings via Instagram. My two-year parental leave was almost over and MM was bubbling under the surface. I was thrilled! Cue the global pandemic.
MMakes:
A fun 2020 summer pandemic project for me was making cutesy, reuse jewelry for hurricane and natural disaster relief. Combatting the effects of climate change with recycled makes seemed V apropos, not to mention my inner child and my children were having fun! The pandemic never ended, and neither did the making, but making for MM became a haven for me after my father’s passing due to complications from Covid-19 in the summer of 2021. I was grieving but also deeply healing through making and using my tarot practice to maintain a connection to him. In December 2021, I had more than enough handmade inventory and just enough tarot practice to make the leap. I signed up and had a hugely successful first outdoor market hosted by Austin Creative Reuse as Moth Mysticals. Afterward, I told my husband I wanted to commit to my ‘MMagic and MMakes’ full-time and received tables, lights, and signage for Christmas as a sign of his full support. I also signed up for a year-long tarot course with Oak Moon Tarot in 2022 to broaden my tarot practice and insights.
Would it have been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Losing a parent due to complications from Covid-19 made me more vigilant in vending with market hosts proactively providing safety precautions for my community and me. It’s simply imperative that we feel safe to be accepting of and available for joy, something I hope my products can stir. I am constantly learning to navigate work-life-self balance with a baby business grows and rests on its own time. In recent years, I recall feeling like I was juggling 3 kids instead of 2, with MM as the newborn. I’d spread myself thinner and thinner, trying to sustain it all, losing myself in the process. I’ve since learned that not all was or is supposed to be sustained. Parts of the business would disappear and organically reveal its true and more sustainable form. Asking for help was and still is a challenge for me. It means I know the value of receiving it and the value of my connections. A fellow vendor (s/o to ‘el Negra’) helped me see that the connections we make are the fan of our creative flame. Through MM’s initial birth and current growing pains, I’ve learned to lean into the experience, knowledge, and above all, the kindness of others to bear, share and lighten my labor.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Moth Mysticals is known for its bright colors, mismatched, asymmetrical earring sets, and unapologetic adornment of handmade pom-poms. What started as shamelessly gaudy, reuse jewelry has now expanded to include handmade wearable accessories like MM’s most-popular, pom-adorned ‘coronas’ and hangable pom makes, custom party decor and even original collage art. February 2022 began the production of the now popular pom corona. It has since become what MM is best known for and is my most requested custom, ‘MMake.’ I always offer pom coronas at various price points, so look for that pink clearance basket at my next market! Ordering a custom corona from MM’s website is a way folx have celebrated birthdays, work events, sports teams, and LBGTQIA+ pride. Offering live tarot readings at markets makes MM very unique. I hope to provide seekers space to share and receive insight with the pause and presence tarot provides. I set a small table with a selection of funky decks and provide a short, guided centering practice, complete with a ringing of my cosmically engraved brass bell before we shuffle and begin. Book your free 15min tarot consultation on my website today!
I grew up in a low-income, blended family with a gaggle of siblings, so being scrappy and resourceful is inherent to who I am and, thus, to Moth Mysticals. I proudly source my supplies and materials from my local reuse craft store, Austin Creative Reuse (ACR). ACR is a rotating warehouse of recycled, donated, and reuse craft items in northeast Austin. They keep Austin’s creative community fully re-sourced while helping divert over 1 million pounds (wow!) of totally usable craft materials from the landfill. I’m incredibly proud to be a reuse maker, ACR shopper, volunteer, and supporter of all they do for our local community.
What does success mean to you?
Success changes for me depending on the season I’m in. Last year, my success was being able to give back to favorite charities of mine like OutYouth in ATX and Sueños Sin Fronteras in SATX. 2022 also brought me closer to myself in that I was safe to explore my creativity and queerness within a community just as unabashedly unashamed. Currently, I am successfully honoring the shifting needs of my family, my creativity, and most importantly, the rest to make it all happen.
Pricing:
- Tarot Readings $33-99 (w/sliding scale options)
- JOYería $11-55
- Coronas $15-66 (excludes customs)
- Pom pens/keychains $3-5
- Party Decor $15-44
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mothmysticals.com
- Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/mothmysticals - Booking: https://
mothmysticals.setmore.com
Image Credits
David Ruiz
