Cheers! I'm Moorea :)

Here are some ways that I occupy my time as an outgoing introverted multi-disciplinary artist and author. Ps, I'm queer and autistic  ♥ These two core things drive me to approach the world with curiosity, create with inclusivity in mind, share with compassion, engage with empathy, and push me to do what I can to make the world a kinder place...

• I PAINT: Most days, you'll find me painting in my home studio in Seattle, WA, and sharing my work online and at local galleries.
• CURRENTLY WRITING + DESIGNING: A tarot deck and a guided workbook for using tarot for wellbeing with Clarkson Potter and Random House called "Every Little Thing You Do Is Magic." Out Fall 2024!
• MY NEWSLETTER: I write a weekly newsletter on Substack that has over 13k subscribers.
• CO-WORK HOST: I host 2 virtual co-working groups that you can be a part of!
• AUTHORED: I've written 6 guided journals under the title of "The 52 Lists Project" with over 1.4 million in sales, one home decor book, and many desktop products with Sasquatch Books and Random House. 
• DESIGN: I design desktop products and digital products to help you stay organized and focused.
• MUSIC: I make music. Here's a music video. You can find me singing along with K Van Petten sometimes, here in Seattle, WA.
• JEWELRY: I have a celestial inspired jewelry line, all designed by me and locally produced.
• PODCAST: I've got a podcast, that I update when time allows, called 52 Lists with Moorea Seal where I interview fascinating humans who've overcome big things you might relate to.
• I TALK: I sometimes speak at small and large events about mental health, design, small business and authorship.

Reach Out: Shoot me an email at moorea @ mooreaseal.com if you'd like to chat about something like collaborating on a project, hiring me to speak at your event, or whatever. Looking forward it <3

Ok, Now for the Long Winded Back Story:

If you know my name from prior to 2020, It could be for a few different reasons. MooreaSeal.com was once a retail site featuring over 140 designers from across the world. My former retail store, both online and physically located in downtown Seattle, WA, gained the accolades of Goop, Vogue, Forbes, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and more. But over the years, it veered away from what I intended it to be, a space to celebrate handmade artists and designers, and became more and more of a world I felt suffocated by, business with a capital B. It was a privilege to have ever had the chance to build a huge brand with my name on it, but it sucked my soul rather than fueled it. And it was much needed catharsis to witness the doors being shut on a building and business that took over my name and identity.

In 2020, I shut it all down and pursued self-care on a deeper level than I had ever been able to before. 2020 was a year of profound loss and grief, but within the shedding came clarity. The isolation of the pandemic forced me to put all I had researched and learned through writing my 52 Lists Project journal series into practice. I ended a toxic business partnership. I left a marriage that no longer made sense for either of us. I came out and accepted my queerness. And I finally found a word to explain life long learning disabilities, social challenges, ticks, and sensory issues. I am Autistic and so grateful to finally know what self-acceptance feels like.

You may also know my name because of the guided journals I've written to help you and me get to know and care for ourselves on a deeper level. I've sold over 1.4 million copies and they can be found in 7 different languages and in over 500 stores. WOAH! I wrote these list making journals because as an undiagnosed autistic person, I was as obsessed with understanding how to help humans in their suffering the way that Temple Grandin, one of my autistic heroes, has obsessed over the care of cattle. She helped to create a more humane cattle industry. I want to help create a more soothing, caring community of humans across the world through simple list making. Yep, as simple as that: lists.

 

My artistic + care centered background:

My degree is in Studio Art with a focus in Illustration (2009) and I've been back on the making art wagon as of 2023. Prior to getting my degree, I was a kid who had a hard time communicating with others (Hi, undiagnosed Autism) and art and music were my treasured modes of expression. I graduated undergrad in the height of the recession in 2008/2009 and worked 5 jobs at once to survive. I was an assistant to a sculptor, I taught myself jewelry making and metal-smithing and ran a jewelry shop on Etsy, I was a live in nanny, I did elderly caregiving for those about to enter hospice, I did freelance Illustration and Graphic design, and I designed blogs for those early on bloggers of the 2010s.

Most of my careers have been self taught and steeped in the need to express myself through the arts with a desire to care for people in a world that treats people like they are dispensable. I’ve been an advocate for mental health support from a young age, leading my first protest at catholic school in 6th grade. My teacher liked to publicly shame children, especially weird ones with invisible disabilities like me. And I've been a critic of power hungry oppressive overlords ever since.

What I Do Now vs Who I Am:

Who I am: Moorea Seal. A queer, autistic 5'8 person raised in rural England and rural America who identifies as non-binary and as a woman. After moving to the US at age 8, I spent the majority of my life trying to fit into American culture's expectations of what a person in my body should "be" and so I cannot reject the word woman entirely. I fought for a long time to love and accept her. But damn, once I heard the word non-binary, it gave me the freedom from a gendered existence that I have been hungry to escape my whole life. I care a lot about how people feel about themselves, really care about all people having access to self understanding, and like to create things that help people feel more seen, more heard, and accepted as they are. Art in many forms excites my eyes which in turn, sets off pure joy with my soul. I have a severe lack of memory thanks to cognitive  disabilities and C-PTSD, but I have an abundant source of creativity within me. I care about children and their rights. I care about the LGBTQIA+ community and our rights. I care about BIPOC and their rights. I care about the disabled community and our rights.

A promise: I mean well, I mess up, and I keep working at being better.