Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Christina Fontenelle, founder, and CEO of Fontenelle Art LLC., located in Miami, FL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Fontenelle Art LLC is a Mental Health & Creative Wellness company that aims to serve communities by providing Art & Movement-based approaches to professional development and mental health awareness as well as creating spaces for healing and cohesion. Above all, advocacy for social justice is at the core of everything we do.

We believe that mental health wellness should be freeing, expressive, and accessible to everyone--regardless of gender, spiritual, racial, ethnic, and sexual identity. Our hope is that by connecting with us, you will begin your journey to Align Your Inner Self.

In the health and wellness space, mental health is something that has traditionally been overlooked. Communities have faced extreme mental health challenges related to COVID-19. This pandemic has led people to struggle with grief, depression, anxiety, and more.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from June 24 to the present, U.S. adults reported considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Younger adults, [low socioeconomic populations], essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use and elevated suicidal ideation.

Tell us about yourself

Writing and publishing my book, Aligning Your Inner Self Meditation Journal, was my first step to raise awareness of mental health and take care of her own. After noticing the demand for mental health was increasing and seeing there were not many jobs available that catered to art and movement therapy, I decided it was time to start my own company. November 29, 2019, marked the start of Fontenelle Art LLC. This Chicago-based company aims to serve communities by providing art and movement-based approaches to professional development, mental health awareness, and community cohesion to help align the inner self.

However, my journey hasn't been so smooth. I was hit by a car in March 2010. I was riding my bike to the Visor Center for tutoring when I was hit by an individual who was texting and driving. I woke up in the hospital with a tube in her mouth and was told she died twice in the ambulance. I've never been the same since. The level of gratitude that I have is immense. When I got hit, the doctors told me I didn't break a single bone. I didn't have a helmet or anything on, and I flew through the windshield. That's when I knew my purpose here was greater than I thought it was.

After my accident, the idea of continuing with my growing passion for Art Therapy, I was so grateful to just be alive after that accident. Knowing that anyone can benefit from my workshops makes me proud. I want the world to think of my art and think of advocacy, and know that it is okay to struggle and cope.

As an Afro-Latina who has had to overcome adversity in more ways than one, I am the first to admit that life is always going to be a scene of trials and tribulations. Through academic confusion, a near-death accident, homelessness, and depression, I have remained resilient and persevered.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My greatest accomplishment of being a business owner is being able to create a community with new partners. I currently have a couple of partnerships with other small businesses and schools, and I am so proud of this because I see all the work that I have been doing is really paying off.

My goal of Fontenelle Art is to be able to guide people in finding themselves as I was lost at one time and struggling with mental health. I enjoy being able to cultivate thriving communities who also have the same end goal in mind. I have a continuously growing community online, and I could not be any more proud and thankful for my team and everything that has led me to this point.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things that come from being a business owner is having everything falling into place and then having those plans crumbling in some form in front of me. For example, I had my own place in Miami where I could work and do some workshops, but I had to close it down and do everything from my home because I was not able to afford to pay for a separate space outside of my home. I felt I had taken ten steps backward after that setback. However, I have learned not to take setbacks as failures. Rather, I use that as an opportunity to learn and prepare myself for next time because I hope to be back in that same position nearing the future.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. The first tip I would advise is never to give up. I was homeless in Miami after some time. I came to Miami to chase my dreams of being an Art and Movement Therapist. It all came crumbling down when I was left unemployed with no family or friends hundreds of miles away from Chicago. I picked myself back up and began writing my book Aligning your Inner Self during my homelessness journey. I began to sell it on Miami corners, and it became a hot seller in the neighborhood. I was happy to see that people enjoyed what I had to say when I was in a scary state of mind. So, keeping that perseverance is important because falling and getting back up is the key to being able to fulfill your desires.
  2. Secondly, asking for help is crucial. When I was going through a difficult time in my life, I felt as if I had nothing. I resorted to going to church, and a woman approached me, and I began to pour my thoughts onto her. It turns out that she had experience in running a small business, and she walked me through most of my process of getting Fontenelle Art LLC started. If I had not taken that step toward asking for help and speaking my thoughts, I would have never found that opportunity that was right in front of me.
  3. Lastly, I recommend that if you are lost and lack guidance, always keep your end goal in mind. When I started Fontenelle Art LLC in November of 2019, I was super excited to start my new journey in helping others align their inner selves and spread that mental health community I wanted. However, the pandemic hit, and I lost track of partnerships and struggled to stay connected with communities. I love having that physical interaction between people, and it took a while to adjust to being remote and teach my workshops. However, I stuck to my end goal and spoke my ideas into existence. I keep a journal every day where I write things that I did for myself and my business, and I see them coming true in the future as I keep my end goals in mind.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We offer a curriculum! We created an online platform and virtual video curriculum to help your community cope with stress & anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will gain professional Mental Health intervention strategies to address trauma as we incorporated this with Art & Dance/Movement Therapy.

We also are always looking for new partnerships!!!. We have so many open poisons available for staff and intern positions if you want to be part of our growing community. We currently have a group of independent contractors eager to work with new communities and share all the values that Fontenelle Art has cultivated.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://fontenelleart.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fontenelleart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fontenelleart/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FontenelleArt
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fontenelle-art-llc/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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