It doesn’t take long to see what Jenna Thomas’ inspirational lifestyle brand is all about.
“Here to brighten your day.”
That’s the message on her Etsy shop, where Thomas sells t-shirts, key chains, stickers and wooden signs, and on her TikTok page, where she shares her creative process with 10,000 followers.
Thomas, a fourth grade teacher at Sand Creek International School, began her side performance in November.
“I’ve always been a creative person,” said Thomas, who had studied handwriting. “I’ve never really trusted my instincts to be creative or think I can run with my creativity.”
One of the inspiring messages from O Hippy Brand is “vote gratefully”.
On a whim, she decided to try digital illustration.
It started with a sticker: a bushel of flowers with the words “Have fun being”.
“It started,” said 25-year-old Thomas.
Her first batch of stickers was sold out within two days. She was addicted.
She launched the O Hippy brand, a nod to her love of positivity and a boho style.
“My friends always joke that I’m the guy who says,” When you have happy thoughts, that kind of energy is going to come to you, “said Thomas.
Teacher Jenna Thomas started an inspiring lifestyle brand as a sideline.
And their products show that. Their colorful stickers, often decorated with rainbows or flowers and fun handwritten fonts, say things like “stay groovy” and “good things are coming”.
Thomas has also expanded into designing shirts with phrases like “happiness is where you find it”.
“I want everything to be about positivity,” she said. “I want to create a bright, happy mood or mood.”
Thomas is very inspired to be a teacher, whether it is something their students say or what they read.
A recently released t-shirt design that reads “Don’t lose sight of love” was taken from a statement by a colleague.
Another idea comes from something a student said.
“He said to me, ‘Ms. Thomas, although it’s difficult, I always know you care, and that’s what matters,” she said.
Jenna Thomas’ O Hippy Brand offers t-shirts, stickers, and more with inspirational phrases.
So she wants people to feel through what she does.
“I want you to feel comfortable, happy and inspired,” she said. “I want people to feel comfortable.”
Thomas has a list of design ideas on her phone that she thinks is around 300 items long.
Whenever she has time outside of school, she will tackle one idea at a time. She hopes to grow her online business (etsy.com/shop/ohippybrand) in possibly their full time job or to get some products in stores.
Right now she spends her Saturdays filling orders and sometimes making funny videos of the process to share on social media.
In a recent TikTok video, Thomas had a message for her followers: “If you need to hear this today, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Because one day you will look back on such times and be proud that you continued. “
Sometimes Thomas is someone who needs to hear something like this after a busy day or a hard week of class. And it tends to put things in perspective.
“Even if everything is not okay, I’ll see the light in the dark,” she said. “I will focus on the good.”
