How a visit to Mexico sparked a career change and a new place to call home | Canada Voices

Ehren Seeland always knew she wasn’t meant to work in the corporate world and spend all day in an office. But rather than wait for an opportunity to come along that combined her background in art with her love of travel, she decided to carve her own path and create her own unique career.

Ms. Seeland moved from the prairies to attend the Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver. There, she forged connections that would eventually enable her to set up a new life in Mexico, where she works with local artisans to help them sell their pieces at a fair price. She also met and married a Mexican man, Erick López Rodriguez, and they run several businesses together.

In this series, Reimagining Wealth, we explore the evolving definition of wealth in today’s world. Here, Ms. Seeland describes her winding journey from Canada to living and working in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Let’s talk about your education at Emily Carr. What were your thoughts at the time about a career path?

I knew that I wanted to combine travel into my life after graduation, so that was always in the back of my mind. During my third year, I participated in an exchange program and attended a semester at the Edinburgh College of Art, with two months of travel in Europe after that. The experiences only further cemented my desire to explore.

Can you talk about what you did in those first years after you graduated?

I moved to New York City and joined Aperture, a non-profit organization and fine art photography publisher. At the time, they were housed in a historic funeral home near the Flatiron building. Artists like Mary Ellen Mark and Nan Goldin would drop in and there were all kinds of book launches and events. I loved working there.

Over the next eight years, I held roles as a designer and art director in the publishing industry. When the global financial crisis happened in 2009, I was ready to exit the corporate world, so I left my job and moved back to Canada. Not long after, I started working in international development with Emily Carr. With this job, I travelled regularly throughout 22 countries.

How did you become interested in working in Mexico?

In my free time, I’d pursue my own interests [in the countries I visited] – much of it focused on handmade and traditional processes that are passed down through generations.

I developed a friendship with the trade commissioner in Mexico City. I said that my goal was to start a project working with artisans and it was he who encouraged me to take a side trip to Oaxaca to explore options there. I visited for a week and was enthralled, so I left my job and headed south soon after.

Was making the move from Canada to Mexico a big leap of faith for you?

When I moved to Oaxaca, I didn’t speak Spanish, nor did I have a community here, so I was venturing into the unknown. That said, in my former position, I was continuously outside of my comfort zone, so this had become a natural sensation for me.

How did you start to develop your business? Did you have a plan or did it develop organically?

My first order of business was to learn Spanish. It took a good couple of years before I was fully comfortable in the language, [and] my personal rite of passage was when I received my first chuckle at a mediocre joke.

I spent that first year developing artisan contacts, first here in Oaxaca, then moving into other parts of Mexico and Guatemala. One of the first families that I met kindly allowed me to frequent their home workshop, which means that I was surrounded by Spanish and Zapotec, with no chance to speak English. We collaborated on textile projects over the years and they’re now like family to me.

Can you describe your business, Hecho?

I collaborate directly with Mexican artists on custom pieces for our own collections, which we offer both at retail and wholesale prices, plus I also focus on client sourcing, as well as custom and private label product design.

The bulk of these pieces are made from biodegradable materials and are crafted using ancestral processes – not in factories. The master artisans that I work with name their own prices and produce at their own pace, usually in their own workshops.

This year, my husband and I will also be building a retreat and event space, two small casitas [guest houses], as well as our own home. Our plan is to incorporate local, natural and handmade materials in as much of the space as we can. Between us, we currently own and run three small, local businesses that include Hecho, a climbing gym and a craft brewery.

How has your life changed since you left Canada?

I was born in Canada and my heart will always be Canadian. That said, Oaxaca has been home for a decade and I feel like I’m exactly where I should be right now.

Moving to Mexico has allowed for more flexibility in my life – which was the goal. I like working and I’m not averse to long hours, when needed, but I want to arrange this time on my own terms.

How has your life been enriched by the changes you have made?

Most of the people that I collaborate with are Indigenous, as is the small town that we call home. Over 80 per cent of this state voluntarily operates under Indigenous law, so the collective is typically the focus over the individual. I’ve learned to be a more thoughtful community member, along with the importance of being flexible, patient and adaptable.

For me, the greatest wealth is being able to navigate life on your own terms. It may include sacrifice and discomfort, and it should, but there’s no greater riches than being able to look back on a life that you’re proud of.