Courtesy of Tessa Wilson
By Delaney Brown
As news of the Australian wildfires prompted an outpouring of social media #thoughtsandprayers, one USF St. Petersburg student decided to take action instead of sharing condolences.
A self-described “animal person,” Tessa Wilson, a senior graphic design major, said that once she saw the photos of dehydrated and scorched koalas being carried from their burning homes, she knew she had to do something.
Not satisfied by simply spreading the news on her Instagram story, Wilson decided to use her artistic skills and Etsy shop to raise money in support of firefighting and veterinary efforts in the bushland.
Through the sale of two Australian wildlife-themed prints, Wilson raised more than $2,000 for the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in just under two weeks.
“It’s such a big thing going on, and it has been going on for a really long time. It was kind of like there was no end in sight,” Wilson said. “So, I’m doing what I can to help raise money because that can help when you’re not able to donate your time.”
Wilson says she tried to choose symbols that people could recognize when designing her prints: fields of kangaroos and a koala bear suspended from a tree. Back in Australia, thousands of koalas may now be homeless, but on the page, this one still wears a peaceful expression.
Wilson opened her Etsy shop, The Wildflower Press, in 2018 to bring in a little extra money and gain experience as a freelance designer. She never expected any of her work to go viral.
“Honestly, I thought I was going to raise like $75,” she said. “Literally, I thought that it would cap off at $100.”
But the orders keep coming in. Thanks to the support of friends, family and an appearance on BayNews 9, Wilson has sold more than 100 copies of her designs.
“There’s a lot to maintain, and I never really thought that it was going to blow up as much as it did,” she said. “You don’t really realize everything that goes into it until you’re in it, doing it.”
In true small business fashion, Wilson prints, cuts, signs, packages and ships all the posters herself.
“My room is a complete mess. There is stuff everywhere,” she said. “But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way, especially with how things are progressing.”
For Wilson, the idea that her work is able to make a difference makes the craziness of filling orders worth it.
“I think that it’s popular to, you know, ‘care about things,’ but having the guts to then actually do something about it, that doesn’t happen so much,” she said.
Wilson plans to continue the fundraiser until the end of January. After that, the senior is focused on graduating in the spring and landing a job in public relations or graphic design.
To support Wilson’s fundraiser and other work, visit The Wildflower Press on Etsy.
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