MerMade with Love - Mermaid Shelly juggles a shop, tail biz, performing gigs & a merhusband

SELKIES

These lovelies hail from the Orkney and Shetland Islands and are similar to swan maidens, as far as their type of legend goes. While living as seals in the ocean, they shed their skin on land to become human. In the 20th Century, the discovery of seal skins has caused outrage and confusion among unwitting Greenpeace activists who, being unfamiliar with Selkies, assumed the worst.

SIRENIA

Frequently referred to as 'sea cows,' these aquatic herbivore mammals inhabit a variety of waters such as rivers and estuaries. Manatee are the best known of the breed and, like other sirenians, they have arms for steering, a modified tail used as a propulsive paddle, and hind limbs or legs which are nothing more than bone remnants nestled deep within their muscles. These kind, harmless creatures are often bullied and berated for being fat, but really they are fusiform, hydrodynamic, and highly muscular. Prior to the mid 19th century, mariners called this species 'mermaids.'

Warwick Hutton

(presumed attribution)

by Casey Virata

and finally... the primary racist bungle

SIRENS

This is an issue I am not going to pussyfoot around. For too long those who have striven for political correctness have muddied the siren waters, confounding moderns and slandering decent siren folk. In short, sirens do not have mertails. These sweet songbirds of the seashore have wings. They also have arms. How else would they be able to play their harps?

Aside from their depiction in current cosplay and fantasy stories, sirens have long been identifiable as the beautiful bird woman whose song was so exquisite that mariners shipwrecked themselves in their attempt to draw close to the crags on which the sirens perched and sang. More often than not, when a cluster of sirens witnessed a ship getting too close to shore they tried to warn them off for safety. But the sirens' beguiling voices had the opposite effect and lured them in even closer, often to the sailor's doom. And so the term femmes fatales became a tragic truism, though having nothing to do with malicious or homicidal intent on the part of the siren singers. In fact, the mortality rate among mariners so distressed the siren community that they went silent, sacrificing their melodious music for the lives of the seamen who pass nearby. In 1917, Franz Kafka noted the dearth of siren songs, and in consequence, wrote The Silence of the Sirens: "Now the Sirens have a still more fatal weapon than their song, namely their silence. And though admittedly such a thing never happened, it is still conceivable that someone might possibly have escaped from their singing; but from their silence certainly never." In recent years, the sirens have begun to slowly re-emerge from the depths of the windswept crags. Their song is now more felt than heard. You must tune in very intently when listening for them, because now their song may only be heard within the hearer's soul. Think back. I've bet you've heard it once or twice yourself.

Odysseus and the Sirens, eponymous vase of the Siren Painter ca. 480-470 BC

Want to learn more about the cultures, siren archetypes, and places that interest you? Our Siren School Facebook page boasts a new and oh so exciting theme each and every week.

Mer-made with love

at Shelly's Grotto

She is:

• a professional mermaid • a conservational biologist • a lauded tailmaker • half of a mer power couple • the owner of the only mermaid-centric shop... on land, that is • founding member of the

San Diego Mermaids performing troupe

What did you 'do' career-wise before becoming a multi-faceted mer business woman?

My undergrad degree is in conservational biology with a minor in chemistry, but unfortunately for me when I graduated there was (and is) a lack of jobs in conservation work. So instead I began working in the biotech field and began doing volunteer work to reconnect with the environment. In a way that began my transformation to become the guerilla mermaid that I am today, always leading a dual life, but seeking and speaking truth all along the way.

So why mermaids? What first intrigued you about them? And what made you dive into the lifestyle so deeply?

When I was a young girl I saw the movie ‘Splash!’ and it changed my life forever. Seeing Daryl Hannah’s character, Madison swimming so freely in the water, completely unencumbered by legs, diving down and exploring sunken ships was quite a revelation for me. The way she carried herself too, the complete innocence and lack of shame about her body as she came on land in that scene where she appears at the Statue of Liberty in NYC was very inspiring to me. Women spend too much time worrying about what everyone else thinks of them. It is an unhealthy mindset and something that we must work hard to free ourselves from. We are all beautiful, and unchained by societal pressures to be a certain size or shape we can achieve so much more in our lives than just physical beauty in my opinion.

How did your husband end up getting involved in the mer life?

My husband Chris and I have been together since I was fifteen years old. And mermaids were one of the foundations of our long relationship. The first gift he ever bought me was a quartz crystal with a silver mermaid wrapped around it, and I still treasure it to this day. He and I have loved mermaids as long as we have loved each other, and much of it stems from a love of that same movie, ‘Splash!’ from the 80’s. Our first summer together we constructed my first mermaid tail together on his bedroom floor and we never stopped trying to make better and better tails. It’s only been a little over a year since he started swimming with me in a tail after being unable to keep up with me in the water. It’s been really fun having him join the pond too… we’ve had some great adventures and look forward to many more!

You were recently filmed for a TV show. Can you share a bit about the show and your experience working on it?

In March we spent 3 days filming for Discovery International’s show Extreme Worlds. This show features episodes surrounding a theme and the show theme that we were a part of was about love, which was pretty awesome on many levels. Firstly, being that our relationship was founded on a love of mermaids, and also in that we were able to bring our friends along and show the merfolk community to the world. The first day of filming took place at our home in Carlsbad, doing our master interview and then wrapped with us in tails at a local beach. The second day we filmed in our shop, Mermaid Shelly’s Grotto in Oceanside and then were joined by twenty mermaid friends who came from all over California to join us for a beach filming here in Oceanside. On the third day, we all ventured out to the desert to do some underwater filming at the Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel which has been very welcoming to us and our kin in the past. We had a blast out there, and cannot wait for the show to air so we can see it and how the story will be edited together. Unfortunately it will be the season finale of the show, so we’ll have to wait for it to be premiered here in the US before we can see it. But when it does air, it is going to be shown in over 200 countries, so we’re really excited to see the response!

Sweethearts of the sea, soon to be featured on Discovery International

I first started making tails when I was sixteen, back in high school. Of course they were not the best quality and didn’t perform as well as I hoped since I was using two swim fins rather than a monofin. Later on down the road I bought a tail from the Mertailor and found a whole community of people who also loved to swim as mermaids. We attended MerCon in 2011 which gave me a fun goal to create my own and premiere it there with all these wonderful new friends; thus my koi tail was born. I got such a great response to it that as soon as we got back I acquired my business license for Shell Tail Labs and the rest has been a whirlwind of tailmaking ever since!

Did you ever intend to be an entrepreneur or did mermaiding pull you into business?

I always knew that I was meant for something other than cubicle dwelling my whole life. I was an art major before I switched to biology and have always loved to paint and sew. I also dreamed of owning a vineyard, owning an art gallery, having a boutique, and becoming an organic farmer, so I guess I have rather diverse interests. But after leaving my job in pharmaceuticals during the summer of 2012 and spending my days working out of tents at various farmers markets, I realized that I needed to have a permanent venue somewhere that I could settle down. And after researching a lot of expensive retail space along the coast, we decided to open up our shop in Oceanside.

You are the proud owner of the only brick & mortar mermaid store. What can you tell us about Mermaid Shelly's Grotto?

I think there are plenty of novelty and gift focused mermaid stores out there, but to my great disappointment, no stores that actually carry mermaid tails and make them to order. So we are proud to be the only mermaid store on land that carries items made BY mermaids FOR mermaids. Of course we cater to humans as well, but we definitely like to call ourselves an “Aquatic Boutique” like none other. Here we take measurements in-store and make most of our items in the shop. Unfortunately some of the messier aspects of tailmaking like painting and silicone work have to be done at home, but all our sewing and design work is done in the shop. I think in a way it builds trust with the client because they can actually see me working on items and know that everything has been not only handmade, but mer-made. Plus, potential clients can come in and touch/feel the tails and decide for themselves what tail weights and designs are best for them rather than just send money to a stranger online and hope for the best. We have a lot of fun telling stories about our items to our customers, letting them know about the mermaid who made the item that they are purchasing so they get the personal touch, as well as a connection to its origins in the mer-world.

A tailmaking business, retail shop, performance troupe... Each one of those sounds like a full-time enterprise. How do you do it all?

Well, I did quit my day job, so that has given me more freedom to do it all. Our shop is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so those are generally my big content generating days; photo shoots, painting and silicone work as well as photo and video editing. But mostly, I just create extra hours in the day by working myself harder. I wake up early, do a bit of painting, administration on our many Facebook pages and websites, then get myself together and fly up to the Grotto to open the shop, where I do a lot of sewing and design work, then once we close I go home and do more painting and catch up on mer events that have transpired during the day. It isn’t as glamorous as it all appears, but I do my best to make it look like fun, even when I am struggling to keep my chin up. Luckily I have a great husband who supports me and takes care of the house because I am a terrible housekeeper, and an even worse cook. He takes care of the day-to-day activities while I get to play mad scientist mermaid, and I just adore him for it. Being a business owner tends to teach some tough, but meaningful lessons. What have you been learning? Especially about yourself? I have been learning a lot, and of course the hard way… First, that it is true what they say; that nice guys finish last. I have a hard time saying “no” to people and am often taken advantage of. People think that you have money when you open a store, and that is sincerely not the case. I didn’t think about purchasing versus consignment of items and have just about burned through all of my savings putting the place together. I am determined to stay afloat though, even if it means I have to get a day job too. I guess I have learned

about how tenacious I can be (my Cancer the Crab coming out full-force), and how unwilling I am to accept defeat. Before my step-father passed away earlier this year he and my Mom would constantly warn me, “You know, 90% of small businesses fail in their first year “ and I would just say “Yep, I know” being the eternal optimist that I am. I believe in energy though, and I feel it building. Yes, it might fade, or consume the last of my light in the process, but I am determined… one way or another, the Grotto will live on and so will the San Diego Mermaids.

What do you enjoy most about your job(s)?

I think what I enjoy most is being my own boss, as hard as that can be at times. I don’t get paid a salary, but I get paid in creative outlets instead. I have met some of the most interesting, creative and determined people on the planet and am enjoying every minute of it. The collaborations that we have had since we founded San Diego Mermaids have been wonderful, and our little family pod seems to be growing by the day. There are not a lot of times in your life that one can say I took a chance on myself, and actually follow through on it. Well, I did. Why not? You only live once, and I intend on living this life to the fullest.

What are you working on now and what's in store for Mermaid Shelly?

Right now we are focusing on getting ready for Oceanside Harbor Days this September. We were contacted by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce to help with the event and bringing about a mermaid theme which we are happy to do! We have so many talented belly dancing mermaids, psychic/intuitive mermaids, facepainting mermaids as well as more than plenty of pretty faces among our San Diego Mermaids crew that we’re sure to have a little something for everyone. Currently we are trying to raise funds for the event since the gypsy tent rentals and other rental items that we will need for the weekend are higher than we expected. To donate to our Harbor Days Fundraiser, please click here.

Aside from that, I’m trying to find time to continue working on my biographical memoir, Turbid Water – Swimming Into the Light. I had a very difficult childhood and young adulthood, and thought it would be inspirational to others to hear how I overcame abuse and neglect, and found my own path into the light through mermaiding. I hope that I can find a publisher for it, although I have some great friends who have self-published who have been very successful with it. For a preview of the first three draft chapters, please click here.

If you had a mermaid business owner bucket list, so to speak, what would be on it?

Wow, now that is a question. At this point I’d just like to survive it! But honestly, I would like to branch out further and perhaps even buy a boat to give mermaid boat tours of the San Diego coast. I would like to join the Surfrider Executive Committee and become a poster girl for our shared ocean conservation and restoration causes. The Grotto has