10 minute read
Candice English: The Farmer's Daughter Fibers
by Whitney Polich
images by Kaitlin Amerding
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Candice English chuckles while talking about how she manages a growing business, nonprofit foundation, and a family of four. She attributes much of her success in managing multiple full-time pursuits to being intentional and authentic with all aspects of her life. Part of getting to this mindset meant leaving a secure career managing an early education program to pursue what she felt in her heart was the right path. Letting go meant trusting in her Creator, following her heart, and leaning into the natural ebb and flow of life.
Candice is the owner/operator of The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers and nonprofit foundation, Sisters United, in Great Falls, Montana. She is a farmer’s daughter, and inspiration for the business name came from a Merle Haggard song her cousin used to sing to her when they were younger. She grew up on a ranch between Cut Bank and Browning, split between two cultures that often manage to be as different as they are similar. Her mother is Blackfeet and her dad was a 2nd generation white Montana rancher, which left her caught between two worlds. Growing up, she describes feeling like she didn’t quite fit into either culture. English found relief in the arts and continues to use creative energy as a healing force to help explore and understand her identity and family history.
Growing up on a small, isolated ranch with her closest sibling five years older left English with a lot of alone time. She fondly remembers how she entertained herself by inventing “stick games” or playing with farm animals to create an imaginary world all her own. Her early childhood cultivated a feeling of deep connection to the land she still continues to draw inspiration from. “I’m just so in love with the land and I find inspiration in that connection. When I leave and come back, as soon as I cross over the mountains, I feel like I can breathe again.”
image by Kaitlin Amerding
In 2016, Candice began FDF in the basement laundry room of her home as she started to trust in herself and listen to the voice of her Creator. “My Creator told me I had a different path; I could hear it so clearly and feel it in my heart that it wasn’t even a choice anymore.” She left her career with all the right benefits, salary, and comfort of routine to pursue what she knew in her heart was the right thing to do. With the encouragement and support of her family, she was able to grow a small yarn dying business of 1 into a current network of 11 employees in only four years.
“Life is so short and goes by so quickly that I didn’t want to look back and think I should have done this or that. I had to take that first step, ask myself, what’s the worst that’s going to happen? You might fail, but so what? From then on, I had made my mind up and there was no looking back.” Letting go of societal boundaries about what a J.O.B. should be and should have can be incredibly frightening, especially in our current economy. But, English encourages others to embrace risk instead of the fear of failure because you need to be honest with yourself and honor who you are.
image by Kaitlin Amerding
A self-proclaimed dabbler who enjoys all things creative, Candice admits she has a hard time staying with the same routine. She feels her penchant for change has been her strongest asset by providing her both the courage and freedom to follow her intuition while investigating, exploring, and experimenting with new ideas until she is ready to pass the torch. Very early on, she realized how easy it was to become overwhelmed with opportunities and had to quickly refine her decision-making process. With her brother’s suggestion, she now asks herself two questions before pursuing any project: first, is it going to make you money, and secondly, are you having fun while you’re doing it? “I always have to do things I’m not 100% stoked about, but those decisions usually create the financial freedom and space to do more creative projects with less monetary returns. Business tends to ebb and flow like that and I’ve had to figure out how to do all the little things I need to do to make the big stuff happen.”
Finding the flow has enabled English to grow a new business during one of the most difficult small business times in our history. Outreach and creating a nationwide base were critical for FDF’s quick growth during the time of a pandemic. “Those early years were insane; I was working so much and always traveling somewhere, that I just don’t know how I even did it.” A booth at the Montana MADE fair in Missoula led to a larger opportunity at a fiber show in Oregon, and from there, business boomed. The internet and social media were critical platforms as nationwide shutdowns became a larger issue and helped FDF reach a broader wholesale market.
image by Kaitlin Amerding
During 2020, when many businesses were closing their doors, FDF was outgrowing their 4,000 square foot dye and showroom space and expanding into a second brick and mortar location in downtown Great Falls. “People were stuck at home and looking for things to do. I’ve received so much feedback on how working with our yarn has helped heal different kinds of trauma by providing a creative outlet. FDF really took off during a time when we were witnessing the role of arts in healing.”
image by Kaitlin Amerding
Throughout FDF’s rapid growth, Candice was already exploring other areas of her community where healing was needed. In 2017, Candice was deeply affected by the disappearances of Ashley Loring Heavy Runner on the Blackfeet Nation, and soon after, in 2018, Jermaine Charlo in Missoula. Both womenstill remain missing, but their cases have helped bring to light an epidemic affecting Indigenous women across the country. English became active in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement in January of 2019 and has since been focusing on offering help through her recently founded nonprofit, Sisters United.
Sisters United began with 40 skeins of donated yarn from FDF and 40 tea bags from English’s mother for dye. English set out to work dying at a grassroots level and was able to sell all 40 skeins in half an hour, raising $1,500. These proceeds were donated to the YWCA, an organization serving domestic violence in the area, and English committed to keep up with the monthly donation.
At this point, the need for support and advocacy became glaringly obvious to English, and she joined the North Central Montana Human Trafficking Taskforce to learn more about what was happening and where help was needed. In January of 2020, as she was awaiting paperwork for 501c3 status to come through, another Indigenous woman, 16-year-old Selena Not Afraid, went missing in Billings. Sisters United was contacted by the newly created State Task Force for financial assistance and was able to provide hotel rooms for dog search teams, cellphones, and laptops. The need for support was so eye-opening to Candice that for the rest of the year, she focused on raising and saving enough money to hire a full-time director for Sisters United.
image by Kaitlin Amerding
“Healing and empowerment is really our mission here at Sisters United.” The goal over the next year is to expand programming, especially for younger people. The most current focus is on building the Sovereign Art Scholarship, which is available to any Indigenous person between the ages of 8-21. By providing access to high-quality art materials, Sisters United hopes to “promote open-ended artwork for kids to explore theirown ideas and experiment with materials. Art is such a powerful tool for healing, and we really want to encourage opportunities that empower makers to address trauma.” The only requirement for scholarship recipients is one donated artwork provided to the foundation for auction, with all proceeds going back into the scholarship fund.
In addition to the art scholarship, Sisters United also provides Healing Bundles to Indigenous women in need that include traditional medicines, journals, sweetgrass, teas, and educational resources that connect women to other victim-services around the state. “If survivors are able to heal, we believe they have the ability to grow stronger for not only their families but also their community.”
Looking towards the future, Candice wants to focus on taking a step back and taking care of herself and the people around here. “2020 was such a wacky year, that I’m looking forward to settling into what we have, nurturing a sense of community, both locally and virtually, and making FDF a destination yarn shop.” Plans for the new storefront include more community events, knittogethers, and promotion as a space for makers to come and actually make.
image by Kaitlin Amerding
There are several cozy areas both at the front and the back of the shop for makers to sit with others, create, and share their stories with one another. FDF has more than just yarn with a range of fiber offerings that include fabrics, roving, patterns, and create kits. Most products are sourced from women-run businesses across the country, and English is focused on increasing Native representation.
Candice’s dedication to building her community rings true in the authentic nature of her entrepreneurial mindset. “Good things are bound to come from good intentions, and you get what you put into your work.” Her story is an inspiration for so many who feel a calling to do something other than the status quo, and her profound compassion for others helps to nurture interconnectedness.
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WHITNEY POLICH is an artist living near the Sun River Valley in Central Montana and currently teaches art at Simms High School. Growing up on a farm four generations deep has rooted her art practice in the land and its relationship to people. Her multimedia works explore these connections through drawing, sculpture, photography, video, and sound. Find more information and see her work at whitneypolich.com.
FARMER'S DAUGHTER FIBERS
320 Central Ave, Great Falls, Montana
thefarmersdaughterfibers.com | @thefarmersdaughterfibers
image by Kaitlin Amerding
about Sisters United
Sisters United is a Montana organization whose mission is to empower Indigenous Women, Children, and Communities. To empower Indigenous communities, healing is at the forefront. We heal through art, connecting with the land and our creator, focusing on healthy lifestyles, and educating people on the history of Indigenous people in our country. Sisters United is dedicated to maintaining at a grassroots level, maintaining flexibility as we seek change.
how you can support
Sisters United is funded through donations by the community! You can support Sisters United through a tax deductible donation. Whether it is $5 or $500, we appreciate your commitment to empowering Indigenous communities.
You can also support by sharing our organization on social media, with your friends and family, or by holding community fundraisers.
If you are a knitter, we have a growing library of knitting patterns that all directly benefit Sisters United on our website.
Please donate online using a credit card or paypal or sending a check to 320 Central Ave, Great Falls Montana 59401. All donations are tax deductible as we are a 501(c)3 organization.
sistersunitedmt.org | @sistersunitedmt
