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The Unofficial Schitty Tarot - Creator Interview

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The Unofficial Schitty Tarot is a deck created by Heidi & Amber. Heidi is an avid tarot deck collector, reader, and light-working hippie. Amber is an obsessive movie and tv show watcher, bad-ass digital artist and social media hound. Collaborating with illustrator Mat Edwards, "The Unofficial Schitty Tarot is a whimsical play on the classic Rider Waite Smith deck featuring characters from the beloved tv show, Schitt’s Creek."

Kickstarter: The Unofficial Schitty Tarot

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Deck Story

We are absolutely glee-ridden to launch The Totally Unofficial Schitty Tarot! This exciting card ensemble is a unique play on the classic Rider Waite Smith deck featuring all your cherished characters in this homage to the beloved tv show, Schitt’s Creek. *And to be totally clear, we are in no way affiliated with the show or its creators, but we still love this journey for us.

What sparked the idea you ask? Like so many others during the Covid shut down we needed a little laugh to help bring our spirits up. So of course, we decided to re-watch Schitt’s Creek for the 100th time. One day while the show was on in the background, Heidi was doing a tarot reading for Amber and BAM the idea hit…let’s make a deck based on the characters in the beloved show! And so, the story begins.

• Share a little about yourself

Where do you rest your head at night?

Heidi –

Originally from snowy Minnesota, I’ve spent the last 20+ years surrounded by the towering evergreens of the Pacific Northwest. My home is surrounded by green, and I enjoy watching the daily visits from the wildlife (mostly birds, deer & squirrels).

Amber -

I grew up in the south but moved to Washington State as soon as I could, where I attended art school for commercial photography. I’ve worked in the creative field for over 15 years now and live with my crazy pup Scooter.

• What was your first ever Tarot deck and how did you come to own/use it?

Heidi –

I can’t remember the name of it, and I did a deep internet dive last night to try to figure it out…to no avail. It was a beautiful, oversized deck with a modern, realism look. I bought it in early 90s somewhere in Tucson (where I lived for a brief time). I’m not sure what made me pick it up, except that I have always tended toward the esoteric and unseen even though I fill my life with the most practical/non-witchy people. I loved that deck and even used it in a video that I made while I was in art school. It helped me through some rocky years, unfortunately I lost it when my VW van was stolen while attending college in Kansas City.

Amber -

Penny Dreadful deck, I received a few of the cards as a takeaway gift from the Showtime Penny Dreadful panel at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con... I LOVED THEM! and was later gifted the entire set.

• Why Tarot?

What about this modality calls to you most?

Heidi –

Tarot is a wonderful way to peel back the fog of our day-to-day reality and speak to the energy underneath. If you’re honest with the cards, they’ll be straight with you. I love the way each deck has its own personality. The art - I love the different interpretations of the same theme. I’ve collected probably around 65 decks and still enjoy unwrapping each new one to see how the creator brings the cards to life and how the energy of the deck connects with my own, it can be a wonderful collaboration.

Amber -

The artwork. The artwork is always so beautiful and a vast collection of styles!

• What is/was your most recent Tarot project?

Heidi –

Right now Amber and I are working on a deck paying homage to the characters of Schitt’s Creek. The show has all the themes to fill probably several tarot decks. The hardest part is that we can’t include everything that we want to! Before this I worked on the Real Talk Tarot released by b&m! Books.

• Tell us about the cards: the technical and specifics?

Heidi –

The cards themselves will be standard tarot-sized, 2.75" x 4.75”, printed on a beautiful heavy duty, 350 gsm cardstock with a linen texture and placed inside a two-piece box along with the guidebook. There are still a few finishes up in there air that will be added if we reach a certain funding level (which we really hope that we do!)

Amber -

We spent a lot of time making sure the images on the cards were as true to tarot as we possibly could. We didn’t want to make a fan deck that just had iconic scenes that didn’t match the meanings. We wanted a deck that a true Schitt’s Creek fan would love, a true tarot fan would love and everything in between. We hope that as people start to use the deck it also allows people that are not familiar with the art of tarot to feel more comfortable diving in.

• Can you share a little on the process of your deck and its creation?

Heidi –

We started by making a spreadsheet of all of the cards with their basic meanings. We then began filling in the art descriptions by matching each meaning to iconic moments in the show, or in the case of face cards, which character best exemplifies the archetype of the card.

Amber -

Like so many others during Covid we both had been laid off, so we turned to Schitt’s Creek to bring a little happiness into our lives. We had talked about the idea of making this deck and this just seemed like the perfect time to make it happen!

• What decisions were made when deciding upon the aesthetic and design for your deck?

Heidi -

Choosing an illustrator that I had worked with in the past on other projects played a large role in the overall style. Mat Edwards has a distinct style that we felt worked well with both the aesthetic of the show and with tarot in general. Collaborating as a group brought us together in a way that I couldn’t have predicted when this process began. I really like where we’ve landed.

Amber -

We spent many hours re-watching the show then talking about the meaning behind each card. From there, we came up with a few options for each card and began to narrow it down as the deck was being built.

• Do you have a favourite card from the deck - and why?

Heidi -

Right now, my favourite is the Strength card. For fans of the show, I think the Strength card will really resonate. It really shows the meaning of courage – to continue in the face of fear. Not to be unafraid, but to look fear in the face and do the thing anyway.

Amber –

The Moon or The Hermit – These are both some of my favourite moments from the show and I really love how the artwork for these cards came out.

• What message do you hope your deck will convey to its audience?

Heidi -

That tarot is fun. That, like the show, life may kick you in the crotch from time to time, but it’s how you move through those moments that make a life. Also, that tarot is a wonderful learning tool for personal reflection and growth. I’m hoping that because people connect so strongly with the show, the cards will be easy to read because of the moments that the imagery conveys.