Creativity runs deep in Carla Bentele’s world.“I’ve loved art since I was little. I even found in my ‘All About Me’ school book that when I was seven, I dreamt of becoming a fashion designer”, she recalls. As a designer, illustrator, and all-around creative, she has built a life that blends artistry with intention. Together with her partner Woody—her university love and a fellow creative—and their two children, Carla lives in a whitewashed 1600s barn, nestled beneath a canopy of trees overlooking the green hills of Todmorden, West Yorkshire.

After earning a degree in Fashion and Textiles, Carla spent over a decade designing childrenswear for high-street retailers, honing her expertise in color, fabric, and trends while working in Liverpool, Manchester, and London. But when the pandemic cost her a fashion job in London, she and Woody embraced a new chapter—returning north in search of space, adventure, and a deeper connection to nature.

Their dream was a home studio, and their centuries-old barn had just the spot. What was once a piggery is now a vibrant creative hub, complete with screen printing, Giclée printing, and Risograph—all set against breathtaking views. It was here that All About Me was born—a brand infused with Carla’s love of artistry, storytelling, and thoughtful design. Carla’s partner also runs his business, Studio Method, separately from this space.

When was All About Me founded, and how did you come up with the idea?

All About Me was founded in 2021 under a different name and concept, but it evolved over time and officially launched as what it is today in 2024. The idea had been growing since my first maternity leave in 2018, when the thought of returning to three-hour commutes, work travel, and time away from my baby made me rethink my career path.

I started scribbling down business ideas, around a lifestyle brand combining parent & baby classes, creativity and product, talking to anyone who would listen and made vision boards of my new flexible future, but it felt scary and I loved my job so I went back to what I knew after maternity.

Six months later covid hit, and I was made redundant. This gave me the opportunity to make my vision board come to life. I initially retrained in baby massage and yoga, wanting to create a fun, colourful community for parents that focused on their well-being, not just the babys. I wanted to bring something fresh, and full of personality to the baby class scene.

Alongside that, I dreamed of clothing that gave off the same energy, and embodied positive, meaningful messaging like Grow with the Flow and No One Is You.

The brand was built on the messaging of a Positive, Mindful Attitude, a mantra that started as a bit of a joke when I was mopesing about gutted by the reality of losing my dream job and having to what felt like starting all over again, but this time with kids in tow. It became my way of reminding myself that I had got to a dream before and I could do it again!

After taking time out and slowing down, my mission became clear, to sprinkle fun and positivity into the chaos of everyday life. At the heart of it all, it’s about embracing self-expression, enjoying the little things, and not taking life too seriously.

After having my second baby in 2021, I decided to stop teaching my classes and focus fully on fashion and illustration, things that had always been part of me. And here we are!

What are your hero products and why?

The Positive Behavior Sweatshirt is my best-selling garment. I reckon that's because it’s fun with a relatable message, a bit of a tongue-in-cheek and who doesn't want to try and be positive.

I offer it in both adult and kids sizes, giving customers the opportunity to match with their minis. It always starts conversations whenever I wear it or when one of my kids has it on, and seems to make people laugh.

The sustainably sourced cotton sweatshirt comes in hand dyed lilac tie dye or black and white, and everything is hand screen-printed by me using eco-friendly water-based ink from my studio.

My best-selling prints are the vibrant, colourful fine art Giclée birth flowers in vases. They’re fun and bright, but also have intentional meaning behind them. They've become a favourite because they not only add a pop of colour, but some customers buy them to represent their family members' birthdays, which honestly makes me tear up.

Each print comes with a QR code in the corner. When you scan it, the flower from the print blooms in augmented reality right in your space, and you can listen to me read the poem I’ve written about its unique qualities, set to the sound of birdsong, a little mindful moment right in your home. I guess this is kind of my USP, Augmented Reality (AR) art, bringing the print to life in a whole new way and something I want to do a lot more of.

What inspires you, and what goes into designing a new print and/or fashion piece?

I’m inspired by the little everyday moments and my own feelings. My Sunshine in Sicily Wall art collection was based on a rare child-free holiday, just me and my partner celebrating our big joint birthdays last year.

I documented it through paintings of small, special moments, like the zingy taste of a Sicilian lemon or the Buongiorno Caffè print. Think warm, rustic Italian colours and the smell of fresh coffee as you enjoy a pistachio filled croissant in a romantic piazza, surrounded by medieval palazzi.

I’m currently working on a collection of affirmation style prints, partly because I need words of affirmation myself, and I imagined a gallery wall filled with self-talk inspiration.

I’m terrible at journaling, but I can really articulate my thoughts through poetry, so my next collection features illustrations and hand-drawn slogans paired with poetry to motivate and inspire.

I visualise someone or me starting their day by scanning the little barcode on the artworks, for example one has an illustration of the sun, which pops up in their space, and they hear me reading the poem I have written, all about how today is going to be ace. A little morning ritual to set the tone for the day.

My fashion pieces also carry strong, meaningful messages designed to celebrate individuality, like Own Your Weird or Work in Progress t-shirts. It’s fun, bold messaging that reflects the way I want to raise my kids and the community I want to empower.

Part of your mission is to celebrate individuality and to add positivity into the chaos of everyday life —and this is definitely something we focus on here at heiter, too. Why do you think it is so important to be authentic and to maintain a positive outlook, especially in the times we are in?

Life is messy, extremely unpredictable, and full of highs and lows. I think I’ve learned that embracing who you are and trying to have a laugh along the way makes all the difference.

I’ve personally struggled with self-doubt and the pressure to have everything figured out, especially after big life changes like relocating, starting my own business, and juggling motherhood. Adding in my dyslexic brain, which can slow me down, often makes life feel wild!

It's important to me to share my journey authentically, especially in a world where social media often portrays life as always peachy, when in reality, it's not.

I want people to know that a positive outlook definitely isn’t about pretending everything is perfect, but it’s about finding those little moments of happiness, humour, and creativity even in the chaos.

This year it is all about "Homecoming" here at heiter. What would you recommend to the heiter readers and community so that they can feel more at home, no matter where they are?

Ooh, well, I don’t have a specific place that feels like home, but wherever I’ve lived, I’ve always made it my own by filling it with all the treasures I’ve collected over the years, each with meaning and a story to tell, especially posters, art, plants and upcycled bits and bobs. I call it my magpie mentality :).

I also burn incense or aromatherapy oils, and friends always comment that my house has a distinct scent, it’s like a signature smell. It’s such a simple way to create a sense of home, no matter where you are.

I’m inspired by colour, texture, words, and typography to motivate, so I’d recommend starting to collect things that have a story from your journey. Fill your home with feel good art and colours that truly resonate with you. It’s actually been proven that colour can have a real impact on our mood.

The theory suggests that surrounding yourself with uplifting colours, and even wearing them, can give you a boost of dopamine, the hormone that makes us feel good and helps us carry ourselves with confidence.

So this is your sign to fill your walls and wardrobes with All About Me creations to make your home a better place :). Enter the code HEITER15 at checkout on my website for 15% off, just for your readers. Enjoy! www.all-about-me.co

You once mentioned that All About Me blends self-expression, creativity, and mindfulness while navigating the highs and lows of indie business. Tell us a bit more about what that looks like.

All About Me is about embracing all the silly little things life throws at us and finding growth or a lesson learnt whether it's good or bad.

It’s about creating something that reflects who I am and what matters most to me, even when things aren't always clear as I'm a massive overthinker! I had an astrology birth reading recently that blew my mind as it was so accurate. It is literally a manual for me, reaffirming why I think the way I do, what I value, and the journey I'm on. It was a powerful reminder to trust my instincts and that actually everything is already written in the stars, like magic!

Through my designs, I blend self-expression, creativity, and mindfulness. Whether it’s an affirmation print or a meaningful statement on a piece of clothing, or a poem everything I create is intentional and hopefully relatable. My goal is to inspire positivity, help people feel good about themselves, and celebrate their individuality.

Since moving out of London our life feels more wholesome. Still rather stressful with the whole economical climate of cost of living but that's another story! The mindfulness for me is in the simple, everyday moments like walking the kids to school through a sheep field, past waterfalls, and being woken by the owl. It's growing veggies, living on a hill with beautiful green views, and working surrounded by nature and fresh air. These moments ground me and inspire my creative work.

Running an indie business is a mix of creativity and the not-so-glamorous side of small business, which can be overwhelming at times. But even with the challenges, I try to focus on what matters and my reason for creating this journey and how bloody lucky I am that I get to follow my passion.

Ultimately, I want to show my children that they can build a life around what they love. If I were to look back now, I wouldn’t have any regrets other than worrying too much. My career journey hasn’t gone quite as expected, but the love and time I share with my family are what truly matter.

What are things that make you feel heiter (which is German for cheerful/joyful)?

Really living in the seasons which feels so much more noticeable now that we’re in the country. In the summer, we love blackberries picking down our lane, and in the autumn collecting apples and making crumbles.

In Winter there are so many nice walks and sometimes sledging, and then in spring, we have a few ducks that come back every year that nest in a bush right outside our door. When the ducklings hatch they become part of our family and hang out with us in the garden. They peck on the cat flap as they know the kids will give them seeds or fat balls. It is so funny. Oh and the baby lambs are next level cute! I always get a bit of a buzz that we can create these fun, lovely memories that cost absolutely nothing.

On a Saturday we love to get our sour dough from Tod Market, make a picnic then go on a family walk. I say that laughing because we still have a double buggy! My kids are 6 and 3 but if we do the Todmorden to Hebden walk down the canal, they will have a nap, which means we get a sacred 40 mins peace to chat. They always wake up by the pub stop, then it's a picnic, park and sometimes ice cream, which means we all get our own happy fix!

I really appreciate being only 20 mins on the train to the city, where we can get a culture fix. The Factory Avivia Studios in Manchester is one of my favourite places to visit. The architecture is stunning, and the entire interior fills my heart with joy, and we have been to loads of interesting exhibitions and events there. I feel super lucky to have a balance of peaceful country life, with the buzz of the city not too far away.

Interview by Katharina Geissler-Evans, heiter

Images provided by All About Me

When I look back at how marketing felt in the early days of my business, I remember two things most vividly. I felt like I had to do a whole other job next to my business, next to the things I wanted to be doing—a job that I was not exactly equipped to do. And having to market my business felt like I had to put my own needs and desires aside. I told myself to push through and force myself to follow the rules the marketing gurus came up with.

Needless to say, that way of marketing didn’t really work for me. Even though I took courses, listened to podcasts and tried many different kinds of content and marketing plans, I could never stick with them. I felt burned out, uninspired, and frankly pretty gross too.

In this post, I’ll share how I shifted my marketing, and how you too can make your small business marketing more like you.

Since those early days, I’ve heard similar stories from other small business owners and creatives. Marketing feels like a necessary evil. It feels like playing a game that they don’t know the rules of. They feel like they need to throw their values out the window in order to keep up with the platforms and algorithms.

The change for me came in a moment of feeling thoroughly fed up. It was 2021, and I had just tried yet another marketing strategy that was supposed to help me grow my business in all the ‘right’ ways. I yet again felt overwhelmed, uninspired and resentful about having to share about my business (the business I loved!) this way.

What followed was a shift in my marketing in which I radically stopped doing the things I didn’t enjoy, and doubled down on the things I did. I looked at how I could incorporate more of my own strengths in my marketing. And I kicked the strict schedules to the curb, and landed on a spacious and sustainable frequency for the marketing I did.

I discovered three things that I’ve since shared with many of my clients and the participants in my gentle and effective marketing programme Grow.

#1 Choose the marketing platforms and channels that you’re most comfortable with

This is my permission slip for you to use only the marketing platforms and channels you enjoy. If it’s not working for you, your strengths and joys, you can either outsource it, or focus on other channels instead.

When I decided which channels and platforms to keep using and which ones to leave, I thought about where my strengths lie, and what gives me joy. But I also thought about whether a platform rewarded my presence, and thereby ‘forced’ me to spend a lot of time on it, whether it’s easy to discover my content, and how long the content lasts.

#2 Settle on a marketing schedule that works for you

One of the reasons that social media doesn’t work for me is that platforms like Instagram reward content creators for posting often and spending (a lot of) time on the platform. Although I’ve made some lovely connections through Instagram, having to post there multiple times a week put too much pressure on me.

I don’t do any marketing weekly—at least not live. My Pinterest pins are scheduled, and my newsletter goes out twice a month. For me, this is a schedule that works.

Many of the small business owners and creatives I speak to run their business next to a 9-to-5, a family, other care responsibilities or with a chronic illness. And they don’t have big marketing teams working for us.

The only way you will be able to keep up with your marketing and not burn out doing so, is to create a schedule that is sustainable for you. If looking at your schedule makes you feel pressured or overwhelmed, you need to decrease the frequency on something, or take it out completely.

#3 Lean into your creativity and authenticity

Once I started making my own rules for marketing my small business, I was surprised by how good marketing started to feel. Previously, I wasn’t even able to say the word ‘marketing’ without cringing. Now my marketing became a joyful and authentic way of sharing about my business.

Because I was now marketing using platforms and channels that drew on my strengths and joys, I did not only feel much more intentional, but also more confident. It became easier to share about my business, to come up with topics to write about in my newsletter, and connect with my audience through lovely resources.

And I’m saving so much time! Because marketing feels easier, it takes less time—and marketing has come to feel organic to my business rather than an additional job that I have to do.

Which of these strategies will you try first?

Grow is my 4-month hybrid group programme in which I support you to market intentionally and confidently, in a way that is all you. Grow is truly designed with your humanness in mind. Not only is the programme hybrid, creating a balance of accountability and working at your own pace, the marketing strategy I teach you is rooted in you, in your business, in your life.

Grow will run from 15 March to 15 July 2025, and is for sale from February 27th to March 14th. And, if you join the waitlist, you get a 10% discount during the early-bird window (24-26 February), and some of my favourite marketing bonuses. Find out more on the sales page, or send me a message with any questions you might have. I’d love to welcome you to the programme!

Astrid is a mentor for small businesses, supporting them to build a slower, gentler and more profitable business. She's on a mission to change how we feel, think and talk about business, and about kicking the hustle and productivity culture to the curb. Astrid supports small business owners and freelancers through 1:1 mentoring, courses, programmes and her writing.

Image by tobetold by Lena Kinast

All About Me: an inspiring, heartfelt and honest conversation with designer and brand founder Carla Bentele

How to make your small business marketing more like you

#1 Choose the marketing platforms and channels that you’re most comfortable with

#2 Settle on a marketing schedule that works for you

#3 Lean into your creativity and authenticity