Vendor Spotlight: Here Meditation
Written by Mackie Schroeter
Here Meditation’s window display for St’Artup 317
Meg Hovious is no stranger to promoting mental health awareness and breaking down stereotypes surrounding meditation. Her work in creating Here Meditation came from a will to bring peace, light, and hope to those around her. In her window space at Edge 35, Meg wanted to peak curiosity around mediation and give her viewers just a taste of what it can do for them. In this interview, Meg goes into depth about her business, the inspiration behind her window display, and what she gained from this St’Artup 317 experience.
Tell us about yourself and your business?
I am an Indiana Native, but I am finding myself back after about 11 years away post college, and I started to explore the idea of launching a business focused on wellness but more specifically on mental wellness. I have been teaching mindfulness and meditation since 2013, but I also work in progressive politics, specifically for Pete Buttigieg’s campaign in South Bend, and have been thinking about ways to leverage these ancient practices to help activists and others who work in civic engagement to build resistance and avoid burnout. I was involved in the St’Artup 317 initiative last year, and it was a great opportunity for me to test run a secular meditation studio here in Indianapolis. Though I am in South Bend as of now, I am excited to get back to Indianapolis full time and set up a studio space when we have a better sense of what in person events will look like during this pandemic. My overarching goal is to bring meditation to communities, educate on mental health awareness, and to destigmatize some of the conversations around mindfulness.
What's been the best part and worst part of owning your own business?
That’s such a great question! I think the best and worst parts are the same, and that’s self management. I find it to be incredibly gratifying and rewarding, especially when you start gaining momentum and seeing your business come to life, both physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I also find self management to be a very difficult thing. Working on the campaign, my days were pretty much spoken for and always filled with that day’s challenges. Post campaign though, I was now in a position where every day and every moment was my own, and I had to decide what to do in that environment. I feel that you have to be really really diligent at leveraging your time to the best of your ability, create boundaries, and really set attainable goals for yourself. For some people that is not an easy thing to do, and I have found it to be challenging but really rewarding on the backend when things work out.
Tell us about your St'Artup 317 window display. Where did the idea come from, how long did it take you to plan and execute, etc?
The window unit I set up is really just a way to advertise Here Meditation and to gain visibility for the business itself. In my mind, I thought I was going to receive a traditional retail store front window, but that was not the case. When I saw the window space in Fountain Square for the first time, I had to really rethink what I wanted to do. The space features three window display elements, and I was partnered with Joey of JoHenna Designs, who creates henna art, to share the space. She placed her display in the center window, and I created two displays on either side of hers. My first window has meditation cushions, lots of plants, and vinyl signage saying “Look Here,” with the idea that it will draw the eye into the window space itself. The other window says “Be Here,” a nod to my company name and the idea of being present and grounded. Together, these windows are supposed to feel like a studio space one could find themselves in for a meditation class. My siblings helped me assemble the space, and I got to include some macrame art done by my sister. It was such a family affair!
What do you hope to get out of this experience?
More awareness around meditation and mindfulness for sure! I have lived firsthand the experience of leveraging these practices in a way that has helped keep my mental health challenges in check and gain a lot of perspective in life. When talking to people about meditation and mindfulness, there are common barriers people have, some thinking it’s a religious practice, that you have to clear away all thoughts, sit cross legged for hours, and so on. My hope is that with the window display showing some aspects of meditation it will peak curiosity and give people a sense of what it could look like to participate in secular meditation at one of my classes.