The Long Story

Effie & the Fox is both a brick and mortar shop and gallery with a mission to inspire creativity to promote wellness. Either through a daily art practice or by surrounding ourselves with art made by other artists—art and creativity can greatly enhance our lives.

This is an independent woman-owned initiative, founded by Danielle Daniel, whose own life has been radically transformed through her personal creative journey. After her husband’s life-altering accident in the Canadian Armed Forces, she turned to art and writing to help process her own grief. After many years of making marks on the page as a way to move forward, she has since become an award-winning, bestselling and internationally published author and illustrator of ten books for children and adults. Her paintings have been collected in public and private collections across Canada, and throughout the US, the UK, France, and Australia.

Danielle holds a B.A. Arts, B.Ed and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers. She knows first-hand how art making can truly enrich and even revolutionize our lives.

With the magnitude of the mental health crisis growing across our communities, Danielle is launching this heart-led initiative to help inspire others to cultivate their own creativity.

She looks forward to growing a supportive community at Effie & the Fox and working with schools and other organizations to experience the many mental health benefits of writing and art making.