Growing up, the wishing part of blowing out your candles on a birthday cake was really important; once when I forgot to get my friend a cake for his birthday, I put a candle in a banana just so he could have that moment. 

A wish makes us feel something beyond what’s directly in front of us. I think any small ritual can offer the same. It allows us to rise above the mundane parts of our days and make a decision about how we want the world to look. With birthday candles, you’re the center of attention but you also get this moment of stillness, and for the people watching, you’re seeing someone really consider their own hopes and dreams.

A few years ago, after finishing art school, I was exploring small creative experiments in my studio, including one artwork that was meant to be burned after viewing. I pierced a piece of paper and threaded in a wick from a tea light, expecting it to ignite, but the wick fizzled out, leaving the paper intact. I set aside that “failed” attempt and moved on. The next day, seeing that half-burnt scrap in my studio, something clicked. I realized it would be a great way to gift someone a wish. So I set about adding a small amount of wax and a wick to some vintage postcards I’d collected from Portobello Market in London and taped on a match and a strike pad. After I posted them to Instagram, they became really popular, and I ended up partnering with Hani Asfari to launch a company devoted to producing them.     

When people use a Wish Card, it’s a very contemplative and present moment. I think it’s similar to wishing on a shooting star, when you’re lying on your back and looking up at the sky—there’s a moment of awe and hope. Even if you spend only a short amount of your day doing something you love, adding positivity to the world, over time it will add up to something significant.