Intentionality + Food

 

    Everything you do is an extension of you & your energy. Especially baking! Intentionality was a core value that Humble Bee was founded on & let me tell you as the years have gone on I have really come to understand how important remaining present is. Being intentional in all that you do inevitably adds this little bit of relief in what can be a really hard world at times.

    For me, baking is meditative. As an anxious person, I found it was not just my happy place - but my place of peace. I could be quiet & focus on what was in front of me without having a million "what ifs" or self-depreciating thoughts running through my mind. The repetition of it all was really soothing for me but what happens when you find this passion or safe space & you try to monetize it? Well, that's where it gets tricky! But if you continue to grow yourself as you grow your business - nothing can stop you. Plus, we all have a different idea of what happiness looks like but I believe in the idea that if you are sincere & determined that the money will come. And I'm not the type of person who needs a lot of that to be happy but I do like to see it as a physical manifestation of dedication & persistence. And I like nice things too so, - yeah. Money is great but it isn't EVERYTHING.

I can't say these have been the easiest or most fun 4 years of my life but I can say confidently that it has been transformative. The Humble Bee has been a huge factor in my healing process. I didn't understand healing or what it looked like to have to truly look inward because it was a foreign concept to me. I come from a family of really strong people. People who came from nothing & worked really hard to get to where they are now. People who were as emotionally present & intelligent as they could be but even they didn't have all the tools I needed to prepare me for this wild journey we call LIFE. Baking, reconnecting with food, & learning the value of persistence are what taught me those things; the way my parents lived their lives was a prime example of all of the above though. 

    Below are some fundamental stages I firmly believe in prior to even turning the oven on. Even if you're stress baking - these are really great concepts/ideas to keep in mind to make the most of your baking experience!

     Although this may not seem significant, I promise you it is. These are concepts & ideas I wish I would have been afforded the opportunity to learn from someone else but I had to find them on my own. I hope that this can help in all aspects of life - not just baking!

Food can be healing if you let it.  

    I didn't understand that for a long time. But I am here, after a long battle with an Eating Disorder, to tell you that food is indeed healing. But first, it starts with you. I guess when I look at these concepts above it also makes a pretty good outline for life in general. Get everything in order, check your energy, understand your intention, & act! Maybe that's why I so firmly believe that food & food culture is so inextricably linked to who we are as humans. Food & it being an extension of love has been shown for centuries. It's a communal thing, you know? It can be a solitary function as well; it as has a time & place. But experiencing food from start to finish - the curation, the cultivation, the preparation, the execution, & then finally the sum of it all in a tangible way? A truly artistic experience. It is a creative act & a part of ourselves we should constantly push to find. In order to dig deep I believe we need to know what our core values are. Here are some of mine...

    I think the world we live in today has a lot to do with the way we shrink ourselves. We shrink ourselves to fit into these tiny little boxes that no one asked to be put in. Sometimes subconsciously, sometimes out of an act of survival - usually a combination of both. We have this disturbing deficit of true, intentional connection these days but not with just other people but more specifically ourselves. And thats where sometimes creativity is the only vehicle we have to get to those really hard parts of our hearts. It's the only route sometimes a person has to even begin to discover who they are. But that's why we have to find ways to get there in the most present way possible to get the most out of it!

    The best piece of business advice my father has given me is the KISS Principle:

Keep it simple, stupid.

 "KISS, an acronym for keep it simple, stupid, is a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960. The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided."

But I think it also ended up being the best life advice I've ever gotten. Simplicity is key. Not mediocrity... but that, simplicity is the key to life. I like simple things. I like simple recipes. I like simple concepts. However, I also love complexity & being challenged. It's an interesting balance you have to find. 

Another crucial piece of advice I received in high school from my Art Teacher, Mrs. Rieth was:

You have to learn the rules first 

in order to break them.

For nearly a decade & half, I have carried that with me. I was complaining about this drawing course she required everyone to do & I hated drawing. I just wanted to get on the wheel with the clay! But of course, I did it begrudgingly because I *had* to & let me tell you how grateful I am for that! Both of these nuggets of knowledge that I was given I've applied to my day to day life which extends into everything I do. 

    Being a creative means so many things to so many different people but we all have a similar heartbeat. I like to think that those of us who are the dreamers also need some direction at certain times which is why we meet the people we do along the way! I'm grateful to have met you - here - on the blog.

From my (continued) experience, it's all about application. Potential means nothing if you don't do anything with it - right? I still have so much to learn but at the same time so much to give. Thank you for taking the time to read these pieces of who I am & what I wish to share with the world. I hope you'll continue to join me on the blog!

Sincerely,

Bee 

XOXO