Spreading Seeds of Renewal // Love Letter, April 2023

Greetings from (finally) sunny California. We are “possibly” through with the heavy rainy season, and it feels so good to receive the sunshine on my face. A month or so ago, Coco and I spread a few pounds worth of native wildflower seeds during one of those heavy rain storms. I hoped these seeds would bring life to bare soil and prevent the hill behind our house from further eroding. We are sharing our land with wild animals in the area, so I thought most of the seeds would be eaten by birds and ground squirrels, which is one way for us to play a part in this ecosystem. Despite their presence, I notice that many seeds are starting to sprout simultaneously after a long germination period. It’s magical to see bare soil left behind for a long time without proper nutrition turning into a green carpet overnight. A sense of healing and rejuvenation is everywhere.

I also feel a similar sensation internally after three years of what felt like a long in-between time. I am sure everyone’s experience has been unique. At the onset of the pandemic, I internally curled into a tight ball like a bear in hibernation during winter. For the last three years, I have uncurled myself slowly and cautiously. There was some kicking and screaming along the way - (I mean, who didn’t have some of those moments in the last three years, right?). During that time, a small portion of me wanted to return to my old world, which felt comfortable. But I mostly knew that the only way forward was “forward,” no matter how small, slow, or backward each step felt. 

After a long period of introspection about where we were going next as BK, it felt so appropriate to reach the finish line to launch the BK online Creative Strategies Course this spring as we felt the surge of new energy all around us. We often discuss how doing anything new takes time, energy, and vulnerability. After working on this project for a year, we definitely felt all of it as we set our first online course to sail. 

To mark the launch, Frido and I chatted about how “creativity” has fueled Baum-kuchen for the last 13 years during our Analogue Dialogue. We didn’t consciously use “creativity” at every turn of Baum-kuchen during those BK years. However, as we shared our stories, the connection between creativity and Baum-kuchen was plentiful. Seeing our business and the decisions we made through the lens of creativity was insightful for me. I hope you can take a moment to hear our stories on Analogue Dialogue and try out the Creative Strategies course, where we share more BK behind-the-scene stories in the context of creativity. 

Trina’s interview with Christian Seno grounded me in the goodness of humanity. I felt the warm radiant energy throughout the story, both from Trina and Christian. A story by the artist Mark Wilhelm about rekindling his creative flame after experiencing artist's block was inspiring. I am grateful for his generosity in sharing his creative process. Reading his story and seeing his vibrant watercolor painting, in turn, ignited my creative kindlings. A.C. dedicated this month’s story to the desk where they created many amazing artworks in the last five years. Moving can stir many feelings from within, and I felt their bittersweetness throughout the process as we received the weekly moving updates from Emil and A.C. at our studio. 

During that time, I sent this quote by Yung Pueblo to Emil, hoping it might bring a small comfort: 

“it is normal to feel down, tired, and emotionally exhausted when you are going through a big transition. especially when you have to let go of something good for the chance at something better. great changes are not meant to be easy. they arise to inspire your growth.” 

So, perhaps, that is the spirit of this season. Saying "thank you" to what was, spreading new seeds of what could be, and taking chances to step into a new beginning with our gaze on the horizon to inspire gentle growth.

-wakako

always a work in progress...

Topanpga // April 5th, 2023