Meet Em Blood

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Em Blood. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Em, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

I’ve often felt like optimism was baked into me. It feels so natural for me to see the light in most situations, even in the darkness. It’s like my mind has been hardwired to believe it’s going to work out just as it should, or rather I’m well-versed in telling myself it will. A little bit of blind trust?

Maybe it’s stemmed from growing up in a low-resourced home and needing to focus on the ‘good’ for safety. I always wanted to believe that everything would work out, when it often didn’t, and so I have been practicing from an early age to think this way, choosing hope.
Martin Seligman talks a lot about “learned optimism,” sharing that people can train themselves to think more optimistically. If someone consistently reframes negative experiences and expectations into more hopeful ones, their general outlook becomes more positive over time. It seems I’ve brought this concept so close to my heart, it’s become second nature.

Optimism for me is a choice, a mental safe haven, a liberation from the confined space that is living without power. I see optimism to be one of my most essential (and favorite) parts of my essence as a human. I have a mind that sees a glass half full, rather than empty. My understanding of life and how I move through the world relies a lot on my belief that this planet and its people have my back, that I really can do anything I set out to, that there is indeed hope for our future because there are too many people making wonderful things happen around every corner. It brings me closer to clarity, with more compassion, more availability to see the bigger picture.

I tend to grasp at the brighter side of things. To be frank, I really do feel like most things have worked out in my life. Eyes open, saying yes. The energy we put out is the energy we get back. Is it luck or simply adjusting to whatever the outcome is? Optimism has taught me that life will open doors if you arrive at them, if you choose to see the door open. It’s given me a strong sense of self-worth, more light to share, and something to grow towards.

We can all access this way of moving through the world. Really good things take time and heart, but it’s completely free to have a positive outlook, ya know?

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I worked in restaurants for over fifteen years, from quirky cafes to upscale French bistros and everything in between. Living in the city in 2018, I noticed a shift in the work I was needing, craving something that fueled my heart a bit more than this same ol’ restaurant grind. Over the following few years, I put my hands deep in the dirt, learning how to grow produce from many mentors at different farms. A winter WWOOFing in California, a season-long farm school in central Oregon, two seasons managing a garden. I deeply admired waking early and growing with the seasons. Farmer by day, fast asleep by night.

Many field hours and years later, I now run my own farm, Sonder Farmstead — a small vegetable garden and herbal apothecary in northern Washington. Sonder, a word in John Koenig’s book “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows”. It’s a dictionary of made-up words for emotions that we all feel but don’t have the words to express. Sonder is the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. We have our experiences, our inner circles, our joys and own suffering. This really struck a chord in me as I was trying to find my meaning behind this farm journey. It immediately connected me to my community— the folks coming by for produce and soap, sharing stories and connection and recipes alike.

Growing on just shy of a half-acre, our farm produces over thirty varieties of vegetables, as well as strawberries, flowers and medicinal herbs. The property is fully off-grid, powered by solar and well-fed. It is an immense labor of love, made complete with living and making our goods in our 24′ tiny home on wheels. We grow and sell directly to our Bellingham community, all within thirty miles from the farm. We have a booth at our downtown farmers market, a small CSA, and contracts with our local food bank. We are Certified Naturally Grown and no-till. The passions just keep piling on, the more we learn, as the years go on — but focus on soil health, working with our hands, and the morning bird song, mostly.
Trading soap bars for sourdough loaves.

The farmstead started with the apothecary. I very much love making organic, handmade goods, all without any palm oil or artificial fragrances. We harvest, dry and infuse lots of flowers for herbal oils. The soap side hustle is what gives me creative flow, winter projects, and an opportunity to play with more color and earth. It allows for our business to be diversified in its creations, helping the farmstead dream stay alive.

I’m really passionate about small-scale farming and the seasonal lifestyle that it offers. It often feels less like a career and more like signing up to trade earth work for resources. From spring to fall, and all the transitions in between, I’d choose this life over and over again. It allows me to be within my moral compass, living and growing with the sun and the seasons, taking winters off for rest and reflection. There is no reward without hard work.
As the Zen Buddhist saying goes, “Chop wood, carry water.”

Head to our website — www.sonderfarmstead.com — for herbal soaps, salves, and face serums.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

—Communication is one that regularly shows up when I think about where I am today. Being able to express myself openly and honestly, whether with employees, friends, or market neighbors, has been incredibly impactful in moving through the world. Inner clarity and good communication create the backbone of our human interactions. Practice active listening to have a greater understanding of others and find your common ground. I’m often rewarded when speaking up for the hard thing, so I’ve learned that the sometimes-uncomfortable work yields goodness.

—A Well Watered Self Care Routine has become a very essential piece of the pie. I’ve always believed that we cannot show up positively if we aren’t nourishing ourselves first. This is true of every type of relationship, from friends, to business partners ,and to our own selves. Making time to check in with the rest we need, free time, diet, exercise. I have found it too easy over my years of farming to forget to drink water, put on some sunscreen, get enough sleep at night, spend time with friends, etc. Our culture is obsessed with the grind, and finding little moments to turn that switch off has been really useful in a sustaining my balance. Managing the internal health systems and honoring a routine of self care just feels too dang good.

—Flexibility. Oh yes, flexibility. Because there is so much disappointment that lives in the realm of rigidity. Looking around, I see everything changes often. This keeps me on my toes, allows me to be more activated in choice, gives me the power to change my mind, acknowledges that life is fast-moving. Farming has taught me over the years that no matter how much energy and planning you put into something, Mother Nature controls it all. We are all just part of a malleable ecosystem. It’s a good lesson for life beyond farming too, and has helped me remain resilient over the years.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

“Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver is one I come back to so, so often.

Following Barbara and her family through an entire year of growing, harvesting, and consuming incredibly local food, we see into their lives in rural Appalachia. This book highlights the joys and celebration of food, of seasonal living and eating, sweet corn in July on the back porch with your family. It shines on the hard work, the land, the love. It reminds us that eating well takes time. It takes thoughtfulness, and it takes curiosity. Tending large gardens, trading peaches for pork with their neighbors.

In our American culture of severed food chains, it serves as a token of hope. It shines on the importance of local food and how it connects us. It bridges the gap between growers and consumers in this very big, very global food system. It hits on themes of sustainability and where farming is in the U.S. today. Not looking good, I might add. And still, it opened my eyes and helped me reconsider how I’m nourishing myself and others with organic food. It’s given me a lot of purpose and meaning over the years as I continue to grow food, an essential for us all.

I found this book when I first started my farming gig, it’s pages now worn and well loved. I hope I never tire of its power, its hopefulness, its utter simplicity.
Get your hands in the garden, be in community over food, bring a pot of soup to a friend sometime soon.
That’s what we’re all here for, right?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sonderfarmstead.com
• Instagram: @sonderfarmstead
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonderfarmstead/

Image Credits

Abbie Kunch Photography