Meet Jamie Beebe

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

Hi Jamie, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?

I think rest is one of the most important things I do for myself on a regular basis. I’ve learned to pay close attention to my energy level and make time for rest before it totally tanks. Rest can look different for different people: for me, it often looks like going to bed early, turning off the screens and picking up a book, or even just clearing my schedule for a few days until I feel ready to take on more things again.

Taking breaks from my creative endeavors is important too. I recently took almost 6 months off from my baking blog because I just wasn’t feeling it. This spring I realized that I didn’t feel like baking and I didn’t have any great ideas for recipes, so I just let it go for a while. Then, a few weeks ago, I woke up in the morning with a recipe idea in my head that sounded so good I actually felt like baking again. 🙂 I’m still working on finishing up that recipe and getting it on the blog, but it feels like I’m getting my baking mojo back again.

Also, chocolate. Chocolate is a big part of my self-care.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a content writer by day, baking blogger by night/weekend. My blog, Northern Ginger, is my personal baking playground where I get to experiment with baking, create my own recipes, and share everything I love about baking and baked goods.

When it comes to baking, I’m entirely self-taught (well, and grandma-taught and mom-taught). I’ve been playing in the kitchen my whole life: baking cookies with my mom; watching my grandma bake pies or helping her prep veggies from the garden; baking in local cafes as an adult; and experimenting in my own kitchen along the way. I think what’s most special to me about my blog is the family connection. My grandma and great-grandma both loved to bake (I have a couple of their boxes of recipe cards, as well as my grandma’s rolling pin). Every time I pull out the flour and sugar, I feel that connection to those women through this thing they also loved doing.

I also love to write, and am lucky to get to do that for my day job. But my blog is where I get to write about the topics I really get excited about. I honestly could talk about baking all day long, so blogging about it scratches that itch.

As far as what’s new on the blog…nothing, yet. 🙂 I’ve taken a few months off from it, but I hope to post a new recipe sometime in the next few weeks. So I suppose you can watch for that!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think three of the most impactful qualities/skills for me have been curiosity, resilience, and an openness to the process.

Curiosity is crucial to any creative endeavor. Most of the recipes I’ve created have started out with the thought, “What if…” (“What if I put popcorn in cookies?” “What if I turned an apple crisp into a cake?” “What if I added coffee to that?”) But with that curiosity, you also need to be open to trying, and possibly failing. I know, I know…that’s what everyone says who talks about creativity – you have to be willing to fail. And I hate to break it to you, but it’s true! In baking, if I decide to try baking cupcakes with all brown sugar instead of white (for a more caramelly flavor), I have to be willing to try it and possibly end up with cupcakes that fall apart because they have too much moisture in them. (True story, by the way.) And then, of course, I have to be willing to make some changes and try again.

That last point is the other quality that I think has been important to my creative journey: resilience. If you give up the first time you fail, you’ll miss out on all the beautiful (or, in my case, delicious) things you could create if you just got back up and tried again.

If I had to give someone advice, I’d say just try the thing you’re wanting to do, and don’t worry too much if it doesn’t work out the first time around. Stay open to the process and try again!

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

Ooh I love this question. Well first, I’d quit my day job (sorry guys, I love ya but I’d have things to do!). I’d plan at least one international trip each year. I’m dying to travel to Korea, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Scotland, Norway…and a dozen other places, honestly. If I knew I only had 10 years left, I’d want to see as much of the world as I could. I’d, of course, have to sample all the baked goods in these places, and maybe I’d try to take some baking classes.

I wouldn’t travel 24/7 though, because I’d also want to spend as much time as possible with my close friends and family.

I’d also have to make a list of all the books I’d want to read before the end. I’m such a big reader, that I honestly sometimes panic a little at the thought that I’ll never be able to read everything ever written. Ha:)

So I guess I’d spend my time traveling, eating great food, learning more new baking skills, reading, and hanging with my besties and my family. Sounds like a pretty great life to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://northernginger.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northern.ginger/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northerngingerblog/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-beebe-80543b1a4/
• Other: Pinterest: https://co.pinterest.com/northerngingerblog/

Image Credits

Jamie Beebe