We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rebecca Beyer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rebecca below.
Rebecca, 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?
My optimism comes from a few places. First and foremost, I feel that being optimistic is not generally supported in a lot of languaging we consume in social media and popular culture. Optimism is often equated with turning a blind eye to real issues or the pains of our complex and suffering world. This does a huge disservice to most of us however, as I see optimism as an act of choosing to remain positive even if there are stressors present and choosing resilience to change. I see optimism as a choice for myself. I choose to look on the bright side, realistically, by first doing all in my power to ensure a good outcome of my choices and then aligning my actions with receiving a positive outcome. Even though things hardly ever go exactly as planned, I have found this positive attitude shift has dramatically increased my quality of life. I have gone through a few scary health issues in my life as well as loosing connection with my family of origin, both of which gave me able opportunity to practice these skills.
I found as I leaned into the discomfort and realities these different issues brought up for me, I could choose to tell my story in an empowering way, or a victimizing way. I have found that I am actually quite resilient and creative, adaptable and flexible when I choose to be. Every day looks different, but after years of practicing this by asking myself why I am telling a story in a certain way, or seeing where my unmet needs are, I can be much more responsible for myself and how I make choices. I am now genuinely optimistic and feel a sense of knowing that something will work out even if it’s different than what I first intended. I have found that doing this in my businesses is one thing, and now it ripples out into my social life as well which has been wonderful. I’m always learning more about how to be responsible for my experiences even if I did not choose then through the ways in which I let them become a part of my story. We are more powerful than we think!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I have always had a hard time not trying to learn everything and do all the things. I make my living largely these days by tattooing scientific illustration style and medieval blackwork tattoos. I also run a small school teaching Appalachian folk magic, historical witchcraft, foraging for wild foods and folk herbalism. I also teach earth skills like spoon carving and basket making. I travel to teach and present as well on various topics within these worlds. Finally, I have gotten into writing books and publishing over the last few years and adore this aspect of my work. I have written three books about Appalachian folk magic, wild foods, gardening and witchcraft.
I am hoping to create some online classes in 2024 and am teaching my 9th year of Hedgecraft,my in person course on wild crafting, herbalism and folk magic, and continue to write and make art!
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?
I think the three things for me are work ethic, passion and organization. I was a lazy, selfish drunk in my 20’s and was a bad friend, a poor partner and a sloppy person. I had to discover routines and lifestyle changes that included quitting drinking, exercising, self care, therapy and a lot of self knowing and hard honesty to become successful in any parts of my life. I had to learn how to work. Luckily I started a new job around that time as a wild food foraging guide and the second point passion came into play. By finding work that genuinely excited me and was largely fun I was able to transform how I looked at work and what it meant. Teaching and guiding people gently and clearly became my passion and that passion is my work. Going through the struggles of facing my addictions allowed me to be very self responsible when things were not working for me. I always wanted to blame outside sources for not having enough resources or not being able to complete things when really, I just wasn’t setting myself up for best possible outcomes by making poor lifestyle choices. I have found so much peace and joy knowing I can make new choices and try different things until I achieve my goals (or close to them).
The final aspect is organization. This is still one of my biggest learning curves and I needed to get good at calendars, schedules, reminders and checking in. All these elements have made it possible for me to have unconventional jobs and sustain myself realistically. I am still working on the work/ life balance, but I enjoy the plethora of things I do everyday and I never take that for granted.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
My biggest area of growth has been in not over planing or scheduling myself. And I say this still being overworked but seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. As a tattooer, its hard not to grind too much. Simplifying by saying no to tattoos outside my interest and creating flash have really helped me streamline my time. Getting better at asking questions and getting clear has also helped me narrow my clientele to those I can really serve with what I am good at. If it wasn’t for my mentor Baylen Levore I would not be able to do any of this. I am grateful for her continued advice and guidance in all things.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bloodandspicebush.com
- Instagram: @bloodandspicebush @the.blood.vvitch
Image Credits
Wild Abundance
