Humboldt Farms

Meet Alyssa Melody, acupuncturist, traditional Chinese herbalist, and founder of holistic herb company Root & Bones. She has called Humboldt home for eleven years, including her time as an undergrad at Humboldt State. Read on to discover more about our final Magic Maker of 2018…

What inspires you?

People living their best lives; wild nature.

How has the natural landscape of Humboldt influenced your work?

I moved here specifically to be surrounded by the natural beauty. The nature here is wild and captivating, and very grounding for me. Anytime I am feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious, I know I can be in the forest or on the beach in a matter of minutes with a totally different mind set.

How long have you been making your offering?

I have had my private acupuncture practice for 6 years, and Root & Bones has been around for a year and a half.

How has the culture of Humboldt influenced your work?

Starting two businesses in Humboldt has been a wonderful experience. The Humboldt community has been very open and accepting to acupuncture and herbs, which allows me the space to grow. There are such incredible artists and makers here with a willingness to connect, collaborate support each others work. The slower paced life here feels better for my soul, and allows me the chance to focus on what is important to me.

How has the cannabis industry in Humboldt County affected or contributed to your career or community?

I am inspired by the people who have dedicated their lives to growing and offering powerful medicine to the greater community.

What are your favorite products and how do they enhance your overall well-being?

I love edibles and CBD tinctures. CBD has helped me with anxiety, insomnia and menstrual pain, while the edibles are a night time treat to help me have restful sleep. Insomnia and extreme menstrual cramps have been a life long struggle for me. To be able to use a natural product to help with both of these things has made life much better!

How do they affect your creative process?

When I let go of my anxiety and fear I can be a better practitioner and business owner. Its helpful to have something that gets rid of the rigid ideas I can have of how I should be running a business, and instead allows me the space to do things authentically.

To learn more about Alyssa and Root & Bones, check out her website and follow her on Instagram!

Zach RubinNovember 19, 2018

Humboldt Magic Makers, Ep. 8

Meet Jacqui Langeland. Her wild and whimsical illustrations would be a favorite of ours regardless of her whereabouts, but we love that we can call her a local. A Humboldt resident for the last 22 years, Jacqui’s enchanting art captures both the beauty and imagination of our county perfectly. Read on to discover more about our October Magic Maker...

What inspires you?

So much! Above all old macabre faerie tales, dark forests, and beautifully illustrated picture books — Arthur Rackham, Tove Jansson, Virginia Lee Burton — a fresh color palette is always inspiring too.

How has the natural landscape of Humboldt influenced your work?

I'm always fascinated and inspired by forest life — trees, woodland creatures, fungus, so the redwoods have been an endless source of visual reference. We are so lucky to have these dramatic ancient forests and gorgeous beaches, and mountains...it's pretty special here.

How long have you been making your art?

I've been making art since I could hold a crayon; In the last ten years I've moved back and forth from watercolor, pen and ink, pencils, oil paints, and gouache, which is my current favorite.

How has the culture of Humboldt influenced your work?

Humboldt is the perfect place to be an artist. It's filled with other creative and inspiring people, and we are surrounded with the most epic landscape. Humboldt is a place that nurtures magic which I always try to incorporate into my work in some way.

**HUMBOLDT IS**

a place that nurtures magic.

How has the cannabis industry in Humboldt County affected or contributed to your career or community?

It's been really exciting to see the cannabis industry finally come out of the shadows, and to see people that have built all this knowledge and skill be able to share with the rest of the world. Cannabis has been a way for people to support themselves living in this unique and secluded area, which everyone living here has benefitted from either directly or indirectly. I definitely think it's contributed to the disproportionate amount of creative energy in the community as well.

To learn more about Jacqui Langeland, check out her website and follow her on Instagram!

Zach RubinOctober 9, 2018

Humboldt Magic Makers, Ep. 7

Meet Cate Be, an eight-year resident of Humboldt and artist with many mediums. As the creative spirit behind CBeCeramics, you'll find her working primarily with porcelain and stoneware, creating high-fire functional ceramics. Read on to discover more about our September Magic Maker...

What inspires you?

The natural world. The stars, moon, and planetary influence. When people come together for a common goal. Love.

How has the natural landscape of Humboldt influenced your work?

I graduated from HSU with a degree in ecological restoration, so many of the motifs I carve are inspired by the different natural resources and wildlife -- like the redwoods, salmon, native plants, wild mushrooms, the ocean, and the hills. In the fall, I work on my mushroom series and not only draw the mushroom to species, but share the binomial on the backside so that the person is learning as well.

OPENNESS & ACCEPTANCE

of being a cannabis user in this county has made me feel less anxious and, in turn, allows me to work better.

How has the culture of Humboldt influenced your work?

I’d say the openness and acceptance of being a cannabis user in this county has made me feel less anxious and, in turn, allows me to work better.

What are your favorite products and how/when do you use them?

I love to use sativa flower in the morning, hybrid during the day, and indica at night. I also use THC/CBD bath-bombs. They are relaxing AF, smell so good, and make ME feel good overall. It could be the botanicals, it could be the embedded crystal, it could be the essential oils, but it’s good (by Lifeflowercare)!

**WHEN I USE CANNABIS**

it allows me to unwind and let the energies flow and tap into my creative side.

How does cannabis affect your creative process?

I love the way it just mellows me the fuck out. Lol, seriously. I’m not a recreational user, I’m a medical user; I need the weed. I am generally anxious and upright on the real, and when I use cannabis it allows me to unwind and let the energies flow and tap into my creative side.

How has the cannabis industry in Humboldt County affected/contributed to your career as an artist/creative?

The cannabis industry in this county has contributed to my ease of access to the product, which in turn allows me to work with ease. I use cannabis every day, so when I’m creating I’m usually high. I love being able to use and create functional art; especially functional art that is pro-cannabis. I make several styles of smoking ritual tools at my home studio in Humboldt County, and people from all over the world have ordered from my shop on Etsy.

To learn more about Cate Be, check out her website, Etsy Shop, or follow her on Instagram!

Zach RubinSeptember 4, 2018

Humboldt Magic Makers, Ep. 6

Meet Toad, creator of cosmic landscapes. A Humboldt resident since 2011, she currently works her magic with Prismacolor markers on watercolor paper and creates large paintings in acrylic. Read on to discover more about this awesome Magic Maker...

How long have you been making your art?

I've been making art since before I can remember. I went to my kindergarten "career day" dressed as an artist, complete with smock and beret and painting palette. Being an artist is the only thing that I've ever been sure of in my life. It's my only constant.

What inspires you?

I don't know what specifically inspires me to create, life inspires me to live. There are so many beautiful things to experience in this world and I think it all contributes to who I am as a person, and who I am as a person is what comes out in my art. Other artists inspire me just because they are creating, it's not necessarily what they are creating. The fact that there are people in the world that are passionate about what they do, their art, be it visual art, or music or performance or whatever, it inspires me to be more passionate about what I do, too.

BEING AN ARTIST

is the only thing that I've ever been sure of in my life. It's my only constant.

How has the natural landscape of Humboldt influenced your work?

It took coming to Humboldt County to really find my style as an artist. I was never strictly a landscape artist until I moved here. The incredible landscapes here inspired me to find my signature style, and it continuously inspires my work. I'm lucky to live here because I never really have to leave to find inspiration, there is always some spot I haven't seen, always some new angle to see the beaches or mountains or trees. I could just paint beaches in Trinidad and redwood trees with suns and moons until I die. Easy.

What are your favorite products and how/when do you use them?

I'm personally old-fashioned and prefer flower. I smoke spliffs mostly because I like the balance between the female energy of the ganja and the male energy of the tobacco. Lately though I've been smoking less during the day, and I'm been getting down on some capsules instead to help me deal with every day life of a mom of a three year old. With cannabis being used more as a medicine, I'm stoked to really find what works best for me, and I'm still discovering that. I also use topical ganja salves every day for my chronic pain.

**I DON'T KNOW**

what specifically inspires me to create, life inspires me to live.

How does cannabis affect your creative process?

The only way that I really use cannabis in my creative process is perspective. Sometimes when I'm feeling stuck on a project or painting and I can't figure out where to go with it, I'll take a break and smoke a jay and it usually fixes my head and I can see the piece from a different angle. It puts me in a different head space and gives me the perspective I need.

How do they enhance your overall well-being?

Ganja helps keep me in a good head space. It helps me be a better mom, and it helps me manage my auto-immune disease and other health issues. I don't know what I would do without it really, and I'm stoked that it's becoming more accepted as a medicine all over the country and the world.

How has the cannabis industry in Humboldt County affected/contributed to your career as an artist/creative?

I feel really blessed to live here as an artist, and I think that's why there is such a large percentage of artists in this area, we've all experienced that Humboldt is conducive to a creative lifestyle. With being able to do trim work, or working on a ganja farm for half the year, it leaves space in your life to create. When we are caught up in the the daily grind, 9-5 american dream lifestyle, it makes it hard to have the energy to keep your craft alive. You end up working your butt off to make ends meet, you come home exhausted and it leaves no room to do what makes you truly happy. Of course times are changing in Humboldt, and you can't make a killing trimming weed like you used to, but I think the vibe will carry on. There is also something to be said about the type of people that smoke marijuana and use cannabis medicinally. We are generally more open minded then the average bear, and I think that people who are likely to be of open mind enough to smoke weed are also going to have an open enough mind to explore the arts. It goes hand in hand if you ask me.

To learn more about Toad, check out her website or follow her on Instagram!