I have the privilege of sharing something extra special today. I’m interviewing Cecilia from The Kitchen’s Garden.
Cecilia writes a magnificent blog filled with gorgeous photographs of her farm, mouth-watering recipes made from her own homegrown ingredients, and episodes of her life recalled with the art of a true storyteller. She writes with such warmth that I’m sure I’m not the only reader who has an overwhelming urge to call her Aunty Celi.
Some of my favourite posts are her descriptions of picking up bees at the post office for use on her farm, teaching drama to troubled students at a high school in New Zealand and her nights as a nurse at an old age home.
So let’s ask her some questions!
Jessica: How many different roles and jobs have you taken on during your life and what are your current roles?
Cecilia: Hmm, well this is an interesting thought. Oh dear. OK I have been a Mother since I was 19. So every single one of my jobs has children attached. While in New Zealand I almost never had only one job so many of these overlapped. I was a single Mum bringing up children by myself for many many years, so I needed more than one job.
Here are a few of my paid jobs.
New Zealand
Geriatric Nurse
Apple picker,
Life drawing model,
Waitress
Director of theatre.
Playwright
Photographer
Drama teacher (also Head of Department, and Dean of Junior Students and Head of the Faculty of the Arts,)
Artistic Director for the National Youth Drama School in NZ.
Teacher of Teachers Teaching Drama
At one point (once my kids had left home) I took a year off and had a holiday as a Professional Nanny in Italy and England.
London: Personal Assistant to a Film Director, also as a reader (scripts) and script development.
U.S.: Now I am a writer and farmer. Though I make absolutely no money doing either (laughter).
Jessica: How do you manage to maintain such a creative passion in your life?
Cecilia: Very difficult question. I work very fast. (laughter) I would have to say honestly that passion is not something I create or actively maintain. Ideas appear. I do not even see myself as a passionate person. Pig headed maybe. Sometimes driven. Bloody is the word my mother would use to describe me. Thorny would be my fathers description. I have always written. I always have paper and a pen with me. I even have a little wooden box in the barn with writing supplies and a camera as I often get ideas when I am working out there. I have carried a camera everywhere since I was about 12.
I believe absolutely that the modern processed twinkie diet is ruining the mental and physical health of our generation and the next. So I do not eat processed foods. This is actually hard to do, especially when I am travelling. But those chemically adjusted foods slow me down, they make me sleepy and headachy. I am lucky that I can grow my own food.
I also am solid in my pursuit of independence. I want to be able to feed and warm myself and my people. Draw my own water out of the earth and heat it, ultimately make our own power. Then teach other people how to. It is a simple premise.
In biblical terms I am the Doubting Thomas, I will question everything. I want to know why and how and who told you and what did they know and where did that information come from. This is not a particularly popular way to be though. I find it very hard to conform. Is that what passion is? Well in that case I don’t need to maintain that. Passion is by its very nature passionate.
As to the creative side of my passion. Well that comes from building stuff. Building meals, ideas, sentences. Building my work, my images. Building the barn and gardens. I call it the monster. You start a project, you have an idea, you talk about it, you write it down, you begin to build it, you nurture it and breathe life into it and then it becomes a benevolent monster who rises up and gently but firmly takes the reins and you begin to ride the monster instead of leading it. It goes faster and faster, the monster breathes life into you, and pulls you along and more ideas come and more building is done because the monster demands it. And you are driven to the finish, often barely holding the reins. Life is that journey.
But it all begins with the notes, on those pieces of paper I have stuffed in my pockets like a boy with old nails jangling about in there. The notes and jottings are the basis of my creativity. They are my baby building blocks. I listen to them.
Also I never worry about where my next idea comes from. Because it always does. Worry causes a block in the entrance. I am not creative when I am worried. Though I am very creative when I am sad.
Jessica: Your blog shows off your skills in photography, writing, cooking, farming and many other areas. Are these abilities you’ve learned and developed individually, or did they all grow out of having a creative mindset?
Cecilia: Oh, I have to admit to being completely self taught in just about everything and still learning as fast as I am breathing. I call my family, friends and books my resources and ask questions all the time. I read everything and make notes. The old fashioned way. So I learn what I need to learn to get the job done. Everything I do, I do because I want to do it. When I say driven it is an inner drive. The monster and I haul ourselves up the next step then I look around and learn what I need to learn, to consolidate, then I look for the next step.
It drives John crazy. He says, ‘Are you ever satisfied?’ Oh yup. I am always satisfied but look at that. What is that? Can I have one? How do I make it? Here is a piece of paper. Draw me a picture of it.
A sustainable lifestyle accepts that each part is intertwined with the other and always shifting and changing. We have to think of our lives as a whole. Like the same sky but with different clouds moving and reforming sometimes drifting away. I have never attended a writing class or a photography class or for that matter a class on farming. Is that bad? Maybe that is bad. I am sure I would be way better if I had made the time to do these things. But I see life as a journey, a life that I love to live in. And until recently I always had children to protect, support and raise by myself.
Jessica: Recently you wrote about learning the word ‘alliteration’ at school when you were 11 years old. I was fascinated by the glee you expressed when learning new words at that age. Do you feel there were aspects of your childhood which helped you become a creative adult?
Cecilia: I did have an upbringing surrounded in art and books and beaches. I had great teachers. No one much picked on me. Though I have always been quiet and not prone to heaps of friends. My mother was sick most of my teenage years so I guess I was busy with my brothers and sisters.
But I have always had a soundtrack in my head and it is words. So this busy childhood doing mundane household chores and walking or biking back and forth from school, allowed me time for a lot of thinking and plotting.
Jessica: I hear you’re writing a manual for parents and nannies. You describe it as ‘a sensible reference book full of guidance for nannies managing other people’s children in other people’s homes and for the parents of those children.’ What kind of advice would you give for raising creative kids?
Cecilia: Encourage your child to paint, draw, cook and play with words. Ask them to tell you about their work. Listen to what they say. Encourage them to fill in all the spaces. Point out the one small part of their work that you really like. Then they will believe that you have seen them.
Let them get dirty and make a mess and gently teach them how to clean up after. Be involved.
Spend 15 uninterrupted minutes with each of your children each day. On the floor, face to face, with the child driving the conversation or play. Ask him or her what they want to do with you today. You would be amazed at how many people do not do this.
Throw your television out the window and talk to each other at dinner time. Eat good brain food.
Allow your child some time to do nothing. Hang around on the fence watching. Sitting in a tree watching. Lying on the ground looking at the clouds. Dreaming, singing to themselves. Thinking. Playing on the floor with the dog. Reading to themselves at bedtime.
I am at my most creative when I have allowed my brain to be at rest. This is why I get my best ideas when I am driving, or in the bath, or as I am going to sleep. Everyone needs down time. Kids too.
I hope you all enjoyed this interview. Now, are there any questions you’d like to ask Cecilia?
(All photos provided by Cecilia.)
February 14, 2012 at 8:57 am
I do love Cecilia. But I will have to ignore the bit about Twinkies.
February 15, 2012 at 8:11 am
I’ve never actually eaten a Twinkie (we don’t have them in Australia) but they look addictive.
Thanks for the comment. 🙂
February 14, 2012 at 11:07 pm
What an interesting life Cecilia leads. Lucky for us she shares it.
February 15, 2012 at 8:14 am
Yes, Debra! She is very generous with her experiences, which is great for us readers. 🙂
February 14, 2012 at 11:07 pm
I love Cecilia and her blog, but it was so good to have someone ask her the questions I´ve been wanting to ask her!
February 15, 2012 at 8:17 am
Hi Chica. I’ve been wanting to ask her these questions for a while now too and one day I thought, ‘Why don’t I just ask?’ The results were even better than I expected! 🙂 So glad I could then share them with you all.
February 14, 2012 at 11:45 pm
Thank you for the wonderful interview. I don’t remember how, but I found Cecilia’s blog this winter and now look forward to her daily posts with great anticipation. Her daily writings are real literary gems that stand out amonst many such good writings now found on the web. (Cecilia is also responsible for leading us to many of these other gems!) I think of this fellowship of writers out there as our new literary community. I love her blog because we have so much in common, as our family is now caught up in the huge “monster” of reviving our farm (and I mean this in the most loving way…) I really like and agree with what she says about raising children too. Her blog about living a simpler life really resonates in a time where so much of our culture is based on mindless acquisition and “having” to the detriment of our earth and our own well-being. Cheers to Cecilia and the others out there swimming against the tide of popular culture to do their own thing. Keep on swimming! This world needs you!
February 15, 2012 at 8:20 am
So glad to hear about your farm, Maggie. Cecilia’s posts would be even more relevant to your situation. I can only sit in my little apartment and imagine fresh milk and bees wax. You have the opportunity to try everything out for yourself!
I wish you all the best with ‘reviving the monster.’
February 14, 2012 at 11:52 pm
Cecilia is even more beautiful and amazing that I had thought. Well done interview and post!
February 15, 2012 at 8:22 am
Glad you enjoyed it, Linda. 🙂
February 14, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Lovely, lovely, lovely to hear more about the woman behind the farmy….
February 15, 2012 at 8:24 am
And she truly is a lovely, lovely, lovely woman.
Thanks for the comment, Kate. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 12:22 am
I’m a relatively new follower of Cecilia’s blog, but I’m an enormous fan. This interview lends further evidence to what we all know or are learning about her – her depth and breadth of insight, her creativity, love of life, inquisitiveness, strength of character, independence, and her heart as wide as the prairie. Truly a wonderful interview of a beautiful woman. Thank you so much for this!
February 15, 2012 at 8:26 am
I couldn’t have summed it up better, Spree. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 12:38 am
Love Celi and her blog! Great interview – lovely to lean some more about her through your questions.
🙂 Mandy
February 15, 2012 at 8:28 am
I learned a lot too. Very happy you enjoyed it, Mandy.
February 15, 2012 at 12:39 am
Truly, anyone who has visited Cecilia’s farmy via her writing and photos will keep returning for more. She writes in a creative way that shows her deep respect for the land. Her poetic writing resonates and inspires. Thank you for featuring her here and giving us all even more insights into this writer we’ve come to treasure.
February 15, 2012 at 8:31 am
I think the first post I ever read on The Kitchen’s Garden was Cooking Nights with the Old Folks. I was hooked from that moment onward. You’re so right, Audrey. We just keep returning for more.
February 15, 2012 at 12:46 am
What a fantastic interview, and wonderful to know more about this complex, fascinating, creative, independent woman! Cecilia inspires us all each day to remember who we are as human beings and to be true to ourselves, the earth and her inhabitants, and have care for the generations who will follow us.
February 15, 2012 at 8:34 am
I feel the same, Betsy. Thank you for the comment. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 12:58 am
Great interview! She’s terrific – and you portrayed that well. Happy Bloggentines Day Award to you both!
February 15, 2012 at 8:40 am
Thank you, Phil. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 1:41 am
Thank you dear Jessica, I enjoyed so much, you did a wonderful interview with our (yes, our…. how nice to feel like that, but she is as you meant at the beginning, so closer for all of us) dear Cecilia… I love her, and her amazing stories, and her lovely farm and her language,… One day I dream (wish to be soon too) to have her published books in my hand… Thank you for you both, that was what I will never forget. Blessing and Happiness, with my love, nia
February 15, 2012 at 8:42 am
Thanks for the comment, Nia. I too am looking forward to one day holding a book by Cecilia. We’ll have to make sure we keep cheering her on. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 2:03 am
It amazes me how Ceci has had time to do all those things: a trained nurse and teacher as well as everything else?! I feel like a sloth…
February 15, 2012 at 8:48 am
I know, Pseu. She means it when she says she works fast. If I worked that fast I’d be in bed for the rest of the week. But we slower people have our uses too. 😉
February 15, 2012 at 4:09 pm
thanks for the words of encouragement!
February 15, 2012 at 4:15 am
What an inspirational subject to interview! I have been a reader of The Kitchens Garden for several months and love every post. Celi’s recipes are wonderful. I have brought them to potluck dinners and served them to friends. I am always asked for the recipes.
Jessica, it is good to learn about you and I look forward to reading more of your blogs.
Ronnie
February 15, 2012 at 8:51 am
Yes, the recipes are fantastic! Just looking at the photos makes me want to rush into the kitchen and start cooking.
Thanks for your comment, Ronnie. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 4:16 am
Hi everyone, how wonderful that you all popped over.. Isn’t jessica cool. Oh just to keep the record straight, I am not a registered nurse nor do I have a Masters Degree. I taught for years at a high school in NZ with a special Education Board Authority because I was the only one they could find who could teach what I taught, in a very tough school and get the results. Most of my jobs were long term and experience allowed me to rise in the ranks. I don’t think they let you do that anymore!! So sustainable farming is a lovely quiet job after all that! c
February 15, 2012 at 8:52 am
Thanks for the clarification. And thank you for being so generous with your interview answers. We all enjoyed the results. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 4:28 am
Wonderful interview!
I love C. I wouldn’t call her aunt though… She’s too young to be my auntie 😉
Nice meeting you!
February 15, 2012 at 8:54 am
Nice meeting you too, Giovanna. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 5:24 am
This was a fantastic interview. I really enjoyed reading more about you Celi! Thanks for sharing with us.
February 15, 2012 at 9:46 am
You’re very welcome, Geni.
February 15, 2012 at 6:04 am
What a wonderful interview. Thank you for doing it. It’s nice to hear Cecilia stretch a bit in someone else’s format, hear her reflect on things she wouldn’t necessarily put in her daily blog. And now I am curious about your blog as well.
February 15, 2012 at 9:02 am
Glad you enjoyed it, Sharyn. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 10:10 am
Great interview! It was so nice getting to know a little more about Cecilia. she never ceases to amaze me. BAM
February 15, 2012 at 10:54 am
She amazes me too, Bam. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 10:31 am
This woman is brilliant – I knew this from the get-go. Highly creative, in touch with the flow of the cosmos. Lots of parallels in our lives as well, which I did not know before reading this interview. So happy you chose her as a subject, having a background of 9 years of radio interviewing myself – great job!
February 15, 2012 at 10:58 am
Thank you, Bela! Your comment means a lot to me.
This actually the first interview I’ve ever done, so I was a bit nervous. I listen to a lot of radio interviews and I’ve been trying to learn the technique of choosing the right questions. I plan on creating more opportunities to practice. 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 3:25 pm
Celi is one of those people, Jessica, who would be able to set up a home anywhere in the world. Animals of every nature would decide she’s a buddy.
Those two things make her a first class woman in my books! Great to read her answers to your good questions.
February 15, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Yes! I agree, Amy. And can you imagine the stories she’d tell us as she did it?
February 16, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Thank you Jessica for the chance to know more about Cecilia, she is one of the most talented and inspiring people I have come across
February 17, 2012 at 8:24 am
I feel the same, Sawsan, which is why I had to ask questions and find out more. 😉
February 16, 2012 at 11:55 pm
Thank you for the interview Jessica! Cecilia is quite a woman and lovely in every sense of the word! You allowed her to bring more of that out.
February 17, 2012 at 8:25 am
You’re welcome, Harold. Thank you for the comment.
February 18, 2012 at 12:14 am
Jessica, thanks so much for this interview with Cecil!!! I must tell you that she is my mentor, as my husband and I are starting our own small farm in the Ozark Mountains. She has the best advice to give, and always answers my many, many questions. And now I have found you too, so I am also thankful for that!!!
February 18, 2012 at 7:42 am
I hope everything goes well with your new farm. How exciting! 🙂