Kamili Bell Hill
A voracious reader, lover of the arts, and a certified Potter Head. Combining her love for plants and design, she curated a brand and a community in PlantBlerd and Black People with Plants that reflect her personal ethos, and are open and welcoming to all. She grounds her work - in all areas of her life - in adaptive creativity. Like the joy in watching a leaf unfurl, or falling in love with a character in a new book, Kamili knows that magic lives just beyond what we can see.
Where you can find Kamili Bell Hill:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/plantblerd/
Website: https://plantblerd.com/
Thank you to our drink sponsor Colony Meadery in South Bethlehem.
They produce honey-based alcoholic beverages that surprise the palate and amaze the judges. You can check it out at colonymeadery.com.
Wine Down the Week is created in partnership with:
Soltech Solutions: https://soltechsolutions.com/
Steel City Plant Co: https://steelcityplantco.com
Domaci Home: https://domacihome.com
Lehigh Valley With Love: https://lehighvalleywithlovemedia.com
Transcription:
Angie 0:54 Hey plant fam Welcome to Wine Down the Week with Angie, I'm your host Angie, owner of Steel City Plant Company here in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This podcast is brought to you by Soltech Solutions. I am so excited to have you all here with us today for our Halloween episode. So we are so excited to have Kamili Bell Hill with us today. Kamili is a voracious reader, lover of the arts and certified Potterhead (as am I!). Combining her love for plants and design she curated a brand and community in PlantBlerd and Black People with Plants that reflect her personal ethos and are open and welcoming to all. She grounds her work in all areas of her life and adaptive creativity. Like the joy of watching a leaf unfurl, or falling in love with a character in a new book, Kamili knows that magic lives just beyond what we can see. Welcome Kamili!
Kamili 1:56 Hello hello
Angie 1:56 Hi thank you so much for joining us today
Kamili 1:56 Thank you for having me so exited to be a part of the Halloween episode.
Angie 1:56 You look amazing this is so much fun!
Kamili 2:01 So do you. I love it. I see your Potter tie. Oh, yeah.
Angie 2:06 I know that you are also a Potterhead. So I was like, oh, I need Yes. Yeah. Also, how far back does your obsession go?
Kamili 2:17 It goes back to when they are were originally released. I was just telling my now fifth grader who's reading the seventh book that you know, I would advance order the copy. I was so excited when it would arrive. And the first movie that was released my sister and I went to a midnight showing no one was no one else was there. We were the only ones in our case and had some just ready for fun. So it's like I've been a fan since however old the series is without dating myself is how long? I've been a fan.
Angie 2:49 Me too. I remember that the release would always land when we were on our family vacation in Wildwood. And Wildwood used to have a bookshop on the boardwalk. And the line would be all the way down at midnight. And we would wait there and our hats in capes.
Kamili 3:02 Oh my god, that is fantastic. Right? It's like the current fans don't even know that excitement. You know, they just click on order and they just get the book. They don't know that excitement of the anticipation. And now we have to stand. Exactly. Exactly. That's exactly right.
Angie 3:24 I have a confession to make. I actually have a tattoo for Harry Potter.
Kamili 3:30 Oh, I love it.
Angie 3:32 It's not aging. Well, it's a lip tattoo. I'll show everybody. I can't believe I'm embarrassing myself like this on camera.
Kamili 3:38 Come on show us. Angie 3:40 Okay, it says YOLO and the L is a lightning bolt for Harry Potter.
Kamili 3:45 I am I am thoroughly impressed. I mean, I'm first of all, how much did that hurt on the inside?
Angie 3:53 Yeah. That was so stupid. Oh, I was in college.
Kamili 3:57 I'm impressed. Angie 3:59 I was sober though. That might be more embarrassing. That was a sober.
Kamili 4:02 No, no, I think that that's a rule, isn't it? I have one tattoo also, which I'm not going to show it all it to has not aged well. They fade I mean, nobody tells you how much they really fade. I know. Now they're not there forever.
Angie 4:17 I just have lightning bolt, O left.
Kamili 4:19 Exactly. Exactly. Mine. Yeah, you can't even tell what it was. It was just a rose. You know, kind of typical, but you can't even tell anymore. I've toyed with the idea of getting it outlined again but I'm not doing that. Who am I kidding?
Angie 4:34 I made a promise myself when I was getting that one's on no touch ups.
Kamili 4:45 One One and done. That is too funny. Right? And that's how it was too. I thought I was going to get more I always said I get more but I just never did. I never did never get around to it.
Angie 4:55 Well, I am glad we got through the love of Harry Potter because now Now I feel like we're we're on the same level.
Kamili 5:02 Right, exactly. Now we're totally bonded.
Angie 5:05 So we're gonna start with our icebreaker Pedal and Bud. So capital is something that has happened recently. That was exciting. And bud is something that you're looking forward to. Okay, so I'll kick it off pedal. We just just sticking the Halloween theme we had our first ever plant and pumpkin workshop at our plant shop in our Special Event room. That's where I am right now. And we had 15 People come and carve a pumpkin and put a plant inside. Oh, here's my actually.
Kamili 5:39 That is so cool. We made pumpkins adorable, which but it was just
Angie 5:44 so much fun. We had my MO says we laughed. We are pumpkins. It was a really good day. So that was my pedal. So what I'm looking forward to, I would say Halloween. I'm just really mean. We have an adult trick or treat coming up at the shop where we're giving out booze and vintage candy.
Kamili 6:03 I would still be there. I will be there. That is great.
Angie 6:09 It'll be a good time. I love Halloween. So it's I do too. I do to Christmas or pretty much for me.
Kamili 6:16 this is actually my Halloween light costume. My official costume is 067 Do you are you from you know what I mean? Did you watch squid game. Squid. Good. Yeah,
Angie 6:30 I was gonna sign players. 067
Kamili 6:33 Yes, yes. That's my official costume. Which hasn't arrived yet. You know, a little worried. But it was crazy. It was bananas. But so good. Like, it just blew me away. It was not at all the gore. I was expecting not that story. So follow her. I was not expecting that. I was now minute. Committed completely. And totally invested. Yeah. completely invested. Yeah, I was all in. Yeah. Okay, so pedal. Pedal is something that's happening now.
Angie 7:11 Right? Yes. Or just happened? We're happening now.
Kamili 7:14 Okay, so one thing that's really cool. Am I allowed to like name platforms? Or is this only Okay, all right. I just was invited into this really small like little incubator creator program on Pinterest, which is, I don't even know how they like how they caught wind of me. But I'm thrilled to be in there. And I just kind of like tactile I love that platform. But it's always kind of like befuddled my brain I feel like I could never quite figure out. So I'm really excited about being involved in that. And bud is my continuous where I'm turning our spare bedroom into a bonafide plant room. My plants need a room. You know, they need they need a space of their own. So I'm working on that. And we're close to finish, but not quite. And I can't wait for the big reveal.
Angie 8:11 That is so exciting. Yeah, it's an apartment. So the plants have taken over and I can't wait. The only reason I really want a house is different plant room or a sandwich.
Kamili 8:21 Plant room. Right, exactly. And it's like, now I kind of have them all over the place and a few have we've had some casualties, because they're not all in one place. You know, right. So I'm really looking forward to kind of like, they'll still be a few downstairs to enjoy, but they will mostly be in that room.
Angie 8:43 And that creates such a meditative space then for Yeah,
Kamili 8:46 exactly. Exactly. That's exactly right.
Angie 8:52 Are you gonna have a reading space in there? I know you're into of
Kamili 8:55 Of course. Yeah, of course. I'm going to put a day bed in there just so I can chill and hang out and it'll be really like, you know, you know really unplugging like right now. There's a full bed but who's sleeping at my house? I spent COVID like no one's sleeping here. It's like that space is just a waste. You know, so probably be my my chill. We can't find mommy. She's in the plant room with the door locked.
Angie 9:21 We'll have to post about it. So I can live vicariously Yeah,
Kamili 9:24 yeah, yes. Yes, I will. I definitely will.
Angie 9:29 Well, what are you drinking today?
Kamili 9:31 Today since it was wine down the week I got a glass of red. I like red. It is a I think it's a Cabernet. That's usually what a Cabernet or Pino what's the little splash of orange Bluecore so it has like an aroma of sangria. But it's not sangria. That's amazing. Yeah. I love that. I love wine, any type of wine, but today I'm drinking Mead Have you had mead yet?
Kamili 9:59 I have not had yet.
Angie 10:01 It is like a honey wine is how I would write that. We have this amazing meadery Right here in Bethlehem on the south side called Colony Meadery. And I'm drinking there Straight No Chaser to Oh, is super super good. It's orange blossom honey providing bright, clean flavor that defines this award winning mead. Yeah, it's great. You can drink it cold or broom, tap. I have mine cold, but it's delicious. I love Mead. And we're very lucky to have them right in our downtown. So thank you to Colony Meadery for their meeting yesterday Kamili 10:41 was so wait, you have to tell me more about what Mead is. That's like the grape variety? Angie 10:47 its its own type of alcohol. So it's not beer its not wine, it's mead and it's made with honey is what makes it.
Kamili 11:00 Okay. All right. That's like I have a liquor shopping list so that I'll be adding to the list. I must try that fermented honey. I mean, I've never even heard of that.
Angie 11:11 Gluten free. And it's 13% Alcohol. Okay. Oh, it's a win win.
Kamili 11:17 Yes, yes. Very much. So. Very much. So. Very good. Yeah.
Angie 11:21 Check out Colony meadery. Online or their Instagram.
Kamili 11:24 Yeah. I'm gonna give Yeah. Yeah, I'll tag you when I'm drinking that because that's next up.
Angie 11:32 It's very refreshing. It's just something that you can't describe until you've tasted it yourself.
Kamili 11:37 Right, right. All right. So here, see? Cheers to Halloween.
Angie 11:45 Here's a drinking game two, just like going with a booze and Halloween.
Kamili 11:52 So I guess I'm all over that.
Angie 11:55 We're gonna go back and forth naming Halloween movies. Okay, and whoever gets stumped first has to drink. Okay. All right. You can go first.
Kamili 12:08 The Shining.
Angie 12:09 Hocus Pocus
Kamili 12:12 Scream.
Angie 12:13 Casper.
Kamili 12:15 Halloween.
Angie 12:16 Ooh. Ah. Halloween Town.
Kamili 12:20 Nightmare on Elm Street.
Angie 12:24 The ring Kamili 12:25 psycho.
Angie 12:28 Ooh, ah. Oh. Oh, Practical Magic. I love that one.
Kamili 12:35 scary stories to tell in the dark. I think that's the whole title. scary story to tell in the dark.
Angie 12:40 Goosebumps.
Kamili 12:42 Oh, Carrie.
Angie 12:46 Oh, that's a good one. Um, who be Halloween? I love that one. That's new and Netflix as of like last year. It's so funny. Adam Sandler. What is it? Who be Halloween?
Kamili 12:57 Who will be Halloween? Okay, I gotta check that one out. All right, it ooh
Angie 13:05 people under the stairs.
Kamili 13:09 My my blinking I guess I got to train. i Alright, right.
Angie 13:20 I think you didn't even touch on our favorites. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone classic.
Kamili 13:25 Oh, that is true. I was thinking like real horror horror now. Oh, but I guess okay. Yeah, this is true. Okay.
Angie 13:37 I'll drink with you.
Kamili 13:40 Oh, my God. Why? No, not it. I just said it. Us. Us. Us.
Angie 13:46 Oh, that is good. Get out. I love all of his movies.
Kamili 13:54 Yeah, he's incredible. Oh my god. All right, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two. Yeah, that's a good one
Angie 14:12 my turn to drink. Outside Did you say Texas Chainsaw Massacre? I
Kamili 14:17 did not but there you go. Exactly. Oh,
Angie 14:20 I can hear that was really creepy timing. By
Kamili 14:23 Friday the 13th. Which I've actually never seen.
Angie 14:29 I've seen it but it was a long time ago. Yeah, I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Kamili 14:36 Okay. Dawn of the Dead
Angie 14:41 insidious.
Kamili 14:43 What is that? Like? The thing
Angie 14:52 that Sabrina the Teenage Witch that's a show but still one of my Kamili 14:57 Stranger Things.
Angie 14:58 Oh, yeah. Evil
Kamili 15:06 Castle Rock.
Angie 15:08 Oh, I love that show. Oh, haunting of the Hill House. Oh wow, that was amazing.
Kamili 15:16 American Horror Story. Hotel
Angie 15:21 covenants my favorite season now
Kamili 15:24 that Coven and asylum I feel like it started going downhill you know this season? I have not watched it since hotel that was the last one. Oh it was you know his his shows kind of go off the rails after they've been on too long. You know what I mean? Yeah. Did you ever watch nurse ratchet? Yes. I loved it. Very good. Muto. Very good. Like after fantasy horror is my own. You know what actually may be flipped? Maybe horror is my number one genre of movies and books and then fantasy, but I don't know. They're probably neck and neck like,
Angie 16:07 say my fiance. I'll come home in the middle of the day. And he's just watching a horror movie. Sir,
Kamili 16:15 exactly, exactly. I love it. I love it. I used to even watch Oh my god. What was the show? It was on. FX. Oh my god. The strain that was so dark. It even got like too dark for me. And that's saying something. Yeah. I mean, they just wouldn't know. They just went so far with that show. I eventually did have to stop watching it. I could only watch it during the daytime. Yeah, just something about it. That was so sinister that just got into my head too much.
Angie 16:54 I haven't I haven't seen it yet. So I'm gonna have to
Kamili 16:56 Yeah, me it was really I think I stopped watching like after the second season I was like alright, this is too much. This is I want to need a therapist after that shows to say is too much. Oh.
Angie 17:14 So what is your favorite part about Halloween?
Kamili 17:20 The dressing up for sure. You know I don't trigger tree I mean I haven't I did when I was younger. But I literally dress up every single year like I have not stopped dressing up. Yeah, and usually we do a whole group theme but it's really just like you know the whole fantasy of it and body and your favorite characters are different. Personas something it's just I love it.
Angie 17:46 That's Halloween candy.
Kamili 17:49 Snickers. Oh, I love Snickers. I go thankfully my kids don't like chocolates. I go deep diving in their bag. And I particularly like little you know teeny weeny ones. You know I love Snickers
Angie 18:02 Yeah, reeses pumpkins though. Are my go to it's my weakness.
Kamili 18:06 Ah, I too love a reese cup. But you like the pumpkin shape?
Angie 18:11 I like them. But the eggs for Easter are fresher though.
Kamili 18:16 Because a lot of peanut butter.
Angie 18:18 They all taste different. Anyway, the trees and the eggs all have a specific taste. I swear.
Kamili 18:27 I gotta tell you I'm not buying it. But I
Angie 18:31 think they put a special ingredient in each one to make them taste difference that you create. Completely psychological based on arranging. I don't know. I like that I
Kamili 18:42 I'm gonna go I love the chocolate and peanut. That's that's probably like my second favorite. And they don't eat the chocolate. So you know, I go ham. I dig it out
Angie 18:53 I want to hear our listeners opinion. So drop your thoughts in the comments about this whole racist thing? Or do they taste different? And if so which holiday is the best races? I want to hear from you?
Kamili 19:05 That is I want to have to Yeah, I'm very curious about this. Very curious.
Angie 19:09 Yeah, I'm convinced but okay. I'll go back to Harry Potter. Which movie is your favorite?
Kamili 19:17 My favorite movie and book is The Order of the Phoenix.
Angie 19:22 Okay, that's my favorite. second favorite. What's your favorite favorites are tied. So Sorcerer's Stone just because. Right? I think right aand deathly hollows part two for our new
Kamili 19:39 for the movie. Okay. Yes. Yeah, the Part Two was definitely better. Definitely. But I love I love order Phoenix. It's my favorite. I love that. I love the book, the movie everything. Yeah, it's so great. And we recently rewatch because I have a fifth grader who's now reading The series and I read it with the now Jr. Only up to the third book. I could not reread the whole series. I just wasn't able, but we've re watched all the movies several times. I completely forgot that Dumbledore died and book six.
Angie 20:15 I know. I don't know why. Every time
Kamili 20:18 every single time I never time. Never, never. Never. But I had like moved it forward into definitely how it was but like right now he died before Deathly Hallows but yeah, so okay, I have a question for you. Okay. Who's your favorite character? Oh,
Angie 20:40 my favorite character. Professor McGonigal? I love her.
Kamili 20:46 Oh, yeah. Next to that. I love makes me laugh. Yeah. Yeah, she's awesome. Yeah, how about your most of them? I love to meet you even though you know. I do.
Angie 21:01 Cuz he's a good guy. And yet like, it all makes sense,
Kamili 21:05 even when he's villainous. So I find that I am attracted to that's why I guess I meant slithering. You know? I just don't really buy I feel like JK at the end threw like, like, you know, a Hail Mary and made up that hole. It's like, what they really a good guy. And we just didn't realize it like, I don't No, it doesn't. It doesn't. It does not make sense. And never will to me. But I still love him. Yeah, I love Snape. Yeah.
Angie 21:42 I'm gonna have to go home and watch these movies. Now. I it's just put me in the holiday spirit. Oh, have holiday and Harry Potter, where you walk into my apartment. I took a fishing line and tied it around LED candles and hung them from our ceiling. So the whole thing is floating. Oh, yes. And we got a small because it was a Christmas thing too. So those stay up.
Kamili 22:12 that would take up all year long. That would not. That's incredible. I love that idea.
Angie 22:21 It was so simple. I went on Amazon bought led flickering candles like 12 of them online. And
Kamili 22:28 as so into that. I wonder if I could pull that off before Halloween?
Angie 22:32 Yeah, to me like,
Kamili 22:33 I love it.
Angie 22:34 So hang him up.
Kamili 22:36 I love that idea. That is fantastic. That is great. That great. Hall is probably like the one thing in Hogwarts that I would just so love to experience. I mean, the great hall is amazing.
Angie 22:50 I'd love to just hang out there eat a meal. Yeah, completely, completely. Well, I really want to hear about your work with PlantBlerd and also what made you start Black People with Plants and how it's like I want all of it.
Kamili 23:06 Okay, okay, PlantBerd? You know, I think that it has the same origin story as all of those plant accounts does. You know, we all were into plants and our non planty friends and family. We're just tired of hearing about it. You know? So one day, I just posted a picture. And I remember what it was, it was my crispy waist burn, which is now gone is no longer with us. But at the time, it was just so incredibly beautiful. And I was like, You know what, let's just say let's see what's out there. Let's see if I can find a few like minded people. I had no idea. There was this whole like, community and like, you know that the planted grandmas this whole thing. And it really has been such a tremendous source of joy. Like, I love my plants. I love talking about my plants. I love posting about my plants. So that account and the people that I've met and the other accounts, it's just like, it's the glue that's keeping all of this shit together. Yeah. I love it. It's great. And like so many incredible opportunities, something that I can't really talk about yet. had like, it just, you know, it's like, I went to law school. My mom's a lawyer, my sister's a lawyer. Everything was pretty like straight and narrow, you know, not unconventional at all. So it's so crazy that after that path, this is where I've ended up and I'm like making a whole career out of it. So it's just like, it makes the heart swell and black people with plants at the height of the pandemic with the tragic killing of Breanna Taylor and George Floyd, everyone was home. So we had a captive audience, right. And there are on Instagram, I call them repost accounts or sharing what black people plant is, you know, a, and there's no original content. They're just reposting other people's pictures, right. And generally, the feeds are fairly imaginisce with a scattering of diversity here and there. But during the protests, and after Brianna and Mr. Floyd were killed, you saw black lives matter. Like trend, you know, it was like trending. And then the feeds changed. And it was like, wow, okay, this is great, you know, that this becoming more inclusive, and they're highlighting other accounts, because when I first started, plant blurred, I could not find black plant accounts, you know, at first Instagram, on their discover page, every single plant account, they were all white. And then I stumbled upon black with plants. And from there, I found like some other accounts, and, you know, then I was able to diversify and make my own feed more inclusive and reflective of not only me, but my friends and family, you know. So, at first, when the Black Lives Matter hashtag was a trend on Instagram, which is just despicable that it would ever be considered a trend. Right? Then it went, you know, like, after a week or two, it just went back to business as usual. And that kind of, you know, infuriated me and a few, you know, a lot of other people and I just, like, you know, I'm just gonna start a page. And it's like, my love letter to us, because we're not a hashtag, we're not a trend. Our lives are not just trauma, you know. So black people with plants is just about black people, black people in just doing regular old, you know, tending to our plants and the joy that is our everyday life. And I love that page. It's like my little baby.
Angie 27:11 I love it, too. I follow it. And I'm so glad you touched on where it started from. And I just don't think that a lot of people understand the need for spaces like that. Right? People who are like minded have backgrounds like to come together? Can you speak a little bit about what that means? And why that's important to bring the black community together onto a platform like that? What does it mean for the people inside of that community to be able to connect?
Kamili 27:43 I think that it just is so simple, it's like, it's just a reflection of yourself, like everybody you want to see yourself, you know, you don't want to feel like you're the only lonely or an outlier, or, you know, I'm doing something that people who don't have my shared experience, are into one that's just all wrong. You know, it's like, there there is this reflective community and, you know, sometimes like in there was a little tiny bit of pushback, I will say, I'm so grateful that it hasn't been a lot of like, negative comments on there. You know, like, what if we had a white people plant? I don't, I have not surprisingly gotten any of that. And so I'm really glad for that. But then my, my response would be, you know, there doesn't need to be a white people were plants page, because most of those reshare pages, mostly share other white accounts. And there'll be a smattering of Latina or Latinx or Asian or but you know, just every now and again, but the lion's share. It's, it's commodities. And I think that people just want to see themselves you just want to see yourself reflected back and feel included, and feel like you're being seen, you know, your hobbies your interests are affirmed. It's not You're not an outlier. This is not weird or unusual, you know, we're all doing it. It's just a matter of just like belonging, you know, and it's just like, a confirmation. Yeah, you do belong here. We're here. Welcome. Come on, in, you know, the waters warm, it's great.
Angie 29:21 So how can other plant lovers who are not in the black community, be allies and interact with that account or content and helpful or effective way?
Kamili 29:35 I think that when the opportunity arises to kind of elevate or share or promote that you kind of think outside of your box and you don't only consider people that have your same background, you know, that you just think for a minute, oh, you know, this other account is great. So I'll also promote them. I think that That's the way to do it. And it has to be done, like consistently not just like when something is trending and hat and
Angie 30:09 when something tragic happens. Right, exactly. It's like, always do it.
Kamili 30:13 Exactly. You know, but people I think we're all guilty of self segregating. You know, I think that it's kind of human nature just to kind of like gravitate towards like, and I think that how we can all in general do better is, you know, just reach across the aisle, you know, and that's the simplest of terms just, you know, just make that effort.
Angie 30:47 Something I think I learned a lot over the last year. So my background is in diversity, equity and inclusion for the chamber here in Bethlehem, and across the Lehigh Valley. That's my past life. But something that we talked about a lot was knowing when to pass the mic. Yes. So as a white woman, yes, I want to be an ally. But sometimes it's not for me to speak on, right. And it's for me to hold up my microphone and pass it to someone who can take that and run right and be the correct platform.
Kamili 31:18 Absolutely. I agree. And not only like sharing the mic, but also like listening to understand and to empathize with instead of like listening to respond, I think that we're all guilty of that, you know, we're, we're listening, but we're really just waiting for that pause in the conversation where we can jump in, and then you centered yourself, you didn't listen, and you haven't really gained anything. And, you know, from there, nothing can really change. I think, like, really just listening the other day, plant Queen Christopher, he was it was a National Coming Out Day. And that was one of the things that he was talking about, like, how can heterosexual people be better allies, to, you know, the LGBTQ community native someone is coming out or sharing, listen, just listen. Like, it's like, it's such a no brainer, but I just don't think that generally speaking, people do it. Because even when it's well intended, you just want to offer up something and there's like this inclination to want to just offer advice or fake, but sometimes it really is just like, just listen, you know,
Angie 32:33 and I think letting yourself be known as an ally is always important, but sometimes, you know, screaming at the loudest of hey, I'm an ally, and I'll look at what we're doing. We're so good. Like, it's not about you.
Kamili 32:44 No, no, I think that's really like the worst way like that. That's the red flag, you know? Yeah. It's like, if you're an ally, it's just like that. You know, if you really are something you don't have to go around saying that you are you just do it, you know? Yeah. You just do it. It's not for like, it's not for attention. It's not for credit. You just like doing it. So.
Angie 33:12 So how long has that account been running? That account started pandemic?
Kamili 33:20 Yeah, June 2020 Was his birthday. So it just turned a little over a year in June. And I mean, it's
Angie 33:28 connected. Like, it's an amazing account. And that's,
Kamili 33:31 I love it. I love it. And it's me by myself. Yeah, I tried to get my my teenager to help me out. She quickly lost. Like, come on, I'll pay you. Yeah, you're on your own. I'm on my own. But I mean, it's so fun. And I've made like connections over there to even like all the accounts that I follow. Plan flowed or that follow me and that I've interacted with, it always blows my mind. It's like there's someone new like, every single week. I'm like, oh my god, welcome. It's almost it's like a welcome mat. It's like, here we are welcome. You know, it says, I love it.
Angie 34:13 Well, what's your favorite part about the plant community?
Kamili 34:17 My favorite part about the plant community is the connectedness. Like even though we are connecting on social media, there's this real actual connection that's like real life. You know what I mean? Like, it's not just the comments and the double taps, like there's real conversations going on in the DMS and we're texting each other we're meeting up I really love the plants flops. I mean, that's got to be like the best and it's all not that we're all the same. Obviously we're we're vastly different all throughout the plant community, but there's like this shared real passion and interest and enthusiasm. So then when you get together it just like repeats, you know, and it's just like it's got like a built in vibe. So I think that's what I love about the plant community. They pass the vibe check.
Angie 35:15 Yeah. It's like it's great shirts or something, you should start making shirts.
Kamili 35:25 I do I do.
Angie 35:29 By the way, so why don't you talk a little bit about that?
Kamili 35:32 Well, that that's also like I'm so like, it's blurred because I'm so geeky, nerdy. I always love like graphic T shirts. I always want if I'm into it, I want the world to know I'm into it, you know, so I have my game patrol. T shirts. I got my Potter T shirts, my ham older teachers. So like, geeky plant T shirts only made just perfectly logical said, you know. So I launched that in, I think May or June of this year. And that's been fun. It's been fun designing stuff and coming up with kitschy things I get to sometimes work with my brother. And it's, it's been another source of like, joy, and just fun, you know?
Angie 36:18 And it takes the engagement to a whole nother level. Because yeah, people shopping with you and people that are wearing shirts and yeah, about them.
Kamili 36:26 Yes. And when they tag me and I'm like, oh my god, let's just got me out of my chest. That's so weird. Or am I having wearing my own t shirt? It's also like, weird. So I had one of the shirts is mother of plants in the Game of Thrones. free public font, you know, no copyright infringement here. But I went into a plant shop and they're like, Oh, that's so cool. I love that shirt. And I'm like, I made it. It's my brand. And she just was blown away by this. And I was like, Yeah, I did I swear to God, and she, we just kept going back and forth. She didn't believe it. I don't know why she didn't believe it, but and then she just was so impressed that I was like, oh, you know, just like, a fun reaction that I wasn't expecting from anyone.
Angie 37:14 I'm gonna have to check out your Potter shirts. Yes,
Kamili 37:17 yes. There are of course Potter. Sure knows. There are of course Potter shirts because how could I not? Right?
Angie 37:25 Yeah. And to my family that is listening. That would be a great birthday and Christmas gift for me. Thank you.
Kamili 37:32 I love the head. It's quite subtle. It was lovely. Very subtle. Very subtle. I love it.
Angie 37:38 What is your favorite plant? I know it's a hard question.
Kamili 37:42 That is a very hard question. I can answer very easily my plant family. My favorite plant family right now. I'm just so gobsmacked for Hoyas. Yeah, I just I cannot get enough of Hoyas. It's like,
Angie 37:59 I have one blooming at home. And I check it every day. Like I just Oh
Kamili 38:02 my god. Yeah, the little put down bow. Yeah.
Angie 38:10 And I check it every day,
Kamili 38:12 every day. Every day. Which one is it? Which Hoya is it? Oh, that is a beauty. That is the beauty.
Angie 38:21 Probably seven years now but that's normal. It can take five years to bloom. Yeah. Very excited.
Kamili 38:29 That is exciting. This is my first year also getting bloom. I feel like this was the year of the Hoya bloom.
Angie 38:38 Yeah.
Kamili 38:41 We needed it. We deserved it. I feel like we've earned those bloomed. You know, we have earned glory for us. Yes, they are. The hoyas are coming through. They are.
Angie 38:54 Well, we are going to start winding down. But any last like promos for yourself what you've got going on things to keep an eye out that you're working on anything. You have the
Kamili 39:04 keep an eye out for new designs on plantblur.com I have several that are in the hopper. And they will be going up in November some fun stuff, including some fun Potter stuff. So keep an eye out for that. And I'll be doing a whole it's been a little bit quiet because I've you know, like but look out for a whole like, you know, marketing blitz, a lot of fun new designs.
Angie 39:30 I just love that and that you get to do like, how Blessed are we to get to work with plants every day. Exactly. What made you switch from law to plants. Speaking of that,
Kamili 39:41 well, I mean, I taken a career break when I had my kids and it was one of the things that I always said I never ever do. You know, I never How could I could never stay home with my kids. And those were words that I had to salt and pepper because I ate them Why. And you know, that I just couldn't leave them I just didn't want to and I was, you know, lucky enough to be able to have that time with them. And then after, you know, when it came time to like, consider reentering the outside of the home workforce, stay at home moms do work, they just work inside the home, that's my little plug. I just didn't want to go back to something that would take me away from them and that I'd be miserable at, you know, I wanted to be if it was going to have my time, it would have to be worth my time. So plants just naturally lent themselves to that, you know, because at first it started out as just something that I carved out from for myself that didn't have to do with mothering, why spaying caring for others volunteer, none of that this was something that was just for me, and which, you know, now it's become kind of like my, my gospel that I preach to anyone willing to listen. So, you know, it just was a fluke. But I'm glad that you know how we get there. Glad I got here.
Angie 41:17 We'll we're glad too - we love everything you do for the black community, in the plant community. Everything on social so glad to have you today
Kamili 41:17 Thank you my pleasure
Angie 41:17 So we've been doing weekly trivia or riddles so I'm going to read last weeks question - it was how many seeds does a strawberry have.
Kamili 41:17 I think a strawberry has 1000 seeds.
Angie 41:17 Two hundred!
Kamili 41:17 What!
Angie 41:17 So todays riddle we will annouce the answer in next weeks podcast - todays riddle "I have hundreds of ears but I can't hear a thing - what am I?
Kamili 41:17 I got it.
Angie 41:17 So we will annouce that answer next week - drop your best guesses and we'll select someone and they'll get a prize. Am I disqualified? Because I think I know the answer. Again thank you all for tuning into to Wine Down the Week with Angie and today's guest Kamili Ben Hill. And thank you for being with us, this podcast is brought to you by Soltech Solutions, Steel City Plant Company, Tomasi Homes, and Lehigh Valley with Love. Thanks plant fam and see you next week. Happy Halloween!
