What the FUCK even is this??
So I know you’re puzzled. You’ve seen me on Instaham, or TrikTok, or Favesbook, and probably have thought to yourself: Self: “What is going on here?”
I’ve had those thoughts myself about this project along the way, given that this page first started as a humble place where I could post my doodles; it’s since transformed into a little bit more than that. While my doodles never stopped, I found myself struggling, as we all do, with balancing my full time job with the things that breathe life into me. For me that was drawing, taking pictures, and walking in nature. While it is true that this project has turned into something of a job for me too, I found it necessary to adopt the same sort of discipline that I try to practice for my own work at the coffee shop to my hobbies in my “free” time. To avoid the commodification of my own leisure, I’ve stuck to a simple paradigm to avoid burn out and in my experience bring much needed joy, creativity, and spaciousness to my hobbies. I think you may have picked up on some of it already, but here it is in my own words.
Free Beans: The Paradigm
1. Keep it free; No selling out allowed. Your own joy is not something you should be in the business trying to profit off of. Keeping profit motive out of the equation, what can you accomplish? What do you cherish? What can you save? Who can you be?
2. Bring others along for the ride; “Happiness is only real when shared,”-Christopher McCandless. I love walking alone in the woods as much as the next person but this project is meant to inspire me to take the things that I absolutely love most and open it up to the universe in hopes that it bring even a sliver of that same joy it brought me making it. Think of it as an on going love and kindness meditation. It’s one of the reasons while I love coffee, it’s this practice of perpetual sharing and service. So bringing that energy to my creative side is a must.
3. Leave the hierarchy in the past (trash); Similar to the first point but I felt it needed its own for good reason. If I’m not in the business of selling anything and I AM in the business of bringing people together, so this is a no brainer for me. I don’t need to present myself as an expert or an influencer or even a brand. I can be who I am, which is a barista who’s nuts about coffee and doodles silly little pictures. I find that anonymity helps this cause. While there is nothing wrong with being Chris the coffee man, there is something to be said that this could be any one. That I do not need to stake my entire personhood in all its complexities on this brand. That these pictures could just be pictures, and that the recipes in my videos could just be something I’m trying just to try. I know that isn’t necessarily what Facebook, Instaham, or TrikTok want from me, but I’m not in the business of that either. I’m not even against the idea of having more people share on my pages if they support the cause and want to be a digital nomad like me. Until then, I can just stay free with my beans sharing them with the world.
Lastly, Id’ like to thank everyone that made this possible. I’d like to thank my parents, wonderful friends, and my coworkers at Dark Matter Coffee; all whom are a wonderful and constant source of inspiration. Big shout out to Christian Rios who’s always down to talk shop and always down to go take pictures. Also shout out my brother, who’s kept my rebellious spirit alive all these years and is a big reason why I do anything creative in the first place.
Peace, love & coffee first
-Free W. Beans
