The Making of
Naturaliste Apothecary Amina Maya 2018 BFA Thesis
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Table of Contents 4 Introduction
Branding
Ideation
36 38 40 42 44
8 10 12 14
Audience Who What Where Why Moodboard Mind Mapping
Logo Typography Color Photography Style Photography Examples
Marketing
Research
48 50 52 54
16 Trends 18 Q&A 20 Persona 22 Interview Insight
Research: Product Research: Web Photography Moodboard Stockists
Packaging
Apothecary
58 60 62 64 66
26 Introduction 28 Mission Statement 30 Evolution 32 Background
Body Scrub Beard Oil Candles Hair Oil Body Oil
70 Bibliography// Works Cited
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Pro•c
ction 4
cess
NOUN. 1. A SERIES OF ACTIONS, CHANGES, OR FUNCTIONS BRINGING ABOUT A RESULT
This book is the culmination of the time, research and creativity that I have put into my senior year BFA thesis project. Â It is a snapshot of my creative process and the many iterations of this project.
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Ideati 6
ion & 7
Ideation // Audience
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Transformational healing and radical self-care There are countless ways that artists can feel defeated while pursuing their craft. Working and living alongside other artists has taught me that we need to have coping mechanisms for dealing with creative burnout and the ever present fear of failure. Â As we yearn to strengthen and fortify ourselves against the harsh realities we face, some young artists are delving into spirit and ancestral wisdom to overcome hardships. Naturaliste Apothecary connects spiritual practice and self-care wisdom reimagined by a new generation. Â
The need for rest and retreat is severely overlooked. Creativity comes in bursts, but without time for ritual or reflection we can become stuck in cycles of burnout and frustration. Naturaliste Apothecary focuses on creating a line radical selfcare products that help people to get re-inspired and connect to their creative selves. Â My audience is interested in spirituality, healing and self-care practices and they are seeking ways to incorporate these practices into their lifestyles.
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who where
what and why?
Ideation // Who What Where Why
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“Black women’s self-care is also subversive because to take care of ourselves means that we disrupt societal and political paradigms that say that Black women are disposable, unvalued. Indeed, people and things that aren’t cared for are considered expendable. So when we don’t take care of ourselves, we are affirming the social order that says black women are disposable.”
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
“Self-care is a way of maintaining both wellness and balance in the energetic economy of social and economic intercourse. Activists and caretakers who do not attend to self-care are vulnerable to burnout, and burnout in turn can breed alienation from both issues and communities… Self-care and care of others needs to be balanced.”
Shanesha Brooks-Tatum
Audre Lorde
Layli Maparyan in The Womanist Idea, 2012
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Inspiration Moodboard
Ideation// Moodboard
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Initial Ideas Oracle deck + Guide Reading blanket Reading cloth Roots and Branches Crystal Guide for Healing Sexual Healing Position Deck / Book Smoking Blend Chart Moon Calender Poster Altar Guide Zine Beauty Line Illustrated Journals Altar Kit Ritual Guides
Ideation // Mind Mapping
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Research // Trends
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Trends and Forecasts 17
Q&A Research Goal
General Research Questions
My goal is to understand the connection between creative process and the spiritual practice. By speaking with creatives and artists about their spiritual and creatice practice I hope to shed light on the ways they influence each other.
Where do creatives look for information on healing? How are spirituality and creativity connected? What percentage of Black people practice ancestral traditions? Can people have digital ritual spaces? How do creatives view self-care?
Research // Q&A
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Follow Up Research Questions
Interview Questions
How do creatives incorporate spirtuality into their creative process? How do millenials of color practice self-care? Where are the gaps in the spirituality market? Where are the gaps in the self care market? How does art influence spiritual practice? How does ancestry play a role in connection to spirituality? How does family influence our identity?
Can you tell us little about yourself ? Can you tell us a little about how you came to your practice? How does your spiritual practice affect your creativity? What energy do you evoke in your creative process? How can others connect with their creativity? What does self-care look like to you? In what ways can we heal the world?
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Interview Persona Lili’u is a creative, spiritual and multi-faceted woman who is trying to connect with the magic of her past while bringing her historical lineage into the modern design world. My interview with Lili’u was both insightful and affirming for the mission of Naturaliste Apothecary. When asked about her influences, she talked about her family and ancestry, which is something that completely resonated with me. She also talked about how her creative process and spiritual practice are one. This interview allowed me to speak to my demographic and really understand the kinds of questions they have and how I can meet those needs. Overall this gave me a face-toface look at my demographic and an insight into the complexity of trying to hold on to cultural and ancestral roots while workin and
Research // Persona
“My spiritual practice defines my perspective and I think inevitably my perspective affects the work I do whether its design or anything else.” —From Interview with Lili’u Pickford of Same Same Co.
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NAME: LILI’U PICKFORD AGE: 23 LOCATION: SEATTLE, WA CULTURAL BACKGROUND: HAWAI’IAN, CHINESE ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: SCORPIO PROFESSION: DESIGNER
"My grandparents were the ones that instilled my Hawai’ian identity and culture and were the ones who helped me know that part of myself."
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INTERVIEW QUESTION:
In
what
can we
ways
heal the world ?
Research // Interview Insight
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“Understand the global power systems that we’re in. Understand how they exist in you.”
“I think that the way that we can heal the world is healing our own trauma. Hurt people hurt people.”
“I think first it’s important to start that journey of healing yourself. That way your interactions with others are positive, and you can put that energy out into the world.”
VANESSA MOLANO
PHELICIA MAGNUSSEN
LILI'U PICKFORD
INTERVIEW INSIGHT:
You must heal yourself before you can heal the world. One of my biggest insights from the research and interview process was the realization that self-healing must happen before anything else can.
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Apoth 24
hecary 25
Handmade with love and magic. Apothecary// Introduction
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Rooted in a desire to heal and a deep connection with the earth, Naturaliste Apothecary brings ancestral knowledge to a new generation.
Apothecary// Mission Statement
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Naturaliste Apothecary is rootwork for the modern creative. Our products are focused on bringing you back to being centered with nature. Growing up, it was nearly impossible to find hair and skin care products that were created for my hair and skin. The few that existed were made with chemicals like formaldehyde, and used as tools to straighten our hair texture and lighten our skin. I knew that there was a point in our history when everything that touched our skin was made by us, which led me to a practice of creating my own products, based on my own specific needs. Naturaliste Apothecary is a spiritually aligned beauty and wellness brand focused on providing products that are designed with health and wellness in mind.
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Past as Present: On healing, spirituality and ancestral wisdom The evolution of my senior thesis project has centered around three themes: healing from multi-generational trauma, connecting with spirituality and unearthing ancestral wisdom. The application of these themes have gone through several iterations. The connection to a higher power and communication through aspects of nature has always been an integral part of my identity. When faced with a challenge or a crossroads in my life, my practice of divination and nature based rituals have guided me to the answers I seek.
Apothecary// Evolution
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As I dove further into researching the lives of my ancestors, I began to draw parallels with my own life. I draw inspiration from the decisions and sacrifices they made in order to survive. The stories of the African diaspora are a beautiful collision of migration, adaptation, resilience and loss. My own identity is shaped by the mixture of a strong cultural identity and a deep sense of longing for lost history. The information I do know about my cultural background provides me with pieces of a picture that is much more complex and interesting than the black and white version of history I was taught in school. Though this project was focused on the design aspects of branding, packaging and marketing; the underlying focuses of preserving ancestral traditions and continuing a relationship with nature, were always present in my mind. I began the year illustrating an oracle deck based upon African-American Folk traditions and ended up changing my project to an apothecary shop based on herbalism and ancestral wisdom. Though these projects may seem like completely different genres, what they have in common is the basis of a tradition, whether its reading tarot or mixing herbs, that has been passed down through ancestral wisdom. Divination and herbalism were interwoven into the threads of my childhood, when my mother would mix up an herbal concoction for my cold or have me pull a tarot card before school in the morning.
Research of my ancestral background led me two places: the American South, and coast of West Africa. My mother’s side of the family has roots in Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas; while my father’s side has ties to The Virgin Islands, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The thread that ties these two sides together besides a shared West African lineage, is a pattern of migration, both voluntary and forced. My heritage is marked by a cyclical relationship to the trans-Atlantic journey: beginning with my ancestors who were forced to come to the United States on slave ships; to my great-great-great-great grandfather who ventured from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Liberia in search for a deeper connection to the continent; to my paternal grandmother who left her home of Massachusetts at the age of 19 for Sierra Leone; to my own plans to journey to West Africa. The blending of indigenous African, Black American and Black Caribbean culture has created a dichotomy of longing for homes in Africa and the diaspora simultaneously, while never feeling fully connected to either. This feeling has taught me to find home in both worlds, and to use my unique perspective and lineage to bridge the indigenous with the diaspora, the traditional and improvised and use this as I approach my work.
son P. Farris, a Doctor, and Lizzie, an Apache girl whom he won in a game of dice. Joseph managed the sale of timber and farmed the land; while Lou, a root woman, dealt with healing herbs. Even though Anderson Farris was a doctor, it was Lou who took care of his wife when she fell ill during pregnancy. After Farris’ wife’s death, Louisiana spent two years taking care of his children. In exchange, Dr. Farris gave her 40 acres of land. Louisiana and Joseph raised their family on this land and continued their roles as caretakers of nature. When I began to mix herbs and oils I felt a familiarity and ease, as if this was what I was meant to do. Living in the city has heightened my desire to connect with nature, and the Naturaliste Apothecary is my manifestation of this desire.
Rooted in a desire to heal and a deep connection with the earth, Naturaliste Apothecary brings ancestral knowledge to a new generation.
My mother once told me the story of my great-great-greatgreat grandmother, Louisiana ( Lou) Farris. Her narrative was the inspiration for Naturaliste Apothecary. Lou was the wife of Joseph Farris, a free mulatto born in 1852 to Ander-
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“And when we (to use Alice Walker’s lovely phrase) go in search of our mothers’ gardens, it’s not really to learn who trampled on them or how or even why—we usually know that already. Rather, it’s to learn what our mothers planted there, what they thought as they sowed, and how they survived the blighting of so many fruits.” –Sherley Anne Williams in “Surviving the Blight,”
Apothecary// Background
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Behind the Design The logo is a blind-contour drawing of one of my biggest sources of inspiration, my mother. It is important for me to include the family connection in the brand because the love of family is an integral part of Naturaliste Apothecary’s message.
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Brand 34
ding 35
LOGOTYPE
LOGOMARK
Branding// Logo
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APPLICATION
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Garamond Premier Pro is the font for the header, sub-header, body text and captions.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed rutrum leo orci. In ut mattis turpis, nec commodo turpis. Morbi ac congue nisl, sed dignissim diam. Vivamus gravida dui sem, vitae iaculis enim maximus sit amet. Aenean feugiat magna nunc, ac viverra nisl sagittis nec. Duis tristique euismod faucibus. Mauris id lacus id urna commodo rutrum. Suspendisse lacus nisi, mattis vitae tortor ac, facilisis vulputate leo. Duis quis velit non purus venenatis porta. Integer orci massa, tempor non eros at, maximus vestibulum Sed ultrices felis sed tellus dignissim, accumsan interdum tortor facilisis. Duis sit amet dui vel ipsum mollis gravida. Nam vestibulum dui lorem, interdum fringilla orci ullamcorper a.
"THE ACCENT FONT IS AVENIR NEXT CONDENSED. IT IS USED IN MEDIUM AND BOLD WEIGHT FOR THE SECONDARY CAPTIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY. "
Branding// Typography
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Block Quote, 80pt
abcdefghijklmnopqr stuvwxyz .,:;!?{} Header, 50pt
abcdefghijkl mnopqrstuv wxyz .,:;!?{} 0123456789
Sub-Header 16pt
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Sub-Header 2, 13pt
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Body,
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Italicized Caption,
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
CAPITALIZED CAPTION, 10PT
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Caption, 10pt
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Biliography Body, 8pt
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
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Branding // Color
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CHERRY BLOSSOM #FEE8D8 BLUSH #FDCFAC CRUSH #F7945F CITRINE #F68723 CARNELIAN #CE4627 BURNT VERMILLION #9B3920 DRIED ROSE #722615 WILLOW #8A752D SPRIG #5C5021 HEMP SEED #242714 LUSH #3D3C1B
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The photography style is soft and muted with a touch of grain.
Branding // Photography Style
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Olive-toned desaturated greens, purple undertones, soft grain and an overall wash of warmth make Naturliste Apothecary's photos unique and approachable.
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Lifestyle
Product
Rich, warm tones and muted highlights.
Moody lighting, soft focus, warm undertones.
Branding // Photography Examples
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Portrait Landscape Lush and full, muted greens, soft tones.
Short depth of field, soft natural light, warm tones.
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Mark 46
keting 47
Market Research: Ritual Provisions Ritual provisions is a spiritually aligned business that hand pours candles based on the cycles of the moon. Their branding is rich and minimal and their product photography is excellent.
Marketing// Research: Product
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Packaging Research: Aesop Aesop is one of the most well known and successful beauty and wellness brands in the world and this is partly because of their beautifully minimal packaging and innovative interior design. When researching brands, I referred back to their brand for the market standard.
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Market Research:
Web Platforms
Naturaliste Apothecary believes in market community instead of market competition. Mind Body Green and Black Girl in Om are two websites who have similar audiences, content and mission statements as Naturaliste Apothecary. Mind Body Green is a digital magazine that focuses on health, wellness and spiritual practice. Their clean, minimal interface and beautiful typography were an inspiration for the design of the website.
mind body green Marketing// Research: Web
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black girl in om
Black Girl in Om is an online web platform created by Black woman for Black women. Their content focuses on interviewing Black women in health, wellness and small business. They were an inspiration for me of a sucessful, well-branded web platform for a Black audience.
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Photography moodboard
Marketing// Photography Moodboard
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Potential Stockists
These stores were chosen for their current selection of small batch apothecary products and dedication to stocking local / small businesses.
Marketing// Stockists
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Packa 56
aging 57
Packaging // Body Scrub
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Sensual Bath Scrub Description
Ingredients
This love inspired bath scrub naturally invokes feelings of sensuality and intimacy. An arousing blend of almond, avocado, rosewood, neroli and sandalwood oils, perfectly paired with Himalayan pink salt, for a pleasing sensual scrub.
2 part sea salt 1 part Himalayan salt 2 part oil bend 2ď™ƒ-30 rosewood, neroli, and sandalwood
Packaging
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Regenerating Beard Oil Description The Beard Oil is designed to moisturize the beard and stimulate growth. A mixture of penetrating essential and carrier oils, this mixture is great for the skin and hair.
Ingredients Castor oil- used for hair growth, anti bacterial, high in vitamin e Almond oil- hypoallergenic, gentle Argan oil- it’s a penetrating oil, vitamin E is good for hair growth Hemp oil- hair growth, blood circulation Jojoba oil- balances oil production, keeps acne under control 4 drops sandalwood  drops cedar and saffron-scent 2 drops vetiver- preservation 1 drop tea tree- anti fungal, anti bacterial
Packaging // Beard Oil
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Packaging
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Packaging // Candles
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Ritual Candles Description Our candles are inspired by the natural environment of Roots women. Our scent is a mixture of burning incense, fresh cut flowers and your grandmother’s favorite perfume. With pure essential oil blends from natures most potent and protective plant, these candles are designed to help you feel rooted and relaxed.
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Revitalizing Hair Growth Oil
Description This hair oil is designed to moisturize, revitalize and stimilate hair growth by nourishing the scalp. A blend of penetrating oils, this product seals in moisture and makes hair shine.
Ingredients Rosewood essential oil Lavender essential oil Black seed oil Castor oil Jojoba oil Almond oil Argan oil
Packaging // Hair Oil
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Packaging
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Packaging // Body Oil
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Protective Body Oil Description
Ingredients
A mixture of sage, cloves, tea tree and rose, this blend infuses some of nature’s most grounding and cleansing plants to provide physical and energetic protection. Apply to the back of the neck and pulse points.
Castor oil Almond oil Hemp oil Sage essential oil Cloves essential oil Tea Tree essential oil Rose maroc fragrance oil
Packaging
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Bibliog 68
graphy 69
Works Cited Adegoke, Yomi. “’Jesus Hasn’t Saved Us’: The Young Black Women Returning to Ancestral Religions.” Broadly. Vice, 13 Sept. 2016. Web. Arroyo, Stephen, and Jerilynn Marshall. Chart Interpretation Handbook: Guidelines for Understanding the Essentials of the Birth Chart. N.p.: CRCS Publications, 1989. Print. Collins, Sam P.K. “What Happened When Scientists Put African Americans on an African Diet and Africans on an American diet.” ThinkProgress. ThinkProgress, 15 May 2015. Web. Editors. “Dogon.” Art & Life in Africa - The University of Iowa Museum of Art. University of Iowa Museum of Art, n.d. Web. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Dogon.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. “Gays: Guardians of the Gates.” MenWeb - Men’s Issues: Gays: Guardians of the Gate Interview with Malidoma Somé. N.p., n.d. Web. Haas, Saumya Arya. “What Is Voodoo? Understanding a Misunderstood Religion.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 Feb. 2011. Web. Hope, Murry. The Psycholog y of Ritual. N.p.: Element, 1988. Print. Kenner, Corrine. Tarot and Astrolog y: Enhance Your Readings with the Wisdom of the Zodiac. N.p.: Llewellyn Publications, 2011. Print.
Mashurova, Nini. “A Walk Through Zion with Princess Nokia - Features.” Impose Magazine. Impose, 20 Jan. 2015. Web. McConnachie, James. “Tarot Cards: A Tool of Cold Tricksters or Wise Therapists? – James McConnachie | Aeon Essays.” Aeon. Aeon, 22 Oct. 2017. Web. Mitchell, Travis. “Many Countries Favor Specific Religions, Officially or Unofficially.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. PEW Research, 03 Oct. 2017. Web. Riley, Jana. Tarot Dictionary and Compendium. N.p.: U S Games Systems, 1999. Print. Some, Malidoma Patrice. Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman. N.p.: Penguin, 1995. Print. Some, Sobonfu. The Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient African Teachings in the Ways of Relationships. N.p.: Quill, 2002. Print. VivaShanna Collins | October 10, 2016 - 9:46 Am. “Reclaiming Black Girl Magic Through Ancestral Religion.” Vibe. N.p., 21 Oct. 2016. Web. Wasserman, James. Art and Symbols of the Occult. N.p.: Tiger International, 1993. Print. Ziegler. “Tarot: Mirror of the Soul: Handbook for the Aleister Crowley Tarot Paperback – November 4, 2011.” Tarot: Mirror of the Soul: Handbook for the Aleister Crowley Tarot: Gerd Ziegler: 9780877286837: Amazon. com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web.a
Lipinski, Jed. “A Visit From the Devil.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 July 2013. Web. Magesa, Laurenti. What Is Not Sacred?: African Spirituality. N.p.: Acton, 2014. Print.
Bibliography// Works Cited
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Inforgraphic Sources Bailey, Diane Blackmon. “Black Pharaohs: The Kings of Kush - Eg ypt’s 25th Dynasty.” EURweb. N.p., 01 Mar. 2016. Web. Boyle, Christina. “Mag : Racism Kept Black Pharaohs’ Role Unsung.” NY Daily News. N.p., 20 Jan. 2008. Web. Griaule, Marcel. Conversations with Ogotemmeli: An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas. N.p.: Published for the International African Institute by the Oxford UP, 1970. Print.
Osahon, Naiwu. “Arabs’ Mortal Hatred And Enslavement Of The Black Race.” Modern Ghana. Modern Ghana, 08 July 2015. Web. U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, n.d. Web. Yronwood, Catherine. “HOODOO, CONJURE, and ROOTWORK.” Hoodoo - Conjure - Rootwork: -- Definition and History. N.p., n.d. Web.
Haas, Saumya Arya. “What Is Voodoo? Understanding a Misunderstood Religion.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 Feb. 2011. Web. Hope, Murry. The Psycholog y of Ritual. N.p.: Element, 1988. Print. Hill, Margari. “The Spread of Islam in West Africa: Containment, Mixing, and Reform from the Eighth to the Twentieth Century.” FSI | SPICE. Stanford University, Jan. 2009. Web. Hurston, Zora. “Hoodoo in America.” The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 44, no. 174, 1931, pp. 317–417. June-Friesen, Katy. “An Ancestry of African-Native Americans.” Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. Leander. “Africa Timeline.” South African History Online. N.p., 12 June 2017. Web. Morton, Ella. “This Small Desert Region Has More Pyramids Than All of Eg ypt.” Slate Magazine. N.p., 29 Aug. 2014. Web.
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Thank you. My mother Dana my grandparents, Dana and Palmer Amelia and Edward my brother Elijah and all of the ancestors who came before me who made this work possible. My advisors and mentors: Natalia Illyin Saki Mafundikwa Elizabeth Patterson Dan Shafer Gayna Williams Star Rush Storme Webber Vanessa and Erik Molano Phelicia Magnussen Jarrad Powell The inspiring women of WOCSO: Yin, Patti, Zarna, Afrin
The gracious team at SAM, especially David Rue and Pam McClusky. The amazing team at Moorea Seal All the friends who’ve supported me through the years: Hanna Micaela Lili’u Xavier Mariama Steph Alaji Elijah Yousuf Adam Hanan My wonderful models Helena Akira Deborah September Simba
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