Two Pieces of My Heart, Together in One Heartbeat (Lets Play Catch Up)

Happy weekend afternoon!

Before I continue onward with the rest of my posts. I think it would be best to give this blog a chance to breathe and catch up. It's been almost 7 years since the first post was made here and so much has changed since.

This blog began with the name Tea Spectral. In 2012 this was a perfect explanation for me; flitting about on the regular from tea shop to tea shop.It had become a lifestyle for me. Trying every tea that I could get my hands on was a major part of my life. It was an escape from the struggles that I had when I returned back home. I won't go into detail, as I think sharing about it would aid no good at this point. Blogging was in its heyday around this time, and to see how others lived really gave me a sense of hope. The idea of seeing different alternative lifestyles to myself really allowed me to question what was out there for me. Since tea was something that brought be so much happiness I thought of nothing better than to open a blog to share my tea experiences with others. Tea Spectral was a life land marker for me, a totem in of good in my life which I could return to and share with others.

Five years later, things were looking up. Azure Lorica (my non-profit) was doing well, Eugene and I had finally gotten married, I was starting to get a better understanding of what my professional calling was. My curiosity with tea was also at a higher peak than ever. I had gotten my first Tea Sommelier certification, and I found myself investing myself into understanding the tea industry. At the time I was working as a media manager at a very big tea shop, and I found myself learning the process of selling tea on all levels. I was enthralled with the inner workings of it and all of the moving pieces behind the scenes. As a hobby I would start to create my own blends. 

Tea Spectral was waiting corner stage. We were looking for other alternatives to grow our nonprofit. By this point I was blending teas on and off pretty regularly. It was then I thought of creating a business plan for Azure Lorica where I would blend teas that we could turn for a profit to fund more of our events. Much research went into it, and after learning about all the technical details to make this a reality, our non-profit's board overall agreed that it was beneficial not only for myself and in turn the company that I create this tea blending company as a separate entity. It was all there in front of me, a strong support group, years of research and experience, and a tailored business plan. Setting up a business that shared my love of tea with the rest of the world was too good to resist.


So here we are a year later. I'm looking forward to showing a more transparent version of myself and the behind-the-scenes for Tea Spectral on this blog. The Tea Hauntier will allow me to continue the vision and share of positivity of a tea centered lifestyle that I envisioned when I first started it.It will also be wonderful to share a little peak of the process of growing this unique business, in turn allowing me to stay transparent and in check. Thank you so much for joining me!

Cheers!

Overcoming my fear of personalbility.

Last week, I joined some of you on Miss Mary Lu's channel in a live stream. I answered some questions and listened to your opinions on things to make the Tea Spectral store grow. I was also completely terrified. Finally, the public could see the face behind my brand.

I've shown my face on this blog, with press conferences with Azure Lorica, and have even been on local television and radio on a few occasions. So why was I so scared to go live and meet some of you? It may sound silly now, but the honest answer to this question was a fear of judgement.

Yes, the thing that invites the trolling internet to your door step from under their bridges. I was (for the most part) in a bubble of bliss online with my general content. I steered away from that sort of negativity, and did for quite some time. After the fiasco of my anime convention, Ninja-Con, taking a nose dive a good handful of the internet community, which then went on a witch hunt after me. I didn't want to participate with the drama, and chose to go MIA.

I deleted most of my social media accounts.

Fast forward to about three years later: I decided to finally pursue my dreams of creating a tea company. My blends and photos on the ingredients were going to speak for me, creating the 'face' of the brand. It's been about a year since that launch, in April 2018, and the teas have been received well. Tea Spectral, overall has grown to be such a positive success in the time that it has been running.

As if life decided to pull a trick on me, the people that I met online to do business with were, for the majority, pleasant individuals. In the year that I worked hard doing what I love I had created the internet community opposite to the one I had experienced. Influencers, bloggers, press, and customers: these titles all distilled to a pure truth: that they were looking for exactly what I was. We were all looking for the positive in the mundane. We had desired to bring good into the vast monster that digital communication had become.

Cue Mary Lu: Whom I met for the first time at Azure Lorica's Fan Film Awards. After watching some of her YouTube Positivitea Podcasts I decided she was a great fit to invite as a guest speaker. Anti-bullying has always been the underlying theme of this festival, showing the humanity in superheroes that we looked up to. We wanted to drive this home to the community, and a spoonful of Positivitea was just the right flavor. We talked casually. After knowing Mary for a bit now, I realize the beauty of her, as a person, is that desire to connect to people on a heartfelt level. Though I was unaware, the seed was planted.

A couple of months later, she did not hesitate at the idea of her merchandise handled by Tea Spectral. I gratefully accepted and we got to work. I fought my insecurities the whole way through the process, as the momentum triggered my flashbacks from working at Ninja-con. Working with someone as loving as Mary acted as a healing process, pulling me farther away from my fears and self-doubt. In this space that we created, we both thrived.

The Tea Time Fam Collection sold out in 9 hours of it's launch. Then the second batch sold out in 10 days. We were not expecting the power of this community that we belonged to. All of you responded with in such a resounding supportive strength that blew us away. The feedback was overwhelming, I knew then that something had to be done. I had to, at the very least say, thank you to all of you in the most sincere way that I could. So I asked Mary if I could join her in one of her live streams to say thank you.

That Sunday, I exposed myself to the world: I was the face of Tea Spectral. After this, I knew I could no longer hide. Half way through that stream, I realized that I no longer had to. Why wouldn't I want to say hello to all of you? To listen to you and thank you? To share my thoughts and opinions with you in a constructive manner. At the end of it all, it's the community you chose. In turn, you carry the responsibility to nurture that community as well.

With that being said:

Hello, please call me Stef. I am the Tea Hauntier. This blog used to be called Tea Spectral, but that name has since grown into the brand of my beloved tea company. I look forward to sharing more of my thoughts and opinions with you. Thank you so much for breathing courage into me again. I have found my voice once more.

Cheers!

For those of you who did not catch my live stream with Miss Mary Lu, here is the recorded video:

Happy Hufflepuff Pride Day! : What bearing the Hufflepuff name means to me.

I'm excited to say that at this very moment as I write this, I am enjoying the scenery of Hogs Head Pub in Hogsmeade. Relaxing to the sounds of the Harry Potter soundtrack, sipping on my first try of Boddington's Beer from a tankard. I am so grateful for the fact that this place has wifi and with a laptop in hand, this has become my highly aesthetic fantasy cafe weekly. I am so thankful for the gift of having annual passes to such a place!

Adding to this hyper nerd girl overload once a week, I would never be caught without my house colors. Be it through a sweater, a scarf, or my owl Ravioli, I wear the coat of black and yellow as a Hufflepuff with pride. But aside from my age, and the years that I had the opportunity to revel in my Harry Potter fandom, this is a new addition to my enthusiasm as a nerd.

 So as it is officially Hufflepuff Pride Day I thought I should share my little story as to why a ficticious school house, has changed the way that I have started to see things this year.

1. It all began at a very unlikely place. I had just finished celebrating my birthday in my usual style. I meet up with a close group of my friends for brunch at the Raymond's. The special thing about this day was that my dear friend Jon, whom I hadn't seen since my wedding flew out of town as a surprise for the weekend! After the brunch, we went about sight seeing and decided to catch a movie. Sara, the potterhead among us asked that we watch Fantastic Beasts. Seeing my affection for the 20s and 30s era, I did not object. By sundown we made ourselves cozy in our seats at one of my favorite little theaters. What we saw in the next couple of hours was going to change my feelings of the Rowling's wizarding universe forever.

2. Newt as a hero is pretty revolutionary. If you think about it, Newt doesn't go off to make his presence known in the story. Yet as he is drawn front and center with conflict, he sticks behind his beliefs with a passion. The supporting characters that join Newt in the story are also wonderful! While watching the film, I couldn't help but appreciate their driving forces being pure and real intentions.

Here is a great video article explaining the part that Newt plays in the cinema, representing the lead male figure:


 

I am not here to complain or drag the Harry Potter series through the mud, and without going into too much detail as that is not the point of this post. But as I start to read the books, and have finished all the films, I cannot seem to connect to the characters. All of the characters to me just seem conveniently placed their to drive the story. That as a writer makes me sad! What I look for in my reading are characters that are driven to stay close to their convictions regardless of what adverse things lay ahead. (I'm hoping that this changes as I go through the rest of the books. I'm starting book 3.)

One thing I will say, I am completely in love with the beauty of the world that Rowling has created. And how much tenderness and detail that she has taken in creating it. It continues to inspire me daily. And I love discovering more about it. 

 

3. Then I found out that I was a Hufflepuff. It was only a matter of time when I wanted to find out what house I would have been in if I were to attend Hogwarts. I wasn't too surprised that I had joined my ranks with the most accepting house. (Fun fact: I was off by 2 percent in becoming a Gryfindor) The more that I explored the house the more that I started to fall in love with it. Celebrating traits such as loyalty and hard work are what I'm all about!

4. That's when I decided to request for Universal Studio passes. I couldn't think of a better gift than allowing myself to get lost a fantasy world that was practically in my backyard. With all the new changes in my life it has proved to be quite the treat. I find that speaking with other Hufflepuff's in the park and online has become a fun community.

To me being a Hufflepuff has become the embodiment of reaching out to others. It has become a new conversation piece with fellow bibliophiles and others that love falling in love with magic and wonder. It has also reminded me of the joy in working hard to attain your goals.

I wish everyone a wonderful Hufflepuff Pride Day, and Hogwarts Pride week!

Cheers!

Stef