How Just Bee Loved Started
Hi & welcome to our blog.
I'm Yasmin, Founder of Just Bee Loved.
I've never written a blog before, and so it seems appropriate that our first one should be a friendly introduction and to share with you how I came about establishing Just Bee Loved from an inspired idea in 2014, to where we are today and where we hope to be in the near future.
A little about me... aside from now focusing on running Just Bee Loved to be a successful viable business, and having had a career within a few different fields (mainly media, the arts and international cultural relations), I tend to describe myself as a landscape & nature photographer/artist (Blue Spirit Photography) and a hobbyist beekeeper.
Born and living in Wales, I'm a blessed mother and grandmother of two beautiful grandchildren. In between spending time with my family, taking pictures, running Just Bee Loved and caring for my bees, I enjoy learning Japanese, experiencing and learning about different cultures of the world, listening to music and all things sci-fi (particularly Star Trek - yes! I've been an old-time trekkie since the 1970s!).
How "Just Bee Loved" started... back in 2014, I was venturing out to take some photographs on what was a beautiful sunny afternoon. My theme for the day "purple in nature" had been inspired by a friend's favourite colour. I didn't know at that time that bees are most attracted to all shades of purple flowers.
Came across my favourite flower, some orchids getting ready to bloom, and purple too! Yay! But instead of being enraptured just by these lovely purple orchids, I became fascinated with watching a foraging bumble bee; and got lost in contemplation as I watched one of nature's most loveliest relationships unfolding.
My "purple in nature" session became my "beeloved" session, and to cut a long story short, from that day on, I became interested in learning and researching everything about bees; setting up Just Bee Loved two-months after that inspired session.
In the beginning, mainly focused on creating home decor pieces, candles and greeting cards for both adults and children, but as time went on, this broadened out to include much more. I even got my mother on board, who is a seamstress and craft artist and who makes all of our handmade to order items featured in our Bee Inspired collection.
In 2016, joined the British Beekeepers Association, took beekeeping courses at my local club and received my first colony soon after; given to me by my good friend and fellow beekeeper, Bryn. Had initially planned to launch Just Bee Loved later that year, but life threw an unexpected curveball, forcing me to put it on hold until things became more settled. It wasn't until the end of 2018, that I was able to pick up from where had left off; from that idea that turned into a dream in 2014, Just Bee Loved finally launched October 2019!
As I look back on the journey taken to reach here, in some ways it reminds me of when I first received my nuc of bees. A small but hopeful colony of approximately 3000 bees whose future relied (in no small part) on the care of an inexperienced beekeeper. But, when there is sincere care and respect at the heart, learning and determination as the driving force, small and weak can thrive to become big and strong.
Watching my now 60,000+ bees at the bottom of my garden inspires me everyday and keeps me hopeful that Just Bee Loved will thrive in the same way.
Next blog:
Natural Beekeeping In The City
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