The Questions with Julie Almand of The Verdant Maiden
Owner/Curator at The Verdant Maiden
@theverdantmaiden
www.theverdantmaiden.com
Where were you raised? Has the landscape of that place influenced your work in any way?
I was raised in South Texas. We moved around A LOT. I think I went to about 13 different schools between Kinder and 12th grade. I'm not sure if it influences my work. It's something I haven't really considered before. Perhaps it makes me grateful for the things I have access to because of my work. I get the opportunity to be discerning now, more educated about ingredients and how they affect our bodies.
What book are you reading?
Oh gosh, I have like five books open and only partially read, the three I can think of... The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, These Precious Days by Ann Patchett, and Want by Gillian Anderson. I really need to get around to reading them.
What was the last thing you fell in love with?
A 9 week old baby whose mother came to visit the shop. new baby smell, so small, so sweet. Made my month!
How do you re-charge your creative battery?
Travel, music (it's always playing in the background), museums, a mix of silence and thought-provoking conversation with my closest friends.
What do you love most about yourself?
I love my ability to think outside the box. To see a different perspective than others. I feel like it's a strong suit of mine and I like that.
THE GORGEOUS SHOP 2 Union St Nantucket, MA
When and where were you happiest?
This is a tricky question for me to answer. If I had to be brutally honest, the weekend I got married, in San Antonio, April 2019. I'm no longer married, but that was the happiest day. Everyone I love was there. I've been happy on and off since then, of course. But so far, that takes the cake, even if everything is different now.
We have 24 hours in your city... What should we do?
Nantucket for 24 hours! We must... get breakfast and a coffee at Born & Bread (they brew Atomic Roasters, my favorite!), walk around town, visit The Verdant Maiden (of course!) and a few of my favorite shops: Jennifer Greenwood Jewelry, Space, The Hospital Thrift. Then we'd grab sandwiches at Something Natural or Claudette's and go for a walk! After a shower and a change, we'd go to Ethos for wine, cheeseboard and snacks, then out of town to Pi Pizzeria to enjoy my two most favorite things on their menu: Chicken Piccata and the Gambella pizza. I guess a lot of my favorite things to do here are centered around eating. Ha!
What do you most dislike?
Not being "good" at feeling my feelings. My brain is on all of the time, so analytical, so it doesn't really come easily. It's something I'm working on. I want to be better at it.
What do you do for yourself when you’re having a hard day?
A sweet treat (ice cream for lunch or I'll make my "famous" skillet cookie), a long shower and lots of sleep. Have you ever seen those memes about Aquarians and their love of being in bed? Yep, that's me, even on a good day.
Before I die I want to....
learn to feel the feels, be doing something I love (which I am!), and have a small house or cottage with a garden (flowers and vegetables) with animals and lots of peace and quiet.
MY VERDANT MAIDEN WISH LIST
8 Days LOVE Restorative Body Butter SOLD OUT but I am keeping my fingers crossed for more!
