Rosé + Thorns
Join Dr. P. Ryan and friends in unpacking the highs and lows of life, culture, and relationships—open conversations with no off-limits topics.
Rosé + Thorns
Charismatic Creations (feat. @cocktailswithchrissym)
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Happy Valentine’s weekend, lovebugs! I’m so glad I got the chance to chat with Chrissy M., a rising entrepreneur who puts charisma in every one of her charismatic cocktails. We talked about her business journey, her commitment to community, her determination during Covid, and much more. Grab a glass and get into this episode! 🖤
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and tell your fellow bartenders about the show.
You can follow and keep up with Chrissy M. on Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to check out her charismatic craft drinks, mixers, and other products and services through Instagram, Twitter, and the Charismatic Creations website.
You can follow and keep up with Rosé + Thorns on Instagram and Twitter.
You can also follow and connect with P. Ryan on Instagram and Twitter.
How's your heart?
SPEAKER_00Um it is it's beating.
SPEAKER_01You ready? It's Roseanne Thorns. Hey Love Bugs, and welcome to another episode of the Roseanne Thorns podcast. I am P. Ryan. And girl, listen, I know it's the Valentine's weekend, and I decided to give y'all a little gift. Now, some of y'all, well, it's the quarantine, so y'all not going out. Some of y'all might be, but shame on you. Okay. Some of y'all will be going out for dinner. Some of y'all will be going out for jewelry shopping. Some of y'all will be, you know, whining and dining your loved ones or yourself, right? For us single folk. But there is no Valentine's Day celebration without a good cocktail or a good mocktail, if you're sober like me. And so today I have gardener, mixologist, and cocktail experience curator here with me. Everyone, welcome, Miss Christy M.
SPEAKER_00Hey. Hey. I love that.
SPEAKER_01That was such a mouthful.
SPEAKER_00It's like the quiet storm.
SPEAKER_01She's here. She's here. Thank you so much for being a part of this show. I'm super excited to talk about you, to talk about your business, to just build community around drinks, cocktails and mocktails.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm happy to be here. Thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Now, the way we kind of kick things off is by just having the guests share a little bit about themselves. And so tell the people about yourself.
SPEAKER_00Yay. So my name is Chrissy. I'm a Prince George's County native. I attended the University of Maryland. And while I was there, I was working in the hospitality industry. And so not thinking that it would go anywhere because I was just making money so I can buy my HM and Forever 21 dresses for the weekend, so I could get bottles for the weekends. And in 2017, I started Charismatic Creations after being behind the bar for like four years. And I've stayed in the area. I've traveled a lot just for like leisure, but um the DMV is home and I love it here. Um and my business is here.
SPEAKER_01Yes. So two things we can touch on. One, I too love the DMV. And I hope life brings me back there one of these days. But as of right now, you know, I'm a Georgia Peach. And the second thing is I love how you shared that this journey to kind of creating cocktails and moving, having this experience kind of behind the bar was something that you didn't really think was going to kick off, but it really was a journey of just figuring out how you align to this practice. And even though it wasn't something planned, I want to highlight for you that, you know, it really touches lives. So I will say that we went to the University of Maryland at the same time. That's how we know each other. But after graduation, you know, you went about your life, I went about my life. But as I shared with you off air, I got kind of like, you know, a front seat at your life through Instagram. And one thing that really inspired me in your journey, there was a time when I was pursuing um education where your girl was broke. Okay. And when I say broke, I mean broke, broke. Yeah. And so I'm sitting here like, Lord, what I'm finna do for a little change. Like, do you want me to be a hoe? Am I about to be a video vixen? Like, what is popping? Right. And so I'm praying and scrolling through Instagram, and I see you on the news. Um, it was like a local news station mixing up cocktails. And I'm like, Lord, should I be a bartender? And so I rustled up the little money that I had, and I was like, I'm gonna do this. And you're you inspired me to go and get licensed as a bartender. Oh, that's dope. So I want to give you your flowers and say thank you. Now, if you ask me about what I did with that license, I got embarrassed. That's what I did. Okay, because the bar life is not easy.
SPEAKER_00No, it's not. Oh my God, that's so funny.
SPEAKER_01Girl, I just had to say thank you so very much for that inspiration, for kind of pushing me into a new field. And again, I am so proud to see your journey in this area, in this field. And so before we actually talk about what you do, I would love to play a little game with you. Okay. All right. So your charismatic creations, love, love, love down. What I love about it is you create these interesting mixes, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and the packaging, A1. What I love about the packaging is how on each thing it describes like, you know, what mixture we're kind of ingesting, what mixture we're about to drink, but it also has like a cute picture with a specific celebrity or kind of like a movie. And so I wanted to play a game with you where I name out a celebrity and you tell me what cocktail, what mixture you would make based on the celebrity. And now it's not gonna be an A-lister like Beyonce or you know J Lo or Mariah. I know that you are a fan of the Housewives series franchise.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01And so I'm gonna call out some housewives names, yeah. And I'll ask you, you know, what mixture would you make? All right, so let's start off. You ready?
SPEAKER_00Oh, I'm ready.
SPEAKER_01The OG, Lenetia Nini Leaks.
SPEAKER_00That is my girl. Bring my okay, side note, bring my girl back, anyways. And honestly, if I was doing a cocktail for Nini, it would be more very spirit forward, less on juice, more of like on the infusion of like floral and herbaceous notes, because Nini is straight no chaser. And so for me, I want everyone to when they taste this cocktail, so it could be spare forward, like here you go. But yes, it has some nice floral notes and herbaceous notes for people to be like, Oh, it was some infusion going on, but we're not here to play.
SPEAKER_01Some infusions going on, but we ain't here to play. Heard you. Cheers to the girls' weekend. That's what Limi said. Yes, all right. Here's our second one. Now, this one she causes a lot of controversy. Okay, can I speak? Controversy. Monique Samuels from Housewives of Potomac.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yes, Monique. Monique, um, I would definitely do some sort of like vodka martini because I know my girl likes lemon drops.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00When she got caught up with all them lemon drops. Um, some sort of like vodka martini, a little fruity. Definitely add um a black-eyed Susan because she's the housewife of Maryland, and that's the Maryland flower. So maybe I'll garnish it with the black-eyed Susan.
SPEAKER_01I love that. You're teaching me something. I don't know who Susan is, and I've been living in Maryland for quite some time before this move to Atlanta. Yes, amen. All right, here's a curveball. You ready?
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01Housewives of Potomac, but not a housewife. What drink would you craft around Michael Darby?
SPEAKER_00Or housewife, because he should be um a glass and keep the drama coming for it. So he might as well be a housewife. Okay. Um, since um Michael loves a good corona, I would make Michael a Corona Reader.
SPEAKER_01You are speaking my language since he loves a good corona. Any flavors with it?
SPEAKER_00Nah, he don't get no, he don't get nothing great with me. Okay, go over there and drink your corona reader and get out of women's business.
SPEAKER_01Stay out of women's business again.
SPEAKER_00Okay, yes, a corona reader.
SPEAKER_01Since we already opened the door to Mess, let's take a small curve. Monique or Candace?
SPEAKER_00Monique, absolutely, and this is why you're on the show.
SPEAKER_01We see each other, okay?
SPEAKER_00I see you, you see me, we see each other. Yes. If you're gonna run your mouth, there's a possibility that you could get your ass beat. Yeah, and I'm not saying that fighting is cool, but I mean, if you ask somebody to drag you and they drag you, request granted.
SPEAKER_01That's that's it.
SPEAKER_00The door is open, okay? Not closed. Yes, the door is open, and that's it.
SPEAKER_01Oh, thank you so much for indulging me in this little show.
SPEAKER_00Now, listen, that's my favorite pastime.
SPEAKER_01Yes, the housewives is also my favorite pastime. We could talk about all the franchises, I would be down. Okay. Shout out to Maryam Cosby.
SPEAKER_00Yes. That that oh honey, the style is not there. I mean, the designer is, but the style is it's not there. The door is closed.
SPEAKER_01Listen, it's always a tragedy when you have the coins, but you don't have the style. But we're keeping her lifted. She's a pastor, she knows about prayer. We're gonna keep her lifted. Urge you now. Thank you so much for showing us your skill when it comes to creating cocktails, but you are much more than a bartender, you are a full-fledged entrepreneur, and your business is everything. Okay, so then let's just jump into it and talk about it. Charismatic creations. How did you get to this point?
SPEAKER_00Um, honestly, one of the biggest reasons why I got to this point was one, I wanted to be in charge of my income.
unknownCharge.
SPEAKER_00And two, I wanted to build a space where I was my authentic self. And when you're in corporate life, they always say, show up as your authentic, authentic self, show up as your authentic self. And then when you are your authentic self, they're like, Oh, this black girl is alive. You better know if we can promote her, she's alive, and so um, with that, and then me wanting to just be like, I know if I work this hard, I can make a life that I want to live. I would rather do that. Um, and then like the it was just great that me being able to curate cocktails allowed me to curate this life that I'm starting to live and starting to enjoy. Um, in 2017, I really didn't know. So January 2017 is when I started the business. And I didn't know where it would go. I just knew I wanted to bartend for people at their events and help curate and experience at their events rather than me crafting a cocktail behind the bar. You say hello to me, we chit-chat, and then you leave. I wanted to like be more a part of your drinking experience. And then also you being a part of it because I'm teaching you about it a little bit. I'm allowing you some creative space with helping me curate the cocktail so you're more involved. Um, and then also I wanted to make sure that I supported my local food systems with the cocktail mixer, the non-alcoholic cocktail mixers, and the bottle cocktails. I grew up with a garden. My father has a landscaping company, so I've always been like, in a sense, deeply rooted. But I just didn't know how to get back to it because I lost it. I was in college having fun. High school, I went to boarding school. So I didn't really have a garden anymore or connected to the to land anymore. So I was just like, if they never hire me for the event, at least they can have my brand at home with them. And then by me supporting these local gardens and farms, I'm able to still be connected to land. And it's like, it's amazing. This, what I never thought would be lucrative or refreshing, is something that's lucrative and refreshing. And I love you.
SPEAKER_01I absolutely love it. I'm obsessed. Oh my goodness, I'm freaking out. Let's rewind a little bit because as soon as you started talking, you hit on something that is so wild and so true. So these corporations, when we kind of work in corporate America, when we work in the system that exists currently, they push, especially in today's age, they push for quote unquote diversity. They push for you being your authentic self. And when you bring that authenticity to the workspace, it's kind of like wait a minute, pause. You're doing a little bit too much.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And it was like when the white colleagues would bring their authentic selves to work, they could see them as drunk Molly at happy hour. And they could also see them as um decision-making Molly when you're in the boardroom. But if I'm at happy hour and I'm drunk Chrissy, there's no duality with black people. They say, well, if she's drunk Chrissy, then or loud Chrissy, then she's going to be drunk and loud in front of stakeholders. And it's unfair. And I'll and it just really, really, really bothered me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And so then that pushed you to kind of create your own path and do your own thing. Now I'm assuming for you to have such a booming business, it takes a team. Yes. Yeah. And so having that experience of okay, we want you to be authentic, but when you actually are authentic, we want to put a lid on it. How does that shape the ways you show up as a boss? Um, and the ways that you show up with kind of your team and and your interactions there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So one of the ways I showed up differently was in 2019, I rebranded. And so I rebranded with the silhouette of my afro on all of my bottles and all of my everything. And so for me, I wanted like clients to see this is a black girl with afro. Yes, it's blonde, but she has an afro. And then this is a black company, and then I also wanted the bartenders to work with me to be like, I can be black when I come to work. Obviously, the clients and the customers, the hospitality in it always comes first. Um, because this is what we're doing. But I want you to be black, and I changed the dress code, sort of say. So when we worked events, um, since I love sneakers and I express myself through my sneakers, I'll allow them to wear any kind of safe sneaker that spoke to them when they woke up. They went to an event. So, whatever sneaker you want to wear today, as long as it's closed toe, go forward, show your authentic self. Um, and I show up like that. My team right now, um I have bartenders under me, but since COVID is different, um, has changed a lot of things. We don't really work and see each other as much. But um, one has transitioned to help me out in the warehouse. And one thing that she always says to me is like, you are you. And I love that. Um, sometimes when you are you, sometimes when you're not you, people aren't able to be themselves. And so since I am me, she's like, I've gotten to know her so much more because she says she's comfortable around me, and that just meant a lot to me. Because that means I'm showing up as myself.
SPEAKER_01This is really jacking me up because there's a conversation that I've been having outside of Roseanne Thorns with just other professionals, and that conversation centers around the fact that your honesty, your authenticity allows and gives permission for other people to be just as authentic. And without us even having that conversation, you just name that. You name that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I mean that for me, I have like great business um mentors around me who I mirror and um allow me to just move in this space to be myself and to learn from them because they are themselves.
SPEAKER_01Yes, I absolutely love it. Now we talked about kind of the structure of the business. Can we get into the actual product?
SPEAKER_00Yes, we could get into it.
SPEAKER_01Okay. I'm a stan.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_01Now I talked about how you have alcoholic beverages that you bottle and that you sell to individuals. You have kind of this component of catering where you can show up to an event and you create mixed cocktails. Here's why I completely stan your brand as well. I'm in a sober season right now, and so I'm trying my hardest, you know, not to hit the wine, not to hit the dark liquor. And I looked at your site and I saw that you have alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, excuse me. And I just put in my order for two. One was the blueberry lavender mixture, I believe it was. You know? And when I was like browsing through, I saw that you also have a cranberry rosemary premium 16 ounce non-alcoholic fusion. Right now, as a cranberry lover, I was like, let me try that. And so I was really excited to get it, but I was also standing it because it's not only lining your pockets, but this bottle and this uh flavor in particular, 50% of the proceeds go to um, I hope I'm not mixing it up. It's Smile, S M Y A L, which is an organization that empowers LGBT youth. Also, you talked about um your connection to gardening and helping other um organizations in your community. 50% of the proceeds also goes to the DC Food Project, which provides nutritionist meals um for students and their families. And then also N Street Village, which is an organization that helps women make gains in their housing and in their income. And so I'm like, why would I not purchase this? Yes. And so you have a clear connection to activism, to social justice, not only in the way that you shape your organization, but literally in the products that you're giving people to purchase. Where does your heart for philanthropy come from?
SPEAKER_00Um, one, my parents. And two, um, when I went to Maryland, that was my major. So I majored in African American studies with a concentration in um what is it? Uh public policy. And so with that, um, it taught me a lot about um urban gardening and marginalized areas and how when you put your focus into those areas, how they change and how they grow. Um, so for me to be like, you know, we have to really focus on urban gardening and farmers because these local food systems help feed marginalized areas. And when it shouldn't like matter your zip code if you have access to fresh foods and ingredients. Um, and one of the major things is like these local food systems don't have access to capital, like other corporate big farming systems, because America is literally putting black and brown farmers out of business. And so for me, if I can do my part by one, making sure I locally source from them, and then two, making everyone aware that they're around, people would be more intentional to be like instead of going to a big box store to get my greens or my fruit, maybe I could just go down the street and get the veggies that are growing fresh by someone who looks like me. Um, so you know, it I really love the fact that like social justice from Maryland and me gardening and then me bartending has infused into this business that I am literally like helping to grow. And so one of the main reasons why I did non-alcoholic cocktail mixers, one, because the ones in store are just full of preservatives and artificial food coloring. That's why they couldn't get the chelps. And so I was like, well, at the time nobody was making non-alcoholic cocktail mixers. Now, with COVID, people are being creative and more bartenders are doing it. But when I was doing it, nobody was doing it and looking at me like I was crazy. And yes, they sat on the website forever, and sometimes I didn't get any sales, but I believed in it because I wanted people to be able to have a healthier premium cocktail mixer option. So when you come home, you can choose not to just have orange juice, you can have a rosemary, a cranberry rosemary martini, or a cranberry rosemary mocktail. Um, you know, just thinking outside the box because when your cocktail or mocktail is sexy, you feel sexy. Well, you feel relaxed. And I just want that to translate when you're at home because that's how I feel about them. That's why they're in glass bottles. They'll never be in plastic bottles.
SPEAKER_01I'm ready for my order because I'm trying to feel sexy. Okay. And I love that there are no artificial preservatives. So then I'm out here, you know, running and this thing will still help me stay snatched while I'm, you know, drinking all this good. All this good, good.
SPEAKER_00All that good, good. Yes. It's it's just really amazing how unfortunately I know the pandemic has hit people hard, but for me, it's really transformed my business. It's really allowed people to sit back and not just support a black business, but to want to pay more attention to the ingredients that are in their cocktail mixers or want to pay more attention to, oh, well, if she's supporting a local garden and I purchase, I mean, I'm supporting a local garden. Uh, so that connection just really brings people closer to the brand. And I love that it's translated that way.
SPEAKER_01I love how you presented that, you know, connectedness is a part of the brand and how you are really you're a member of the community pouring into the community as the community pours into you. And so it's creating this really beneficial dynamic for everyone. And it really reminds me of Issa Ray and how in one of her interviews, like years ago, she talked about how we have this culture in America of like, if we want to go further, we feel like we have to network up, right? And so if I'm a lawyer, I'm trying to network with like a judge. If I am in the fashion industry, I gotta go holler at somebody down to vogue. If I am a singer, where is Beyonce? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00That's all we need to look for, right? Right.
SPEAKER_01And so Issa said though, the way that she was able to move vertically is by moving horizontally. And so she really created her connections with the people who were around her at the same level, not trying to step on anybody, but trying to create a system where we can all move together. And if I feel like in hearing you talk, that really reflects kind of what you're doing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and my business cultivated with other Black businesses who've been doing it. So um I am a part of like a business social group. Um, and it's called the Spice Girls, and it's like 21 black women, and we pop up for free at this spice shop in DC. On a monthly basis, we have like recurring pop-ups. And so when I got my space, that's I started allowing black businesses to pop up here for free um on Saturdays to showcase their businesses, and so they can win. Because most of the time, like when you want to pop up somewhere, they're charging a fee, which is fine if you want to charge a fee. I understand, because you know you have to pay your bills too. Um, but for me, it's like a cooperative economics kind of situation. I help you, you help me, we help each other. When people come in here to shop with me, they'll see you, they'll shop with you. Or if your customers come in here and shop with you, they'll see me and want to shop with me. So there's no need to have a fee because you're already telling people about me because you're popping up here. And I just want to see more black businesses win. For me, some people say like black economics isn't gonna get us far. I think that is one of the main reasons why we will get far, is if we can be economically free. Like if I can make my own money and help another black person make their own money. And honestly, it doesn't even have to be them having their own business because everyone doesn't have to be an entrepreneur. But if I can help you feel free in what you love to do, you'll thrive. And I just really hope that like the other black businesses that come up under me, or the other black people who are still working their nine to fives, just really feel like when they are in charge of their income or their success, that they'll go far and they won't be like super stressful.
SPEAKER_01Yes, you better speak to me. I know somebody is blessed by this, I already know it. And you know, what I can't help but think about as you're speaking is the fact that the positivity that you put out there, the desire to see other people win, is really creating a force that is pushing you to win. And so I got super hype when I saw a couple weeks ago, months ago, what is time? Yeah, but some time ago, that was pretty recent, you were in the New York Times.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01And I read the article and I was literally just smiling down. Super proud of you. How did that feel?
SPEAKER_00It felt like indescribable. I couldn't even, I couldn't even describe how I felt, or even looking back on it. So I had an interview um with an editor, and I didn't know what, I didn't know where he was from. He um contacted me and said, is anyone available for an interview? And I replied, because you know, business owners small business owners are their admin and their social media person. So I replied, so yes, someone is available. And I gave him the number for the owner. And so he called and he was asking about the cocktail mixers and how there's a renaissance of this new cocktail mixer. Because uh 40 years ago, the cocktail mixer wasn't supposed to be great, it wasn't supposed to be fresh, it was supposed to help bartenders make drinks faster. And so now he's noticing this new renaissance of cocktail mixers where the craftsman is making them and they're fresh, um, and they're premium because they're made with love. So to know that like this top um cocktail bar editor looked out for me, asked for me to talk about my cocktail mixers being a part of this renaissance was just amazing. So I didn't know when it was gonna drop. I was actually on Instagram. Um, it was Monday, November 1st. No, it was no Monday, like I think it was November 30th. And it dropped, and someone commented under my post and said, Girl, you in the New York Times. Won't it be like that? And I just was overjoyed. Yeah, like my fiance was so happy, my mom was so happy, my dad was so happy, and I am just like, wow, when you are working and you don't think anyone's watching, everybody's watching, you're not selling shit, and your phone is like dry, your emails aren't popping, but you keep going, that is the character that builds you up. Where New York Times is like, I'm so excited that someone sees this too.
SPEAKER_01Yes, I can't be blind to this is a high moment. I can't be blind to the fact that this is a high moment, but that at the same time, there are moments that I'm hearing you talk about where it was just like, girl, ain't nobody buying this. I'm tired, right? We talked a little bit outside of this, you know, just to get bring the metaphor to the present. My heart is just beating and I'm just going forward. Yeah. And then let's add in this mess called Miss COVID.
unknownOh.
SPEAKER_01And how it's really turned things upside down. Even in this situation, I hear that, you know, COVID for you was uh a little bit of a silver lining because it allowed for this renaissance to happen, right? Where you can bring about these craft mixes. But as an entrepreneur, I know COVID must have hit pretty hard. And so, could you just tell us a little bit about how you've been impacted by this pandemic?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so the primary part of business was the services. So 2020 was full of weddings and baby showers and birthday parties and all different kinds of um celebrations. And then once everything shut down, the bookings either canceled or got rescheduled. So my predicted income went to zero. Now, me being a smart girl in my contracts, I really, really was really it was really important for me that I had edited my contract like a year and a half ago to include Acts of God or Pandemic, right? Why why did I add that? But thank you. God be knowing, God be knowing, and so I added that and it helped me in all my contracts, and I had to give anyone a refund. Yeah, but the predicted income, the projected income went to zero. So I'm like, I have these bartenders who work for me. I'm working for myself. Yeah, how am I going to figure this out? And then I was just like, you know what? I'm gonna keep trucking, I'm gonna keep um making my cocktail videos that I've I've been doing online. I'm gonna keep taking pictures of my cocktails with these non-alcoholic mixers, and something is gonna happen. And I kept doing it, and like I woke up one day with 15 orders, and so I was like, how am I gonna fulfill all these orders? Like, because mind you, it was only like one or two orders a week since like 2018. So I was like, you know what? My mom had been furloughed, and my niece was, you know, doing virtual learning. Then after school, we needed her to be active, so they would come over weekly to help me fulfill orders. And 15 went to 30, went to 40, went to 50 orders a week, and then I got my warehouse in August 2020. Yes, and it's just been one of those things like I believed in what I was doing, and I kept doing it, and now all of what I was sowing, I have reap, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Listen, the people didn't see, but I'm raising my hand and praising God on your behalf.
SPEAKER_00Yes, you know, like the meme that has like the um the ice on under the water, and then the small tip of the iceberg, like no one sees all the work, the long nights, the overdraft fees, like no one sees all of that. Talk about it, and then when things start booming and you get recognized, and then you get in the New York Times, they'd be like, Oh, she had a great year. Yes, I've been working my ass off, so I can have this great year, and it this year is just the year that the ice the tip of the iceberg is now being seen.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and I'm gonna claim that we are gonna see that tip of the iceberg grow to match the amount of work even more that you've been doing.
SPEAKER_00Okay, we talked about Beyonce, she needs to taste this drink, yes, she does, and I've and I've got my baby picture in the draft for my email so she can when it's my birthday comes that day, and she wants to post me like my em my address is in my bio. So it's just a case she wants to send me an icy box.
SPEAKER_01You and I are the same person when it comes to that baby picture. I know the exact one. I'm just waiting for her to catch up to me.
SPEAKER_02Okay, okay, Laura.
SPEAKER_01As an entrepreneur navigating this COVID life, what have you learned about yourself? You talked about the work that you put in, but what has what lesson have or lessons have you learned about yourself?
SPEAKER_00Um, if it can't get done today, um, it's just it can't get done today.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna close my laptop because you read me. That's fine.
SPEAKER_00And um, I have to learn to rest. Like rest for me is luxury. It's like, you know how people say like their self-care is, you know, doing all these things. Yes, I get my nails done and all that stuff on a scheduled basis, but I don't see it as self-care. Self-care for me is like, um, I retail day was on Saturday, and I'm not coming back to the warehouse until Wednesday, and I can rest and I can catch up on my shows, I can put my feet up, I can fall more in love with my fiance, I can do all these things because I'm resting and I'm putting rest first. I remember when I wasn't putting rest first and I wasn't taking care of myself, and so I really, really have learned that my rest is my form of resistance.
SPEAKER_01So, one, stop reading my mind. And two, you are literally reading my life right now. So last week I had taped with Nakara, but I just decided in my mind, yes, shout out to Urban Charcuterie.
SPEAKER_00Yes, our collabs have been happy.
SPEAKER_01I've seen. I've seen. And I just decided in my head that I'm gonna drop this episode first and then hers, even though it was scheduled the other way around, but I digress. I was talking with her about this idea of self-care and rest, and talking about rest and versus recovery, and how not only is it important to yeah, get your nails done and pamper yourself in self-care, but truly rest is resistance, and also we need to be mindful about engaging in this act of recovery where we're not only just trying to sustain ourselves for the present, but like we're really dealing with some of the past things that have worn us down.
SPEAKER_00Yes, recovery is like being reactive and resting is being proactive, and learning how to rest is hard. As black folks, we our labor is our love, and for us, we will beat ourselves down, we will weather ourselves and not know we're weathering because we love the labor most times, right? Yeah, and so I just had to learn that for me, for Chrissy, not just for charismatic creations, but for Chrissy to show up as me, I have to rest. Yes, yeah, and I love that for me because I didn't know how to do that, girl.
SPEAKER_01Say so. And I love how you name that, you know, rest is resistance, but also rest is luxury. And resistance and luxury are two things historically that two things that we have been denied and told that we don't deserve, we should not be tapping into. And so to recognize that rest is luxury, rest is resistance, and making the intention to always tap into that, you bless me. I'm done.
SPEAKER_00And I just it's just like wow, like how can we be, how can we show up for other people if we don't, and how can we be ourselves if we don't even show up for ourselves? Say so, and you know, I can't get on anyone and say, Oh, well, you're not resting, you you're terrible because I was there before, but it's just like a learning thing, and for me, I had to learn it. I'm still learning, but I'm acting on it.
SPEAKER_01And one thing that I've experienced in the learning is you will get at one point, you'll get tired enough, you'll get to a point where you're just like, uh-uh, something's gotta give.
SPEAKER_00Yes, you get fed up with yourself. Fed up, the door is closed.
SPEAKER_01Shout out to Nene, Black History, okay. I appreciate you so much for giving me your time, giving me your energy, really just bringing your fullness into this space. Before I let you go, got a couple more things to touch on.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01What tips would you share with other people who are thinking of starting their own business, but they're kind of afraid of starting, especially with COVID, maybe finances, maybe they think it won't hit in the streets, you name it.
SPEAKER_00Um, some of the best advice that I have ever gotten is start now, perfect later. And so when you start, for one, you're not procrastinating anymore. You don't need to have the perfect formula or the perfect label or the perfect bottle or the perfect anything. You just need to start because that perfection is going to not allow you to start, and then you don't know if it's gonna pop. So start now and perfect later. That's that's my ministry. I'm glad um one of my mentors told me that because one, my non-alcoholic mixers would have never started because I was so worried about the perfect bottle and the perfect label and the perfect formula. She said, girl, just start that and you'll learn and you'll reinvest back into your business and you'll be able to perfect it. So start now, perfect later. Um, you don't always have to run out and go get an LLC. Let's wait just a little bit to see if what you are loving to do is lucrative. Because one thing about LLCs, there's an annual fee, whether you're making the coin or not, teaching that money. So if you're in Maryland, the annual fee is $300, whether you're making the coin or not, is due every year. So I would say make sure what you love to do is lucrative. And then once it's lucrative, then go get your domain. Because if you don't have the domain, then why name your business that, right? Maybe you could brainstorm another name for your business. But um get your domain because that's very important for people to for you to have an online identity. So whatever your name is.com, and then go get your LLC and start doing what you love, but also know that like with the entrepreneurship, that it's not gonna always be happy. Um, Instagram is a real uh for your highlights, and now um, you know, sometimes um like in my journey, I've been a little transparent. You have to be careful about how transparent you are on business pages, um, because people will beat you down and not support you because you're too honest. Um, but you know, transparency is key as far as like why things aren't shipping on time, what's happened, why I had to switch up my bottles because people were getting it and it was exploding. Like those things, things are gonna happen. Things are gonna go right, they're gonna go wrong, then they're gonna right. But um, yeah, start now.
SPEAKER_01I'm hearing find your balance when it comes to the things you post on the social media. Start now, perfect later. Get your house in order before you run after that LLC. Okay, you got LLC Twitter shook. Yes. Oh, they're gonna kill me when they okay. And you know, as I think back on our conversation, you've talked about the importance of community, you've talked about the importance of perseverance. Yeah, you know, I see you got the alcohol business going, but if you want to add some nuggets of wisdom to those bottles or make that a business in itself, you might have something going because this blessed me.
SPEAKER_00Yes, and then once you're really serious about it, trademark. Heard you because when people see you popping, they can go after what you've been popping on, aka nigga steal, been stealing. Um, imitation is not a form of flattery. Get your own shit, stop doing mine, find your lane, and flourish in your lane, not mine.
SPEAKER_01We saw the Nene pop out, okay? Flourish in your lane. Oh my gosh, I appreciate you.
SPEAKER_00I love you so much, and I'm so happy to be a part of the show. Like, one thing that I love to see, even from Maryland, is you being your authentic self. I love it. That's one of the most like the one of the most important things that I loved about you is that you've always been you, Patrick. I appreciate it. Whether it's been at McHeldon or us dancing in the dorms, like you've just always been you, and I love that about you. And I've seen you grow and be more of you online. I just love it.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. It hasn't been easy, but you know, God is good, God is faithful. Complete this sentence for me. Happiness is rest boom, done. Okay, period. Now I have asked you all of these questions. We've talked, we've talked, we've talked. Now we're gonna move into a section of the podcast called Let's Spin the Rose A Bottle. Okay, so I have asked you all these questions throughout the whole um podcast interview. Now you have the chance to ask me one thing. It can be juicy, it can be dry, it can be nothing at all. But if it is something, I'll have to give you an answer.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So I've seen like photos like that you've shared on Instagram and Are you into like what is it? SN SNM?
SPEAKER_01Oh, you're gonna get in my business.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01So professionally, I will say I am an advocate for the King community. So a part of my work that I do outside of my program is trying to make the therapeutic space more inclusive for the King community. Just by providing just like some therapeutic guidelines. I worked with a couple clinicians through the APA and through other organizations to kind of create guidelines to make this members of this community feel um more included when it comes to the therapeutic space. Yeah. And to make therapy more culturally humble when dealing with this community. You might find that I don't enjoy others, right? Now, if you are a tall chocolate man who is interested in finding out which ones I like and don't like, hit my DM.
SPEAKER_00The door is open. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Very, yes. Oh, I thank you for that question. We're not even at season two, and we're already getting into the sex questions. Okay, here we go. I appreciate you for bringing that out of me. Now, before I let you go, do you have um, I would love for you to share your website, your social media handles, personal and business, whichever you like, and and share any projects that you may be working toward.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so you can follow me on Instagram at Charismatic Creations traditional spelling. There's no other A or I or anything in there, Charismatic Creations on all social media platforms. Our um website is charismatic creations events.com. And my personal Instagram is cocktails with Chrisum, where I give you cocktails in style. I bring more of my style to my personal Instagram. And coming up next is you'll see a cocktail book coming. Amen. It'll have cocktails and a few mocktails. Um, and it'll be centered on giving people their flowers. And I can't, yes.
SPEAKER_01I cannot wait because you know, once I'm off the sobriety kick, I'll be ready to drink down. Okay. So I am ready. Thank you again so much, Chrissy, for being on the show.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I'm so happy I was here. This was fun. This was fun. This is like a great happy hour.
SPEAKER_01It says it in the bio.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
unknownYes.
SPEAKER_01Y'all, this has been another episode of Roseanne Thorns. I'll see you next week. Bye. Thank you for listening to Rose and Thorns, a P Ryan podcast. You can find Roseanne Thorns on Instagram and Twitter at Rose and T Pod. That's R-O-S-E-N-T-P-O-D. And you can find P Ryan on Instagram and Twitter at I-M-P-Ryan. That's I-A-M-P-R-Y-A-N.