In Dialogue: Ash Adkins
In Dialogue: Ash adkins
I am filled with adoration as I share our next In Dialogue feature with you: Ash Adkins. Today, I am over the moon to share the mind and heart of someone who has a familiar presence at Wiley Canning Company. Ash has taught Introduction to Home Gardening to the Wiley community, both virtually and in her magical home garden.
Ash is an attentive gardener, talented sewer, and adventurous caver. Yes…caver! In fact, she recently met Rick Stanton, the heroic diver who led the Tham Luang cave rescue.
Ash encourages me to be more exploratory and respectful of the land beneath me. Any time I run or hike through the woods, her voice gently echoes the words, “Leave no trace.” She reminds us to leave our surroundings as we found them, if not better.
Below, Ash and I are in dialogue about gardening, sewing, caving, and the ways we nourish our minds.
Chelsea: We, of course, met many years ago. In recent years, we’ve worked together through Wiley Canning Company. You’ve taught, now twice, a phenomenal Introduction to Gardening workshop for us. Not only do I believe you are a gifted teacher, but many others also believe you are. If someone knows you, it seems they know you are a fantastic communicator, guide, and giver of knowledge. This is especially true of your gardening, caving, and sewing knowledge. Why do you believe this is true? In other words, how do you approach teaching in way that has created a unanimous admiration and appreciation for your skill?
Ash: We did indeed meet many years ago, and gosh, what facets we have both developed as humans since then! I have always appreciated open-source learning and spent a lot of time at my local library as a young person. I also remember being able to dive into sewing as a new hobby in my college years, all thanks to a kind of MySpace of internet sewing communities. Being able to explore who I was through that community of resources and encouragement really shaped me and instilled an admiration for both sharing information and being able to access it as a learner. It also made me incredibly grateful to be born in the age of the internet! Overall, I think continuously revisiting the idea that I will always be a student of some kind is both humbling and comforting. Plus, it will keep me connected to my communities as I grow as a person.
Chelsea: To you, what do gardening, caving, and sewing have in common? How does each fill your cup in a unique way?
Ash: Each of these things is very tactile, and they all teach me an immense amount about myself. For example, they have taught me to judge myself less and really enjoy the ways I choose to spend my free time. If I engage in an activity for a period of time and begin to feel burnt out, I can pause on it and come back another day. Crafts will still exist. The perennials will come back, and new seeds will sprout on their own. Caves have been here for eons and are not going anywhere.
As for how they fill my cup, each has a different special power. With caving, I can physically push myself in demanding environments and let go of the anxiety and stress of everyday life. Time doesn't really matter down there. With sewing, I can take a break from being a consumer and simply enjoy making a thing, regardless of what it is. As for gardening, I love simply watching lifecycles play out. Seeing how a plant starts from those first little cotyledon leaves to when it bolts new seeds is a form of slow TV for me. Watching the drama of insects is surprisingly entertaining to me, haha.
Chelsea: Gardening, in many ways, can be a form of self-expression. In what ways does your garden represent you? In other words, what makes your garden feel like Ash? Or, what might you change or add to make it feel more like Ash?
Ash: My garden represents me in that it is made up of a variety of native pollinator species, which are so well adapted to our area that I don't need to do much to maintain it. Honestly, I feel more like a facilitator than a gardener and am so grateful for the space to let things grow. To make that space even more me, I think adding more water features to encourage frogs to live in my garden would be so much fun!
Chelsea: What makes someone or something admirable to you? In other words, what quality in someone or something feels valuable or uplifting to you?
Ash: People who keep curiosity at the forefront of what they do are captivating to me. I find it refreshing when I am able to see my friends or someone I am just getting to know spark up when they talk about things they are passionate about. Curiosity also feels uplifting, especially in the polarizing time that we are currently living in and gives me hope for the future.
Chelsea: On a similar note, what is one trait one might possess that allows you to feel closer to yourself in their presence?
Ash: I have noticed that I feel that I am able to be my true self around individuals who are active listeners. Being able to deeply connect with someone in a conversation and trusting that they can and will give me their full attention to commiserate or help problem solve when the time comes helps me show up fully as a friend.
Chelsea: What is one food-related habit, priority, or value rooted in your past, with family or close friends, that you wish to carry forward into the future? If there isn’t one, what might you start?
Ash: I love making hot sauce with my partner Aaron and really enjoy the method we have organically taken on as a couple. I grow the peppers, and he makes the sauce. We plan on doing it for many years to come!
You can follow Ash on Instagram here.
Photos by: Chelsea J. O’Leary and Ash Adkins