Today we’d like to introduce you to Shel Moring
Hi Shel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My apothecary Creations by Florea began in 2017 during my sophomore year of undergrad. At the time, I was drawn to natural skincare and was experimenting with gentle serums. As I began to learn more about herbalism from a decolonized lens, my offerings expanded to include herbal smoke and tea blends, non-alcoholic extracts (oxymels) and tinctures. My senior capstone explored the history of herbalism in Black American communities, and by that point I knew that I wanted to continue Creations by Florea beyond college.
By 2020, I was selling at pop-up markets and strengthening my relationships with my community members in D.C (where I lived at the time). I realized I could offer my medicines to mutual aid efforts, and started taking an interest in growing the plants myself.
When I moved back to San Diego (my hometown) in 2021, I started a home garden right away and by 2023 I was volunteering at Revolutionary Grower’s Garden in City Heights where I met dozens of other folks who made the connection between food sovereignty and Black liberation. It’s been such a joy to introduce my beloved herbal companions to that space: mugwort, lemon balm, yarrow and calendula. That’s a place where I can share and receive knowledge, create medicine from what we grow, and root Creations by Florea in a network of people also doing transformative work.
At this time, Creations by Florea is just one outlet for me to be of service to my communities, both in-person and remotely. I am also entering my 4th year of facilitating the virtual, 4-week writing circle that I designed for BIPOC creatives. The Dream Seeding Circle is an extension of my love for poetry and rooted in the belief that radical dreaming happens in community. We explore poetry by writers of color, especially centering queer and trans authors of color. There’s also somatic exercises woven into every session so we can come back to a place of regulation and trust. And at the end of the 4 weeks, participants will share their final projects that encourage them to dream forward and root themselves in a creative lineage. It’s really powerful to engage with the question of ‘who benefits from having embodied creatives of color?’ and then actually explore that possibility in a group.
Moving back to your hometown, if you’ve ever had the opportunity to live somewhere else, can be kind of daunting. I’m still healing my relationship to San Diego and I feel like I’m finally starting to see where I can be of service here. There’s so many incredible collectives popping up, or that have been building for years. It’s cool to come back after 6 years of being away, and feel like I’m finding a place here again.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I struggle with self-doubt all the time, but I feel like because my dreams for softer, greener futures are so strong, I’m constantly surrounded by people who resonate with that vision and remind me of how capable our communities are. That kind of support helps to ease the self-doubt, and helps me get out of my own way!
Creations by Florea as a functioning apothecary is so fluid. I live by the seasons and honor when it’s time to slow down, reframe or move differently. I find it’s smoother when I go with its flow than try to resist it. Funny how the things we create can take on energies and consciousnesses of their own. All we can do is honor them, because I really feel like a vessel for dreams bigger than myself.
It’s difficult to move slowly when we also have constant bills and expenses to pay. I’m still learning how to practice integrity within my body by not overdoing it, not pushing myself to unhealthy limits to survive. Mutual aid shows me that community support is vital to our survival as individual people, and as dreamers who are pushing for alternative ways to live and co-exist.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The herbal medicines I offer are also extensions of my art. So in addition to small batches of tinctures, which you might take for a variety of reasons whether it’s to ease menstrual pains or support the digestive process with some bitters, I also infuse writing into Creations by Florea. I create zines that blend poetry and materia medica, or informational write-ups on a specific plant and their properties. Plants are my muses — the medicine is just how I honor what they have to offer.
Anyone purchasing a medicine from Creations by Florea can expect a formula infused with care and intention. Many of the herbs are grown in my backyard or sourced from the community garden, and the formulas are crafted to be gentle so they can be taken by a wide variety of folks. There’s non-alcoholic options like oxymels and flower essences, and I avoid gendered language when talking about menstrual relief remedies so folks can feel safe interacting with those medicines.
Folks in the community know me for my ability to bring people together. The writing circle gatherings that I host allow me to connect writers of color to each other, no matter where they are geographically or where they are in their writing journey. It’s really important to me that these spaces exist. I do this for the introverts, the covid-cautious folks who want access to virtual communities aligned with their interests, and the writers who feel intimidated by the ivory tower’s influence on poetry today.
Right now, I feel most proud of how I’ve made space for many different parts of Shel to exist in what I offer to others. There’s my poetic self who’s self-published three compilations, hosted a book launch at my favorite bookstore ever (Libelula in Barrio Logan) and has now been published by two lit mags in this year alone. There’s the nature-loving Shel who’s worked over five years in the houseplant retail industry, helping people to connect with their intuition and reframe their relationship to the environment. And there’s an aspect of Shel who’s deeply invested in learning about their ancestry as a Black American and descendant of Chinese immigrants. All of these parts show up in the work that I do, be it the herbal offerings, the poetry or the writing circles. That integration would make anyone (and their ancestors) proud.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up I was talkative, outgoing and emotionally expressive. I didn’t learn that I was neurodivergent until my mid-20’s, so when I was younger I just thought I was a sensitive crybaby. Now I know that sensitivity and intuition are my superpowers. Younger Shel was very eager to play peacemaker for their friends and I know they had a pure heart. I was also a big dreamer — I had fairy friends and notebooks full of magical lore. I knew I’d be a witch when I grew up.
I have really fond memories of being on the school newspaper staff for three years. I was an Editor in my senior year and by that point, I was starting to develop pretty strong Black feminist politics. I remember questioning the gender essentialist language in some of our spirit week traditions and actively calling for a recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement. The newspaper was just one outlet for me to bring these topics to light, and it set me up for having more confidence in my voice moving forward.
I’m an only child and both of my parents are well-loved in their respective communities. I think I was aware of this from a young age and really wanted to be seen and celebrated for who I am, and all that I can offer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yinflowercreations.wordpress.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/creationsbyflorea
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/creationsbyflorea
