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honey” and before I drank the coffee, I didn’t know what In addition to the original color of the skeleton, if I did
she meant. That day, my friends told me that it’s a way to not identify with black color — the color of black coffee, I
process coffee. My name has no “a” in “blck” because it was would choose turquoise. True turquoise, the color of the
taken by an inactive user. I’ve asked Instagram many times rivers that flow through central Asia, is both rare and stun-
to fix this, but maybe that’s what makes me different. ning. Turquoise is one of the oldest gemstones in the world.
At first, I volunteered for many charity projects to help It was considered a precious treasure in ancient times and
many unemployed baristas. I also produced illustrations and is still a popular amulet that is considered to have divine
donated the proceeds to coffee farmers in need. After a energy. But this perception of mine might change as time
while, even though this created a spiritual uplift in my life, goes by.
it put me in a financial bind and I started pricing my art. In Art is another way I’ve found to get involved in the
August 2020, I designed a coffee bag for Turkish coffee brand coffee industry amid COVID-19. My dream is to inspire the
Delfiano Coffee Beans. youth generation through my passion for coffee and design.
But then I found that illustrating as a way to make a Although I have not yet realized my dream, and I know the
living put me under pressure., I thought I needed to always process is difficult, the only thing I am sure of is that I will
please my followers and and do commercial collaborations. keep moving in that direction.
Eventually, it pained me to see people drinking coffee I just have one message to the world, don’t let your past
just to get likes and followers on social media instead of failures take away your confidence in achieving your goals.
helping farmers solve their problems. However, being ratio- Here I want to write a quote by Joe Rogan which encouraged
nal about getting likes and followers on social media has also me a lot, “We define ourselves far too often by our past
become a task I need to face. 50 people unfollowed, 20 failures. That’s not you. You are this person right now. You’re
people followed... I wonder why people don’t like me any- the person who has learned from those failures. Build con-
more. Then I realized that it would be a serious problem to fidence and momentum with each good decision you make
try to change myself and get people that I didn’t know to from here on out and choose to be inspired. Live your life
like me. What matters to me is who is following me, not how like you’re the hero in your own movie.”
many followers I have. People don’t need to be curious about
what I’m doing. But it makes me very happy to witness my
development and change, and to be liked.
The pressure in commercial collaborations was people
tring to change me. They just wanted to benefit from the
illustrations.
Aside from the financial anxiety, turning freelance is
One day, I helped the cafe owner to prepare a Turk- is rare in Turkey because of the high cost of specialty coffee. such a joy. Since the beginning of this year, I can set my own
ish coffee for the Cezve/Ibrik Championship, and we got Commercial coffee is more dominant. Through coffee, I also prices and live by choice as I wish because if I don’t dream
Finca Las Margaritas from Rigoberto Herrera Valle Del made many friends. something, I can’t make art. In the process, I communicate
Cauca Gesha. I thought that a woman who put on perfume with so many important people with names like @cxffeeb-
passed by me when I had my first sip. I then realized the Using Art to Do Something for Coffee lack, @orea.uk, @europeancoffeetrip, etc. that sometimes
smell came from that coffee. It made me think that if that I can’t believe it.
coffee carries such sweet, soft melodies of pineapple and However, I lost my job at the coffee shop due to the
rose, what have I been drinking all this time? COVID-19. My experience in the coffee industry made me We All Have a Skeleton
My excitement for coffee began to turn into passion realize that I was serving coffee to an elite group of people
as I started doing more research. Standard recipes were who just wake up, go to a store, and enjoy their life. It was Skulls, masks, and serpentine figures are elements that
usually applied in the workplace. I started experimenting then that I realized who grew coffee was more important to I use most in my work.
with quietly changing the temperature of the water and me than who drank it. Skull is an anatomic figure which actually represents
changing the grind. I promised myself that one day I would I couldn’t find a job for a long time, and that’s when I all humanity. For me, it is a reality that exists in everybody
make such a naturally sweet coffee that even those who started to turn a bad thing into a good thing and started but all humanity fears to see. Serpent represents so many
don’t like black coffee would enjoy. Because of my love creating my art. feelings. Some believe, it is a cure, but others think that it
for bartending, I started planning to represent Turkey in In April 2020, I started designing stickers to sell at low is an enemy. It depends on the culture where you were raised.
the Coffee in Good Spirits Championship. But when I prices and share my work on my Instagram account. The I want to show the things people and all society refuse to
started getting ready for the championship, the contest account name “blckhoneygirl” comes from the first coffee see, since we are all caught in certain beauty standards in
was canceled without any explanation. I ever had from abroad — Duran Family’s Black Honey the age of advanced technology and the internet. But all of
But I still think I’m lucky. I am thankful to my boss launched by White Star with flavors of blackberry lemonade, us have a skeleton. And it is essential to remember this. Even
who gave me a chance to do innovative things. In fact, this apricot, lychee. My roaster friend used to call me “black if it is ugly, reality is the most necessary feeling for me.

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